"And you wanted to return them?" Cameron asked as he stood outside Ariel's door having come up with Sally to get her. Though he was really coming for Malachi. Next to Cameron was a taller skinnier young man with dark hair and eyes. He had a ready smile and reminded her of Cameron a lot. This was Lee.
The other two standing there were Deirdre and her boyfriend Alec. He was the same height as Deirdre with slender square glasses. A very smart look about him. His hair was a mess that was natural but he wasn't a bad looking man. Deirdre had the same smile and air about her as Sally did.
"It was the principle of the thing." Ariel commented standing there in a white dress that made her hair look nearly black. It came to mid thigh and flowed around her. The upper part hugged her with a heart shaped top and thin straps over her shoulder.
"Leewater was practically drooling over you."
"Yeah and you let him sit down." Ariel said angrily as she stood in front of Malachi's door now. Which opened as he heard them in the hall. The others started laughing, they had finished with a brunch downstairs not too long ago. Just a smaller gathering.
"You could get anything from him with a few well-placed words." Deirdre said. "You have one buying you dresses." She said with a gesture to Malachi who smiled. "Get this one to buy you that land you need or something." Ariel sighed.
"I'll figure a better way out. He was a bit too intense." Ariel said and looked at Malachi and held out a hand. "I need the silver colored dress that you've held hostage from me." She remarked annoyed.
"Just so you won't return it." He replied disappearing into his room and she followed with the others behind her. He went into the closet and grabbed one of the black bags. Ariel took it from him.
"How do you know which one it is?" Sally asked suspiciously.
"I looked." He said with a smile. "I like to know what I've bought."
"Uh huh." Sally said eyeing him, and he gave her another brilliant smile.
"Just why else would I look at them? Suggesting I tried them on?" Malachi asked and there were a few laughs.
"With you I never know. You're as weird as Cameron."
"Weird is subjective." Alec said looking down at his phone and doing something. The others just looked at him, unsure about his tone. He didn't seem to notice at all. Sally however eyed Malachi suspiciously and he just shrugged.
He'd looked at them because he wanted to know what kind of look Ariel was drawn too or looked good in. It was very easy to picture her in those items and he liked them all. Plenty of images and thoughts in his head. Not like it was a crime, and he wasn't sorry about it. Even if Sally might think he was really looking at them to picture a certain someone in whatever way he wanted. She couldn't prove it. Obviously he was attracted to Ariel.
"You'll be late if you don't go." Alec said and Deirdre gave him a quick kiss. He kissed her back and looked at his phone before stuffing it back into his pocket.
"Always punctual." She said and moved to leave with the two other women.
"Cameron you behave. Feel free to teach him a lesson if he gets out of hand." Deirdre said to Alec, who was the least known by the men. He would be the odd man out at the moment.
"Don't worry I'll use small words when I do." There was a bit of laughter and Cameron had a broad smile.
"I think I'll like you weirdo."
"Cameron!" Sally called as the door closed. Ariel was smiling and the three of them went down the hall all holding their gowns. Then went down in the elevator to the lower floors where there was a higher end salon down here.
"Alright." Sally said smiling and moving in to sit. There were a good number here and they all had appointments. You couldn't get in here if you didn't have an appointment. Deirdre sat down looking a bit out of place.
"This place looks expensive." She said glancing around and the smell of hair care products heavy in the room.
"Don't worry, Cameron and I will pay for you."
"You bought my dress. I'll get my hair." She said the two of them were arguing about it as a woman came to them and asked what they would like to drink while they waited. They told her and she left and the two of them went at it arguing again. Ariel had a sudden idea and went up to the counter, unnoticed by the other two.
"Hi." She said and the man gave her a bright smile and had a very flamboyant attitude.
"How can I help you?" She proceeded to tell him her name and her appointment time with her friends. "I would like you to charge all three to this account." She said handing him her card and he took it.
"Whatever they get, hair, nails, drinks, a full spa treatment." She said gesturing at the list of different services that they offered all top end. "Don't allow them to pay for it themselves."
"Of course Miss Standish!" He answered with a smile. "We aim to please and your fiancé's family is very good to our city, your wish is my command." He gave her a wink before entering a couple things in the computer.
