she doesn’t. Tonights about dad’s law firm as he and Uncle Garrett have a new junior they want to introduce to everyone who matters, including Asher, Ari’s lawyer. You remember him, don’t you, Teddy?”
He was a hard man to forget; loud, brash, crass, - a possible roadblock in my plans. With any luck, he’d be too distracted trying to worm his way into someone’s skirt. One could only hope.
“Mum showed me a photo, and he’s rather cute.”
I frowned. “Asher’s cute?”
“Ew, no, Asher’s too old!” I laughed at her horrified expression as she twisted a narrow length of my hair around the straightener. “I was talking about the new associate.”
“Sorry, Dom, anyway, carry on.”
“What’s the new guy’s name?” Scarlett queried impatiently, “Dom, hello?”
Dominique blinked and stared blankly. “What?”
“A…name… please,” she repeated slowly. “And we want other details too. You know, what he looks like, age, star sign, etc.”
Rolling my eyes at my sister was a given. Unlike me, Scarlett was incredibly nosy, insisting on knowing everything, no matter how small the detail.
“Oh. Yeah, right. Damien Rivers his name, and has eyes the same colour as one too,” dreamily describing him while she had long curls of my hair wrapped around the steaming straightener. Not the ideal situation if I had plans to seduce Ari later. A bald head might be a significant turn-off. I let out a sigh of relief as a hot curl flowed down my neck.
I chuckled. “What a yucky brown like the Yarra?”
“Nooo, they’re a stunning blue, like the ocean on a bright day. His hair…it’s the colour of caramel, like the ones I enjoy sucking on.” Her lips twisted ruefully. “He has a chiselled jaw and face, and his body, from what I was able to tell by the cut of his suit, didn’t seem too shabby either. His smile,” she gushed, “made him, ah...dashing.”
Scarlett’s eyelids fluttered. “Dom’s in love.”
Switching from the straightener to hairpins, Dom let out a girlish giggle. “No, not love, just lust. Don’t confuse the two. And if I’m right, Teddy might not be the only one getting lucky tonight.”
I scoffed at the statement. “Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch, shall we?” Inwardly though, I hoped it to be true. “Getting our heads back above the waistline, isn’t this party a bit much and over the top for just one guy? Won’t he feel a tad overwhelmed?”
“Hopefully not. Mum felt this party would be the perfect introduction for Damien. Me personally, a simple dinner party would have sufficed. My mother, as we all know, refuses to settle for anything less. Any excuse for kicking up her heels really,” Dominique said grasping the small hand mirror beside me and waving it around the back of my head. “There, all done, Miss Teddy, do you approve?”
As always, she had outdone herself. Apart from the few loose strands falling gently around my face, she had swept my hair to one side, leaving masses of curls pinned neatly just above my nape. My neck left exposed, ready for Ari’s sweet lips, his hands, and…oh boy, I had better stop right there. Just envisaging his sexy arse body had the warmth igniting between my thighs.
“Earth to Teddy,” Dom murmured, waving a hand in front of my face. “Just now, that flush in your face was rather disconcerting.”
I pushed from the chair and looked anywhere except at the three sets of eyes laughing at me as the flush rose over my neck and face. “It’s lovely, Dom, thank you.”
“Thank you. Ari should hopefully love it just as much.”
Dominique’s charismatic smile flashed, tapping the top of the chair with the hairbrush. “Now, who’s next?”
Realising that was my cue to move, I sidestepped to another chair.
“Wear your eye makeup heavier tonight, Teddy,” Scarlett conveyed, occupying the seat I’d just vacated. “Make them look…seductive.”
I shot her a quizzical look as I slowly dabbed the foundation sponge over my nose and cheeks. “I don’t want to look like a high-class hooker either.”
“You don’t want to look like a nun either. Otherwise, you might not get none!”
My eyes rolled. “Good to see you paid attention in English, sis.” The torture didn’t end there as she passed the gold-encased lipstick pulled from her makeup case over the table to me. Blue eyes mischievously glimmered as she watched me slip off the lid and inspect the red stick inside.
“Ari has a real fetish for clowns, or so I’ve heard.”
Dominique swiftly reacted and tapped the top of her head with the back of the brush. She wasn’t gentle about it either; Dom had the Jaeger temper that’s for sure.
“Ow, what was that for?” Scarlett whined rubbing the crown of her head. “That’s probably going to bruise.”
I sniggered behind the safety of my hand.
“All that shall bruise is your ego,” Dom growled, waving the pointy end of the pintail comb at her. “Your sister’s nervous enough as it is. Keep it up, and you’ll be the one looking like a circus freak instead. Good luck getting a man then!”
Scarlett shrank down in her seat. “Okay, I’ll stop. I’m sorry, Teddy.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m sure you are. And while I do appreciate the advice, even if in part it was you being nothing more than a nasty cow, I only want to appear alluring, not desperate.”
Scarlett nodded in defeat. “Fair enough, but seriously the red lipstick would look amazing with your dress and nails.”
“I’ll wear it then,” I murmured setting the lipstick beside me.
For the next twenty minutes, I was able to apply my makeup in peace, without any further ribbing. Once finished, I sat back and admired my handiwork in the mirror. “Well?” I asked, pushing the mirror aside.
“Stunning,” remarked Poppy.
“You go, girl. If that doesn’t blow Ari away, well, he’s more of an idiot than I thought,” Dominique assured.
Pushing off my chair, I placed a hand on my dancing stomach and blew out a shaky breath. “What if tonight’s proposition goes wrong? Or Ari laughs at me? Or worse, he rejects me for making him wait this long?”
“You’ll be okay,” Dominique whispered, placing a reassuring hand on my upper arm. “I just happened to overhear along the grapevine; my brother’s just as nervous. He’s worried you’ll reject him.” Whenever it came to gossip, Dom never just happened to overhear anything, she was usually right in the thick of it.
“Oh, that makes me feel better. I think.” Unconvinced, I grimaced. “Regardless of what happens, I am now going to go and finish getting myself ready, so that I am hot enough for Ari not to turn me down!” A girl
