Elizabeth sat bucked naked in the table as the two women wrapped her up in seaweed strips. A procedure to purify her body, relieve it of some unrecognizable toxins with fancy names. She rolled her eyes as it had taken nearly an hour so far.

"How much longer will this take?"

One of the women a fellow redhead smiled.

"Not too much longer. It's very important that we do it exactly right so the final results is everything that you hoped for in regaining the youth and vigor of your body and soul"

Elizabeth grumbled.

"Not to mention getting what I paid for to undergo the whole spa junket."

Yes, she had done what Delilah had recommended which was to reinvent herself. That mean starting with her looks. Now she didn't think she needed much work there as her beauty was genuine, her features impeccable and she knew every man gazed at her in longing as she walked down the street.

But she didn't want just any man since most of them were commoners to her. She wanted Matt and she was going to get him.

He might have surrendered his business empire to her, he might have knocked up his business partner but Elizabeth knew that underneath it all he loved her. He just didn't know it well enough yet. He'd wise up soon enough when she was done making herself over into a woman that dripped glamour and mystique.

Today, she'd have her body pampered, rolled, pounded, slapped, wrapped, scrubbed, waxed, painted until she was every bit the woman she knew herself to be. She'd get a manicure, pedicure and a facial. She'd get her hair trimmed but only a little bit, not wanting to sacrifice her signature style and then she'd hit the boutiques and stores on Rodeo Drive to get a new wardrobe.

First she had to survive the hideously awful seaweed wrap after having been sprayed with aromatic therapeutic mist from three jets in her shower.

The redhead slapped another strip of noxious, slimy kelp on her and as she wrinkled her nose, she molded it to her body with a few pressure strokes.

"There…a few more strips and you'll be all wrapped."

Elizabeth sighed.

"Thank God…what I do to be the best I can be."

The woman smiled.

"Oh this day has just begun. By the end of it you won't recognize yourself."

Elizabeth hoped not.


Matt and Roy looked up at Courtney who just waltzed in the office off the elevator. He'd gotten a phone message from her but had a pile of work on his desk from new clients so he hadn't gotten back to her right away.

She didn't look happy about that.

"Matt…I called you two hours ago," she said, "You didn't return my call and you might have lost out on some very important information."

He glanced at Roy.

"What would that be?"

Courtney clucked her tongue.

"I don't know why I should tell you. It's about your ex-fiancée."

Matt rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me then," he said, "I'm not in the mood to hear what she's been up to now."

Courtney chuckled, not entirely without mirth.

"She's going out and creating a whole image of what used to be your company…but also herself."

Matt's eyes widened with wariness.

"What do you mean? Since she's been running Houston Enterprises, its share value's fallen two points."

Courtney smirked.

"She doesn't have much business sense does she? But she's out reinventing herself as the suave sexy business woman. The overnight success story who's actually rescued your company from your poor planning and lack of vision."

Roy pursed his lips.

"That sounds quite dramatic…"

Matt sighed.

"Elizabeth's always had a flair for the dramatic."

Courtney's eyes took a calculating look. Matt knew better than to trust the writer but nothing she said so far really surprised him.

"Well she's going to do a photo spread in Delilah's rag and then she's moving on to the fashion magazines, several of which have expressed some interest."

Matt went to pour some Scotch.

"It's not going to make her a better businesswomen. Elizabeth raised money quite successfully for nonprofit organizations before I met her. But that's a long way from running a Fortune 500 company."

Courtney whistled.

"Matt I have to say you have a most interest life. A fiancée who forced you out of your conglomerate but you moved on successfully enough with a new venture."

"I land on my feet."

Courtney nodded.

"I like that in a man. I write my heroes the same way in my novels…and you've got a child on the way without having to worry about the trappings of marriage."

He raised his hand.

"Now hold on there…"

She cut him off.

"No I think you've got a great thing going Matt. A new business, a new family and you're still in the top 15 for sexiest men in L.A."

Matt fell silent not wanting to explain to Courtney that she hadn't nailed him in her description as well as she thought. But inside his head, his mind worked.


C.J. and Chris walked into the spa.

"I've been so busy and my nails are shot," Chris said, "A mani/pedi sounds just perfect."

C.J. smiled.

"I couldn't agree more. This place is supposed to be the best. Francisco is supposed to be an artist extraordinaire with nails."

The woman greeted them and sat them in the lounge area with some chai tea to wait for their appointments.

"Sorry we're pretty booked today," she said, "and we have a socialite whose come in for a full treatment."

Chris sighed.

"Lucky her. I wish I had the time to get a full makeover but I'll settle for rehabbing my hands and feet."

The woman turned to C.J.

"How about you?"

C.J. sipped her tea.

"I'll have the same thing. Maybe I'll try one of the facials."

Chris squealed.

"Oh me too. I heard the avocado mask is world famous."

The woman smiled brightly.

"Yes it is, just one of several on our menu."

C.J. and Chris looked at each other.

"We'll take it," they said in unison.

As they settled in their comfy chairs happy with their choices, the peaceful tranquility of the spa was broke by a bloodcurdling scream.