Chapter Fifteen
Jane
I stood on the balcony at the back of Alessandro’s cliff-side mansion, the waves of the ocean crashing against the sharp rocks far below. I sucked in a breath of the sea’s briny scent, the coastal breeze pulling at some strands of my hair, while the rising sun took away much of the chill.
I shivered. With two men patrolling the front of the house and another two guarding the downstairs level, I literally had nowhere to go.
There was no escape.
This was day three at Alessandro’s house and I was already going a little stir crazy. That he made me succumb to him physically was something I’d come to accept, but I was yet to feel the same way mentally.
I needed to keep busy, needed the stimulation that my business gave me.
A pity pleasure made me forget...everything. Including the fact he was a capo with blood on his hands.
I huffed out a breath and pivoted away from the balcony railing, my step determined. With Alessandro away for a couple of days now at least, it was time to make my transformation.
I’d already booked in a hairdresser as well as a mobile boutique, a business which specialized in house calls. Alessandro had given me one of his credit cards and I was determined to ditch my independence and spend big.
I glanced around the huge upstairs level, with its open sitting room with black recliners that looked out to the ocean. He could afford it. A games room continued around the side in an L shape, which featured a billiard table and a couple of arcade games and pinball machines. Outside of the games room an infinity lap pool glistened under the sun.
I glanced down at the bangle on my wrist. If he’d spent thirteen K on me—a stranger back then—so easily, I doubt he’d have an issue about my appointments later today.
I jogged downstairs, searching for Tony. Alessandro had kept his driver in the house because he knew I was comfortable with him. I found him chatting to another soldier in the lounge room, each of them holding a cup of coffee.
Tony looked up and smiled. “Jane, good morning. Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yes, I just wanted to let you know I have a hairdresser appointment here in an hour, then another appointment with a mobile boutique later this afternoon.”
He frowned. “We’ll need to do a background check before I can give clearance.”
I nodded, then rattled off the hairdresser and boutique details.
“A little more time would have been nice,” Tony said, his voice disapproving.
“I believe in you,” I said with a wide smile, feeling as big a con as the man who pleasured me every night.
Tony relented a little, his nod dismissing me as he reached for his cell from his jacket pocket.
I went back upstairs and stepped into the master suite’s dressing room. Standing in front of the full-length, gold cheval mirror, I lifted my hair up and imagined it every color under the sun. Mousey brown wouldn’t cut it—literally. I needed something modern and bold, something that would challenge Alessandro’s set opinion of me.
I’d soon be cut, waxed, pedicured and manicured. Then I’d be shown the best way to apply makeup to enhance my features.
There would be no looking back.
Butterflies danced in my stomach.
I’d soon be leaving my old self behind.
I chose the sitting room as my makeover area, with the sliding doors open to capture the sea breezes. A manicurist was already working on my fingernails while I sat in a chair they’d brought with them, my hands on a small, portable table they’d also provided.
The hairdresser stood behind me and assessed my hair. “You’re sure you want to cut all this off? You have beautiful hair. Maybe we could bleach it and trim the ends.”
“No, I want it above my shoulders.”
The hairdresser sighed, then giggled. “You know what? You’re probably right. Either way, we’re going to have fun with this. I’d suggest if you’re going to go blonde we’ll go the whole hog and make it shine like silver.”
I nodded, caught somewhere between anxiety and adrenaline. “I trust you.”
“No pressure,” she said.
I was glad I didn’t have a mirror to look into, I wanted to surprise myself as much as I did Alessandro. But the weight of my hair felt like nothing once the hairdresser was done. She then proceeded to strip the color from my hair, a surprisingly lengthy process.
“Your fingernails are done,” the nail technician said with a smile.
I looked down at my long silver nails, which would match my hair color. “I love them, thank you.”
She smiled wider then adjusted her glasses and said, “Now for your pedicure.”
Though I was enjoying the process, I was starting to grow uncomfortable sitting for so long. How did all the impeccably groomed women manage to do this every few weeks? I resisted fidgeting and willed myself to relax once again.
