* * * * *
I, on the other hand, did not have trouble with sparkle. I was the Sparkle Queen. At Hank’s, I washed my face and put on Drama Night Makeup; heavy on the charcoal eye shadow and black kohl eye liner, dark raspberry lipstick on lined lips and glitter dust on my col arbone and shoulders.
I wore a black top that was tight across the midriff and bosom, loose around the waist. The thin sleeves and low, scooped neckline were designed to look torn, not finished.
One sleeve fit over my shoulder, the other one fel off by design. The torn bits were adorned here and there with glittery jet beads, a hint of sparkle. I put on a pair of tailored, slightly tight, wide-leg, low-rider, black trousers with a sharp crease. The trousers had a thick line of black beading al the way around my upper hips. I wore a bunch of spangly, thin black bracelets and dangly jet earring. I put my hair up in a messy knot, secured with bobby pins on the ends of which were baby, black rhinestones and I let lots of tendrils float down. I finished off with a spritz of Boucheron.
I walked out of the bathroom, al done up, to see Luke’s long, lean body stretched out on Hank’s bed, his hands crossed behind his head, eyes closed.
Shamus was sprawled and asleep beside him.
“Good God,” I whispered.
His eyes opened, his head turned and he did a slow body scan.
Then his lids lowered to half-mast. “Fuck,” he murmured low.
I pul ed myself sternly into recovery.
“You ready?” I asked.
His eyes went to my feet. “You aren’t wearing shoes.”
“Damn! I knew I forgot something, hang on.” I ran to the weight room slash junk room and tore through boxes and suitcases until I found what I wanted.
I walked into the living room carrying my shoes, a little red suede bag and wrap. Into the bag I transferred the necessities, running back to the bathroom for lipstick, lip liner and extra sparkle powder for emergency re-application, and put in credit cards, money, phone and the VIP passes Jet gave me.
I sat on a couch and slid on one of my (four) pairs of sexy, Jimmy Choo shoes (online auction, brand new, nearly ful retail price but worth every penny). These were pumps, pointed, red suede toe and matching suede four-inch spiked heel, the body of the shoe was red snakeskin.
The shoes were hot.
I settled a red pashmina around my shoulders, flipping an end around my neck.
Luke was standing at the door.
“Ready,” I said.
Luke didn’t move.
Then he asked, “You know what I said in the store today?”
“You said a lot in the store,” I told him. He hadn’t said a lot of words, but al of them had a lot of meaning.
“The last part.”
My eyes got big and I nodded.
“I was f**kin’ with you,” he told me.
I let out a breath. “I thought so,” I said.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
I wasn’t keeping up with him. He wasn’t exactly going fast but I stil wasn’t keeping up with him.
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ve decided I wasn’t f**kin’ with you.”