Chapter 296: A Coffee Date
Melody looked in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time and exhaled slowly. She needed to get this right- not just her appearance, but the impression it created. After returning home this evening, she’d gone over the conversation with Adam piece by piece, combing through every glance and every silence.
It hadn’t taken her long to realise what had gone wrong. She’d let her guard slip. She hadn’t said anything outright, of course, but something in her expression or tone must have revealed more than she’d meant to the previous time when he had dropped her home. And Adam had probably picked up on it. She sighed. If only she had not been feeling too vulnerable, this would not have happened.
Today, she would be more precise. Professional but also determined to let him see her in a new light... that she was much more attractive than Melanie. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, and she certainly couldn’t afford to seem obvious. The key was balance. Let him see her differently and come to that conclusion on his own.
She studied the dress she had eventually chosen. This one should work. It was simple, well-fitted, and showed the right amount of cleavage.. With a blazer, it projected confidence and control. And later she would take the blazer off- casually, of course, a throwaway comment about the heat or maybe if something falls on her.. Just enough to catch his attention. Let the dress do the rest.
She wasn’t looking to seduce him because she knew that would be a mistake. What she wanted was far more subtle. She wanted him to look at her, really look at her. To make him look twice. To make him wonder.
Finally, she glanced at the time, realised that she would be just late enough to walk in so that he could give her a once over. She grinned. Perfect.
***
He didn’t look.
To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. As she stepped into the spacious coffee shop, she knew she had drawn attention. She could feel it-the subtle shift in the air, the way heads turned ever so slightly. Several men glanced her way, their eyes lingering longer than necessary, taking in the lines of her legs, the curve of her waist. The dress was doing its job.