"Oh I… thanks." She said taking her card and deciding to not correct him. If that got her to pay for it all then that was fine. She moved back over to the sisters who had now lapsed into talking about their men.
"Where'd you go?"
"I was asking about the different stuff they offered. Natasha never really took me with for spa days with the girls." She said with a sigh.
"Well would you like to do a spa? That might be fun and we really do have a good amount of time."
"That's a lot." Deirdre said unsure. Sally's family wasn't very rich, they weren't poor but they had to manage money. They were a proud family as well and didn't like to take money from others. They made their own way in life and were pleased by that fact.
"Shut up Dee, I'm getting it for you." She retorted smiling and Ariel held back her own. Oh no she wasn't.
"Hello, I'm Janice." Said a petite woman with spiky red and orange hair. "If you'll follow me I will show you to your stylists." The three of them got up and moved with her into the main area. After that they told their stylists what they wanted and had an entire makeover done.
Pedicure, manicure, a facial mask, even a massage before their nails were actually finished. Then they went for their hair which took them a while. Ariel had the most hair as it fell nearly to her waist at the moment because she hadn't had it cut in a while. Plus it was extremely thick to boot.
She had it trimmed and then her stylist looked at her asking what she wanted done. Sally was already describing what she wanted and Deirdre next to her also had an idea. Ariel had no clue.
"Um, I'm not sure. What do you think will look good?" She asked the stylist.
"Do you want it up or down?"
"Well…" Ariel thought a moment. "I do like my hair more down, but I would like it out of my face. This is my gown, so whatever you think would look good with it." The stylist looked her over thinking. Her hair a dark red with light copper highlights.
"I'm thinking, something like a French twist, but with a good portion down. It does look better on you down I think. We can make it come over one shoulder with a good amount of curl to it. Or an intricate knot at the back of your head. That might be fun too." She said. "Could bunch it…" She was mumbling and touching Ariel's hair.
"Whatever you think will look best." Ariel stated. "Make me look better than them." Ariel pointed to her friends.
"Hey!" Sally said while Deirdre laughed. Ariel just smiled at them. Her stylist went to work on her. It was a long time that she sat in that chair. At the end of it she loved her hair and how it looked. It was twisted inward at the top of her head and had a couple braids twisted into that as well.
Then it fell back down her shoulders with large looping curls and in the braids and twirled in her hair were tiny silver strands. She smiled loving it. Her makeup was also finished now as halfway through her hair they had come over to do it.
"You do look better." Sally said with a pout but a playful one. Sally looked beautiful with her hair up in a sleek design and two black hair sticks in her hair. Deirdre had a ton of curls and parts pulled back from her face.
"Now to get dressed." Ariel said moving to grab her gown as the other two did and go to the dressing rooms that they had. None of them had to put the dress on over their heads. Which was nice, other wise they would have had to wear it before. Also they had worn their shoes down here and jewelry as well.
Ariel slid on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a very different person in her opinion. She looked confident and beautiful. Something she didn't feel but happy she could look that way. Her lips were a darker red shade. Her eye lashes looked thick and dark as well. Her other makeup for the most part was light. She came out of the dressing room to wait for the others, and they looked amazing to her.
"Look at us!" Sally said extremely happy. They walked toward the door to leave having thanked their stylists. They came to the front desk and Ariel just kept walking with a smile on her face. The other two stopped and the man there smiled at them.
"You have a great day now! Enjoy the social!" They looked at him confused.
"But I need to pay." He waved them off with a laugh.
"Correction I need to pay for us." Sally said.
"No need, Miss Standish has taken care of all of it. Such a nice lady!" He commented wishing them well. They hurried off after Ariel who had reached the elevator and had hit the button waiting for it to come down.
"Ariel you didn't! That's a very expensive bill." Ariel gave a shrug.
"Wouldn't know, didn't look at the price." She said getting in and holding her other dress and items.
"Let me pay you back. I feel bad." Deirdre.
"Nope. See I'm learning Sally." Ariel said and Sally glared at her and then sighed.
"Fine, I'll get you back." Ariel just rolled her eyes. The three of them went up to the fifth floor to their rooms and put the items that they didn't need back. They were having dinner and the social here in the grand ballroom and pavilion. So they didn't need to travel far at all.