16. Chapter 16
My knees knocked as we stepped from the car to the spa. I would have preferred to remain in the sun and pretend this appointment didn’t exist. It was a brilliant day and getting waxed no longer seemed like the right thing to do. The spa was conveniently located near the club.
Kinsley held the door open. “Ready?”
I shook my head. “Is anyone ever ready for a torture session? Somehow, the idea is less and less appealing. In fact, the more I think about it, having strips of hair violently ripped from your hoo-ha isn’t healthy.”
“Oh, but it’s so much more than that,” Victoria said.
“Huh?”
“Izzy B, get your rear end inside now.” Kinsley stomped her foot while Victoria laughed. “And to clarify things, this trip includes the backdoor region as well.”
I stared blankly. She didn’t say what I thought she said, right?
Against my better instincts, I stepped inside. The spa had a serene feel to it. The soothing aroma of essential oils filled the air, but they did nothing to calm my nerves. The far too cheerful receptionist greeted us. And although the ambiance was inviting, I wanted to bolt.
“Have a seat and Nadine will be with you shortly.”
Shortly lasted all of three seconds.
She may as well have leaped from behind a plant and screamed my name. She wasn’t much older than us. But Pasha said she was the best, and I know my brother doesn’t trust just anyone with his junk, so she had to know what she was doing. I looked at the girls anxiously.
“Isabella?” Nadine smiled.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I offered weakly, rising from the couch. Kinsley stood up. “Where are you going?” I squeaked, feeling that if she left, I’d bolt after her.
“Nowhere. I’m coming with you, silly.” She beamed like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Uh, yeah, no. You are not watching.”
“I wouldn’t stare or anything. I can hold your hand. Talk you through it.” Her soft gray eyes looked deep into mine.
“I love you dearly, but Nadine is about ready to get to know my vagina like she’s my new gynecologist and I don’t think I want you along for that humiliation.”
“If you’re sure.” She frowned and shifted on her feet.
“I’ll call for you if it gets to be too much. How about that?”
“Okay, then I’ll wait outside the door.”
I walked down the hall, thankful that there weren’t any screams coming from the closed rooms. With one final glance at the girls, I entered the door Nadine gestured towards. We chatted nervously for a moment.
It was awkward as hell. I peeked around the room. This was where the rubber met the road. It was about to get real. She dug in a drawer and placed a minuscule-sized washcloth on the table, which resembled the gyno’s chair minus the stirrups.
“Go ahead and disrobe from the waist down and I’ll be right back.”
She left the room, and I gulped. Did they not have paper robes? Hell, I’d go for a face towel. I picked up the washcloth and examined it. It was baby-sized. I’d seen cocktail napkins with more ambition.
What the hell was I supposed to do with it? What was it supposed to cover?
Nothing, apparently.
My stomach rolled as I kicked my shoes off. I shoved them under the chair. Next went the jeans, and I folded them neatly and then hooked my hands into the waistband of my underwear. With nothing to lose except the precious fur God gave me, I yanked them off.
As I stood in my T-shirt and socks, I realized I had a new dilemma. As if this entire situation wasn’t bad enough.
Fuck, do I take my socks off, too?
She said everything from the waist down. That technically meant my socks as well. I spent three full minutes debating the moral implications of sock removal before realizing they could stay. It wasn’t like she was going to wax my toes, too.
A knock sounded, and I realized I was still holding my underwear. I shoved them between the folds of my jeans.
“Just a minute,” I screeched as they peeked out.
I took a deep breath and only after I was sure they weren’t visible, I climbed onto the table, pulling my T-shirt down low and draping the stupid square of nothing over my lady bits.
Only then did I call out. “Ready.”
Was I really more worried about her seeing a portion of my underwear than my most intimate region? I needed professional help, truly. Wonder if Marcel ever had this type of discussion before?
I would put it on my potential list of confessions. She smiled and entered the room to check the wax. I was fascinated by the way it swirled and pulled when she tested it.
“Lie on your back for me. So your friends told me you’re going to a beach wedding. Did you pick out a swimsuit?”
“Swimsuit?” I asked stupidly, lying back on the table. At least it was a sheet and not the paper you get at the gynecologist’s office.
“I’m pretty sure she said beach wedding? Maybe I heard wrong?”
I continued to stare like she was speaking a foreign language. She cocked her head to the side.
“Shit. How could I space a swimsuit? Kinsley,” I called, and the door sprang open, surprising Nadine.
