Page 65 of The Naughty Professor
“Now that’s chemistry,” I said, admiring myself in the mirror.
From the counter, a jar of body glitter winked at me.
“Well, who am I to say no to destiny?”
I scooped up a handful and tossed it high, letting the shimmer rain down over my shoulders, chest, and thighs.
The mirror reflected a star.
Outside, the bass changed — a pulsing, sultry beat.A voice echoed through the speakers:
“Ladies, gentlemen, and gentle-thems… give it up for the stunning, the sensational, the sultry temptress herself… Velvetina Jackson!”
I glanced down at the floor.Velvetina was still out cold, one false eyelash dangling off her cheek like a flag of surrender.
I sighed.“Guess that’s my cue.”
I strutted to the door, hips swaying, glitter trailing behind me like fairy dust from a scandalous Tinker Bell.
I paused with my hand on the knob, glanced back one last time at the chaos — the unconscious queen, the unconscious assistant, the serum vial glowing faintly blue on the counter.
“Showbiz, huh?”I said with a smirk.“She’s a cruel mistress.”
Then I stepped into the hallway, the lights flaring bright as the announcer’s voice shifted:
“Where’s Velvet… Hey folks!It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.The star of the night.The man who broke the internet… JAX!”
The crowd screamed.
I threw my arms open wide, grinned like sin itself, and murmured to myself, “The show must go on.”
ChapterTwenty-One
Lux
Iwoke up in a panic.
Everything was spinning — the lights, the ceiling, maybe my soul.I fluttered my eyelids open, and for a brief moment I imagined I had died and become a disco ball.
Then my brain rebooted.
Wait.Who was I?Where was I?Why did the floor feel like it was covered in rhinestones?
I pushed myself upright, swaying.“Okay,” I croaked.“Check for pulse.Check for dignity.”
No pulse problems.Dignity… pending results.
I looked up — and froze.
The mirror across the room reflected something tragic: black lipstick smudged like I’d made out with a chimney, raccoon eyeliner, a tangle of black and blue hair that looked like it had lost a fight with a leaf blower.
“Oh hell no,” I rasped.My reflection blinked back, equally horrified.“I am not that bitch anymore.”
Something inside me snapped, fizzed, and rewired all at once — like someone had poured espresso into my DNA.I felt awake for the first time in my life.
A grin curled across my lips.“I’m Lux.”
It came out naturally, like the name had been hiding under my tongue waiting for the right dramatic entrance.
