“Earth-shattering? Gods, it must have been amazing.” Tannis chuckles, giving their shoulders a little shake. “What else?”
“You’re his cousin,” I remind them. “I’m not giving you anything more.”
“Fine.” Tannis clucks, clearly disappointed.
“Now that that’s settled, what time is it?” I ask, rubbing at my face.
“Twilight,” Tannis whispers with a dramatic flair.
“Be serious,” I say, flattening my lips.
They scoff and roll their eyes boredly. “It’s 5:15 PM.”
“Shit!” I feel my ears redden. “I have to get to work.”
Under the covers, I try to find my clothing, but only happen upon my thong. I’m sure it’s in an unsavory state, but I pull them on quickly and jump out of the bed. Tannis scoots off the edge and watches me pull my clothes together into a sad pile in my arms. Only when I’m at the door do they stop me.
“Why don’t I help you get ready?” they offer.
I arch a questioning brow, hesitant to accept. “What?”
“This way.” They move past me through the door, signaling me to follow. “Many of my lovers stay here from time to time, so they keep their rooms stocked with clothing. It just so happens that one of my favorite ladies is exactly your size.”
“That’s convenient.” To think that Tannis and Gray may have the same type in women is sending me into a spiral. I know he didn’t like the “hot cousin” take last night, but the devious part of my brain wants to tease him about maybe being Tannis’s type, too.
A little shiver rolls down my spine at the thought of what he might do with that.
“I have an inkling that her style will suit your tastes. She has a penchant for latex and leather.” Tannis turns right and stops at a door a few down from Gray’s room.
“What does she do?” I ask.
“Would you believe me if I told you that she’s a soprano?” Tannis opens the door and leads me. Unlike Gray’s room, this one feels like a dressing room. There are closets full of clothing and the most ornate vanity I have ever seen sitting against one of the walls. No bed. Just closets bursting at the seams with every color of clothing imaginable. I, of course, steer for the section with dark hues, like the blacks, grays, and deep purples.
“By soprano, you mean she’s a singer?” I pull at a black fishnet two-piece and a pair of long, shimmering black stockings wrapped around the neck of the hanger. I’m a sucker for fishnet and sparkles.
“Opera,” Tannis says, taking up their station at the vanity. “Go on and get dressed first. Then, I’ll do your hair and makeup.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, a little hesitant.
“I do it all the time for Simone.” Tannis waves me off with a flick of their wrist.
“Is that her name?” I ask, tiptoeing to the corner of the room where I spy a dressing shade. I’ve never seen one before in person, but I’ve always wanted one, and I’m giddy to use it. “Simone?”
“Mm,” Tannis hums. “She’s in Roma, Italy.”
“Will she mind that I borrowed her clothes?” Behind the shade, I quickly change into the pieces I picked out and slip on my heels.
“Not at all,” Tannis says.
When I step out, I feel their eyes on me. “How do I look?”
“Hot,” Tannis approves with a nod, then points at the cushioned stool. “Now sit. I have work to do.”
For a second, I hesitate. Only Jill and Emma have ever done my hair or makeup, and that was only because they paid me in clothes for modeling. But that was only when they needed website content or social media photos. The last time I did anything like that was months ago, and now that I have Tannis pulling at my hair, I’m feeling a little nostalgic.
“You said you do this a lot?”
“For Simone? Yes.” They have me turned away from the mirror as they work. My makeup was first, which happened quicker than I could blink, and now my hair is taking on a new shape. “She likes to be pampered, and I love to cater to her needs.”
