Chapter Five
Alexwaslessthan impressed that the only detail I arrived home with was about the award ceremony. He stated drily he already knew about Jacob’s volunteering and the many other charities he donates to throughout the year, and if that was the only information I could uncover, then he may as well do all recon himself from now on.
“You were away for nearly two hours and that’s all you got for me?” he asked, and I shrugged a shoulder and made a face. It was the best I could do in the situation I was given. He sighed, pausing his nature show on the TV, and side-eyed me.
“Did you know that koalas have fingerprints that are so closely related to humans that they could contaminate a crime scene?”
“What am I meant to do with that, Alex?” I asked with knitted brows. “Carry a small bear with me when I do jobs?”
“Actually, koalas have more in common with wombats than bears, so you’d be carrying a small marsupial,” he said plainly as I stared at him, unable to form a sentence. “And they manifest chlamydia when stressed.”
“Do you tell women this shit before you fuck them?” I asked.
“How do you think I sweet talk them into bed? A geek on the streets, a freak in the sheets.” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, then his tone turned serious. “My point is that I learnt more about bloody animals than you did about your next target.”
I rolled my eyes and left him murmuring to himself on the sofa, resuming his nature show as I went for my second shower of the day. Albeit this one would be cold, with the memory of speaking to Jacob still fresh in my mind.
Alex had left a mug of tea in my room by the time I had finished showering, his little olive branch when he thought he went too far, and left me to get ready for tonight in peace. Tugging the towel from my head, I ran my fingers through the wet strands before heading back to the bathroom. I tipped the contents of my makeup bag onto the vanity and glanced at my barefaced reflection. Getting myself dolled up was my favourite part of any job. It was like dressing up for Halloween and my monster was always the most terrifying. But taking the time to look at myself pre-makeover grounded me.
I looked into my blue eyes rimmed with a halo, courtesy of the backlight on the mirror, noting the small beauty mark barely visible under the bottom eyelashes on my right eye, and the small patch of red across my cheekbones that always made me look flushed without concealer. Because it didn’t matter if I was Anna, Grace, or Laura, underneath it all, I was just Stevie; the girl whose life didn’t exactly turn out the way she thought it would, but wouldn’t change it for the world.
I pulled open a drawer and sat a long white container by the sink. Opening the lid, I ran a finger along the edge and stopped when I reached a set of beautiful emerald green contact lenses and took them from their row.
Finishing my makeup, which was heavier than my normal daily look, I completed the flick of my winged eyeliner and blotted the deep ruby-red lipstick. I leaned closer to the mirror and applied one more layer of mascara to the fake eyelashes, because one more coat of mascara never hurt anyone, especially when it made the green eyes pop!
I walked back to my bedroom to dry my hair, smiling at the obscenely expensive dress hanging on the back of my door, bought with Will’s credit card, thank you very much. I could not wait to put that baby on. Tonight, I would personify elegance, class, and sex on legs. Natalia was all of that. I was my most manipulative when I was her, cosying up to those I intended to take down, making them desperate for me, believing that they were everything I ever wanted.
I pulled on a honey blonde wig styled with loose curls that cascaded down my back to my ass and hid my now plaited black hair carefully underneath, the tight braid already setting off a tension headache.
Stepping into my dress, I stood back and looked at the unrecognisable reflection in the mirror. The long black dress pooled at my feet, the sheer skirt showcasing my legs, leaving nothing to the imagination, and the low-cut neckline staying put thanks to having tits the size of a generous handful, and, of course, lots and lots of tape. I slid on the black patent-leather heels with the red sole, and I was now ready to go.
I snatched the matching clutch purse from my bed and walked into the living room, spinning on the spot in front of Alex, who was back to typing on his laptop, with Rocky curled up beside his feet. Looking up, he took his glasses off, then cleaned them with his sweatpants before sliding them back on. His eyes widened as he gave a low, appreciative wolf-whistle, stretching out his arms to flex the mass of muscles, making a hula girl dance on his bicep.
“You look… fuck, all kinds of good, Stevie baby,” Alex said, his gaze tracing over the tight dress and pausing at my boobs. “You sure you’re up to doing this tonight?”
“Of course,” I replied, looking down at my cleavage to make sure I hadn’t slipped a nip. Tit tape was good and everything, but it wasn’t always one hundred percent effective, kind of like a condom. “Besides, once I’ve done this, we can properly work on the Weston Case, then I think we need a vacation,” I said exaggeratedly, putting my phone inside my purse and grabbing Alex’s car keys.
As I reached the front door, Alex leaned over the back of the couch and caught me before I left. “I thought we were going together?”
“I’ve got a quick errand to run.” I shook his keys at him. He frowned as he looked at his watch. “Will’s dossier said he was sending a car. I’ll drive your truck to the venue and you can drive us home. Don’t worry, Alex, I’ll see you soon.” Then I blew him a kiss and closed the front door behind me.