After twenty minutes I realized I hadn’t decided yet, when, under normal circumstances, I ‘d have made up my mind about what to wear on any given day after about 5 or ten minutes, max. Must have something to do with a certain red-copper-haired charmer you want to impress, Aerin?

Ugghhh! I hated being so anxious like this, worried about how I looked to someone else.

I was down to two choices after another five minutes, both in the maxi-length style that I’d taken a shine to. I’d been assured by a few super-elegant women I’d met in Hong Kong, that the maxi “is the length of the spring and summer this year, Aerin. A can’t miss; so many really good ones to choose from. And Louis Vuitton in Palm Springs and Dior in Cannes set the tone for it.”

One look was anchored by a thin leather striped maxi skirt that was oh, so naughty, but I finally went with the Dior maxi dress in a sunset color and tone that I could see was just smashing on me. Plus the dress was made of luxurious thin silk that skimmed down my body in lines that “seemed to cover things but revealed others at the same time” as the stylist in the Hong Kong boutique who’d helped me with my purchases had pointed out as he purred approvingly.

When you first looked at it, the dress looked like a classic, even conservative Dior but the plunging neckline gave it a “now” look, seeming to have been cut just right for me, even if it was off-the-rack, to allow the dress to show off particular assets in a tasteful way.

I finished with hair-and-make-up in the bathroom. “Casual but sexy” I decided, as I brushed my hair from the inside out to pouf-it a little and ran some hair product through it with my fingertips.  Harley had seen the smoky, mussed-hair “jeans look” yesterday; hope she’ll like me in this look today.

I was about to head down to the hotel’s breakfast area when my cell rang. Harley.

My heart was beating at twice (no thrice) its normal speed as I swiped to take the call.

“Hi sexy,” I heard her musical voice greet me.   Even her voice was turning me on.