Kit and Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella Read Online Free Page A

wide-legged with a thin cuff at the hem. The top was a sleeveless vest with suit lapels and a striped pattern of darker and lighter taupe tones. She put it on and looked at herself from the front, then the side. She flexed her shoulders. It fit comfortably, let her move easily. It showed her curves, hugging her breasts and slim torso. She peeked at the price: $375. She laughed. Served Owen right to have to pay so much for an outfit she’d only wear once.
    “Selena? I have some shoes for you,” a saleslady called through the door. “Oh! I like that!” she said when Selena opened the door. The girls, still in their wedding clothes, gathered around.  
    “Come out here and let us see you,” Ivy urged.  
    “Let me get some shoes on.” Selena looked through the boxes of shoes and selected a pair of black high-heeled sandals with a wide band across the toes. She tucked her gun in the waistband, then opened the door and stepped outside into the mirrored room with the seamstresses.  
    At five foot eight barefoot, the heels made her almost a head taller than some of the other girls. Selena liked the advantage her height gave her. In crowded spaces, she could see across a deeper area of a room since she didn’t have to look through walls of people but could look over their heads.  
    “Wow,” Ivy said. “Just wow. You look fabulous. Do you like it?”
    Selena thought about Val’s words, how he knew when a woman loved what she was wearing. She wasn’t sure she loved it, but she did like it. It was comfortable. And it looked good on her. “I can move in it. I haven’t been out of ops clothes in so long, I’m not sure I know what I like. It’s expensive.”
    “Don’t worry about that. Owen’s got it covered,” Ivy told her. She gestured for her to turn around.  
    “How can you wear those heels?” Eden asked.
    “I like them.” Selena grinned. “They’re terrific weapons in hand-to-hand. If something goes down at the house, all contact will be in a close-quarters fight.”  
    Eden laughed. “I wish I had your grace.”
    “You have a different function.” She looked at the dog trainer. “Those cowboy boots are a beautiful contrast to the softness of your dress. It works.”
    “That’s what Mandy said.”
    “What about the other outfit Val picked?” Fiona asked.
    Selena shrugged. “It has ruffles. Fucking ruffles. No.”
    Ivy laughed. “Just try it on. I didn’t expect to choose a floor-length dress, but it was one of the ones Val picked.”
    Selena went back into the dressing room and switched outfits. The second ensemble was another taupe pantsuit, this one of brushed satin in a champagne color. The pants were low-rise, hugging the middle of her hips. They had a wide cuff at the bottom that hung open like a slouchy hem. The top was a jacket of the same material with cutaway sleeves edged in sheer chiffon just a shade lighter than the satin. The lapel was made of the same chiffon, loose enough to make gentle folds as it framed the neckline. The chiffon lapels ended in a large bow where the jacket sides met. The tails of the bow draped down longer than the jacket hem. Three buttons closed the jacket, right at her breasts, leaving it open above and below. The lower edges of the jacket were cut at an angle so that it spread apart over her stomach, exposing her navel and hinting at bare skin between the jacket and the hip-high trousers.
    She looked at herself, shocked that she would like such a feminine outfit. There was a large ornamental rose in the middle of the bow, which she hated, but the rest she loved. She dug through the shoeboxes again and found a pair of strappy stiletto sandals. The white satin didn’t do anything for her, but maybe she could find something like them in a better color.
    She opened the door and stepped out to the women. Their eyes widened as they looked her over from head to foot. Uncertain what their shocked silence meant, she filled it with her own assessment.
    “I hate