Page 9 of Devour

“Neither am I.”

Gram uses her other hand to pat mine. “I’m so happy we got in the wrong car.”

“It was reckless. What if you ladies had been robbed or murdered?”

“What about you? We could’ve been robbers or murderers.” At that I laugh but then Gram gets a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “The night is still young. Who knows who you invited to your room.”

Journi snorts. “Sleep with one eye open tonight, Nick.”

Now it’s really my cue to go. “Ladies. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Hey, guess what? I’m a fairy. True story. And I can grant you three wishes. Well, I just became a fairy godmother.” I hear Journi telling someone as I walk away. God help us with Journi and the innocent yet wild old lady tonight. Maybe I shouldn’t have paired Journi with her until I got everything sorted with Maeve.

Five

Maeve

The desire to spin in front of the mirror while belting the lyrics of “I Feel Pretty,”is overwhelming. Maybe just one twirl.Fuck it.I throw my arms up as I spin in a circle.Who is that attractive girl in the mirror there.The red strapless, floor-length mermaid style dress shimmers under the light. It’s the perfect shade of red. Not too dark, but not so bright that it’s tacky and I look like a walking stop sign. Although, it’s definitely a dress that will make someone stop and turn their head. The stylish pleated design accents all my curves, but the best part is that the soft organza feels like a dream hugging me. The elegant designer gown is quite the upgrade from what I had in my lost luggage. Since it saves me money and precious time, I won’t turn it down. Honestly, I’m so in love with this I don’t think I could walk away from it even if my pride begged me to. I’m not a vain person by any means, but damn it, I look and feel beautiful.

The fact that in a matter of mere hours I went from having feces staining my underwear and losing my clothes to being pampered and dressed like a Hollywood starlet is insane. All theevents and mental exhaustion of the day is starting to hit me at once. The backs of my eyes begin to burn. I frantically fan myself, trying to stop the tears, and keep my face dry. The lovely people worked so hard on my makeup. I don’t want to ruin this masterpiece.

“Madam, what’s wrong?” the one to my right asks.

“I’ve never looked like this before,” I confess. “I’m stunning.” A shock laugh escapes me and then I quickly straighten and calm down. “Just so you know, I’m typically not like this.”

All three laugh, but the one on my right speaks again. “Silly lady. You were beautiful before we arrived. We only removed that horrible makeup that was masking your shine. Enhanced and highlighted what was already there. Combed your hair. Found a dress that complements your figure rather than hides it.”

The other one holds a hand up. “All we did was pull the curtain back and revealyou.”

The woman who brought my dress and shoes stands behind me. She opens a jewelry box to reveal a necklace that has the aesthetic of a vine with a rose that hasn’t fully bloomed. It’s made of several clear white diamonds of various cuts and shapes that loop around to have one lone branchlet gracefully hanging down with a flawlessly beautiful ruby suspended from the stem. It’s the most elegant and magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.

I can’t breathe. The dress is too constricting. My hair is pulled back too tight. Everything is spinning and my vision is blurring. It’s too much. I can’t wear this. This should be in a museum and not around my neck. The stone at the end of that probably costs more than I’ll ever make in a lifetime. Never mind all the diamonds accenting as leaves circling the entire necklace. Did he rob a palace to acquire this?

“Miss!” “Madame!” “Ma’am!” The people around me shout.

A loud voice booms through the room and jolts my body back into awareness. “What the hell happened?”

It’s Nicholas. His face is a mix of worry and rage. Except when he comes to stand before me, his touch is gentle and his eyes soften. “What happened?” There’s still an edge to his voice but not as sharp as earlier. “Did they overwhelm you?”

Hysteria takes hold of me. “Didtheyoverwhelm me? You’re a real piece of work.”

His lips pucker together and I see the slightest twitch. “This is my doing, then?”

“Duh! You forced my hand. Preyed upon my insecurities. I’ve had a humiliating and horrible day. Honestly, before all this...” I gesture to my body. “I would’ve loved a quick shower. You put me in this luxurious form fitting designer dress after I shit myself.” The pregnant pause paired with his dumbfounded expression would be comical if it wasn’t my pitiful reality. “That’s why I jumped in the car with you in such a hurry! Why I had no underwear! I had to throw them away. I’ve been paranoid all day that I stink. Anytime I see someone wrinkle their nose or frown, all I can think is‘Oh God, it’s me. They smell me.’Then before I can even check in, my ex, Leo, and little miss perfect, Trina, show up, there’s no rooms, I don’t know where Grandma is, and all of a sudden, I’m swept up to the top floor and getting aPretty Womanmakeover.” I inhale and take a moment to fight back tears. In a barely controlled voice, I tell him, “So, yes, I’m a little overwhelmed.” I sniffle. “I still have to give a speech.”

Using two fingers he lifts my chin up to meet his piercing eyes, and despite myself, I’m lost in them against my will. I can’t remember why I was so upset. His lips twitch in a wicked smirk. “I promise that you smell fine, but I’m going to give you ten minutes to go to the bathroom and do whatever it is you need to do. I wish there was more time, but we have to be downstairs in thirty minutes. So...” He releases my chin to clap his largepalms together. “Let’s get through the rehearsal dinner and then afterwards, I promise you a relaxing bubble bath. Hhmm?” This is surreal, but I nod. His eyes continue to stare at my lips. They part slightly and I’m tempted to take a step forward. Desire burns inside my chest. This is insanity, but he’s like a magnet pulling me closer.

“I need to change my suit.” With a curt nod, he turns around and heads toward the giant double doors on the other side of the room. His voice echoes off the walls as he reminds me, “Twenty-minutes, Little Bit.”

And for the millionth time today, I feel humiliated. I got distracted by his alluring eyes and stupidly handsome face that I almost threw myself at this unhinged stranger. I seriously need to get help when I return home, back to Memphis. It’s on the tip of my tongue to yell out that he has no right to use Gram’s nickname for me. Instead of arguing, because what’s the point, I hurry to the restroom. I do the best I can cleaning myself without damaging all the effort the mini crew outside had put into me.

When I exit the bathroom, Nicholas is standing by the door waiting for me. He’s wearing a black suit with a red button up. The red is of course the exact shade of my dress

“Did you choose the red dress?”

“Of course. I chose everything you’re wearing, and not.”

The man has excellent taste, I’ll give him that. “And not?”

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