Rider's Kiss
“Good girl. Now, let’s see what else we can find, then tomorrow we have an appointment at the hairdresser.”
Her spine stiffened. “Hairdresser?”
Reena rolled her eyes. “Relax. I’m not going to let Christy give you a Miley shave or anything. She’s just going to get rid of some split ends and add a few layers. Nothing too drastic.”
A new determination that she’d never felt before began to take hold. “You know what, Reena? You’re right. Let’s get this show on the road so I can give Rider a taste of what he’s been missing all these damn years.”
“Now that’s the spirit!” Reena shouted, getting entirely too excited for Victoria’s peace of mind.
And so the day went. By the time they were finished, Victoria had six new outfits, jeans that fit her like a glove, shirts that conformed to her curves, and new heels that added a few inches to her height. Her credit card had never seen so much action. But it’d been worth every penny. Victoria felt a sense of triumph at the end of stage one of her transformation. Reena had been thrilled at all the new purchases too. Victoria considered it a good sign, since Reena was a pro when it came to fashion.
Tomorrow would be stage two: hair. The stylist would shampoo and trim, maybe add a few highlights. With any luck, Victoria’s hair would look healthier and sexier. And if there was a God, Rider would be the one drooling for a change. About damn time too.
Chapter Four
Saturday flew by so fast, Victoria’s head spun. After a visit to the hairdresser, there’d been more clothes shopping. By the time Reena had wound down, Victoria’s feet ached and she had a splitting headache.
Now, it was seven in the evening, and Victoria couldn’t stop staring at her reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink. The transformation a few tweaks could make to her appearance was downright amazing. The hair stylist at the salon had added subtle caramel highlights to her hair along with a few layers that added volume and got rid of a fair amount of split ends. Reena had insisted on an eyebrow waxing as well. The change wasn’t anything truly remarkable, and she supposed that was why Victoria liked it so much. It was still her, only shinier. Sort of like giving an old car a wax job. Her thoughts strayed toward Rider. What would he think of the new and improved Victoria Kiss? Victoria’s previous, ordinary style had never held a man’s attention for more than a few passing minutes, but would that all change now?
Victoria ached to make Rider sit up and take notice. She wanted to be the kind of woman who could make a virile man like him become totally overcome by passion. As if right on cue, old insecurities surfaced, and Victoria knew it’d be a miracle if Rider ever saw her as anything more than Reena’s BFF.
She flipped off the light and left the bathroom, then dropped onto her recliner. God, she was exhausted. She hadn’t known beauty could be so damned tiring. She took a sip of her cabernet and stared at the pile of clothes that littered her couch. “What the hell was I thinking?” Her poor credit card had never seen so much action. It’d take a year to pay it all off. And for what? So Rider James would see her as a woman. How ridiculous was that?
“You better be worth all this,” she muttered as she tucked her aching feet beneath her.
Tomorrow, she and Reena were going to hit a few garage sales, then have lunch. They planned to discuss the next phase of their Get Rider plan. She let out a sigh and rested her head against the soft white chair. She pictured Rider striding up to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her senseless. His mouth would be rough and demanding, and Victoria would melt against him. He’d kiss her the way a man did when he craved a woman. As if he longed to claim her as his. Sure, that was bound to happen. And maybe pigs would fly.
The ringing of her cell phone yanked her out of her annoying fantasy. She picked it up from the end table and peered at the caller ID. The number didn’t appear familiar. “Hello?”
“You continue to surprise me.”
“Rider?” Was she still fantasizing?
“Yep. Reena gave me your number.” There was a slight pause before he asked, “You weren’t busy?”
“Uh, no,” she answered after the shock wore off. She thought of what he’d said about surprising him. “You said I continue to surprise you. What do you mean?”
“Reena told me about your shopping trip—and the makeover.”
Victoria’s face heated. She was going to strangle Reena for opening her big mouth. She wasn’t ready for Rider to know. Hell, she might never be ready. “It’s not that big a deal, really.”
“That’s not what I saw.”
Confused, Victoria asked, “Saw?”
“Reena took a few pictures with her cell.”
She swallowed a curse. “I’m going to kill her.”
Rider chuckled, and the sound went clear through Victoria. “I take it she did it without your knowledge?”
“Most definitely,” she bit out. “She is so dead.”
“Well, if she hadn’t taken the pictures, I wouldn’t have gotten to see your new look before anyone else,” he said, his voice lower than before. “Makes me feel special.”
Oh God, even over the phone, Rider managed to turn her on. It was a little humiliating how effortlessly he could have her heartbeat speeding up. The effect was nothing new, though. Rider always sent her into a tailspin.
“Are you still there?” he asked.