“If you want to use them, you can,” Mebel says. Before Bella and Gemma can react, she holds up a finger and continues. “But only if you use carefully. Clean face and clean hands only, and wipe them down after you use.”
Both girls nod enthusiastically. “I’m so excited!” Gemma says. “Okay, but right now, we’re going to use this on you. I found the perfect look for you.” She swipes a few times on her phone and brandishes the screen.
Mebel frowns. “I don’t know, I think the eye is too much.”
“Nonsense,” Gemma says. She turns the phone to Bella. “It’s good, right?”
“Mmm,” Bella agrees. “We call that the ‘draw a cat’s eye sharp enough to kill a man’ look.”
“I don’t want to kill Alain,” Mebel says.
“You won’t,” Gemma assures her.
“But he will die,” Bella says.
“Oh yeah, totally.”
With a sigh, Mebel smiles and lets the two of them work on her face.
Much later, the three ofthem go down to the lobby, Gemma and Bella giggling the entire time.
Agatha glances up from behind her receptionist desk and smiles. “Going somewhere fun tonight, ladies?” she says.
“Well, Bella and I are staying in,” Gemma says. She wrapsan arm around Mebel’s shoulders and squeezes. “But Mebs here is going out on a date.”
“Tsk,” Mebel says, though she can’t help but smirk a little at that.
“Ooh, a date!” Agatha trills. “Who’s the lucky gentleman?”
“The handsome and oh so dreamy Alain,” Bella coos.
Agatha frowns. “As in Chef Alain Moreau?”
“The one and only,” Gemma says, pretending to swoon.
Agatha’s frown deepens. “I don’t know about the ethics of a student dating one of the directors of the school…”
Gemma gasps, her eyes widening. “Oh my god, Agatha’s right. This is like a naughty schoolgirl and teacher situation.”
“Except not gross because you’re not underage,” Bella adds.
Agatha sputters. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t know if it’s entirely appropriate for a student to be seeing Chef Alain—”
“Oh, Aggie,” Gemma sighs, “I know you’ve got our best interest at heart, but Mebs is a consenting adult!”
“And shereallyneeds to get laid,” Bella says.
Now it is Mebel’s turn to sputter. She’s pretty sure she’s tomato red by now.
Agatha opens her mouth to say something, but Bella grabs Mebel’s arm. “Mebs! I think he’s here!”
Mebel has just enough time to say goodbye to Agatha before she is whisked out through the front doors of the school.
One look at Alain’s face as he takes Mebel in is worth everything. She has to admit that the cat’s eye look has turned out much better than she expected, and she really does feel like a bit of a femme fatale as she descends the stone steps outside the Saint Honoré School of Culinary Arts, aware that Alain’s gaze is raking over every inch of her as she moves. The silkdress brushes over her skin, and she feels so sensuous and so utterly European. So far removed from the repressed Chinese-Indonesian housewife role she played for the last few decades.Who is this sexy siren, and what has she done with Mebel?she thinks.
When she reaches the sidewalk, Alain takes her hand, and to Mebel’s utter surprise and delight, he brings it to his face and caresses it softly with his lips. The touch, so slight and so soft, is electric. Mebel feels the jolt traveling from her fingers up her arm, shocking all of her senses. Her entire body suddenly jumps alive, parts of her that she hasn’t thought of in ages crying out for attention.Stop that, she scolds herself.Such hussy behavior.
“You look ravishing, ma chérie,” Alain murmurs, gazing down at her with naked appreciation.
