Vivi took a long bath, then put on a short robe over her bra and panties as she dipped her fingers into the face mask of strawberry yogurt mixed with sugar granules that she had made from instructions in Empowered Woman magazine. No more expensive cosmetics for her.
After smearing a generous portion over her cheeks, chin, and forehead, she started to rub. The yogurt was supposed to smooth, the sugar granules exfoliate the skin, leaving with her with a rosy glow.
“Knock, knock?”
Vivi turned to find Lila in the bathroom doorway.
“Eck,” the girl said, her lip curled back.
“Don’t underestimate the ability of a good mask to clean away impurities.”
“I think you look really good even with impurities,” Lila said shyly.
“Ah, that is so sweet. Come in and join me.”
Lila did, sitting beside her on the long cushioned bench in front of the vanity mirror.
“Sorry about how bad things are for you,” Lila said without preamble.
Vivi smiled. “Thank you, but I don’t want you worrying about me. I’m used to sticks and stones tossed my way.”
Lila sat there for a second, then asked, “Do you think I could try your mask?”
Vivi felt a stab of pleasure. “Sure.”
Clipping up Lila’s hair, Vivi wrapped a towel around her tiny neck, then spread a thick portion on the eleven-year-old’s face.
It was just when Vivi was showing her how to rub in an upward circular motion that they noticed Nicki standing reluctantly in the doorway.
“Hey,” the teen said.
Vivi and Lila exchanged round mask-eyed glances, before saying, “Hey.”
It took Vivi a second to get over the shock, then she did her best not to jump up and down with success. As casually as she could, she asked, “Do you want a facial?”
Lila nodded. “It might look weird but it feels neat in a gooey strange way.”
Nicki shrugged. “Why not?”
Within minutes, all three of them sat in a row on the cushioned bench, their faces painted with yogurt and sugar, before they started in on the circular motions.
“How long do we have to do this?” Lila wanted to know.
“Long enough to make our pores throw up their arms in surrender.”
Lila giggled, seeming more like an eleven-year-old than she had since Vivi first met her.
“What are some of your other beauty secrets?” Nicki asked, surprising her yet again.
“Ah, well . . .” Vivi stammered. “Let’s see. There are face tips and body tips—”
“Tell me the body tips.”
“That depends on the woman. Some believe that they have to be skinny at all costs. But I think curves are a better option. Personally, I like to eat.”
“So do I, but I still don’t have any curves,” Nicki lamented.
“I’m sure you will soon. No reason for you to run out and buy fake breasts yet.”
Lila squeaked. “Fake ones?”
“Of course. They sell them at most lingerie stores. Victoria’s Secret sells a set that look so real they even have nipples on them.”
Nicki and Lila gaped.
“I’m not kidding,” Vivi added. “You put them in your bra, and voilà, instant figure.”
“Do you wear them?” Lila asked.
“Never.”
“Boys are totally into boobs,” Lila added with a world-weary wisdom that was far beyond her years. Her fingers stilled in midcircle as she glanced down at her chest. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s a guy thing,” Vivi explained. “But I absolutely, unequivocally do not recommend stuffing your bra. It can only lead to trouble.”
“What’s going on in here?”
At the sound of Max’s voice, the three whipped around to find him standing in the doorway, his eyes going wide at the sight.
“Eck,” he managed.
Lila laughed and leaped up. “That’s what I said. But it’s fun. We’re pampering.” She raced over and took his hand and pulled him into the bathroom.
As always, the minute he was close, Vivi felt her skin shimmer with awareness, followed by a hard, jarring stab of embarrassment. Had she really asked him to teach her about sex?
But when he stopped just in front of her, seeming amused by the smell of her face mask and actually running his finger along her cheek, her knees felt weak, and the heat in her cheeks settled low between her thighs.
Then he surprised them all when he licked his finger. “Mmmm, strawberry.”
Tingles ran along her spine as she exhaled sharply, and she barely noticed the questioning gaze that Nicki gave them.
