Page 29 of Family Secrets

The rules… Elizabeth reminded herself as Tony walked through the door, a woman carrying dozens of handbags on her arms right behind him.

“I come bearing gifts!” Tony announced, holding the door as the woman crossed the threshold.

The smell of leather caressed Elizabeth’s nose, overriding the chemical fog she’d been surrounded by since walking into the salon. Nails and hair color were forgotten as the woman held her arms out, a swarm of giggling girls descending like locusts leaving her arms bare and a smile on her face. Elizabeth watched in disbelief as bags were fought over, angry words exchanged and names she’d heard only in movies, slung out like whips against the bare backs of criminals.

“I was told to deliver this to you personally.” Tony stood to Elizabeth’s side, the cord of a shopping bag dangling from his index finger, the iconic logo larger than life on the side of the gold bag.

Without thinking, “Wh…” she began but thought better of it. Slamming her lips closed and reaching into the bag, diving passed the tissue to the box resting on the bottom. Slowly, as if it were a dream, Elizabeth sat the empty bag by the mirror, cautiously lifting the lid to find a well-crafted handbag with the logo repeated over and over in a classic pattern. Resting in the center of the purse was a small card with her name scrolled across the front. Flipping it over, she read and re-read the note, her mind filled with confusion.

Every beautiful woman deserves to be spoiled. Please allow my friend Louis to do it in my absence.

The note was unsigned,and while she suspected Sully was the sender, she wasn’t bold enough to point fingers. She also knew Tony would never reveal their identity, so asking him was pointless.

“Please extend my gratitude to whomever asked you to bring this to me. It’s beautiful and I will treasure it.”

Tony nodded his head, but remained silent, turning and heading to the front counter where he pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, slipping off several bills to the woman who’d greeted them as they came in.

“Still sticking with the story of being alone last night?” Lisa questioned, her freshly waxed brow raised nearly to her hairline.

“It isn’t signed, Lisa,” Elizabeth offered her the card. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was alone.”

“Well, you won’t be able to say that for much longer,” Simone exclaimed, leaving Lisa with a retort on her lips, as she spun the chair toward the mirror. “Because you are fucking hot.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe who she saw staring back at her; it was the same girl she saw in the hotel bathroom this morning, but much-much different. Blonde hair, streaked with caramel highlights framed her face, with her skin at least three shades darker. Thick and full lashes surrounded her eyes, making the odd blue somehow darker. Red, nearly black lips made bigger by the gel which still tingled on her skin.

“Wow,” Elizabeth confessed, unable to believe the transformation.

“Fuck yea, wow.” Simone agreed, removing the cape from around Elizabeth’s neck. “Now, I’ll need to see you in a few weeks, those black roots will have reared their ugly heads by then.”

Elizabeth half-listened to Simone’s instructions on what to avoid in the next few days, unable to tear her eyes from the girl in the mirror. With her lighter hair and faux tan, she looked like all the other girls in the office. Rising from the chair, Elizabeth reached into the bag she brought in, slipping her fingers into the envelope Tony gave her.

“Here, this is for you.” She offered Simone, feeling certain this was the best use for money she didn’t earn.

Simone smiled, slipping the money into her cleavage. “Two weeks, Elizabeth, and don’t you dare wash that head for three days.”

Elizabeth followed Lisa out of the shop and into her waiting car. The temperature had dropped significantly during the hours they’d spent in the salon, and as she slipped into the passenger seat, she thought of all the new ‘don’ts’ in her world. Could fitting in be as easy as simply…don’t?

* * *

So it wentfor several weeks. Every Monday a new set of keys would appear on Elizabeth’s desk, ones she would ignore for the most part. She only took the car to the corner coffee shop and the appointment with Simone, instead using a service to travel back and forth to work. She searched daily for an apartment but came up empty when the advertised luxury studio was more of a hall closet, filled with bugs and reeking of urine, costing more per day than the hotel. Bouquets of roses graced her desk nearly as often as the women downstairs changed, always red and never with a card. She followed the ‘don’t’ rules and never questioned the girls or the flowers.

One day bled into the next, the routine of one turning into the monotony of the other, all until the Thursday before Saint Patrick’s Day.

Elizabeth took the stairs as always, mostly for the extra steps, but also for the solitude it brought her. All of the girls in the office wore heels so high she was surprised they didn’t get nose bleeds, preferring the convenience of the elevator. Elizabeth knew something was off the moment the door closed behind her, the normally scantily clad with excessive makeup girls were fluttering around in even more revealing clothing, some barely keeping their cleavage inside their tops. Elizabeth hurried to her desk, taking her seat before anyone noticed her. She wished Lisa were here today, but she’d been called away on an emergency. The running of the office rested solely on Elizabeth’s shoulders.

“Gino wants to see you in his office.”

Elizabeth looked up from her computer screen, her morning perusal of the internet news forgotten as she locked eyes with Cheri. Gino had been out of the office, the reason, one of those don’t rules she chose to follow. Clearly, his return was the cause behind the sudden change in the girls.

Without question, Elizabeth closed the webpage and locked her computer before taking the stairs to the third floor. She hadn’t been up there since their initial introductions, where she found Gino lived up to the hype; intimidating enough make use of his first name off-putting, not to mention completely gorgeous.

Entering the hall, Elizabeth found Gino sitting behind the huge desk in the center of the room, his attention captured by something on his screen.

“Mr. Vitale?” She called, rapping her knuckles on the wooden frame of the door. “Cheri said you wanted to see me.”

Gino looked from his computer screen to the woman standing in the threshold, his breath catching in his throat at the extreme changes in her.

“You look…different.” Gino began, unable to hide his lack of appreciation for her new appearance. Clearly, the girls had sunk their talons into her, changing her into one of them. How much, was the question Gino needed answered?

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