As soon as Ranger left I started water running for a hot soak in the tub, then raided my stash for a chocolate bar. I double-checked the door – like that would actually stop anyone – and took the phone with me into the bathroom. Munching chocolate as I soaked, I tried to think up a good distraction outfit that would both fit in with the club and still get attention. I had an idea, but I'd need help. I called Sally Sweet.
Sally was happy to hear from me and we had to catch up a little before we could get down to business. He'd heard about Rex; how's that for the 'Burg grapevine? When I finally told him what I needed, he laughed and said he knew just the thing, and could he bring someone over to help? They could be here in about an hour.
I soaked for another half hour while I thought about an outfit, then I got out and dried off, doing a little experimental stretching. I didn't feel too bad, just a little sore. It might hurt tomorrow but I'd be okay for tonight, even if I had to run.
Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, I started on my outfit idea by taking a steak knife to the ripped jeans, continuing the rip on down through the hem on that side and making a new slash on the other leg starting at the front of the thigh just above the knee and down through the hem, then made a couple more shorter ones just around the hems. Then I got a roll of brown string that had been in a kitchen drawer when I moved into the apartment and did a crude job of lacing the edges back together, making sure I left enough slack so the slashes would gap open. Sally and friend arrived before I'd finished.
Sally came in with a shorter, more normal-looking man behind him. I say more normal looking because Sally was dressed in jeans, silver high-heeled sandals, and a black and silver sequined bustier. His earrings were long enough to touch his shoulders, and he had on a white-blonde Farrah wig.
"This is Benny G.," Sally introduced the other man. "Benny, this is Stephanie Plum, the bounty hunter that's always in the paper. Benny's a tattoo artist, Steph. He can give you some mag art."
"I don't want a tattoo," I protested. "I'm afraid of needles!"
Benny G laughed, his teeth very white in his very black face. He was pretty nice looking, not nearly as tall as Sally but his eyes were an odd pale hazel, and against his skin they looked mostly green. I was guessing he was Jamaican, and his accent when he spoke confirmed it.
"Temporary art, mon. Lots of people want to do a dry run before dey make a commitment to permanent. I do dis all da time."
I showed Sally my jeans so far and he approved. I told him my plans for the rest and he offered to do it while Benny G did my art.
Sally went to raid my closet while Benny opened up a small case and showed me some pictures. The art was all really good and I couldn't decide, finally telling Benny I'd let him do whichever he wanted, so long as I could hide it under a regular shirt. He said the temporaries would last a week or two and there was no way I wanted my mother to catch a glimpse – she'd have a coronary.
Benny chose a dragon big enough to wrap from my stomach to my back and sent me to find a strapless bra to put on while he worked. In the bedroom Sally held up an old black t-shirt that had faded in spots and asked if it was okay to use. I said yes, found a bra and went into the bathroom to change.
When I came out wearing the sweatpants and the strapless bra, Sally was sitting on the floor with the t-shirt, jeans, string, scissors, and the steak knife, happily hacking away. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he was doing, and went to find Benny.
Benny had his case and its contents spread out on the countertop, and had cleared off my table.
"It be easier on my back if you're on da table," he explained. "Da light be better here, too."
He gave me a brief explanation as I got settled. He used several colors of skin dye, kind of like concentrated food coloring, to tint the skin and used black permanent markers for the black. The result was a real-looking tattoo that gradually faded away in a few weeks. Or, if you were in a hurry, you could use a scrub and hurry it along. I could live with a dragon for a couple of weeks.
Benny had me lie on my side so he could reach both front and back for the wrap-around design, and began to sketch with a marker. Sally turned on the stereo and found a station he liked. And oddly enough, I went to sleep.
When I woke up, two grinning faces were leaning over me and I shrieked. Sally started laughing, and Benny just kept grinning. I was almost afraid to see what he'd done while I slept.
"Go rinse off with cool water in the shower – try not to rub the design much, just get off the extra dye. Pat it dry and get dressed – I laid your outfit out on the bed. Then I'll do your hair and makeup," Sally ordered. I climbed off the table and went into the bathroom.
Holy cow! The dragon was green and gold, and was incredible. It looked like a watch-dragon, ready to attack on command. I twisted around to see the back and found Benny had decorated my upper left arm with a vaguely Celtic armband, and a spiny flowering vine ran down my collarbone into my cleavage.
Part of the dye on the dragon and the vine rinsed off in the cool water, leaving the colors a little less vivid but still very detailed. Very little came off on the towel.
The jeans and what was left of the t-shirt waited on the bed, along with a black thong and a barely-there black demi-bra. I had to try the t-shirt on both ways and still thought I might have it on backwards, but the image in the mirror definitely didn't look like me. I'd fit right in at Dante's.
Sally had hacked the sleeves almost completely off the shirt, leaving the edges ragged. The neck was cut out, cut low and crooked in front. The bottom of the t-shirt was cut in vague flame shapes, with the ends dangling inches above my waist. A slash started between my breasts and went down at an angle, framing the dragon's head. The top of the slash was held mostly together by another few stitches of string.
He'd made a few new tears in the jeans, too, which was why the thong. Anything else would have shown. As it was there was a disturbing amount of skin playing peek-a-boo. I got a flashback of Ranger sliding his fingers up my thigh and imagined his fingers finding the other tears…I got a rush of heat that puckered my nipples and made me extremely aware of every fabric point brushing my abdomen.
This might be a very bad idea.
Sally didn't give me any more time to think, sweeping me into a chair and attacking my hair. Something resembling a banana clip with electric-blue hair extensions attached to it was fastened in place, giving me the look of a curly Mohawk with electric-blue streaks. Lots of kohl highlighted my eyes with a line of electric blue the same color as the hair to set them off. Brown shading powder gave me high, hollow cheekbones. The lipstick looked like blood mixed with charcoal. Freaky, but somehow sexy, too. I doubted my own mother would recognize me like this. I almost didn't.
Sally and Benny stepped back and gave me a once-over. Sally nodded. "If it was me, and I had your body, I'd wear the tops of that demi-bra folded down, or go without. But damn, girl, you're hot."
Benny agreed, then asked if he could take a couple of pictures of his art. I agreed and he snapped away. I asked him to bring me copies, if he didn't mind. Just in case I wanted to go completely crazy and make the dragon permanent.
A few minutes later I was alone, and I had half an hour before my ride was due. I picked up the mess in the living room from Sally's creative assault on my clothes and went to look for shoes. My reflection caught me off guard and I stopped to check it out again. Experimentally I reached under the top and folded the bra cups down and adjusted myself. Just the idea of Ranger – or Joe, or hell, any of Ranger's men – seeing me like this pebbled my nipples, and they were very visible beneath the thin knit. Too much, I thought, and swiftly readjusted the bra.
I found some earrings with silver chains dangling. One had extra chains looped up to an ear cuff. I'd never worn them before but they looked cool with the Mohawk exposing my ears. There was also a dog-tag style necklace with tags shaped like razor blades. I don't remember buying it but I put it on. A pair of black ankle-high boots with short heels finished me off. Part of me wanted to call Ranger and bail, pleading the pulled muscle. But part of me really wanted to try this look out and some people, see their reactions.
The combination of nerves and anticipation had me a little hot, and the arousal and the pulled muscle together gave me an oddly loose walk. I didn't feel like myself at all.
My phone in its belt clip almost looked out of place, but the jeans were too tight to put it in my pocket. I tucked some money and my ID in my hip pocket and walked around aimlessly, trying to relax. I checked the window locks turned off the bedroom light when I heard a soft knock at the door. Showtime. I took a deep breath, whispered to the dragon to behave, and opened the door.