“I have it on, too,” Lila announced, extending her own finger for Max to taste.
He cleared his throat, then smiled. “I bet it’s great.”
“Vivi made it herself in the kitchen. Oh, I have an idea!” Lila blurted out. “Let us pamper you!”
Even Nicki lit up at the prospect. The teenager looked at her older brother with a yearning that she rarely showed. But Max didn’t notice, and Vivi could tell he wasn’t interested in a mask.
“Thanks, but no.”
She thought about this man who had spent a lifetime trying to keep his family afloat. And now that they were secure, he didn’t know the first thing about having fun. Or about how to show his little sisters that he cared. But Vivi knew he did.
As quickly as the light came into Nicki’s face, it was gone. Even Lila’s mood dimmed. Vivi could have smacked him for failing to see how important this was, especially since she had just given him the every-girl-deserves-to-feel-special speech.
“Max,” she said with a hard-edged cajolement. “You really could use a little pampering.”
He looked at her as if she had gone soft in the head.
“Forget it,” Nicki stated.
Vivi waved the words away. “No, let’s not forget it. We’re talking guy pampering, no sissy stuff for your brother. Besides, look at that face. Have you ever seen skin that could use a good vigorous, manly mask?”
His hand whipped up to his jaw. “I don’t need a mask.”
“I get it. You’re more a Lava soap sort of guy. If I had a bar, I’d use it in a jiff. You probably didn’t realize that all that grit makes a great exfoliative. See, you’ve been facialing all these years and didn’t even know it.” She gave him a wicked smile. “Girls, let your brother have a seat.”
Looking on in horror, Lila and Nicki leaped up from the bench, tripping over each other to get out of the way.
Max didn’t look happy.
Vivi didn’t care.
After that one fleeting expression on Nicki’s face— the hope that had blossomed over the possibility of her brother spending time with her—Vivi couldn’t do anything but make it happen, even if it was with a facial instead of ice skating or bowling.
She pushed him down onto the bench with his back to the mirror and made quick work of wiping her own face clean before she retrieved the bowl of yogurt.
“Vivienne,” he warned.
The girls were behind her, peering around her shoulder, and for the first time in her life, Vivi narrowed her eyes and looked at another human being with a wealth of intimidation.
Their eyes locked, doing battle. Then she said tightly, “Your sisters would love to spend some time with you. Remember?”
Max glanced between Vivi and the girls, seeming to understand. With a mutter and a curse, he scowled and braced his strong hands on his knees. The bench wasn’t a small piece of furniture, but Max’s massive form made it look as if it belonged in a dollhouse.
A startled second passed before the girls came forward. Lila adjusted easily and immediately got to work smoothing the facial mask over his chiseled features.
Nicki held back, not entirely comfortable with this new situation she found herself in—with Vivi or Max.
“Nicki, why don’t you give Max a manicure?”
“A what?”
He nearly came off the cushion, but Vivi w
as ready for him, planting her palm on his chest.
“Really, Maxwell,” she said. “Men get manicures all the time.”
Max grumbled, but finally he gave in, relaxing just a little more with each ministration to his face and hands. And when Max relaxed, Nicki relaxed as well. The second she did, Vivi leaped at the opportunity.
“Nicki, let me wipe off your mask,” she said. “Lila, you keep after that callus on Max’s palm.”
With a few expert wipes, Vivi removed every bit of black eye makeup and orange lipstick from the teen, revealing a fresh innocence that was very unlike the Goth girl she tried so hard to be.
“Hold on a sec, Nicki. Let me do a couple more things,” Vivi added, then quickly got to work. A few more seconds passed, then she stood back.
Lila gasped. “Nicki, you’re so pretty!”
Max opened one eyelid, then both. “You do look pretty, Nick,” he said with a wealth of emotion.
Nicki looked in the mirror, took in her face that was free of everything but a light coating of mascara and a hint of blush on her cheeks.
“I don’t look like me,” she whispered.
