A loud knock sounded at the door, and she almost dropped the phone. She sat up, letting the soap drop to the bottom of the tub and grabbed her robe off the floor.
“I gotta go!” she said quickly. “Someone’s here.” She slid the phone across the bathroom floor, quickly rose out of the water, and stepped out of the tub. “Just a minute!” Then she pulled a fluffy white towel from the rack and wrapped it around her head.
She was still tying the belt at her waist when she got to the door and stretched up on tiptoe to look out the peephole.
A bellhop stood in the middle of the hall. There was a hopper full of luggage behind him, and she mentally cursed him for interrupting them.
“What the hell does he want?” she whispered, but opened the door anyway and smiled. “Hi there. I think there must be a misunderstanding, because all my luggage is already here.”
He glanced at his tablet, checking the room number, then back up to Samantha. “Are you Miss Smiles?” he asked, his brows rising as he waited for her response.
“Well yes, but—”
He then lowered a dolly from the hopper, and soon her bubble wrapped creation was positioned right in front of her door. “Is this not yours, Miss Smiles?”
She covered her mouth, shocked she’d been able to forget such a thing. “Yes, that’s mine,” she clarified. “I—forgot.” She scratched the back of her head, and glanced around her hotel room, looking for a place to put it. “Would it be okay for you to put it in the bedroom? I don’t want my friend seeing it when she comes over.”
He nodded quickly, then disappeared to the bedroom a moment before Renee appeared at the door.
“What’s going on?” Renee said, grabbing hold of a strand of Samantha’s still dripping hair that had escaped from her towel. “You ruined your hair.”
Samantha closed the door behind them, and stepped into the room. “It’s not ruined. I took a bath.”
Renee shrugged, just as the bellhop came back from the bedroom with the empty dolly. She raised her brows suggestively, then hung her garment bag up on the back of the bathroom door. “Sowing your oats already?”
The bellhop turned bright red, but came to stand in front of Samantha anyway. “Ma’am,” he began. “Is there anything else you’ll be needing this evening?”
Samantha shook her head, not knowing if she should tip him or not, but after Renee’s comment, she fetched a twenty off her dresser and curled it up in his hand. “Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate it.” She then escorted him to the hall, locked the door, and turned around, seeing her best friend lounging on the couch with her feet up.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked Renee. “I thought you were taking a nap?”
Renee shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. Plus, I thought it would be more fun to get ready together.” She rose to her feet and unzipped the garment bag before turning around. “I brought you something to wear.”
Samantha laughed. “I brought my own clothes, you know.”
Renee bit her bottom lip, “But your clothes are boring. Besides, I brought you something special. Something hot.” She pulled a wooden hanger from the bag, and Samantha gazed at the small piece of black fabric that hung by straps as thin as spaghetti.
She raised her brows before looking at her best friend again. Because it barely looked large enough to fit Renee, and Samantha was much more voluptuous. “That’s not going to fit me.”
Renee pulled a pair of five-inch heels out of the bag. “Don’t be silly.” She then took Samantha’s hand and began pulling her toward the bathroom. “Now, let’s get your hair blown out and get you ready.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one getting you ready? Tonight is about you, Ren, not me.”
Renee positioned Samantha in front of the mirror and shook her head at their reflection. “You’re single for the first time in six years, and there happens to be some really hot groomsmen.”
“Ren—” she tried to protest, but Renee only pushed her down in the chair and pulled the towel from her head “You’re going to let loose tonight, Samantha. That’s all I want. And yes, I’m using my bride status to get you to conform to my will. Get over it.”
Samantha was barely able to control her giggles as Renee began to work her magic.
For all the creativity Samantha had with clay, Renee had just as much when it came to beauty. She brushed, curled, and teased Samantha’s hair until it hung in large, glossy waves down her back. Then she worked on Samantha’s makeup, giving her skin a dewy, flawless finish, with smoky eyes and a pouty, nude lip that made her almost giddy.
“There,” Renee said to her reflection. “Now you can go get dressed.”
Samantha stood up from the chair, and Renee immediately took her place and began doing her own makeup.
The romper still hung on the back of the door, and she took it from its hanger before turning back to Renee. “I don’t know, Ren. I don’t think I can wear a bra with this.”
Renee barely glanced up from applying her mascara. “You don’t. There are pasties in the bag, just put those on.”
Samantha wiped over her face, thinking Renee was crazy, but then she started to imagine what Tristan would think if he saw her like this. What he would say, or not say—and that was all it took for her to grab the romper and head out of the room. Immediately, she went to her bedroom, fetched a minuscule black thong and put it on with the pasties. She’d never worn such a thing in her life, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel sexy.
After stepping into the romper, she pulled the thin straps over her shoulders, and just like Renee said, it fit her perfectly, though there was barely enough fabric to cover her ass. She bent over, testing it out as she watched herself in the mirror. Luckily the bottom was shorts, because there was no way she’d be able to bend over otherwise.
She stepped into the five-inch heels and did a spin in front of the mirror to check all angles. Her back was almost bare, all the way down to the top of her panty line. The only thing covering it was the thin straps that crossed in the back in an X, and left no question about what was underneath…or what wasn’t.
The front was actually the most conservative of the piece. The fabric extended all the way up to her neck, draping sensually over her breasts. She had to admit, it was sexy as hell.
She found Renee leaning against the doorjamb watching her. Her nose wrinkled like a raisin as she grinned from ear to ear. “You look hot,” Renee said, pushing off the wall to stand beside Samantha. She wore a dress equally as short as Samantha’s but made of a white lace. The color was a gorgeous contrast against her golden skin, and together they crossed the whole spectrum of sexual beasts. Day vs. Night. Light vs. Dark. Angel vs. Devil.
Renee handed her a couple of gold bangles and a pair of earrings. “Put these on. We should get going in a few minutes.”
Samantha did as she was told, but before they left for the party, she excused herself once again to the bathroom. There on the floor, under a fallen towel, she found her cell phone.
Wild Stallion: Have you ever heard the term ‘Blue balls’?”
27
Chapter Twenty-seven