And they talked while they worked.
“So,” Rhea said while she applied rouge to Toby’s cheeks. “What’s the plan for tonight? You’re not back on rotation, right?”
Emmy was working on Felix, and she paused a half-second. “No. Zander wants … he wants the three of us to be a unit. Together.”
Felix held his face still but aimed his gaze up at her. “Like, publicly?”
“Verypublicly. Spence will be on a leash and shirtless. A rhinestone collar and cuffs, with Zander and me passing the leash back and forth throughout the night.”
“Holy shit,” Rhea breathed. “That’s … that’s a statement.”
“Yeah, that’s the point.” Emmy’s hands were steady.Somehow. “Zander wants everyone to know. No ambiguity. Spence belongs to both of us, and we belong to each other.”
“How does Spence feel about that?” Toby asked, practical as always.
Emmy smiled, warmth flooding her chest. “He’s beyond excited. Hewantsto be displayed as ours. Not all the time, but for the theatrics of the ball, he’s like a kid on Christmas morning about it.”
Felix met her gaze and smiled. “You’re happy. Really happy. I can see it.”
“I am. Do your lips like this.” Emmy showed him, he copied her, and she talked while she put his lipstick on. “I’m a little terrified, but happy.”
“Terrified of what?” Rhea asked.
“Of screwing it up. Of—” Emmy took a breath. “Of it not lasting.”
“It’ll last,” Felix said with utter certainty. “I’ve seen the way they look at you. The way you look at them. That’s not temporary.”
The men put their clothes on while Rhea and Emmy helped each other with corsets, and then stepped into their gowns.
“I’ve been so excited about tonight,” Emmy said. “I was terrified it would happen while I was still sick.”
“You’re still not really filling out your gown, but at least it didn’t have to be taken up.”
“Right, but you also didn’t tighten the corset as much as the seamstress did when she fitted me, before we left. I can actually breathe, tonight.”
Rhea shrugged. “It works, and you’re gorgeous.”
“So are you. Do I really need all these rings?”
“This isVersailles,” Rhea said. “Everything has to be excessive or it isn’t authentic.”
“Is that why the vest has seventeen dozen buttons?” Felix asked.
“Yes,” Toby answered. “You’ll note the breeches come off easily, though.”
“Right,” Felix said. “How long will we actually be in them?”
“Oh, you’ll be out of yours in the first ten minutes,” Rhea said. “Level threes are in high demand. I figure I’ll be bent over and fucked soon thereafter, but my dress should remain on until near the end.”
Emmy turned her head, getting used to the height and weight of the wig. “How did humans manage with five pounds of hair on their head?”
“Carefully,” Rhea said with a laugh. “And lots of neck strength.”
Between the four of them, they managed to get dressed in a comedy of helping with buttons, adjusting panniers, and figuring out how shoes buckled. Emmy’s gown settled over the structure beneath it, transforming her into something from a painting.
A knock at the door interrupted, and Emmy’s heart kicked. She knew who it was before Rhea called, “Come in.”
Zander entered first, and Emmy’s breath caught.