“Sure you do,” Vivi said. “You look just like you.”
The simple words made Nicki smile shyly. Suddenly the girls were laughing, Max reluctantly putting up with their fun, sending silent promises to Vivi with his eyes that she would pay for this.
But Vivi only laughed, painting and polishing each of his sisters, who in turned buffed and shined and manicured Max until he had the best-looking hands this side of the Mississippi River.
It wasn’t until they started to paint his nails that he balked. “You are not painting my nails pink.”
“Power pink,” Vivi clarified. “A girl can never have too much pink or too many tiaras.”
“Is that why you have the tiara?” Lila asked.
Vivi hesitated. “No, mine was a gift. From my father.”
She could feel Max’s scrutiny.
“He must think you’re a princess,” Lila decided.
Had he ever? Or was that a lie, too? She shrugged with a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “Every girl deserves to believe she’s special to someone. So I keep it.”
“I think you’re special,” Lila said.
Completely unused to outward displays of affection, Vivi felt uncomfortable and awkward. But good, too. “Thank you, sweetie. I think you’re pretty special yourself.”
She had the fleeting thought that in some small way she had become a part of this family. But was she really? Was she kidding herself about that, too?
She turned and found Max watching her, a speculative gleam in his eyes.
“What?” she demanded.
He smiled in a way that made Vivi want to touch him and ask him if he liked her at all. Despite her bold teasing that he did, she was never sure. Which was ridiculous.
“Time for a wax,” she blurted out.
“Wax?” the girls asked in unison.
“Yep. Who wants to go first?”
The girls looked ambivalent. “Maybe try it out on Max,” Lila suggested.
“No way,” Max said, sitting up, his predator’s scowl completely overridden by the clips the girls had put in his hair. Thank God he hadn’t seen himself in the mirror.
Vivi decided not to push the wax when she caught sight of the clock. “Oh, my gosh!” she squeaked. “Look what time it is.”
“What does it matter? You never go anywhere on Fridays.”
But Vivi wasn’t listening. “I haven’t done my makeup or my hair. And forget doing my nails!”
She would have dashed out of the bathroom altogether, but his bellow stopped her.
“You put butterflies in my hair!” he barked, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
“Oh, ah, yeah. But it’s very Mel Gibson.”
Vivi decided that wasn’t the best answer when Max pivoted with military precision and gave her a burningly sensual look that had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with turning the tables. The last thing she wanted was for Max to have the upper hand.
“Now, Max, think of your sisters.”
“Girls, go downstairs,” he instructed, his exacting gaze never wavering from hers as he took a step toward her. “I want a word with Vivienne. Alone.”
Vivi took a step back, her hip bumping into the wall. “I think they should stay.”
“I don’t.”
Nicki and Lila stood in the doorway with eyes wide.
“Girls,” he stated with a teasing menace, “I said go downstairs.”
It didn’t take more than that before they wheeled around and fled. Vivi tried to follow, but Max blocked her path with his arm. The minute they were alone, her heart lurched.
Max didn’t move away as he pulled first one clip, then another from his hair, tossing them aside, all the while his gaze boring into her.
“All right,” she managed, her voice shaky, “you want to talk, we’ll talk.”
He raised a brow, then took her arms with a deliberate gentleness. “Too late for talk.” He backed her against the wall.
The breadth of his shoulders was a shock, though it shouldn’t have been. He was so big, but frequently she forgot that because he moved with such athletic grace.
She felt light-headed at the presence of him, his strength, the scent of him—ruggedly male, intensely sensual. He bent down and nipped at her ear.
“You said you wanted to learn about sex,” he whispered, his warm breath making her shiver.
“Oh, that.” She choked on a forced laugh. “Silly me. My mouth runs amok before my brain can catch up.”
“We’ll start tonight.”
“Tonight!” She could barely get the word out of her mouth. She pushed at his chest, then quickly ducked under his arm. “I can’t, at least not now. But you are so sweet to offer.”
