Page 4 of Saving Blood

“We are going to have so much fun.” Tiffany had already piled on her own makeup and teased her hair into submission. Now she was in the process of doing the same to Chastity.

“Stop trying to peek in the mirror,” Tiffany warned as she applied more eyeliner and mascara to Chastity's eyes. “Just trust me. You are going to love your new look.”

Chastity didn’t mind her old look of jeans and a t-shirt. It was what she wore almost every day, except for days she wore her Taco Bell uniform at work.

Tiffany stepped back, assessing her. “You have so much potential, and yet you hide it behind dull clothing and that hideous fast-food uniform.”

“That hideous uniform is what pays the rent most months,” Chastity reminded her.

Tiffany huffed out a long, dramatic sigh. “After tonight, you can ditch that stupid job, because this guy is going to get us both into the movies.”

“You mean as paying customers?” Chastity twisted her lips in uncharacteristic sarcasm.

“No, silly, as actresses.” Tiffany fluffed her hair one last time, then spun Chastity toward the mirror.

Chastity’s mouth gaped open, speechless.

“Well, what did I tell you?”

“I . . . I don’t know what to say. You’ve made me look?—”

“Hot, gorgeous, fabulous?”

“Beautiful.” Chastity reached out and touched the mirror in awe. Her long auburn hair was full and slightly curled at the ends, framing her face. Her creamy skin had just enough bronzer and highlighter, transforming her narrow face into intriguing angles. Her green eyes popped with the combination of liner, mascara, and gel defining her brows. Her once average face now appeared dramatic and . . . sexy.

“You can thank me later.” Tiffany pointed to the bed. “Put this on, and your look is complete.”

Chastity ran her fingers over the sequined halter top and a black pleather skirt that didn’t look large enough for a child. “You bought this for me?”

“Yes, because your clothes are boring. Consider it a birthday present.”

A flood of emotion filled Chastity’s chest as she blinked away the tears pooling in her eyes. “This is the first birthday present I ever received.” She enveloped Tiffany in a hug.

“What the hell?” Tiffany screwed up her face. “What kind of childhood did you have?”

Too embarrassed to admit the truth, along with a lingering loyalty to her family, Chastity murmured, “My parents only believed in spiritual gifts.”

“Wow, no wonder you wanted to jet out of there.” She hugged Chastity harder, then pointed to the clothes. “Now stop wasting time and get dressed. Tonight is the first night of the rest of our lives. Tonight everything changes for us.” Tiffany did a little spin in her micro-mini dress and heels. “I can feel it.”

Chastity slipped on the clothes and gawked at herself in the full-length mirror nailed to the back of their bedroom door. At five-foot ten, and always self-conscious about her height, she rarely wore heels so high, but she had to admit they made her legs look amazing.

She pulled at the skirt barely covering her ass, and Tiffany frowned. “Stop fidgeting. You look fantastic. You’re so tall and thin, you look like a runway model.”

Normally, Chastity scoffed at the silly things Tiffany said, but she had to admit, tonight, at this moment, she looked every bit like the slinky models showcased in Tiffany’s copies ofVogueandInStylelittering the apartment.

Armed with fake IDs Tiffany recently bought claiming they were both twenty-one, they set out for Tiffany’s favorite club in Beverly Hills. A place her agent friend said all the important people in Hollywood frequented.

Chastity trailed Tiffany as she ignored the long line at the door. “I looked this club up online, and the percentage of people allowed in each weekend is very low. By my calculations, I would say?—”

Tiffany spun around to face her. “Will you please give your brain a day off? We’re going to get in.”

Chastity shrugged, not wanting to argue, but numbers never lied. She kept pace with Tiffany as she sidled up to the giant of a man stationed at the entrance. She leaned in, said something in his ear, followed by a secretive smile, batting of eyelashes, and a sexy twist of her lips. A second later, the enormous man dressed in black waved them inside, much to Chastity’s amazement.

Once inside, the hard, driving, pounding music surrounded Chastity.

“See how easy that was?” Tiffany shrilled over the music. “Between my big boobs and your glorious height, he never doubted we were legal.”

Chastity could only nod as her whole being buzzed with the intoxicating sights and sounds of the club. It both energized and frightened her. Never allowed to join the other girls at parties or dances at school (again, the devil’s work), Chastity didn’t know how to act or react with other people her age, and certainly not men. At eighteen, she’d never even had a date, much less kissed a boy. How crazy ridiculous was that?

---