“So this goes in this field,” I said, shaking my head and pretending I didn’t understand.
“Yes, it’s easy,” she said. “And then you put this over there.”
“Okay, that makes sense. And then it all totals over here?”
“You’re starting to get the hang of it,” she said excitedly.
“That’s because I have a great teacher,” I said. “You should take a break for lunch soon.”
“Do want to go somewhere for lunch?” she asked.
I cringed as soon as she asked. I had mentioned dating the night before, but I didn’t want her to be the one to ask me out. It just didn’t feel right.
“I can’t,” I said, staring at my computer screen. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye and saw her crushed expression. “But I’d love to take you to dinner tonight,” I added. “That is, if you’d like to go.”
“Dinner? Sure. What time?” she asked.
“I’ll pick you up around eight.”
“Eight sounds perfect,” she said, smiling as she walked out the door.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
~ Alexandria~
“Allison,” I said breathlessly when I ran in the door after work at the end of the day.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I managed to get out. “But can you stay a little later?”
“Sure,” she said as she took my purse from me. “What’s up?”
“Chance asked me out for dinner. He’s picking me up at eight.”
“A date with Chance. I’m all in. I’ll stay as late as you need me to,” she said. “Now let’s make you look spectacular.”
There was no one I would rather have had to help me get ready. Allison should have been a beauty queen, and she knew tricks that I bet some makeup artists didn’t know. I just lay back on the couch and let her work her magic.
After a soothing aloe mask that took some of the sting away from my wounds, she applied another one that she said would help keep my skin supple. She said I should use it all the time to keep my skin soft and smooth.
“What’s in it?” I asked her.
“One quarter cup of honey, and one quarter cup of brown sugar,” she said. “I’m just going to let it sit on your face for thirty minutes and wipe it away.”
After the thirty minutes were up, I was surprised at how soft and smooth my skin felt. “Wow,” I said. “Is that ever nice.”
“Honey is a natural humectant,” she said. “It helps hold moisture in. The brown sugar works as a moisturizing exfoliant. When I wiped it away using circular motions, it sloughed off any dead skin.”
“How often can I do this?” I asked her as I kept touching my face.
“A couple of times a week,” she said. “Let’s get to work on your makeup now.”
She reached into her oversized purse and pulled out more makeup than I’d ever owned in my life. I had trouble fathoming that she could possibly even wear that much makeup.
“My makeup is in the bathroom,” I said, motioning toward the hallway.
“For that,” she said, “you need a heavy-duty concealer and foundation.”
I nodded and watched her poke around through her products until she smiled in approval at some bottle and applied the liquid in it to a sponge. “Lie back,” she ordered.
“There we go,” she said. “That’s perfect.”
I couldn’t see, so I had to take her word for it. I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong. I let her play around with her brushes, enjoying the attention until she finally stopped.
“Are you ready?” she asked as she held up a mirror in front of me.
I looked in the mirror and hardly recognized myself. For days, all I’d seen in the bathroom mirror were bruises and cuts. It had gotten to the point where I tried not to look anymore. But now as I stared a beautiful woman looked back at me.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I stared at my reflection.
“Now, what are you going to wear?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just dinner. I haven’t even thought about it.”
“Dinner with a guy you want to impress,” she said. “You have to look fantastic. Let’s go look in your closet.”
We got up and made our way into the bedroom. “I’m sorry for the mess,” I said when I switched on the light.
“You slept in here?” she asked as her eyes wandered all around the room. The clothes and empty bottles strewn everywhere were only the beginning. Plates of uneaten food were sitting all over the place, and the entire scene was disgusting.
“I couldn’t change it, so after a while I guess I came to accept it,” I said.
“I’ll take care of this while you’re gone,” she said. “Just in case you bring him back here later.”
“There won’t be any of that tonight,” I said. “He’s a gentleman.”
“All men are animals,” she laughed as she walked over to my closet and started rummaging through my clothes.
“Not all of them,” I said, thinking of Chance. “I’d like to think there are some good ones left.”
“No, no, no and no,” she said, swiping the hangers to the side.
“You don’t believe there are any good ones left?” I asked her.
“No,” she laughed. “I just meant those outfits won’t do. We really need to go shopping together. This one, this is wearable.”
She held up a royal blue off-the-shoulder mid-thigh dress that fit my curves perfectly. I always loved that dress and was glad she picked it out.
“That’s my favorite dress,” I said as she handed it to me.
“Why?” she asked when I took it from her.
“Because I feel good in it,” I said, looking at her questioningly.
“You should feel good in everything you wear,” she said. “Now go put it on.”
I held the hanger in one hand and the body of the dress in the other as I walked into the bathroom. Oh my God, I thought as I stared into the mirror, I’m actually going on a date with Chance tonight.