Those dark brows of his slammed together. “Sweet?”
“Exactly. Totally. But really, Max, I have to get ready.”
He glowered. “For what?”
Vivi’s heart leaped as she hurried out of the bathroom. “I’m going on a date!”
Chapter Nineteen
Max stood in the foyer like a furnace ready to explode. He would have been pacing if he hadn’t been there with Lila, Nicki . . . and Vivienne’s date.
Max knew Don Galway from business dealings and as members of some of the same clubs. Max had never trusted the man. He played fast and loose with ethics and morals—and women.
Max refused to think about what he felt. Hot, angry. Jealous. Hell, no. Not jealous. But he’d be damned if he was going to stand by and let Vivienne traipse out the door with some loser who’d no doubt be happy to teach her about sex.
Max’s skin stung from the creams, the masks, and the soap that had removed it all. He wondered if anyone would blame him if he strangled her.
Don glanced at his watch, then shifted his weight under Max’s brutal glare.
“Vivi’ll be down in a second,” Lila reassured the date.
“Actually,” Max stated coldly, “Vivienne won’t be going out tonight.”
Don’s mouth fell open in surprise, then he started to protest but was interrupted by the sound of Vivi’s heels daintily clicking down the stairs.
“Don!” she enthused.
“Vivi!” Lila squeaked. “You look beautiful!”
Max about choked and he slapped his hands over Lila’s eyes. “Good God, Vivienne, what are you wearing?”
Lila peeled his fingers away. “It’s your Girl Scout’s Honor T-shirt!”
Vivi smiled the kind of smile that could bring a grown man to his knees. She extended her arms. “Do you like? My color coordinated wash system isn’t quite perfected yet, and the dryer and I still aren’t getting along. I tried the whole stretching thing on my top, but this time it didn’t work so well.”
“A top? Is that what that scrap of material is supposed to be?” Max bit out.
Don made an appreciative sound and offered her a
single red rose. “Vivi, you look incredible.”
She took the stem. “Thank you, Don. Are you ready to go?”
“Vivienne.”
The single word echoed in the high-ceilinged foyer. Vivi turned back and looked Max in the eye. “Yes? Is there a problem with my going out on my night off?”
Max stared at her, the muscles in his jaw working. But what could he say? It was her night off. She didn’t belong to him. He had no say regarding what she did on the weekends.
Vivi tossed her hair and smiled. “Didn’t think so. Don’t wait up,” she called out, then they were gone.
Max, Nicki, and Lila stared at the closed door, none of them saying a word in the silence.
Then Lila drew a deep breath and grimaced. “I don’t mean to criticize, Max,” she said, “but I’m not sure it was such a good idea to let her walk out the door.”
Max’s thoughts hardened. “Thank you, Lila. I appreciate your insight.”
“No problem.”
Then the girls disappeared, leaving Max alone with the sound of Don Galway’s car racing down the road.
As dates went, she’d had better. Not that that was saying a lot, since truth be told she hadn’t had that many. She wondered if there was a book she could read. Dating for Dummies? A place that gave lessons to women who still held out hopes of becoming a bride?
Vivi groaned and let herself in the house just past ten that night, holding her high heels in her hand, hoping she could make it upstairs without being seen.
Who knew that Don Galway could be such a creep?
The whole night, all he had wanted to talk about was her father and sex. Practically the first question out of his mouth had been. “ What’s the real scoop on your dad?” followed quickly by a decidedly lurid smile and “How long is it going to take you to get naked?”
Did lines like that really work in this day and age?
The foyer was quiet, and Vivi even tiptoed up the stairs in the dark to avoid Max and the girls. When she made it into her bedroom without a sound, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She even managed to remove her makeup and take a quiet bath without too much noise. But when she returned to her bedroom, her luck ran dry.
“Did you have a nice time?”
Vivi nearly jumped out of her skin and she wheeled around to find Max sitting in the chair next to her window.
The Wedding Diaries Page 18
