Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
There was a large, gleaming, white marble tub with black metal faucets—three of them in a row—in the center of the room. Against the wall was a black marble sink and a small oval mirror. There was a small alcove where Addie assumed the toilet was and then the far wall was completely covered in a large, golden-framed mirror.
“See, this is the perfect place to try on dresses,” Sparki said, hanging the three dresses she’d chosen for Addie on a nearby golden towel rod. “Now get undressed and let’s see which one looks the best on you.”
Addie was a little shy about getting almost naked in front of someone she'd just met, but the short, curvy lady-in-waiting was so friendly, that she found she didn't really mind. So she got started trying on the chosen dresses.
She expected to like one of the dresses more once she tried them all on, but honestly, once again they all seemed the same. Apparently there were subtle differences in the lace and the patterns but Addie didn’t notice these details until Sparki pointed them out to her. Basically all three clung to her curves and ended at the ankles. They also all had plunging necklines which showed off her neck and cleavage to an almost alarming degree.
Wow—the women here certainly like to flaunt their assets! Addie thought, looking down at the tops of her breasts which were wobbling like exotic fruit put on display. Luckily, she was wearing float dots—an alien invention commonly used by women aboard the Mother Ship to elevate their breasts. The two ruby-red, tear-drop-shaped dots adhered to the undersides of her breasts acted as tiny anti-gravity devices. They kept her ta-tas looking perky, even without a bra.
That didn’t mean that Addie went around braless, though. That was because she had large, puffy, prominent nipples. Meaning not only did her nipples stick out—her areolas did too. They were wide, sensitive bands around her tender peaks that looked almost swollen, as though a bee had stung her there.
Addie had read that having “puffy nipples” was simply a genetic variation that some women had, but she was intensely insecure about hers ever since a jerk she’d dated in college had made fun of them. So even though she wore the float dots, she also wore either a bra or a thick camisole under her blouse at all times. This hid her nipples—which were extremely sensitive—and kept them from chafing. She was glad she had a bra on now—though it was a bit awkward that her white bra straps were visible through the thin black silk of the identical dresses.
But though she couldn’t tell the difference in the dresses, Sparki clearly could.
“Oh, that’s it—that’s the one!” she exclaimed rapturously as she watched Addie modeling the third dress. “Praise be to Sheelash, you’re gorgeous!”
“Oh, er, thank you.” Addie smiled at her. “Then I guess this is the one I’ll wear to the feast.”
“Yes, you should! Oh my, that gown will get you into the Choosing Ceremony for sure if only the Council of Aged Ones will allow it,” Sparki told her.
“Wouldn’t that be exciting!” Addie agreed, smiling. Not that she wanted to participate in the special ceremony Lx Sambla had told her about, but she did hope she’d be allowed to observe it.
“We need to get you some jewels,” Sparki said, smiling. “Something sparkly to wear around your neck. You have the most lovely pale, creamy skin,” she added.
“Oh, thank you. I’m a natural redhead so the paleness kind of goes with the territory,” Addie told her.
“But first you have to take off your undergarments,” Sparki went on.
“Excuse me? I have to what?” Addie frowned.
“Well, I mean it’s all right to keep them on during the try-on process, but now that you’ve chosen a dress, you have to wear it right,” Sparki said. “Like mine, you know?” She nodded at her own black dress and Addie saw that her nipples were poking at the black fabric prominently.
“So…you want me to take off my bra?” she asked uncertainly. She really didn’t want to do that. It was fine for the other women around here to show off their nipples but she didn’t want to show hers. She wouldn’t have minded if they weren’t so large and puffy, but they were.
“Is that what you call that breast-hider thing you’re wearing?” Sparki asked. “Yes, it must come off. You’ll never be allowed in the Choosing Ceremony if you don’t show your assets.”
"Well…" Addie really didn't like this. But as a Xeno-anthropologist she understood that sometimes you had to endure discomfort to get close to the people you were studying. The time that she and Drago had been invited to a feast where the main dish was a giant boiled cockroach leaped nimbly to mind. Just the thought turned her stomach and she quickly pushed the memory away.