I slowly peeled away my uniform in agony. Every muscle, every bone in my body hurt as I bent and twisted to take it off. I stared at the bruises in the mirror. The ones on my face might have been hidden, but these ones still told the story.
This was the real reason nothing would happen tonight. I knew I wouldn’t be able to bear the pain of someone’s weight on top of mine, or being held too close. Even the idea of him seeing my body like this made me cringe. As much as I longed for him, sex would have to wait.
Although the pain and my nerves were getting the better of me, I managed to slip into the royal blue sheath. When I turned to look in the mirror, I realized that Allison and I may have made a mistake choosing an off-the-shoulder mid-thigh dress. Some of my bruises were peeking out.
Other than that, the dress was perfect, and I was heartbroken that I wouldn’t be able to wear it. According to Allison, it was the most wearable thing in my closet.
“Are you coming out?” Allison called. “Let’s see.”
God, I didn’t want to go out there and show her the extent of my bruises. She knew about my face, but she didn’t know about my body. I looked like hell, and I didn’t need her reminding me of it.
Slowly, I got up the nerve to turn the doorknob and walk back into the bedroom. The self-confidence I’d felt only a few minutes earlier had been shattered to the floor.
I kept my head down and stared at the floor, trying to roll my shoulders forward, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Those bruises brought me such shame.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” she asked when she started walking over to me and picking at the dress.
“Look at me,” I said, pointing to my shoulders and arms.
“Don’t sweat it. It’s nothing that a little bit of makeup can’t fix. We can take care of your legs too.”
“Makeup can cover this?” I asked her with an astonished tone in my voice.
“Makeup can cover
anything, sweetheart,” she said. “I wish I had known before you got dressed, though. Now get me some paper towels and I’ll get to work.
“And why do you look so sad?” she asked. “I thought you were excited about going out with Chance.”
“I am. I’m just so ashamed of my body. These bruises, they’re hideous. I look like the Loch Ness monster or something.”
“Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. “Your bruises are battle scars. Be proud of them. You came out of the battle alive. Now let’s do something about this.”
I sat there on the couch while she took care of the damages Mike had done to my body. Thank God he didn’t break any bones, I thought to myself. There’s no way she could cover a cast with that gunk.
“There we go,” she said. “Go look at yourself in the mirror.”
I stood up and walked back into the bathroom. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, but in my mind, I’d visualized a patchwork pattern over my shoulders with skin-colored makeup that didn’t quite match my own.
Instead, as I stared in the mirror, I was astonished that her work was flawless. I couldn’t even tell where the bruises were. She’d done a marvelous job and my confidence was back.
I looked into the mirror, smiling. I actually looked like me again, even if it took three pounds of makeup to get there. The dress looked exquisite, and I couldn’t wait for eight o’clock to arrive.
“Get out here,” Allison yelled. “We aren’t done yet, and he’ll be here soon.”
“Coming,” I yelled back, taking one last glance at myself before I headed back out to the living room.
“I see you managed to tear yourself away from the mirror long enough to join me,” she giggled. “Now sit down.”
I sat on the couch while she yanked my hair into all kinds of contortions. At times it felt like she was pulling it out.
“Ouch,” I yelled when it felt like she’d grabbed out a handful.
“Relax. It’s painful to be beautiful,” she said as she continued ripping at my hair. “Hey, you wear your hair up to work right?”
“Yes, I have to,” I replied.
“Never mind. You should wear it down tonight, then.”
“After all that?” I asked as I reached up and touched my aching scalp.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she started combing my long hair and pinning the top back. “There, now that’s beautiful. Take a look.”
I took her handheld mirror and raised it. The hairdo looked amazing from the front with the little wisps hanging down.
“Now it’s time to get Cinderella ready for the ball,” she laughed.
“Ah, but the ball isn’t until the end of the month,” I said sarcastically.
“One date at a time, sweetheart,” she said as she made her way back into my bedroom.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as I rummaged around, trying to find my purse.
“These,” she said as she came back into the room triumphantly.
“I can’t wear those,” I said as I looked at the blue sequined heels and matching clutch she’d brought back with her.
“Why not? You bought them,” she said as she set the shoes down on the floor in front of me.
“They’re uncomfortable. They pinch my toes and make my feet ache.”
“They’ll look great with that dress. Is impressing Chance worth it?”
“I guess,” I said as I reluctantly put them on and grabbed my other purse.
“Oh, no,” she said. “You need this one.”
“But that purse won’t hold anything, Allison. It’s impractical.”
“Tonight’s about glamour, Alex. Besides, what do you need to take with you on your date? Trust me, nothing that you can’t fit into this purse.”
I mulled it over in my mind and realized that she was right. I transferred my wallet and a lipstick over to the tiny clutch and looked up at the clock. Chance would be arriving any second.
