“I know, I had to be dramatic. But I still think you look nice.” She said, setting down the mascara wand.
“I look…very different.”
“That was the point, lassie.” Cara laughs.
My hair had been flat-ironed heavily, the violet strands falling like curtains on either side of my face. With how it looked today, I was pleased I hadn’t cut my hair. Because of how it was styled, my hair reached my waist. It was the complete opposite of what I used to do; curling each strand of hair perfectly and then pinning behind each ear to keep the curls out of my face. I’d perfected one formal look and what Cara did was the opposite, and it looked so great. I felt sexy as I watched the light shimmer in the near onyx hair as I moved.
“I’ll go get your dress.” Cara said with a smile, leaving the bedroom where she had banished Kieron from before we started to get ready.
It was such a different look. I felt like I had zipped on a new skin and was a completely new person.
“Oh,” I turned to Kieron’s voice in the doorway where he peeked around the door. His dark eyes trailed over my body from top to bottom, taking me in. “Wow”
“That’s what I said.” I said with a chuckle and put my hair over my shoulder.
“Cara is really talented at this stuff. It doesn’t look like you at all. I mean, I can see you. The real you. But a quick glance, no one would know it’s you.” He reached for my hands and held them tightly. “Thank god.”
“I’m going to be okay.” I whisper as Kieron stood me and wrapped his arms around my waist, dropping a kiss to my bare shoulder.
“I know.”
We stand in silence, simply swaying in each other’s arms as the weight of what we are going to do settles in.
* * *
“Can you wear this dress again when you’re not covered in makeup? Just you, that dress, me and the bed.” Kieron looked in the mirror, looking at me from the driver’s seat. Kieron had made sure to wear a black suit with a white button down, and had tucked his long hair into a driver’s cap that dipped down just enough to obscure his face.
“It’s borrowed from Cara.”
“Where do you think Cara got it from, baby?” He winked in the mirror. “That dress is all yours.”
Of course, he’d bought it for me. I shake my head and playfully roll my eyes at his teasing tone. “Did you pick it out too?” I asked.
If he did, it made sense. The dress was deep red; a soft, velvet fabric and tight. Tight like a second skin and moved so perfectly with my body. It was short, hitting me a little higher than mid-thigh with a high neck and long sleeves. But the back of the dress… The back of the dress was open and deep. It had a deep V that rested low on my back, showing off a large portion of skin and the dimples just above my ass.
I could see just how much it affected Kieron, his eyes barely leaving my body for a second until we had gotten in the car.
“I, uh,” Kieron rubbed his neck. “Fuck yes, I picked it out because I thought it would look amazing on you. And I was completely right.”
I laughed out loud at being able to distract him and straightened the neckline of my dress out.
“Thank you very much. That’s high praise.” I smile to him in the mirror.
“In the box next to you, there’s a small earpiece. Get it out, turn it on and put it in your ear to make sure we can talk.” I do as he asks while he continues to go over the plan.
“Once you’re through the entrance, you’re going to locate Trenton in the room. You remember the photo I showed you?” I nodded, “Good. You find him, nod to him twice and that is it. Then, your target is name Joseph Franchini. He is a fairly new addition to the Garzino security empire and a brand-new initiate into the Italian mafia. Less than three months if Bryans information is correct.” Kieron handed me a photo, obviously taken stealthy from across the street somewhere. A young guy, maybe no older than 20 with dark, over-gelled hair and wearing a loose white cut off t-shirt, stared back at me. He was striking, very angular. Everything about him was sharp; his look, his eyes, his jaw and shoulders. He looked almost frail.
Not someone I would think Luca would hire forsecurity.
“Bryan and Trent have it on good authority that Joseph is involved intimately with the cargo moving and drop off tonight. If anyone is going to know where the girls are being kept, it’s him. And it’s your job to get that information out of him. By…” Kieron stopped, that last sentence trailing off and dying.
“By what?” I ask.
“This is where I would normally say, ‘by any means necessary.’ If you were anyone else, it’s what I would say. But you’re not anyone else.” He said and the grip he had on the steering wheel tightened.
I like seeing his protective side, it’s definitely a turn-on.
“After you get the information, you’re to bump into Trent, say “I’m so sorry. It’s been a long night. Too much champagne.” That’s his signal that you got it and are ready to leave. He will escort you out of the ballroom, I’ll pick you up outside those doors.” He points off to the side.
