Accidentally in Love

One

TO DO

Turn on lights

Turn on coffee

Check props

Reply to Angelina about whips

Order "nude" thongs in different skin tones-where?

Staff meeting-print agendas

Pick up lunch

Check schedule for weekend shoots

Send out engagement party e-vites?

Try not to murder anyone

People who fall in love are super annoying. Especially when one of them is a friend, and you have no choice but to be happy about it.

Or so thought Sam Sawyer as she looked over her to-do list. She'd been marginally productive that Monday morning, considering she usually got into the Buxom Boudoir studio a full hour before anyone else (sometimes two, but who was counting?). She liked getting there early, turning on the lights, starting the coffee maker, and filling the electric tea kettle, then looking over River North from the large floor-to-ceiling windows that made up an entire wall of the studio, letting in as much natural light as possible. With the start of April, spring was trying its hardest to start in Chicago, and watching the sun rise over the city buildings was a wonderfully serene way to spend the early hours of the day.

Sam finally forced herself from the windows to start her day. After firing off a terse email about an entire order of whips gone missing-necessary props for an ad campaign for Dana's latest Luscious Lingerie collection-confirming that the other props were clean and ready to use, tidying the studio for an early staff meeting and photo shoot, printing the meeting agendas, and confirming everyone's lunch order from Simone's, Sam returned to her desk from her windowpane of solace and began hunting for the best place to order thongs for an avant-garde jewelry campaign Cassie was photographing in a month. Why anyone thought "nude" meant one shade of light beige was beyond Sam. And why was it so difficult to find affordable and size-inclusive options?

But as for the whole falling-in-love-is-annoying thing . . . well, in a fit of passion (or insanity), Sam had volunteered to throw Cassie and her fiancé, Reid, an engagement party at the studio. Not only had it been months since they got engaged, Sam wasn't sure that Cassie even wanted an official engagement party. But apparently they had been asked by friends and clients alike; the small dinner they'd had with family and close friends in the weeks after their engagement last fall had not sufficed.

For whatever reason, Sam decided the engagement party needed a theme. And she landed on Alice in Wonderland. And the spark that had faded from Cassie's eyes when it came to actually planning her impending nuptials returned.

And because they were in the business of making people feel bold and empowered, it was going to be a sexy Alice in Wonderland-themed engagement party. Costumes-lingerie-inspired, natch-were required.

When Sam eventually stood to stretch, she flipped the switch to turn on the rest of the overhead lights in the studio, and a proverbial light bulb went off in her head.

Luscious Lingerie.

Not only had Dana and Cassie both designed lingerie lines for the Chicago-based company, Sam had also modeled in a campaign alongside her friends, and she'd become friendly with several employees there. Perhaps it was time to come up with some kind of regular lingerie replenishment deal, exclusively through Luscious Lingerie . . . It wouldn't be the first business partnership between BB and LL-two companies aligned in their devotion to body inclusivity. Sam's mind started racing-skin-toned undergarments, in a variety of colors and sizes, would also be great for boudoir clients who wanted more coverage for their session than some of the outfits they ended up in, and if Sam could pull some strings and get Cassie to send the email, her marketing contact at Luscious Lingerie might take it seriously as a business deal and a way to keep one of their most popular influencer partners happy . . .

As Sam opened a blank email to start drafting her message and added another bullet point to her never-ending to-do list to discuss this during the staff meeting, she heard the muffled steps of someone coming up the stairs. Sam's desk was the check-in point for clients and right by the main entrance to the studio. Judging by the light, quick pace, Sam correctly guessed it was Kit.

"Darling, you're in early this morning," Kit said as she waltzed through the sliding warehouse-style door.

"I had a lot to get done before the morning meeting," Sam replied, still looking at her laptop screen.

Kit cleared her throat loudly, finally getting Sam's full attention. She was holding a full drink carrier, her extra-oversize purse, and a tote bag full of something that smelled wonderful.

