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“Is it on? Can I come in?” Natalie’s getting antsy in front of the door. Her excitement radiates through the walls.
“Yes, come in!” The words have barely left my mouth when the door bursts open, and Natalie scurries into the bathroom.
“I fucking knew it! I knew this was going to be it. I only held up the red one to give you a choice, but really, I knew this was the one.”
I laugh, wondering why she brought a whole rack if she knew I was going to choose this one.
“Were you a stylist before you took the job here?” I imagine Natalie making a killing picking out dresses for clueless girls like me.
“No, I worked for the CIA,” she says nonchalantly. For a moment, I think she must be joking, but when I notice her serious expression, I know it’s true.
Damn, is everyone around here a certified badass?
I’m just about to ask her what I should do with my hair and makeup when a knock on the door echoes through the suite.
“Here comes the pampering team,” Natalie announces, before she spins around and heads to the door.
I carefully follow her into the living room, making sure not to step on the hem of the dress. I take a seat on one of the armchairs and watch two women carrying caddies filled with beauty products enter the space.
After a quick consultation, they waste no time getting me ready. One of them starts on my nails, filing them and applying gel nail polish, while the second one starts on my hair, curling up each strand before pinning them up in an artful manner at the top of my head.
Natalie disappears for twenty minutes, only to reappear, holding a black velvet box in her hand.
“No.” I shake my head, making Natalie giggle in glee.
“Yes,” she disagrees. “You can’t wear a dress like this without any jewelry.”
“Nat!” I groan. “I can’t ever make all of this up to you.”
“Good thing no one is asking you to. Now hush, and let me put these earrings on you.”
I don’t fight her on it, knowing she won’t take no for an answer anyway. After she fastens the hooks in my ear, she holds up a hand mirror for me to see.
“Nat…” I take in the beautiful silver teardrop earrings, each of them holding a small sparkly diamond in its center. “Please tell me these are not real.”
“These are not real,” she repeats in a robotic voice. I look at her face and see her forced, awkward smile. She’s lying.
“Is that true, or are you just saying that because I asked you to?”
A smile remains plastered on Natalie’s face. “Is that my phone ringing?” She looks away, pretending to look for her iPhone that’s definitely not ringing.
I sigh, deciding to take Jase’s advice and just enjoy the moment. Putting down the mirror, I close my eyes and let my pamper squad finish my hair and makeup without complaining. Natalie brings me some shoes to try on, and together, we decide on silver pumps with crisscross straps around the ankles.
“Mason is on his way to pick you up,” Natalie announces. “Perfect timing. Cinderella, you are done!”
A mixture of anxiety and excitement swirls around my stomach as I rise from my chair and carefully walk toward the hallway mirror. Part of me is afraid I won’t like what I see, while the other, more prominent part, thinks I’ll love this too much.
The moment I catch sight of my reflection, I know I was right. I love this way too much. Crap, I don’t even look like myself. I look like some otherworldly goddess gracing the earth with her presence.
Lifting my freshly manicured hand, I bring my fingers to my face, making sure this is not an optical illusion. “I know you called me Cinderella as a joke, but I do 100 percent feel like her right now.”
“You do look stunning,” Mason’s deep, rumbly voice meets my ear.
I twist my head to look at him, standing only a few feet away. “Right back at you.” He is wearing a fitted tux, his face is freshly shaved, and his hair is styled back.
He gives me a million-dollar smile before walking toward me and reaching for my hand. Bewildered, I take it, letting his fingers interlace with mine. He gently tugs me along with him as we walk from the hallway through the luxurious apartment.
Natalie comes and hugs us both on our way out. “Have fun and be safe.”