“Oh, okay, changed your mind, huh? No problem. As long as you’re comfortable, we can have whomever you want back here.” Nadine stepped back from the table.
“What is it? I’m here. Did you start already?
” She rushed to my side and pushed the hair back from my face.
“Tell me what’s going on inside your head.
It’s not so awful. Okay, I don’t have any basis for that really, but Tori gets it done all the time.
She has had a baby though, so maybe her pain tolerance is higher than normal, but women, loads of them, get this done all the time. And men, too.”
I shook my head, and her brows knitted together. “A swimsuit,” I murmured while Nadine gave us a minute. She busied herself with the wax once more. She hummed along to the music that played in the background.
“What about one? Do you want to do a bikini wax instead?”
I shook my head. If I was going to have my hair ripped out, all of it was going. “I didn’t get one and I’ll need one, right?” Her mouth formed an O as she finally understood my dilemma. “What am I going to do now? I don’t have time to get one. We leave tomorrow.”
Kinsley patted my hand and leaned down before kissing my forehead. “I’ve got you covered. I will run back to Geraldine’s. She has your sizes and she can recommend one. I’ll get two just in case. Do you think you’ll be okay alone? I can leave Tori.”
I let out my breath and relaxed my shoulders back. “No, I’ll be fine. You sure you don’t mind?”
“I would go to the ends of the earth for you, Izzy B. A bathing suit? That’s nothing. Consider it done.” With a final wave, she exited the room.
“Sorry, about that,” I murmured, feeling embarrassed.
“Not a problem. Since this is your first time, I’ll explain everything as I go. No surprises. We’ll work in small sections. I’ll try to go as fast as possible, so this is done in no time. We’ll have you sitting back out front before your friends get back. What do you say?”
“Yeah, fast sounds good. No one wants it done slowly, do they?”
She laughed. “Not normally.” She paused a moment, taking in my nether regions. “Hmm, I hate to say this, but your hair is a bit on the long side. If I apply the wax right now, it will be excruciating. How do you feel about a little trim before?”
I groaned as my humiliation climbed. “Yeah, whatever you need.”
She hummed to the music as she twirled my damn pubic hair into two pigtails. Then she gave me a haircut. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die from the humiliation. If Sebastian ever found out about this, he would mock me forever.
“Look, we got about two inches off. This will make it so much easier. Trust me on this one,” she said with a huge grin.
This moment can’t get any worse. It can’t, really.
“There isn’t a way for me to make it not hurt. Some are more sensitive than others, but if you need a break, we can take one. Just let me know at any time.”
How bad was this going to be? It couldn’t be that bad, or people wouldn’t get them done. I’ve survived much worse in life. Maybe she was exaggerating so that when it came time I would be like, that’s it?
I was wrong.
So goddamn wrong, it wasn’t even funny. Nadine positioned my right leg first. Within seconds, I was transformed into a flamingo, splayed out. My hoo-ha exposed for the entire world to see. Okay, only Nadine was seeing it, but still.
“And now the wax,” she said.
I jumped as the hot wax was spooned on but relaxed when I realized it wasn’t burning, just a warming sensation. Then she put the paper on. As she rubbed back and forth to make it adhere, I tried to ignore how awkward it was.
Why do people willingly choose to do this?
“Ready?” She grinned.
I nodded and inhaled deeply, bracing myself. She ripped the first strip off.
My body damn near levitated off the table at the excruciating pain. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.” My eyes filled with tears. My heart jack hammered inside my chest as I tried to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry, I know. The first one is the worst,” she offered.
My vision reluctantly returned to normal just in time for the next pull. Another deep breath and more ripping. The entire room spun, and spots appeared.
Stay conscious, stay alert. Why had I sent Kinsley away? I could use her right now to hold my fucking hand. This was so not worth it. Not a masochist. At least not like that. Cross it off the list.
Nadine continued to pull what felt like the top layers of my skin off with each pull. “Breathe, Isabella,” she instructed.
“How much more?” I panted, refusing to look at the strips she pulled away.
“We’ve done the first half. Now we need to reposition you.”
Which she went about doing, and I heaved.
Only halfway done? Did I have time to ask the girls to grab a cover-up? Could I be a one-sided beastly monster and forgo this bullshit?
No, that would look stupid. Who is going to be looking anyway? Pasha was going to ask about it, but it wasn’t like I had to prove it. If he knew I only did one side, he’d tease the shit out of me. Best to push through.