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She says “natural” as if it’s some foreign word that she can’t even begin to understand.
“I’m only highlighting what you’ve already got,” she adds, switching to my other eye. “I’m going to make these grey eyes of yours pop. Poor Dmitri won’t know what hit him.”
It’s hard to not get excited at her words. What if this is it? What if after all this time it’s finally going to happen? I tell myself to calm down, to not get my hopes up, but it’s hard to keep my imagination in check. By the time Jamie is finished and handing me a mirror, I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement.
“Holy shit,” I whisper when I see my reflection.
“I do occasionally know what I’m doing,” she says with a wink.
“You’re a damn artist.”
She smirks and leans over to touch up her own bright red lipstick. I’m glad she stayed with more neutral colors for me. With dark hair and pale skin, harsh colors don’t tend to look so great on me. They just make me feel completely on display, which I hate. Jamie has managed to make my eyes look smoky in an understated way and given my skin a healthy glow. I wasn’t kidding about the artist comment. The girl has skills. She works as a day hostess at a small Italian bistro now, but she has plans to open her own salon one day, and holy shit is she going to make a killing.
I’m still staring at my face when she hands me the heels.
“Maybe I should just stick with my ballet flats,” I say, eyeing the deadly spike that’s supposed to be a heel that can actually hold weight.
Jamie snorts and slides my foot into one. “Don’t be absurd. You’re short enough as it is. We need you high enough so he can actually see you.”
“I’m not that short,” I mutter, already feeling how sore my feet are going to be tomorrow as the heel makes my foot arch at an uncomfortable angle. “This is insane. Why do women do this to themselves?”
She shoves the other heel on and helps me to stand. “This is why,” she says, helping me walk to the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my door.
Damn!I have to admit the extra height the heels are giving me is making my legs look pretty fucking fantastic.
“Now you get it,” Jamie says with a grin when she sees the awe in my face. “Now, let’s go get him, tiger.”
I laugh at her words and then watch as she quickly slips out of her shorts and T-shirt and slips on a red dress that looks even smaller than mine. She pulls on a pair of heels and manages to walk in them with an ease that I doubt I’ll ever be able to copy.
“You’re pretty amazing, Jamie.” I don’t even try to hide the awe in my voice. She’s been my best friend since kindergarten, and she never fails to amaze me.
She wraps an arm around me. “You’re not so bad yourself. Oh, I almost forgot!” She digs through the bag and then pulls out a bottle of perfume, giving me a spritz of a light floral scent before doing the same to herself. She drops it back into the bag and stands up tall. “Now, let’s go get your man.”
I do my best to not break my neck going down the stairs, but it’s a close call. If not for the handrail and Jamie’s steadying hand, I’m pretty sure I would’ve broken my neck. My brother, thank God, is staying the night at a friend’s house tonight, so he’s not here to witness my embarrassment as I traverse the last few steps.
Following Jamie out to her red sports car, I groan when I realize how hard it’s going to be to get in the damn thing. In a completely uncoordinated and ungraceful move, I manage to sit my ass down without flashing my neighbors.
I think.
Imagining my eighty-year-old neighbor getting a flash of pussy makes me want to both laugh and dry heave. Hearing the engine start up reminds me of what’s about to happen, and then I’m too nervous to do anything except sit there and practice some deep breathing.
We live in the Applewood subdivision which is mainly filled with two-story houses built in the late ‘80s. It’s a nice, quiet place to grow up, and it’s only a fifteen-minute drive to downtown. The city only has a little over a hundred thousand people living in it, but it’s always felt huge to me. All too quickly, we’re out of the subdivision and on the main road headed toward the club.
Recognizing a popular song, Jamie turns the music up and starts singing along. I lean my head back and try not to vomit. I can do this. I can walk into his club as a sexy, confident woman. I repeat this as if it’s my new mantra until I feel the car slow. The lights of the city seem brighter tonight, and as we get closer to Dmitri’s club, excitement makes my skin buzz. Just knowing I’m so close to him drives me wild.
“Almost there,” Jamie says, turning down the music. “You ready?”
“No.”
“You got this, Gina.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I turn to her when she stops at a red light. “Will you still be my friend if I fall on my ass in front of everyone?”
“Of course, I will.” She pats my knee. “In private. Obviously, I’ll step over you and pretend we’ve never met, but in private you’ll always be my best friend.”
Jamie never fails to make me laugh and put me at ease, and this time is no exception. I know her well enough to know she’d plop her ass down right next to me, daring anyone to laugh at us.
“Remember that time in first grade when Ricky made fun of me when I spilled water on my pants and told everyone I’d wet myself, and you didn’t have any water to spill on yourself, so you actually peed your pants so I wouldn’t be alone?”
