Chapter 30

Jennifer sprayed some stuff that smelled good on my hair and then began braiding it.

“I’ll start at your crown and work my way down,” Jennifer said as her fingers worked magic on my hair. “I’ll leave a few tendrils around your face to soften the look.”

Watching Jennifer smooth and braid my hair, adding sections as she went, was fascinating.

“You make it look easy to do,” I said.

“I have a lot of practice,” Jennifer replied. “The braids will stay in place for a few days. Ring for me, and I’ll take them out for you when your ready.”

I watched Jennifer finish braiding my hair and checked my image in the mirror again. It was a definite improvement. But …

“Less hair around my face shows my eyebrows more,” I sighed.

“I could shape them a little for you,” Jennifer offered. She went into my bathroom and returned with a pair of silver tweezers.

I looked sideways at the tweezers. “Will it hurt?” I asked.

“It’s a little uncomfortable at first,” Jennifer admitted. “But you will love the effect.”

I looked in the mirror and studied my two caterpillar-like eyebrows.

“Okay,” I agreed. “Just don’t make too big of a change. I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to be something I’m not.”

When Jennifer was finished with the tweezers, there was a subtle change to my face. My brows were still thick, but they didn’t grow together anymore, and they were nicely shaped.

“Now, the first thing people will notice is your lovely eyes,” Jennifer said with a smile. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss Wilson?”

“Not now, Jennifer. But thank you for your help.”

“Don’t forget about the fitting for your ball gown later this evening, Miss Wilson,” Jennifer said.

“I won’t,” I assured her.

I waited until Jennifer left the room before I examined myself in the mirror again. I didn’t look like my mother in the ballroom portrait, and I still look like me. But I looked better.

I liked my new look, but my stomach quivered with nerves when I thought about how the others at school would react. Would they make fun of me for trying to look better?

It was too late to worry about that now. Eyebrows don’t grow back overnight.

I worried all night for nothing. In school the next day, I received many double glances and twice the number of friendly greetings, but no one laughed or made fun of me.

Amy was the only one who said anything.

“I love your hair like that, Daisy,“ she told me when we met outside that morning. She stared closely at my face. “And you did your eyebrows! They look fantastic.”

“Is it noticeable?” I asked, looking around to see if anybody was staring at me.

“No. I just see your face all the time.” Amy giggled. “Relax, Daisy, you look great.”

By the time I entered the werewolf history classroom, I was feeling more confident about my new look. The other students and teachers seemed to notice I looked better, but they didn’t make a big deal about it.

When William walked into the room, I smiled at him and received one in return.

“Hey, Daisy,“ William said. “You look nice today.”

My face grew warm. The pain from the tweezing was worth it.

“Thank you. I … I felt like doing something different with my hair, and it’s cooler.”

Wow! I received a compliment from William, and I spoke two sentences to him and only stuttered once! I felt like standing up and cheering.

The real test was when the teacher called on me to answer a question about the werewolf rebellion of 1873. I gave the teacher a clear six-word answer. Yeah me!

I sailed through the day, and soon it was time to meet Victor at the gate.

He looked me over for a long moment and then gave me a massive grin as he helped me into the Lamborghini.

“Much better,“ Victor said. “It looks like someone took my advice after their temper tantrum.”

I didn’t know how to explain my reaction the other day.

“Sorry…about that…” I said under my breath.

“No worries. What’s next then? contact lenses? a makeover? ”

“I get to decide what I want to change about me.”

“And you’re getting more feisty every day,” Victor teased. He drove to Alex‘s mansion and parked by the front entrance. “Let’s get dancing.”

Dance practice started well. We waltzed for a few minutes, switched to a foxtrot, then moved on to the tango. My performance of each dance wasn’t perfect, but I’ve improved dramatically since we first started.

But then I ended up on the floor again doing the tango. During a spin, my hand pulled from Victor’s, and I hurtled several feet away and landed on my side.

“You let go of my hand,” I said, still lying on the floor.

Victor shook his head.“You slipped again. You need to be more in control of yourself, or you’ll end up on the floor often.”

“I thought as partners that we relied on each other.“ I stood and crossed my arms over my chest.

“You need more practice,“ Victor said and grabbed my hand. His fingers brushed the side of my breast, making the tingling sensation happen again.

He released my hand and motioned for me to come to him. The strange look was back in his eyes. “You can't fall like that at the ball.”

“Are you trying to make me nervous?” I asked. Falling in front of three hundred pairs of eyes was the last thing I wanted to be thinking about.

“Daisy, that’s not what I was doing,” Victor ran a hand over the beard stubble on his chin.

It was the first time I had seen him not clean-shaven. Somehow, it made him look more appealing. I realized I was staring at him and quickly looked away.

But he came closer and retook my hand. “You need to learn how to harness your fear and nervousness and use it to strengthen yourself instead of allowing it to rule your life.”

“And how do I do that?” I asked. “I’m trying my best, and I’ve made progress. Yet you never acknowledge it.”

“Yes, I admit that you are doing well. But you have more to learn and not much more time until the ball.“ Victor took a step closer to me. “Shall we dance?” he asked and took my hand.

He was right. I needed to try harder.

This time as we danced the tango, it was different. Our bodies melted together as we moved to the sensual music.

When he bent me backward in a deep dip, he leaned with me, keeping my body tucked tightly against his. His mesmerizing blue eyes looked deeply into mine. A second later, we collapsed to the floor.

He landed on top of me. I instantly blushed when I felt the length of his masculine body atop me. His weight felt good pressed against me. His face buried in my neck sent shivers down my spine.

My body began to throb with a need for something I didn’t understand.

He raised his head, and his hand caressed my cheek before moving down over my neck and chest.

His touch on my skin made a small moan escape from between my lips.

Suddenly, he leaped to his feet and headed for the door.

“That’s enough for today,” he called to me and kept going, leaving me lying on the floor.

“Wait, Victor,” I called to him before I even realized.