"Oh, sorry," Sam said, realizing Kit needed assistance getting everything into the office. When Sam took the tote bag, Kit let out a breath of relief that ruffled her white-blond bangs. She had expertly styled her blunt "lob" in soft waves that just grazed her shoulders, and her pale cheeks were flushed pink from both the trek up to their fourth-floor studio and Kit's affinity for blush. Sam smiled at how opposite the two of them were that day-Kit in pastel purple and Sam herself in all black, down to her favorite patent leather Dr. Martens. But beneath their opposite exteriors was a fierce friendship Sam knew she'd always be able to rely on.

Sam followed Kit through the Buxom Boudoir studio, heading for the Glam Zone-Kit's domain. The three beauty stations were outfitted with vanities and director-style chairs where Kit transformed their clients and models into living works of art. Kit carefully dropped her purse on an overstuffed chair where people often waited for their turn in the beauty department or while they were on deck to be photographed on the set nearby. The wide, white backdrop took up an entire corner of the studio, with windows along both sides and shelves full of Cassie's photography equipment and small set pieces like crates, pillows, and blankets, kept on hand for the bed on rolling risers that was always at the ready for a boudoir shoot.

Passing through the Glam Zone, Sam and Kit walked to their small break room and kitchen, complete with a vintage fridge, a tiny oven and stove, a narrow kitchen island with wheels so it could move around, and a long table that served as their main meeting space as well as a place to eat throughout the day. Sam liked the open floor plan of the BB studio-there was always something happening, it was easy to start brainstorming sessions, and whenever someone made tea or coffee for a caffeine pick-me-up, everyone joined in.

After Sam set down the tote bag full of some kind of delectable confection her roommate had conjured up that morning, she went to the cabinets next to the fridge and collected plates, napkins, and cups. Kit took four small juice carafes out of the carrier and set them on the table. She must have stopped by Mariano's on her way in to work. "The market had guava and strawberry today, and I also got an orange and a mango."

"Good choices," Sam said, placing things down on the long table. Everyone at BB made an extra effort to make their weekly staff meetings special with treats. That week, Cassie and Kit were in charge, and the following week Sam and Dana would take on the task. It had been one of Sam's ideas to encourage productivity and team bonding after she had been hired at BB three years earlier.

"And you're in luck, my lovey, because I made fresh lemon scones," Kit said, finally taking a large white box out of her tote bag. "I may or may not have doubled the recipe so everyone can take some home." She then took out four smaller boxes, each tied with a yellow ribbon.

"Kit, you really are a fairy, aren't you? Only magic could have possibly made this happen before work hours," Sam said, her mouth watering from the fragrant citrus scent coming from the cute little containers. She reached for one of the boxes, but Kit swatted her hand away. Playfully pouting, Sam walked back to her desk to grab her trusty planner, where she glanced at her monitor and noticed a reply about the whips. While she was reading, Sam heard a muted clomping come to a stop outside the door and knew it was their fearless leader, Cassandra Harris. Her steps were louder because she almost always wore some kind of flat platform shoe-combat boots with four-inch soles, canvas slip-ons with two layers of rubber on the bottom, or, as Sam saw Cassie was wearing that day when she came over the threshold, her infamous black-and-white saddle shoes that were at least five inches high. The fact that Cassie was able to walk in them was yet another reason Sam admired her.

"I come with strudel from Goddess and the Baker! Strawberry mascarpone," Cassie announced, walking through the studio with flourish. She wore an olive-green boilersuit that looked like it was expertly tailored to her curvy figure, paired with large, heart-shaped tortoiseshell sunglasses, and her hair was wrapped in a bright red bandana, with a curly black bouffant peeking out of the front. Instead of going directly to the break room, she turned to her left and went to her station, opposite Sam's desk. Cassie had three huge monitors waiting to be filled with images of their clients and whatever freelance photo shoot she was working on at the moment.

