Valerie arrived early on Tuesday hoping to get most of the dresses her class had made price tagged and properly stowed away before the noise of her classmates echoed in the dressing closet. She didn't quite fit with the other girls, always more of a tomboy but loved designing clothes and shoes into early hours of the morning. While they preferred shopping and talking, she preferred football and hiking. Her guy friends back home would fall over if they knew her secret shame. Her wardrobe said classy woman but not flirtatious with the exception of her fuck me heels and the pearls her father gave her before he died. As much as she missed him, Valerie finally felt free to choose a dream outside of business management. With some luck, she hoped a fashion design centered school might accept her application for the upcoming fall semester. The guys might need time to adjust but they would understand when she finally told them her plan.
Jacque, her favorite mentor and professor, was busy taking out the next set of dress examples for class when Valerie strolled in and greeted him. Instead of their normal chit chat, they each focused pulling out short-skirted evening dresses from a large closet and making sure each girl would have a few to fit with plenty of design variety. That task wasn't too difficult. Only a little more than half the class was female and the large majority of them wore similar sized zero. Valerie wasn't at all much different but the curves of her thighs, rump, and ample chest granted her another size. A few girls strutted in the room and admired the dresses Valerie had in her hands.
Linus cleared his throat making his presence known behind her. He was one of the few people Valerie had grown attached to since she started at NYU and the only friend who had briefly met her dad on orientation day almost a year ago. Not that they hung out much, Valerie just enjoyed his company whenever she saw him. Linus was masculine and attractive and easy to like. He did, however, stand out like a sore thumb in the class, kind of like her. The other guys were a bit pretty for her tastes and less... straight.
"Which one are you trying, Valerie?"
"None. I already know the perfect model and shape for this next project just looking at some of these dresses."
Jacque raised an eyebrow as he shuffled through the remainder of the closet but didn't comment. Valerie occasionally designed and created her project to fit herself but mainly used a model. Her designs were always unique and flattering, and models adored assisting and prancing about for her.
The clock ticked four thirty. Jacque quieted the room down and gave instructions. This class focused only on gathering ideas for designing a short evening or cocktail dress. Men in the class should pair with the women and have some say over which dresses were selected for try on. The students rushed for their favorites. Valerie continued to help Jacque maintain some semblance of organization as dresses were sampled and put back on the rack, but took breaks to walk around and view the different styles sampled on her classmates.
Linus sat down in an armchair in a corner of the room and studied Valerie. Her walk had a natural grace and sensuality. If she were slightly taller, she could easily rise as a model instead. The brown wavy hair she kept up in a pony tail at all times would look so sexy falling down her bare naked shoulders under him. He could get lost in those cobalt eyes if she'd only let him kiss her. Linus shook his head. He'd get a hard on and have to leave if he kept this up.
Valerie glanced a few times over her shoulder over to Linus and noted he was watching the girls around her. A pang of jealousy sprang up but was dismissed. She couldn't handle a guy and focus on leaving NYU. After an hour of the trying on dresses, Jacque announced directions for everyone to return dresses to the rack properly and have a short dress and sewing pattern of their own drawn out for their next lesson. Students tossed the dresses back on the rack rather carelessly and departed in a hurry.
Annoyed that Jacque would have so much work to do, Valerie finished fixing dresses back on the rack so that the fabric wont pull or stretch while hanging. Jacque thanked her just as the phone rang. When his office door shut with a click, Linus crept up behind her.
"I'd give anything to see you in one of those."
"Yeah, right. I haven't worn a dress above the knee since I was ten. Aren't you leaving for dinner?"
"No. I was wondering," he started as he brushed the back of his hand down the back of her arm, "if you might want to join me for pizza, beer, and a movie tonight?"
"Like a date?" Valerie's face suggested panic as she stepped forward and turned around to gaze at him. Just the brush of his hand sent electric twinges throughout her.
"Just casual." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'd like to hang out. It doesn't have to be a date."
Jacque cleared his throat and hung halfway out of his office door. "Yes, it does."
"Jacque-" Linus started angrily.
"Not now, loverboy. Valerie, I have a different assignment for you this week. I need your help with something." Valerie felt her face turn to flames.
"Okay, yeah. What do I need to do?" The thrill of a different assignment excited her. Something out of the ordinary would be a nice change, perhaps a nice enough change to avoid getting involved with Linus to any extent.
"I need you to impress an important friend that just called. I want you to wear one of my dresses to dinner at Blue Hills this Friday night and catch her attention."
"Friday?" That only left a little less than three days for Jacque to fit and produce a dress for her.
"Don't worry about the dress. I know your measurements."
"Do you already have plans?" Linus asked suspiciously.
"No. Not really. " She grinned thinking of Chris, Josh, and Tim, her guy friends and brotherly figures back home. They always Skyped her on Friday nights to catch up on the droll of the week before they went to party at a bar or two without her.
"Not unless you count a Skype date with three delicious men. I can reschedule though." She couldn't help herself. Urging a sweet spell of jealousy was cruel considering her refrain from interest, but seeing Linus puff up his chest and and rub his jaw nervously over her was worth the effort.
"Are they gay?" Linus spit the words out before they even ran through his brain.
"No. Definitely not." Valerie winked seeing his obvious discomfort.
"Invite one of them to come with you. You'll need an escort for dinner." Valerie saw Linus fist his hands and thrust them into his pockets before he turned half away.
"Jacque, uhm, that won't be possible..." Home was hours away. Plus, the guys would never let her relax in a dress long enough to show off one of Jacque's dresses.
"Well, Loverboy, looks like you can finally repay me for dropping in my classes all the time. Everything is paid for. You just have to show up at seven in your tux. The date should be cheaper than your pizza-beer-movie idea-"
"I didn't suggest that because it was a cheap date. Val just seems like-"