CHAPTER TWENTY
~Chance~
A date with Alex, I thought to myself. How did I let this happen? I’m her superior. I tried to keep it professional. God knows how badly I wanted her, but I still tried not to act on it. Now here I was, getting ready to go on a date with the girl I’d had a crush on since I was a child.
I wanted to call her and cancel. A couple of times I even picked up the phone and dialed her number, but hung up before it started ringing. I knew the date was a bad idea, but I also couldn’t stand to disappoint her.
“Where are you going all spiffed up?” Anderson asked when I walked out of my bunk to go pick up Alex.
All spiffed up, I thought to myself. I’d purposely dressed down for the date in my best pair of blue jeans and a deep purple shirt. I didn’t want to overdo it for our first date, and I felt it was best to keep things at least semi-casual for a while. If my men thought this was dressed up, I was concerned about what they’d wear to the ball.
“I have a date,” I said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“A date,” Anderson said as he looked up from the paper.
“Yeah, a date. Does that surprise you?” I asked as I smoothed my hair back one last time.
“No. Well, a little. I really thought there was something going on between you and O’Neil. But if you’re going on a date, then...”
“We already told you there was nothing between us. Just leave it,” I said as I headed down the stairs and went to pick her up.
On the drive to her house, my nerves set in. I hadn’t dated in a long time. After my ex-wife, it seemed like every girl who wanted to date me was some sort of psycho, and we only went out once. After that, I stopped dating altogether.
I couldn’t even remember how to date. Should I bring her flowers or chocolate? What are guys doing these days, I thought. Not wanting to be a total dud, I stopped at a corner store on the way and bought both.
When I pulled into her driveway, I sat in my car for a few minutes listening to the radio and trying to calm my nerves. My palms were sweating and my pulse was racing. No other girl had ever brought out these reactions in me.
I looked at the clock on my dashboard. It was 8:03 p.m. and I was already late. I’d better get in there, I thought, or she’ll think I’m not coming. It was time to man up, get out of my car, and walk up to the door.
“These are for you,” I said before I looked up and saw the tall red-haired beauty grinning at me.
“Alex is in the other room,” she said. “She’ll just be a second.”
“These aren’t really for you,” I said when I walked in.
“No kidding,” she laughed. “I’ll put these in some water while you make yourself comfortable.”
“Where’s Emily?” I asked as I made my way over to the couch.
“She went to a friend’s house for dinner. She should be back shortly,” she said.
I sat there making small talk with the redhead while I waited patiently for Alex. Every second that went by made me wonder whether I was making a huge mistake, until she walked out looking like a goddess in blue.
“You look gorgeous,” I said, barely able to get the words out.
Her dress clung to her like a well-tailored glove hugging each and every curve. I wanted to grab her and feel my way around the fabric, but somehow I managed to hold myself back.
“You look great too,” she said when she walked over to give me a hug. I realized that I probably looked like a deadbeat in my jeans and dress shirt. I’d never thought she’d go all out like that.
“Just something I had lying around,” I laughed. “But you, you look magnificent.”
“Can you two stop swooning over each other and get out of here?” Allison teased.
“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Alex said as she grabbed her purse.
As we headed out to my car, I couldn’t help but notice the way the moonlight danced across her hair.
“Oh dear God,” she screeched as she stumbled in her shoes.
I caugh
t her around the waist to keep her from falling and her hair tickled my nose. The fruity scent of her perfume teased my senses and set me on fire. I wanted to inhale more of her and couldn’t wait to get her in the car.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
~ Alexandria~
When I walked into the living room and saw Chance sitting there in blue jeans and a dress shirt, self-consciousness took over. I was completely overdressed, and I felt out of place. He kept reassuring me that I looked great, but I knew that I’d gone too far.
I should have known when Allison made me wear the damn heels that I was in for trouble. As soon as we headed out for his car, I stumbled and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught me.
When I was wrapped up in his strong arms, I felt so safe, like nothing could hurt me. I wanted to stay like that forever. But he reached over to open the passenger’s side’s door for me, and I had to let go of his warm embrace and get inside.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he started to drive.
“Is it important?” he asked as he looked at me and grinned.
“No, not really. I just thought it would be nice to know where you’re taking me for our date.”
“Trust me,” he said as he winked at me.
I sat there staring at his hands on the steering wheel. Such strong hands that I so wished he’d wrap around me again. He wore an onyx insignia ring on his right hand with a C on it, and a gold watch on the same arm.
“Why do you wear your watch on your right arm?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, giving me a funny look.
“You’re supposed to wear it on the left so you can see it easier.”
“I prefer it on the right. I didn’t know there were rules when it came to watches.”
The scent of woodsy cologne filled the car and intoxicated me. I wanted to get closer to him so I could inhale more of it, more of him. I tried moving closer to the middle of the front seat, but my seat belt was giving me a hard time again.
Pretty Young Thing: a new adult romance box set Page 15