Ellen sighed and shifted her gaze to the two dresses on her bed. One was a drab gray pantsuit, all business but nonetheless suited for a metropolitan dinner party. The other was a crimson gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline, a mermaid skirt, and a little train. It was classic Valentino, and it was her mother's dress, but she only remembered Annice wearing it once. She couldn't stomach wearing it or getting rid of it after she died, so she hid it at the back of her walk-in closet instead.
The gray pantsuit was like armor, cool and intimidating and never mistaken for anything other than an attire. The red gown, on the other hand, was designed to seduce and tease, and wearing it had implications, a bridge she couldn't cross.
Carl was hot, sensual, and put her blood on fire. She was an adult, a woman with needs, and she wanted him just as much as he desired her. Her history had finally caught up with her, and she was a shambles.