"Senator Glenn-"
She held up her hands to stop me. "I'm not going to take no for an answer," she informed me. "You will be going to the ball in style. I just need to call in a few favors. You need a dress, correct?"
I nodded. "I have a mask. It's purple."
"Then you need a mask, hair, makeup, shoes..." The senator pulled out her phone and began typing as she said the words.
"I don't need all that," I quickly interjected. "Just a dress. I can make do with everything else."
The senator slowly lowered her phone and put the full weight of her piercing gaze on me. I suddenly understood why they called her a shark.
"Sarah and George's daughter will not make do," she informed me. "Not when I have the opportunity to do right by them. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." I had the strange desire to curtsy.
"Good. Now stand over here and spin," she told me.
I frowned, but did as she asked. "What is this for?"
She held up her phone and took a video.
"So they can bring the correct dress size," she replied. She tapped a few things more on her phone before putting it away and smiling at me. "What are you doing just standing there? You need to get home and get ready for your ball. You don't have much time."
"What about Audrey?"
"You let me worry about her," she replied. Her eyes hardened. "She has crossed the line this time. You go to the ball, and don't give her a second thought. She's going to have to deal with me this evening."
I couldn't stop the smile that filled my face. Audrey needed someone to put her in her place, plus, if the senator was keeping her busy, I didn't need to worry about getting caught going to the ball. Audrey would be too busy to ruin my night.
"Thank you, Senator Glenn. I don't know what you have planned for me, but I really appreciate it."
She chuckled. "Call me Faye when we're not in the office," she replied, taking my hands in hers and squeezing. There was a magic to her that instantly gave me hope for the rest of the night. "You really do look like your mother."
I smiled and hugged her. She chuckled and hugged me back before giving me a gentle push.
"Now get out of here. I don't want you to be late for the ball!"
With a grin, I grabbed my things, thanked her one last time, and hurried to my apartment to see what Faye had in store for me.
Chapter 22
Two people sat outside the entrance of my apartment looking completely out of place. One was a tall, thin man with stylish silver hair wearing a tweed jacket. A young woman, with the most amazing eyeliner I have ever seen, sat on a large trunk next to him. She wore a simple red dress that fluttered in the early evening breeze.
"There she is," the man said to the woman, his British accent deep and strong. It was similar to the Paradisian accent, but I definitely liked Henry's better. The man held out his hand. "You must be Aria. The senator sent us."
"I am," I told him. He squeezed my hand rather than shaking it.
"Excellent. I'm Gunner," the man introduced himself. "This is my associate, Lydia."
"Hi," the woman said, jumping down from the large trunk. "I'm going to be doing your hair and makeup once Gunner gets you dressed." She motioned to the trunk behind her and I realized there was a second as well.
I stood there blinking for a moment, not quite comprehending what they were saying. I was expecting a dress, yet there were two people about to do a complete makeover for me. I was in shock.
"You are Aria Ritter, right?" Lydia asked. "And we did say the senator sent us, didn't we?"
"Yes, yes." I shook my head trying to clear it. "I just wasn't expecting much."
Gunner and Lydia exchanged glances that turned into smiles.
"Let's get you upstairs," Lydia said, putting a hand on my back and guiding me toward the building. "We have plans for you."
Somehow, in the space of ten minutes, Gunner and Lydia transformed my tiny apartment into a Hollywood worthy backstage. The larger trunk contained several dresses, shoes, and jewelry. The other was for makeup and hair. When Lydia opened it, it was like a tiny makeup artist station made for traveling.
"The video the senator sent did not do you justice," Gunner said, going through his gowns. "But, it did give me the right size. I think I have the perfect thing for you."
"Good, because I need to get her started," Lydia replied, pushing me into a chair and turning on some lights. "Please tell me you're going with the blue dress."
"You are learning quickly," Gunner replied with a smile. "It'll be perfect for her."
I got the feeling they had done this before. A lot.
"I'm going to do a half up-do," Lydia told Gunner. She held up my dark hair in the mirror to various levels.
"Do a full up-do," Gunner counseled, glancing over. "She has the clavicles to pull it off."
Lydia played with my hair for a moment. "You're right," she agreed.
"Do you guys do this often?" I asked, trying my best to hold still in the chair as Lydia styled my hair.
Lydia chuckled. "All the time. We're the go to team for last-minute makeovers. We're the best in the business."
"That sounds interesting." I tried not to grimace as Lydia pulled on my hair. "How do you know the senator?"
"Faye? She's an old friend of mine," Gunner explained as he carried a poofy dress of pale blue fabric behind me and to the bathroom. "We've worked together for years."
He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard the water turn on.
"He's just steaming the dress," Lydia explained. "Hold still. You have great lines."
The next hour flew by as Lydia twirled my dark hair up and pinned it with tiny pale blue flowers. The lightness of the tiny flowers made my dark hair shine. She turned me away from the mirror to do my makeup, but she did it all so much faster than I ever was able to do myself.
"Don't look in the mirror until you have the dress on," Lydia told me. "That way you'll get the full effect."
"Okay..."
She helped me up and over to the bathroom where Gunner was prepping my dress. It took all three of us working with the satin and tulle of the dress, but I was dressed in record time. Gunner stood behind me, tying up the corset-like strings on the back of the dress. He pulled them just tight enough that I knew I had curves, but I was still able to breathe.
"Shoes," Gunner instructed. I lifted the blue skirts and he slid on a pair of silver pumps. They were surprisingly comfortable.
"And now for the big reveal," Gunner announced. Lydia carefully put her hands over my eyes making sure not to smudge her hard work as Gunner guided me to the center of the room.
I opened my eyes, not sure what to expect.
Standing in front of me was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She looked like my mother in the wedding photos I'd seen as a child, but the dress was the wrong color. The woman frowned and I realized that it was me in a full length mirror.
The dress was strapless blue satin that cascaded into a full skirt of tulle and satin. Intricate dark blue flowers bordered the edges of the gown, accenting the sweetheart top and the gentle curve of the drop-waist into the skirt.
I looked like a princess from a fairy tale.
"Oh my..." I whispered, not believing the transformation. This made the purple dress look like a cheap swimsuit cover-up by comparison.
"And the final touch," Gunner said, putting a mask over my face. It was a simple silver mask with small engraved flowers around the edges. The beauty was in the simplicity. I still looked like me, but more mysterious.
"It's perfect," I whispered. "Thank you."
"I think this is one of our best yet," Lydia remarked.
"I would agree." Gunner smiled and nodded his head. He frowned slightly and checked his phone. "Your ride is here."
"My ride?" I asked.
"You were planning on riding the bus?" Gunner asked. "You have the senator's limo. We'll follow you out."
I noticed then that their trunks were already packed up and ready to go. They really were good at this.
"Thank you again," I told them when we reached the bottom of the stairs. "How do I return all of this?"
"Someone will be by to pick up the dress and the shoes tomorrow afternoon," Gunner replied. "But the mask is yours to keep. The Senator said you should have something to remember the night."
My hand went to the pretty mask tied to my face and I sent a silent thank you out to Faye.
"Be careful of the skirt," Gunner said, helping me into the limo. "It'll catch if you aren't careful."
I nodded, paying special care to the fabric as I sat down. Once inside, I rolled down the window.
"Thank you both," I told them. Gunner and Lydia smiled.