and then smoothed with various potions. The two women had even brought a table that they had set up in her bedroom. She thought it looked oddly like the table that her gynecologist used, and realized quickly what it was for when they began slathering hot wax between her legs.
She gritted her teeth through the process and tried to hold still while the two women removed every little hair they could find. When they were finished, they held a mirror between her legs and she nodded at the job they had done. It was the barest she had ever been, and she had to admit, it made her feel pretty sexy.
The women had a quick discussion about how they wanted to style her hair and decided on loose curls. The dark haired woman, Giselle, retrieved a set of large curlers and wound them tightly into Elle’s damp hair, securing them in place with small clips. Once that was done, they sprayed it all with something that smelled like lavender, then wrapped it all up in brightly colored silks.
The makeup palettes came next, and Elle tried not to sneeze or wrinkle up her face as they applied various powders and crèmes to her skin. They would occasionally stop working to stand back and give her a calculating gaze before resuming their work. Finally, Odette declared her face finished and both women set about unwrapping the silks from her head.
After the curlers were removed, they carefully smoothed out the large curls that appeared using fingers to lift and separate them. Elle could see the occasion curl drift across her field of view and didn’t even recognize her own hair. Whatever they had done, her red strands now reflected the light in a glossy shine.
Giselle looked at the clock and announced that they had thirty minutes remaining. The two women left Elle sitting in the chair while they tore open the packages she had brought in from Luxuré. They held up the dress she had purchased and made approving noises, then opened the package containing the strapless bra.
“No. No bra, not even strapless. This dress will show lines,” Odette declared, tossing the bra to the side.
Elle had never gone braless before. Her breasts were too large, she had always thought. Women with large breasts had to wear a bra of some sort. She told Odette this, but the other woman only shook her head.
“I’ve seen you naked. Your breasts are big, but they don’t droop at all. No bra.”
She realized there was going to be no way to win this argument with Odette and resigned herself to feeling awkward all night. It wasn’t like she hadn’t planned on feeling awkward anyway, so what was one more thing?
They slid the dress carefully over her head, taking care not to smudge the makeup they had applied, then handed her the stiletto heels the saleswoman had wrapped up for her. Elle slipped on the heels and tried not to fall over as she headed into her bedroom to peek in the mirror.
She had expected not to recognize herself, but the makeup and hair were subtle. They had enhanced her hazel eyes with delicate strokes of brown and green so that the flecks of gold they contained were highlighted under her newly waxed and arched eyebrows. She still looked like Elle, but a sexy Elle, she thought.
Her long red curls glimmered in the dim light as she lifted a hand and ran it across the revealed top half of her breasts. She had to admit now that Odette had been right. She might feel naked without a bra, but it suited the dress. She only hoped the dress didn’t decide to dip any further. If Anders had been upset about a note from a server, how would he feel when her manager flashed a nipple at him?
A knock sounded from the door in the other room, and Elle took a deep breath before walking out to find Odette and Finn, Ander’s assistant, looking at one another confused. He saw Elle and brushed past Odette into the room.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to