[rojoa]

After that narrow escape, Inna considers heading back out. Back past where her dress used to be, back past the coat check girls, back past the bouncer and worst of all probably back past Resha who would see her in retreat. Her momentary doubt is quelled when she sees a friend.

“Velma, good to see you”.
“Yeah, you tool. This party kind of blows”.
“Do you have an extra pair of pants, a skirt, shorts?” Inna smiles “a sari, yoga pants, leggings, tights, pantyhose?”
“Why would I…I’m not even going to ask. Most people dress *before* they leave the house”
“Helpful as always”. They both laugh and Velma gives a quick wave and walks on.

Inna heads in the other direction where she sees a sign marked “Femmes” with the Venus symbol. “I do need to do some more cleanup” she thinks, remembering that her stomach has a line of dirt from her fall on the window sill. “So weird that they installed public bathrooms”. The bathrooms are one of the few modern concessions in the house. Much like the standing pay phone booths they were added to make it easier for the Gates to throw parties.

She enters the bathroom, an odd clash of paneled oak walls and modern stalls painted black, perhaps in an attempt to hide them. She peeks under the stalls, seeing she’s alone and unbuttons her coat and opens it, pausing in front of a large standing mirror to admire her large breasts, her toned stomach and her long legs. The mirror is a few steps from the clamshell basin, and she walks back and forth between them to clean herself, leaving a puddle of dirty water on the dark green tile.

She hears female voices outside and heads for the stall. One of them sounds like Resha and Inna looks forward to a chance to listen in on her plans. Hoping to camouflage herself, she sits on the toilet and lowers her panties to her ankles.

“Not one of them knows how to dance”
“Yeah, the old people just kind of shuffle. Some of the guys think dancing means swinging your elbows around. I think I bruised two ribs”
“Ah, Nilda, now that’s a tragedy. Especially with shoes that nice”
“Looks like a job for the fashion police!” says Giulia.

Inna hears them walking towards the stall and she crosses her legs, irrationally thinking they can see her. Suddenly two pairs of hands reach under the stall and unceremoniously yank off her panties, taking her shoes with them. Inna gasps.

“Nice shoes but the granny panties have *got* to *go*” says one girl, sliding her shoes back under the stall.
“Give me back my underwear!” says Inna. After a prolonged moment of shock, she opens the stall door and rushes out with her coat still unbuttoned. She stops at the exit door, realizing she’s basically naked and that the girls are out of reach.

Inna peeks out the door crack, seeing two large breasted Italian girls in short dresses chatting near the door. Nilda is holding the panties in a hand and is waving her hands while she talks to her friend.

“She’s lucky she wasn’t wearing an ugly dress!”
“It was weird. I didn’t see any dress. Just a lot of skin”
“Bet she had it hung up. I take off my dress when I pee” says Nilda
“She was probably touching herself. What a weirdo. Wait, you do what?”

With a shake of the head, she calms her nerves, peeking around the stall door in case anyone else enters. She walks gingerly over to the mirror, covering her pubic mound with her hand, the slightest touch thrilling her as she fears someone might walk in.

Inna buttons her coat and leans towards the mirror fixing her hair. The door opens and a couple of older ladies raise their eyebrows at the partial view of her bare tush showing because her coat rode up a few inches.

“Excuse me” says Inna, heading back into the stall, standing this time, to regroup. She raises her coat, making sure it’s nowhere near the gap under the door.