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Chapter One
A mysterious, smoky-eyed gypsy fortune-teller gazed back in surprise from the mirror’s shiny surface. Madison Baker blinked and looked again, just to make sure the reflection was her own. “I don’t know, BiBi. Maybe this costume is a little too much?”
“Too much what?” Bianca “BiBi” Lovato demanded, studying her longtime friend with a satisfied smile. “Too much cleavage? Too much leg? Too much sexy?”
“All of the above.” Twisting slowly, Madison eyed her reflection, wondering how the snug-fitting white peasant blouse BiBi had provided added the illusion of several inches to her average-size bustline. The very low, square-cut neckline with off-the-shoulder, short puff sleeves revealed more skin than Madison was accustomed to showing.
Her blond-highlighted hair tumbled from beneath a glittering purple head scarf to brush her bare shoulders. A burgundy corset accented with gold ribbons and threads laced tightly from just below her breasts to the top of her hips, making her waist look startlingly small above a cleverly draped purple sash. The flirty, ruffled skirt in burgundy, purple, gold and black was bunched high on her right thigh, baring her right leg almost to dangerous territory. Large hoop earrings swung from her lobes and bangle bracelets clinked with the movements of her arms. Ridiculously high heels on a pair of BiBi’s barely-there gold sandals added a good five inches to Madison’s already long legs. She was glad she’d made time in her hectic schedule for a mani-pedi earlier that week.
She lifted her arms a little higher, just to make sure everything that was supposed to be covered remained that way. The bracelets clanged gaily with the movement. “I like it,” she decided aloud. “It’s fun.”
BiBi clapped her hands. “I knew this costume would be fantastic on you. I’m so glad you let me pick one out.”
“I really appreciated your offer. I’ve worked like a crazy person the past couple of weeks—including two nights on call at the hospital—just to clear time off for your wedding fest
ivities. There was no way I would’ve had time to find a costume. Nor did I have room in my luggage to bring it if I’d found anything.”
Corinna Lovato, BiBi’s younger sister and the maid of honor for BiBi’s upcoming nuptials, pushed lightly past Madison to claim the full-length mirror. “BiBi and I chose the outfits from our cousin’s costume shop. I love mine.”
Corinna did look fabulous in her alien princess garb, Madison had to admit. Sparkly gray shadow and charcoal liner made her almond-shaped dark eyes look big and mysterious against her flawless skin. False green lashes sprinkled with glitter swept her cheeks when she fluttered them. More glitter had been brushed over her cheekbones, throat and cleavage. Her dove-gray gown was floor-length, skintight and cut daringly low, cinched at the waist with an intricately detailed gold metal belt that matched the elaborate headpiece securing her dark hair. Long sleeves ended in flowing points around her hands, revealing nails polished in a gleaming jade.
“You look beautiful, Corinna.”
Corinna beamed over her shoulder. “Thanks, Maddie. So do you.”
“We all look gorgeous.” BiBi smugly included herself and Hannah Thatcher in the comment. BiBi wore a pink-and-red genie costume that bared her midriff and most of her cleavage, and displayed her legs through pink-chiffon harem pants. Her ebony hair was caught up in a saucy ponytail secured by a felt-and-chiffon genie’s cap. Hannah, who like Madison was in Dallas to serve as a bridesmaid in BiBi’s wedding, had been outfitted as a pirate wench in another low-cut peasant blouse, a short, tattered-hemmed skirt, wide leather belt and a snug faux leather weskit jingling with fake gold doubloons.
The costumes were hardly original, but no one could say they were bland, Madison thought with another glance at the mirror. She’d known when she’d given BiBi authorization to rent her a costume from BiBi’s cousin’s shop that the results would be…interesting.
Madison and BiBi had known each other since college, having met freshman year when they had been randomly assigned as roommates their first semester. By the second week of school, they’d been very good friends. Their complex, sometimes drama-filled but ultimately worthwhile relationship had survived four years of college in Louisiana, then they’d gone on separate paths afterward for the past seven years. Madison had attended medical school in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was now in the fourth year of her psychiatry residency program. BiBi had settled here in Dallas, Texas, to work as a physical therapist. They’d stayed in contact through phone calls, email and social-networking sites, and though they had seen each other rarely during these past busy years, their friendship continued.
Local friends of the engaged couple were hosting tonight’s festivities in a hotel ballroom on this Thursday evening before the planned Sunday afternoon ceremony. Mostly friends of Carl’s, BiBi had confided. A member of a wealthy Dallas family with long-standing ties to local civic and charitable organizations, Carl Burleson was an aspiring politician who cultivated contacts almost obsessively. He remained in touch with all his fraternity buddies from college and classmates from law school. He even knew where most of his graduating class from high school had settled, BiBi had added with a rueful laugh. The ones who could prove useful in the future, at least. Carl was a nice guy, and people were naturally drawn to his extroverted personality, but he made no secret of his ambitions.
The costume party tonight was the kickoff to a long weekend of planned events. Even though it was only the middle of October, BiBi’s wedding was as good an excuse as any to have an early Halloween celebration, their friends had insisted. BiBi had been thrilled. She never missed an opportunity to be the guest of honor at a party, no matter what the occasion.
Corinna adjusted the top of her dress, displaying just a bit more cleavage. She looked toward her sister as she asked wistfully, “Do you think he’ll even notice me tonight?”
BiBi answered immediately. “You bet he will. He’s probably going to take one look at you in this sexy costume and his jaw will drop to the floor. Isn’t that right, girls? How could any man not notice how gorgeous Corinna looks tonight?”
