Page 31 of Midnight Whispers

“I’m confused. What’s going on?” I stand stunned while Marcel circles around the three of them.

“Mr. Voss insisted that these”—he side-eyes the three people—“kind people get you ready for this evening. Along with filling your closet with a whole new wardrobe that is befitting of your beauty.” When I don’t say anything, he gives me a kind smile. “Why don’t you let them step inside and get set up while you take your time to wrap your head around things?”

I nod absentmindedly and swing the door open farther, stepping out of their way.

It takes fifteen minutes for them to get everything into the room and organized. I sit on one of the chairs and watch.

Marcel walks over to me. “I’m going to leave them to it, but if you have any issues at all, let me know.”

“Okay. Thank you, Marcel. I can’t believe Nero is doing all of this for me.” Tears prick my eyes. No one has done anything nice like this for me since… well, since Nero let me stay here, I suppose.

He gives me a smile. “I can.” Then he bids farewell to the strangers.

I rise off the chair and walk over to them. “As you can tell, I had no idea this was happening.”

The red-haired woman laughs. “Yeah, that was pretty obvious. I’m Jaycee, and I’m here to do your makeup. This is Trent.” She points at the gentleman with a barrel chest and close-cropped hair beside her. “He’s going to do your hair, and Serena is in charge of style.”

The woman with sleek black hair parted down the middle and dressed stylishly raises her hand in hello.

I return the gesture. “Hello, everyone. It’s good to meet you.”

“Why don’t we get started with clothes first?” Serena says. Even though she’s smiling, I can tell that this woman is all business.

“Okay, but I don’t know what the plan is for tonight, so I’m not sure I’ll be much help.”

“We all have instructions,” Jaycee says.

“Besides, I’m not just outfitting you for tonight. I’ve been instructed to fill your closet with clothes you like, so we have a lot to get through.”

Nero asked for her to do that? I can’t imagine how much that’s going to cost because I can tell from the fabric hanging on the racks that these are all designer pieces.

My stomach whooshes. “Wow.”

“Wow is right,” Jaycee says. “I’m going to set up my retractable table and get everything together while you and Serena work on the fashion end.”

“Same,” Trent says.

They both head off to the other side of the room, leaving me with Serena.

“Let’s go through some things to see what kind of style you like. You’re very well-endowed, so it might mean sizing up for some items and having them tailored, but I work with the best in the business. I can have anything we need in a different size here within a couple of days.”

“Um… okay, great.”

We spend the next several hours together while Jaycee and Trent mill around patiently. I guess when getting paid whatever Nero is paying them, you don’t complain about being bored.

At first, it was overwhelming, but it’s become fun. It’s like playing dress-up, only everything I like, I get to keep. No longer will I be wearing clothes I’ve had to mend to preserve or dated outfits because I didn’t want to spend what little money I had to update them. I’ll be dressed in the best clothes money can buy. All because of Nero.

Tears prick my eyes when I think of him. No one has ever treated me like this. It’s hard to wrap my head around why he’s being so nice to me. Does he want something from me too?

I still don’t know what we’re doing tonight, but Serena told me that I was to be dressed up, and we picked a blue silk floor-length dress. The fabric drapes to one side of my waist, then falls with a big slit down my right leg. I felt sexy the minute the silky fabric slid up my body. The slit isn’t noticeable when I’m standing still, but as soon as I walk, my leg peek-a-boos.

By the time Serena is done, the closet is half full of beautiful clothes, the rest arriving over the coming days after they’re tailored to my measurements. The items include all kinds of La Perla bras and underwear. She made it a point to say that Nero wanted to make sure that she didn’t forget my intimates, and I kind of hope it’s because he wants to see me in them.

I like that idea. He hasn’t brought up what happened at the club or the New Year’s Eve kiss we shared a couple of weeks ago. I’d assumed that’s because he regretted them, but maybe that’s not the case if he’s having his stylist fit me for beautiful intimates.

Trent calls me over next to get my hair done, and since I don’t color my hair, and I like my natural blonde, we settle on freshening up the ends. He also does a treatment on my hair that leaves it as smooth and shiny as my dress. Then he parts my hair off to one side, leaving it down and styled in Hollywood waves.

Next up is Jaycee, who brings my look all together, doing my makeup in a way that makes me feel prettier than I ever have. It’s noticeable, but not overdone at the same time.

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