Page 2 of Wilt

Woah.

I’m a bombshell.

Running my fingers over the soft, silky material, I’m transfixed at how the dress shows off my breasts in a deep swoop at the neckline, how it hugs my waist and hips before flowing to the floor in layers of gorgeous ruby fabric. It’s like another woman stands before me, but when I swing and twirl, she does too, confirming the person I’m staring at is actually me.

I blink, stupefied that a simple dress change can make me look so… different.Feelso different.

My pulse kicks up with excitement. I feels gorgeous. I look like I know all about romance. I look timeless and well-traveled. I look interesting.

Which is not like me at all.

My anxiety returns, along with a flutter of doubt in the pit of my stomach. I’m not sure I can pull this off. All these girls have been doing pageants for years—some since they were toddlers—and I jumped into this world on a whim. I shouldn’t be here.

“I don’t know about this…” I groan as my nerves get the better of me and my stomach turns.

“Don’t start with that shit again,” Genius snaps. She glares at me through the mirror. “You deserve to be here, Roz. You do. Hundreds of girls competed to be Miss Queen 2023, and yet here you are, in the top fifteen. You deserve to be here.”

“It’s actually Miss Elite Royal 2023,” I correct her with a smile.

She rolls her eyes. “Miss Elite Royal Yasssss Queen 2023. Whatever. I had very limited time to read up on this stuff, so give me a break.”

I laugh—I can’t help it. With her more… unique style of short blue hair, rhinestone and cat-eyed glasses, vibrant makeup choices, and undying obsession with the undead, parading women around and judging them on their appearance isn’t exactly her idea of a good time. She’s told me as much, but since I wanted to do it, she’s been supportive, and that’s all I can ask for. She’s trying.

I peer at myself again in the mirror and sigh. “You’re sure about this?”

She nods. “More than sure.”

“It looks expensive. How did you even—”

“Shhh… Don’t worry about that. I told you to trust me, and once you give trust, Roz, there’s no takesy-backsies.” She gestures up and down the dress for emphasis. “Besides, you look hot. Spectacular. This dress is going to be the extra oomph you need to make the finals. I just know it.”

I guess she’s right. The gownisstunning, and Idofeel like a million bucks in it. Hopefully the judges think so, too.

“Watch your posture,” she notes, patting my back to make sure I stand up straight. “Make sure you show off the goods. Here.” She points to my ass— “and definitely here—” She does the same with my breasts.

“Right…”

Genius digs through my make-up bag and pulls out a lipstick. It’s red, heavily pigmented, matte. “The color suits you. God, with your pale honey complexion, those light eyes and dark hair, you look like a movie star. I saw it and it screamed ‘This is who Roz wants to be, who she is inside.’”

I let her apply the lipstick, and when I glance at my face again, it surprisingly goes well with the eyeliner and mascara she already painted on me in the car.

“There are shoes to match.” She continues with my hair, sliding in pins but keeping it simple, up on one side so my natural waves can do their thing. As the minutes pass, I transform even more into the vixen she wants me to be.

“You’re going to knock their socks off. You’re beautiful; you have flawless skin and plump lips that are things of fantasies. Then, you’ll make their heads explode with your brain power. Your speech was fucking amazing, even if it’s not about vampires.”

I laugh. Genius gives the weirdest pep talks ever.

“Thanks. It’s about Rwanda and women and nothing to do with the Middle East, but—”

“You’re killing my vibe here, Roz.” She steps back. “There.”

We both admire her handywork. “There’s a saying about how it takes a village.”

“True,” she says as she brushes her shoulder. “I do have the power of an entire village inside me.”

Genius grabs her phone from her back pocket to check the time. “Okay, ready for the interview? Of course you are. I have to go out front, so finish up, breathe, do some zen things in your head, and I’ll catch you from the audience. I need to make sure the photographer is primed and ready.”

She darts out of the room, and the loss of her energetic presence smacks me back into reality. The jittery nerves return, but I tell myself to keep calm. I can do this. I just need to focus.

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