Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
“I don’t—” she began.
“Look, do you want those manacles removed from your men or not?” Lupin snapped. “And what about those bathroom breaks we talked about? Would you rather use the facilities like a proper lady or piss in the corner of your cell? It’s your choice.”
Noelle bit her lower lip.
You have to do it, a little voice whispered in the back of her head. You need him to remove the manacles from Burn and Bright. They’re counting on you.
Also, Lupin was right—she did not want to pee in the corner of the cell. So it looked like she was doing this.
She took a shaky breath.
“All right,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’ll get undressed.”
“Good! Then hurry up about it!” Lupin snapped, clearly running out of patience.
Her hands felt numb as she reached for the top button of her blouse. She kept glancing toward the door, half-expecting Bright and Burn to burst in and tear the room apart. But of course, that wasn’t happening. She was alone here and she was going to have to go through with the weird makeover.
It’s okay…just get through it. You survived years with Branson, you can survive this. Just don’t cry.
Her fingers trembled as she finished unbuttoning her blouse and slipped it off. Lupin watched with the bored but critical air of someone assessing fabric quality. As she reached for the zipper of her skirt, he clapped his hands briskly.
“Yes, yes—very good! You won’t regret this, my dear. Once you step into the Rejuvenation Pool, you’ll feel ten years younger.”
He better be right, Noelle thought, as the skirt slid down her thighs.
Because right now I just feel scared to death.
Shoulders hunched, clutching her clothes to her chest like a shield, she looked at the dark pool again. The water shimmered—black silk stirred by invisible hands.
A shiver crawled up her spine. Dios, what was she getting herself into?
She took a steadying breath, trying to calm her nerves. You can do this, she told herself firmly. It’s just a spa treatment. Just like a weird alien makeover version of going to the salon. Nothing to freak out about. It’s probably like one of those mud baths they have at really high-end places that are good for your skin.
Still, her fingers trembled slightly as she folded her clothes across the arm of the padded beauty chair and slipped off her sensible low-heeled shoes. The moment her bare feet touched the metal floor, she winced.
God, that’s cold… like walking on a frozen cookie sheet.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
“Well, come on—it all has to come off!” Lupin prompted briskly, glaring at her under his bushy white pouf of hair, his bright green eyes narrowing at her bra and panties. “We can’t rejuvenate you through your clothing, my dear. Don’t you want your breasts to be high and perky again? The nanites must be able to reach them.”
Noelle hesitated. Her arms crossed reflexively over her chest.
“I don’t usually… I mean…” she began.
“Oh please.” Lupin rolled his eyes dramatically. “You think you’re the first woman I’ve worked with? Honestly, my dear, I’m a professional. And as I said before, I’m a eunuch—no interest in your bits whatsoever. Now strip.”
There was no way around it—cheeks burning with embarrassment, she slipped off her plain beige bra and panties and stood there, utterly bare.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been completely naked in front of anyone other than her doctor. Even when she’d been with Branson, her ex, she’d insisted the lights stay off. He hadn’t minded. He’d hardly ever looked at her anyway—he only wanted to use her body for his own selfish pleasure and then roll over and go to sleep.
Still shielding her chest with one arm, she tried to keep some semblance of dignity as she stood there, nude and trembling.
“No, no—none of that,” Lupin said impatiently. “I need to see your form for the scanner. Now over here, please.”
He motioned toward a piece of tech that looked like a 3D viewer crossed with a dressing room mirror from hell—angled panels of gleaming metal and mirrored glass, with a blinking red light which began scanning her up and down immediately as soon as she stepped awkwardly into position.
The image that appeared on the screen made her flinch.
Dios, is that really what I look like?
Her hips were wide, her thighs were soft and her breasts sagged more than she cared to admit. Stretch marks laced the sides of her belly like silver spider webs. Her arms weren’t toned. Her skin looked tired. Her stomach was too full and round—a soft curve that used to be flat back in college…but of course, that was years ago.
I used to be thin. I used to be cute. What the hell happened to me?
Lupin tsked behind her.
“Well, you need a bit more work than I thought. But never you mind, my dear—I’ve seen worse,” he said briskly. “Just wait—we’ll get you into shape. Now then—into the pool.”