"Sounds as if you're being knocked off your feet by a woman," Derek told him, with far too smug of a look on his face. Ryan simply glared at him, until Derek chuckled. He then went over and helped himself to a generous amount of Ryan's best bourbon.
"Well, Drew is on his way over. We figured if the girls were kicking us out, then we would make it a guy's night," Derek told him. "So put your work away and let's go out to the grease joint."
"Sounds good to me," Ryan agreed. Drew showed up and the men headed out. Being with his cousins helped his mood slightly but he knew he wasn't going to feel better until he had Nicole back in his bed again. He couldn't wait until he got her out of his system for good.
Chapter Five
"So I know it's completely over the top but we have a hair stylist and a make-up artist coming in tomorrow. I want to wow my husband and I have spared no expense," Jasmine said, with a giggle.
Nicole's eyes widened at the amount of money this family seemed to have. She couldn't imagine ever being comfortable having someone hired to come in and do her hair and make-up. That was for movie stars and models, of which she was neither. She felt way in over her head.
"I've got all the beauty products we need for tonight. It's a good thing you sent your husband away, otherwise he'd go screaming from the house," Trinity said, as she produced a large bag and emptied the contents onto the kitchen table.
Nicole picked up a few of the products, having no clue what they were for. There were facial masks, lotions, essential oils and body scrubs. She had the feeling her body was going to be completely raw come morning.
"Let's head up to my room to apply the masks. We can do the paraffin wax on our hands and feet, next. After that we'll take bathes and turn our skin to silk," Jasmine said, as she quickly started putting all the things back in the bag. The two women dragged Nicole up the stairs for their night of beauty to begin.
Nicole had never had such an amazing night and never wanted it to end. After several hours of beauty treatment her skin felt like smooth satin and her face was still tingling from whatever they'd plastered all over her. She felt attractive and mellow and she was incredibly nervous for the next day.
The women didn't get to sleep until after two in the morning, sleeping until noon. It was a luxury she'd never before allowed herself. When she awoke, the day began in earnest and she was plucked and waxed and twisted in every imaginable way.
She was now standing before a full length mirror and didn't recognize the person staring back at her. The dress was stunning and showed off every one of her curves to perfection and the accessories Jasmine and Trinity had added were over the top. She really felt like a princess about to enter her first ball. Jasmine had insisted on her borrowing some jewelry and Nicole was terrified one of the huge sapphires was going to fall from her ears. She didn't want to even think about the cost of them.
"You're the most stunning creature. When Ryan see's you tonight he's going to have a heart attack. Beyond that, every man in the room will be determined to whisk you away from him. I can't wait to see his face," Trinity said, coming up to stand beside her.
Nicole thought she was the one who was stunning. Both Trinity and Jasmine were beyond gorgeous in their gowns and jewelry. No one would ever be able to guess they'd both had children because it certainly didn't show in their perfect figures. Nicole never would've realized she was equally as devastating.
When the women finally made their entrance into the hall, wearing their jeweled masks, every head in the place turned to watch. The three cousins sucked in air, which wasn't released for some time. They were the most stunning women in the room.
Nicole looked around the huge room and wondered how the women had talked her into going to the party. She wanted to turn around and leave the instant she saw all the fancily dressed people filling up the place, all wearing masks. She was so out of her league. She really did underestimate her own beauty.
Jasmine and Trinity were whisked away by their husbands, leaving Nicole standing their feeling foolish. Ryan wasn't approaching her, which she figured was most likely a good thing but she was also too insecure to handle being all alone.
She turned to leave, when someone tugged on her arm. "Is that you, Nicole?" a voice asked her.
"Yes," she answered. She couldn't figure out who was speaking to her. The masks certainly hid one's identity but she should still be able to have an inkling of who the person was.
"It's Stephanie, we went to school together, remember?" she said and Nicole then knew exactly who it was. They'd been friends for years but like everyone else she'd once been close to she'd lost contact.