[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/QqXcyNo.png?1[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/KgVUX2g.png[/img][/center] [center][sub] a [@smarty0114] x [@icy hot] collab[/sub][/center] [indent][indent][color=darkgray] Liquored up and ready to blow their parents’ money, Katie, Chloé, Ava, Reyna, and Ivy started off their shopping trip together, before drifting off to different stores, with promises to meet up once they were all done. Katie had mentioned not having anything “Vegas appropriate” and Chloé had happily dragged her off to the mall’s Versace store. Katie wasn’t unfamiliar with opulence, but she was definitely averse to it in many ways. Growing up in Beverly Hills, it was impossible not to end up a little spoiled, but Katie had always felt weird spending obscene amounts of money on clothes. Newly single, slightly stressed out Katie, felt differently on the subject, however. She wanted to look hot, and no one could deny that Chloé was really good at looking hot. It didn’t hurt that Aleks and his accent had lodged themselves in her brain, crossing her thoughts whenever she let them wander. Whatever guilt she might’ve felt after her conversation with Carter had been numbed by her buzz, and she was in the market for something, or someone, to keep the bad feelings away. If that interaction in the parking lot had been anything, Aleks and Chloé were close, and Katie figured it wasn’t such a bad idea to do some investigative work. [color=980404][b]“So like, what’s the deal with Aleks?”[/b][/color] As soon as the words left her mouth, Katie was reminded that subtlety was her brother’s art form, not hers. She wasn’t used to beating around the bush, but nevertheless, she would try her very best. Chloé had been looking through high-end rack, after high-end rack, stopping to pick up and examine a pair of dazzling shoes, only to be drawn away again by a peculiar little black piece. Katie’s question was barely enough to draw her attention away from the dress she circled on the mannequin, [b][color=50C878] “Hmm? Did something happen with him when you guys were talking? Sometimes he says too much, but I can give him a little reminder if you need me to.”[/color][/b] Chloé replied with a short laugh shaking her closed fist as a promise to Katie. [b][color=50C878]” What do you think about this dress?”[/color][/b] Chloé gestured to the [url=https://www.versace.com/us/en-us/women/clothing/dresses/graphic-neckline-mini-dress-a1008/A86558-A213159_A1008.html?cgid=120100#start=1] little blackdress[/url] that had been the object of her attention. Katie paused her line of questioning to examine the dress, running her hands over the black fabric before taking it off the rack and holding it up in front of her. It wasn’t something she’d have ever picked out on her own, but she had to admit, it looked good. [color=980404][b]“Okay, okay, this could work,”[/b][/color] she said. [color=980404][b]“Anyways, I was just curious. You’d think the whole ‘International Man of Mystery’ vibe would’ve faded by now,”[/b][/color] Katie said, peering inside a glass case to get a look at the necklaces inside. Chloé paused a moment to ponder Katie’s observations, it was always interesting to hear how people viewed Aleks, and it always seemed to be the opposite of her own views. Aleks had always been easy to read, but maybe it was due to them using similar masks to hide away behind. But Chloé wasn’t about to out her partner in crime if Katie thought he was mysterious, then Aleks would be, [b][color=50C878] “Yeah, but doesn’t that ‘Secret Agent’ vibe make him hotter? I know you’re thinking about it, I saw you drooling a little earlier.”[/color][/b] Chloé responded with a laugh as she moved on to search for her own outfit, [b][color=50C878] “I’m not one to pry... But just know if you need to talk I’m great at listening. If you don’t want to talk, I think you should take tonight to leave [i]Beverly Hills[/i] completely behind you.”[/color][/b] Katie’s smile faltered and she froze for a moment, still staring at glittering diamonds. The way Chloé had left it, she didn’t need to come clean yet. So, maybe it was the Goose, or, more likely, Katie needed to talk to someone. [color=980404][b]“Carter and I broke up. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say I dumped him. Hence my surprise arrival this morning,”[/b][/color] Katie said, facing Chloe with as much confidence as she could muster. Even in front of her friend, in a moment of vulnerability, it was difficult to let the walls come all the way down. [color=980404][b]“I’m fine, obviously, I mean, I’m me. But, long story short, yes, it definitely makes him hotter.”[/b][/color] [b][color=50C878] “ Yes, you are you, vibrant and fierce, and in that-“[/color][/b] She pointed to the dress Katie held in her hands, [b][color=50C878] “No man, [i]secret agent or mafia boss[/i], alive would dare turn you away tonight. One of us has to have a scandalous Vegas tale to tell over a campfire, and I think you might just be in the market for that, what a way to declare your new bachelorette status than seducing a man worth a few hundred million dollars?”[/color][/b] Chloé’s grin was mischievous as she brandished her own simpler mini dress, [b][color=50C878] “Or [i]woman[/i], girl’s do some things better than boys do, you can ask little Josie about that one, or I can give you a first-hand demonstration.“[/color][/b] She issued a playful wink and looped her arm through Katie’s, [b][color=50C878]”Do you need to try it on?”[/color][/b] Katie grinned, Chloe’s playful flirting lifting her spirits a bit. [color=980404][b]“Yeah, I need to make sure it looks perfect for tonight,”[/b][/color] she said, leading them towards the fitting rooms, where an employee led them to an empty room and drew the curtain. [color=980404][b]“What about you? Anyone, you’re after on this trip?”[/b][/color] Katie asked as she began to undress and slip into the dress, unfazed by Chloe’s presence. [b][color=50C878] “Mm I’m here for the journey, not the destination.”[/color][/b] Chloe’s response was noncommittal as she set her things down on the bench and tended to the zipper on Katie’s back once the straps were pulled over her shoulders, [b][color=50C878] “If things happen, then they happen. But that’s just my style of doing things. But if you’re a go-getter, make it happen girl.”[/color][/b] [color=980404][b]“Well, I am known for making things happen.”[/b][/color] Stepping back she let out a low whistle as she took in Katie, [b][color=50C878] “[i]Okay[/i], ex-boyfriend, [i]who[/i]? Damn, this dress was made for you, please tell me you’re getting it.”[/color][/b] The blonde looked over her smiling reflection in the mirror, turning around a few times to check herself out from all angles. [color=980404][b]“I mean, I kind of have to, right?”[/b][/color] She did one more spin and nodded confidently. [color=980404][b]“Yes, absolutely. Thanks, Mommy’s credit card!”[/b][/color] After some help from Chloe with the zipper, Katie was slipping out of the dress and back into her clothes. [color=980404][b]“Thank you, for finding this. I needed some retail therapy.”[/b][/color] Chloé was gathering her things from the seat as Katie changed back into her clothes, [b][color=50C878] “Don’t mention it, what better way to kick off a night in Vegas than to do a little splurging. And if it gets that pretty smile on your face, job well done on my part!”[/color][/b] As Chloé was exiting the dressing room a glittering black dress caught her eye, [b][color=50C878] “And so, Versace becomes the modern olive branch,”[/color][/b] she murmured aloud as she took the dress from the rack, [b][color=50C878] “Alright, you good to go? I’m ready for some food and more day drinking.“[/color][/b] [color=980404][b]“You read my mind,”[/b][/color] Katie said. The girls paid, and left the store behind them, in search of food, friends, and more alcohol. Luckily, Vegas wasn’t short on any of the three. [/color][/indent][/indent]