While Cassie plugged in her laptop and got situated for the day, Sam wandered over and picked up the strudel from Cassie's cluttered desk. Ever since her smashing success as a model and art director for the ad campaign for Dreamland, Dana's first Luscious Lingerie line, Cassie had been in high demand across the country, but especially locally. When someone in Chicago found success, everyone wanted to celebrate and be involved. And while all of the publicity had been a great boon to BB's business, it also meant that Cassie was passing more and more responsibility over to Sam to handle.

Sam minored in photography in college, but her degree was in marketing, and she was thrilled with the opportunity to flex both those muscles working as the office manager of Buxom Boudoir. But in recent months, Cassie had given Sam the lead on more of their simple, one-on-one photography sessions, asking her to assist with styling when Dana was busy, and all of the miscellaneous duties her job could entail-random printer runs, dealing with unruly costume shops, booking models for other campaigns, and the like. Adding all of this to the fact that she was dealing with her own personal issues but didn't want to lose any steam when it came to her career-Sam was tired.

Sam had just turned away from Cassie's desk when she spoke up. "Oh, hey, Sam? Have you talked to Russ recently?"

Why is she asking me about him? Now? Sam wondered if Russ's most recent attempt to ask her out at Kit's burlesque show a couple of months ago had finally made the rounds through their gossipy little group.

"No, why?" Sam looked at Cassie out of the corner of her eye, trying not to appear at all interested in Cassie's question.

"Oh, well, I wasn't sure if he'd told you about his news," Cassie said almost absentmindedly while she looked at her computer screen. "Have you looked at today's boudoir session? Three people? That's going to be a lot of limbs."

Sam had seen the itinerary for the day's first boudoir session, because she had put it together. "Nothing the art director and featured model of an orgy-themed ad campaign can't handle," she said, referring to her massive Dreamland finale photo shoot, and Sam knew she had reassured Cassie by the way her boss sat up straighter and smiled. "But, what do you mean . . . about Russ having news?"

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't say," Cassie said, faking a yawn, "since you are so set on never giving poor Russ a chance."

If Sam hadn't wanted to try one of the baked goods Cassie brought in, she would have dumped the whole box on Cassie's head.

In jest, of course.

"What's this about our Russ?" Kit asked, sauntering over from the Glam Zone with a cup of juice in one hand and a scone in the other. "Have you heard from him lately?"

"So you know his 'news,' too?" Sam asked, wondering if her BFF was also keeping info from her.

"I may or may not have heard about it from a certain handsome restaurateur last week."

Last week? And why did everyone assume she had been talking to Russ? After evading yet another date attempt, Sam hadn't heard from Russ. He had been silent in the group text messages when everyone was trying to pick a place to hang out, though they all knew they'd end up at Bugles or the rooftop bar at Simone's. She'd been waiting for an awkward encounter at one of these group outings, but now that she really thought about it, Russ hadn't joined them since the burlesque show in February.

Now Sam was curious. She didn't want them to think she was trying to find out more, but she also wanted to know what was going on.

"Last I heard, he wasn't sure where he was living. I thought he'd have left the city by now," Sam said, taking the strudel toward the break room. Cassie and Kit followed her, and Sam decided to pretend that she didn't see them exchange a knowing glance, signaling that either they knew she was trying to suss out what was happening with Russ, or they were trying to telepathically communicate  about how much they should tell her. Was it really that big of a deal?

Cassie's phone chimed with a text alert. "Dana says she's running late, and she has to bring Flo because Riki had a last-minute meeting at the bar." Dana and Riki lived in an apartment behind Bugles, also conveniently located a few blocks from the BB studio and Simone's. Even though they'd become parents, Dana and Riki were still very much involved in the goings-on of their friends.

"Oh, lovely Flo. I haven't seen her since her birthday party. What a rager for a one-year-old," Kit said with a giggle. Sam wasn't all that enamored with children, but Flo was pretty cute and had celebrated a "Bad to the Bone" heavy metal/dinosaur-themed first birthday party not so long ago that Sam helped coordinate with Flo's awesome moms. At all of a year old, Florence Hayes-Sakai was obviously on track to rule the world.