Gemma
Gemma slowly put her plate in the sink and washed the dishes. Then, she took a shower. Her new female friends would be there soon to help her get ready for the ritual. They would need to be quick about it because they still had to get themselves ready.
She had just finished her shower when she heard a knock on the door.
“Your hair is wet,” Chloe noticed. “That’s perfect. I can style your hair more easily. Show us to your room, my friend.”
Gemma led the way upstairs, grateful she had thought to make the bed before they arrived. She certainly didn’t want them to see the fresh blood on her sheets.
They pushed her onto the chair in front of the vanity and began unloading all their things from their bags.
Gemma’s eyes got big as she saw everything on the table in front of her.
“I need all of that?” she asked.
All three of them nodded solemnly.
“Damn. I didn’t think I was that ugly,” Gemma commented.
That made the three women chuckle. “Honey, you are gorgeous,” Reagan told her. “The products are to enhance your natural beauty. We need to make Madeline and all the other women who had Theo in their sights understand they cannot compete with you.”
Chloe picked up a rounded brush and a hairdryer and started on her hair. Angel grabbed Gemma’s hands and made clicking noises of disapproval when she stared at Gemma’s fingernails.
“When is the last time you had a manicure?” Angel asked.
“Never,” Gemma said.
“That’s crazy. You lived in all of those European meccas of beauty, and you haven’t been to a nail salon. Whew, I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Angel said.
Reagan rolled her eyes and laughed.
Angel fetched a bowl of hot soapy water and stuck Gemma’s left hand in it while she went to work on her right, filing the nails into nice moon shapes. Then, she pulled out the left hand and pushed in the right.
By the time Angel was finished, Gemma’s cuticles had been taken care of, her nails filed, an undercoat applied, silver polish put on, and an overcoat added.
Chloe had blown her hair dry and curled it into soft ringlets that hung around her face. She pulled some of her hair up into a bun fastened with diamond hair combs.
“I expect these back when you are done with them,” Chloe told her, laughing.
Gemma smiled. “No worries. Thank you, ladies. I would have been completely lost without you,” she said.
“Yep, you sure would have,” Reagan said, teasing her. “We’ve had the time of our lives too.”
Reagan finished up by applying a light foundation and all the other makeup that women wear to accent their lips, cheekbones, and eyes.
“You have the most unique and incredible eyes I’ve ever seen,” Reagan said.
“Thank you,” Gemma said shyly.
When she finished, Reagan said, “Let’s get you into your dress now, and then we have to jet. We can’t let you completely outshine us.”
Gemma slid into the deep blue satin dress that emphasized her body, her natural beauty and made her eyes stand out even more.
They hugged and headed out. Gemma slid on the silver tights she had bought and then put on the high-heeled strappy shoes Theo had insisted on buying her. They added three inches to her height.
It’s a good thing dragon shifter women are tall, or I would tower above everyone there.
She contemplated her looks as she analyzed herself in the mirror. The sleeveless gown dipped to show cleavage. The rounded top emphasized the gentle swell of her chest.
