Faster Dirtier (Take Me...#5) (A Team Ferrelli Novel) by Colleen Masters Page B

to be. At last, I
step in front of the glass, ready to gaze upon the “new me”. As I lock eyes
with my reflection, it takes a long moment for the reality of what I’m looking
at to hit me. It doesn’t sink in right away that that’s me , there, looking like a Hollywood starlet of
the highest order. But as a wild grin spreads across my crimson lips, it can’t
be denied. It’s me, all right.
    “Oh my god. Oh my god ,”
I murmur, running my hands down the sides of my dress, turning this way and
that. “You two are miracle workers!”
    The gown looks just as good as it feels, perfectly
conforming to my petite but curvy shape. The gold-tinted stilettos Bex picked
out are an amazing complement to the beaded detail along the plunging neckline.
My strawberry blonde hair hangs in effortless, tousled curls—or at least, they look effortless. I never
knew my hair could be wrangled into anything fancier than a french braid. But
lo and behold!
    My face is even more surprising than my reddish locks.
Anneke’s brought out all of my favorite features. A cool, rosy blush
accentuates my cheek bones, while a subtle smoky eye brings out the green
flecks in my hazel eyes. I can even see my freckles front and center across the
bridge of my nose. She’s managed to make me look like me , only glammed up. Part of me was worried
that this makeover was going to leave me looking like a beauty pageant
nightmare, but that’s not the case at all. I just look...beautiful.
    “You like?” Casper prompts me, as he and Anneke appear at my
shoulders.
    “Like? Love, is more like it!” I laugh. “Are you two wizards
or something?”
    “It wouldn’t take magic to make you look lovely, dear,”
Anneke tells me, adjusting my dress just a hair. “Trust me on that.”
    “You’re going to stun them all,” Casper sighs happily,
giving my hand a quick squeeze.
    “Are you two heading out already?” I ask, reluctant to part
ways with them.
    “Don’t you worry. We’re going to be your beauty team for the
every press event you do,” Anneke replies. “We’ll be seeing you again before
too long. But right now, you’ve got a party to get to.”
    She and Casper bid me farewell, and I’m left alone once
again. I stand in front of the mirror, amazed by every little detail of my
dress, my hair, and my makeup. I never knew I could look so—for lack of a
better term— hot .
    “Time to face the music,” I mutter to myself, as I hear a
bluesy band start up next door in the villa. “Literally.”
     

     
    The wide, circular driveway is absolutely packed with cars
as I make my way toward the main house. A valet team mans the front terrace as
dozens of guests arrive for the festivities. Siena’s invited everyone even
remotely affiliated with Team Ferrelli to this party, and plenty of people from
other F1 teams, too. After the disastrous, tragic season that saw far too many
crashes, deaths, and downright cruelty, the F1 community has been making a
concerted effort to restore a bit of sportsmanship to the sport. Siena and
Harrison have been leading the way on that front. They are, after all, the
poster children of making friends out of supposed enemies.
    “Good evening, Miss,” smiles a tuxedo-clad man at the front
door of the villa as I climb the marble stairs. “Are you on the guest list?” 
    “I certainly hope so,” I laugh, clasping my hands behind my
back. “My name’s—”
    “There you are!” I hear Siena call from inside the house.
She appears in the doorway, dressed to kill in a fabulous violet dress with an
open back and three-quarter sleeves. “She’s with me,” my new boss informs the
gatekeeper. He nods amiably as Siena takes my hand in hers, ushering me inside
at once.
    “Wow,” I breathe, staring all around the elegant home of the
Lazio family. “This is where you grew up?”
    “That’s right,” Siena says fondly. “Well, this is where we
spent the summers, anyway. During the school years, we were in New York.