'M' is For: [Ch9] Temptation-Go-Round - Part 1

I’d gone to maybe three of Missy’s book club parties since the first one. With each party, I grew increasingly comfortable with the rhythms of the event. They always had a similar flow to them. Missy opened up the party with a few words and cracked a joke or two to loosen things up. She set the safeword for the night, always a literary reference of some kind. She would proceed to turn on the music and, as the Mistress of Ceremonies, set the stage—whether it was by initiating a scene with Thomas or roping some new people into a challenge. The room would warm up, and then smaller groups might split off to find more privacy in some of the other rooms. After the party ran for several hours, people began to make their exits, trickling out in blissful little groups of two or three. Only a handful of the most debauched and loyal would hang behind until dawn, making a bed for themselves wherever they could lay a comfortable pillow and draw up a blanket. More often than not, I would find myself in the second group, and eventually staying over became just another part of the routine.

This particular night, I had actually gone to Missy’s place early because Kiara had wanted to do up my makeup and dress me up “sexy.” If it had been anyone but Kiara, I would have felt super awkward about it, but she was both so earnest and so excited about this that I found myself agreeing to let her do whatever she wanted.

I had shown up as directed with a face clean of makeup, and Kiara had barely waited for me to take off my shoes at the door before whisking me through the apartment into Missy’s master bathroom. Now I was seated on the closed toilet seat while Kiara bustled around me. I watched her as she pulled out a curling iron and turned it on to heat. While we waited, she produced a small bottle of primer and began work on my face.

“Oh my gosh, babe, your skin is perfect,” Kiara exclaimed as she dabbed lightly at my skin with a cotton pad.

“For now,” I answered her darkly. “Adult acne is no joke.”

Kiara stared at me for a second. “I love you, Mal, but sometimes I can’t tell whether you’re being serious or joking.” She giggled. “Forget it. I will make you beautiful tonight, I promise.”

My normal makeup routine took five minutes. Maybe fifteen if I was going to a special event. I swear, Kiara had me in the bathroom on the toilet for almost an hour. She really hadn’t been joking when she said she’d bring out her full kit. We were surrounded by almost half a dozen bottles, not to mention three separate pouches that bulged with powders and brushes of varying sizes and materials. Curling my hair alone took maybe half an hour, and we hadn’t even started with the makeup.

Still, it was nice to sit back and let someone else do me up. The air smelled lightly fragrant from all the high-end powders and ablutions. My thoughts wandered, and I wondered what the others were up to out in the main living room. For once, James had showed up early, and he had been sitting and cracking jokes with Missy and the others in the living room when I’d arrived. I flashed back to Missy’s laughing face and James’s disbelieving grin as Kiara had marched me into the bathroom. “Take good care of her!” Missy had hollered after us, until Kiara shut the door on them. “No peeking until I’m done,” Kiara had told them with mock sternness.

Abruptly, my thoughts returned to Kiara as she started on my eyes. It took every ounce of my self-control to avoid blinking as she applied eyeliner and curled my eyelashes. We got through it without Kiara having to completely wipe away my makeup and start over...but just barely. For her finishing touch, Kiara reached for a new pack of fake eyelashes and carefully applied them along my lash line with a pair of angled tweezers. She kept a steady grip on my chin, holding me still until she deemed the glue had dried.

“All done!” Kiara finally announced in a singsong voice. “Go look at yourself in the mirror. You look hot.” She stowed away the brushes she had been holding and stepped back.

I didn’t have any expectations, honestly. I’d let friends try to apply makeup in the past and…let’s just say it didn’t usually work out too well. Few people were as pale as me, and what worked for them usually came out looking like clown makeup on me. I was already resigned to the fact that I would have to wear whatever the results were out of friendship. So as I stood up and walked over to the large expanse of mirror in Missy’s master bathroom, I was stunned to see that...well...Kiara hadn’t been lying. I did look hot. The smoky eye was subtle, but matched with the black eyeliner and false eyelashes, it gave me just the right touch of smoldering mystique.

“Wow,” I said. “Kiara, you did a phenomenal job.”

Kiara tossed her hair a little playfully. “Was there ever any doubt?”

I kissed her on the cheek. “How could I have been so silly? This is perfect. I look ready to let loose at my friend’s private sex party.”

Kiara waved me off, but I caught her beaming from ear to ear. “Let’s go show the others.”

Kiara pushed me out of the bathroom to the living room area, where Missy was sitting on Thomas’s lap. James was sitting in the armchair nearby with Danielle and Adrienne. Danielle grasped a flute of white wine while Adrienne had her customary bored expression.

“Ta-da! Look everyone, I did Mallory’s makeup!” Kiara announced, clapping her hands. “Tell her how gorgeous she looks.”

They looked up at me. I felt myself blush a little at having so many pairs of eyes turned on me at once. Mercifully, they didn’t leave me hanging for long. James gave a low, appreciative whistle. Danielle clapped her hands, and Adrienne’s lips curled in what I took to be begrudging acknowledgment.

“Not bad,” Adrienne told Kiara.

Missy slid off of Thomas’s lap and closed the distance between us in a few quick strides.

“Would you look at this? Our little Mal is all grown up. You’ve outdone yourself, Kiara.” Missy set her hands on my shoulders and smiled at me, as pleased as though she had arranged for this all herself. “I can’t wait to see the reactions tonight.”

“That big a difference, huh?” I couldn’t help but say with a grin.

“Oh, you know what I mean. You were alright before, but now…” Missy winked at me. “We’re going to have some fun.”

Kiara and I found seats by James after helping ourselves to some drinks. Together, we waited for the rest of Missy’s guests to arrive. A little over an hour later, Missy gave her opening speech and the party kicked off in full swing.

Whether it was because of the makeup or my growing confidence, I noticed that heads turned as I passed in a way that they had never done before. Returning to where my friends sat, a fresh drink in my hand, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised when a tall man with a serious expression approached us. Ignoring Danielle’s striking beauty and Adrienne’s classic good looks, he stopped at the edge of our circle, his eyes locked on me.

“May I invite you to dance?” he asked with a slight smile, extending a hand in my direction. I caught Kiara’s eye and she gave me an excited little nod of encouragement. Biting back a smile, I accepted the man’s hand, allowing him to escort me from my seat.

“Have I seen you here before, Ma’am?” he asked me, drawing me away from the sitting area toward the windows. “You are absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “I’ve come to a few of these.” Unable to resist the quip, I added, “You just must have never noticed me.”

The man ducked his head in mock chagrin. “My loss. But I hope you’ll allow me the chance to make up for it tonight.”

His manners were smooth and polished, his confidence settled over him like a heavy cologne. He gave off the feeling of someone who ran in privileged circles. He probably worked at some lofty downtown job earning a six-figure income. Once the thought of engaging with someone like him would have intimidated me, but now I only felt a childlike curiosity in examining him. What kind of face would he make when he begged me to let him come? How would he handle his own surrender?