My toes were done an hour before I was allowed to rinse my hair and use a gentle shampoo. I wrapped my hair in a towel, then put on a bathrobe before returning to the ladies waiting for me.
After careful dry-brushing and exclaiming over the results, the hairdresser applied toner to get rid of any brassiness, while the nail technician showed me palettes of different makeup, which ones I liked versus which ones she thought would suit my coloring.
My face was all done by the time my hair was dry, and I was fairly confident in the process after they explained each step.
The hairdresser stepped back, clearly pleased. “You’re beautiful.”
My face warmed. “Thank you.”
Would Alessandro think the same way?
Somehow I had my doubts.
The hairdresser swept a hand out. “All these products are available for sale. Even better, they’re waterproof so you can swim at the pool or beach and still look gorgeous.”
I smiled. “I’ll buy everything you applied, plus the palettes of eyeshadow and blush I liked.”
“Would you like the makeup remover and face cleansers?”
“Yes, please.”
I pulled Alessandro’s credit card out. “Put it all on this please, plus a decent tip each.”
“Oh, how lovely!” the nail technician said.
“Thanks so much,” the hairdresser added.
“Thank you both for making me look and feel a million bucks.”
They left then with their bags and the fold up table and chair before I wandered downstairs and into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of orange juice. Grabbing a glass, I poured some juice in, then tipped it to my mouth.
I’d taken one sip when a knock sounded on the door. I put my drink down and opened the front door to find a lady dressed to the nines in a long black pencil skirt, a white blouse unbuttoned low with a dozen gold chains at her throat. A double breasted, long tan trench coat swept low to her tan ankle boots.
She smiled as she pushed her dark sunglasses on top of her head, where her gold-colored hair had been pushed into a bun. “Hi there, I’m Therese. You must be Jane?”
I nodded, but not before seeing her glance quickly at the gray-suited man who’d escorted her to the door. She was nervous but holding herself together.
“I am,” I replied. I drew her in and smiled at the soldier left standing on the doorstep. “Thank you,” I added, before closing the door in his face.
“Thank the Lord,” the other woman said. “I was beginning to think my GPS had taken me to the wrong house.”
“Rest assured, this is the right address.”
She grimaced. “I wish I’d known for sure. I left all the clothes in my van. Now I’m going to have to face that man outside again.”
I giggled. “Actually, there are two of them patrolling the grounds outside.”
The woman stepped back and pressed a hand to her chest. “There is? Then who are these men?”
I turned around to see Tony and the other soldier standing farther back near the lounge. I sent them an apologetic smile. “These are the men who will help you unload your van.” I looked down at myself. “Anything chick and modern is the look I’m going for.”
The lady nodded, then clucked her tongue. “Though your hair is definitely modern, you’re giving me a distinct vintage look.”
I almost laughed. If this perfectly dressed woman saw that in me, how was I ever going to get away with being chick? “Modern is what I’m going for,” I said firmly.
She nodded. “If you insist.” She looked up at Tony and his friend. “Would you mind helping me unload my van?”
Tony nodded at the other man. “Frank will help you. I’m to stay inside at all times.”
As Frank and Therese stepped back outside and walked the concrete pebbled footpath to the van she’d parked at the bottom of the driveway, I turned to Tony and fluffed my hair. “Do you like the change?”
A line cut across his brow. “You don’t look the same.”
I arched a dark brow. “I’m still the same person.”
He nodded doubtfully. “Alessandro might not see it that way.”
I lifted my chin. “I can’t always be his little sparrow.”
The line in his brow deepened. “Why ever not?”
He pivoted away from me and stood farther back, murmuring something in an earpiece then as he waited for Therese and Frank to return.
I sighed fitfully. I hope I didn’t live to regret my decision.
My hands fisted. I was an independent woman. How I looked and dressed was my choice, no one else’s—not even Alessandro’s.