Page 88 of The Wolf Prince
I studied myself in the mirror before work, my eyes widening in shock. My skin looked better than ever. I leaned in closer, peering at my complexion. There wasn’t a blemish or pore or spot of red chafed or dry skin in sight.
It had been two days since I’d lost my virginity, and the effects had been incredible. Had I known it would be like this, I would’ve done it sooner. I’d felt different from the morning after. Not just the cliché mental shift of welcome to womanhood, but a peculiar sensation, like my body was strengthening and healing whatever was wrong. I liked it. It was a sensation I wouldn’t have minded getting used to.
Physically and emotionally, something inside of me had shifted. I felt amazing. My skin practically glowed, and my eyes were brighter.
As I walked into my client’s house, I experienced a boost of confidence that could only have been a result of my night with Ty. Nothing else in my life had changed. Even my spine felt straighter as I held my head high and entered the extravagant home.
“Good morning!” I almost didn’t recognize the sing-song voice that left my mouth when I greeted my kitchen staff.
Cassidy poked her head around the stainless-steel refrigerator door and stared at me as I walked by and snapped her ass with a dish towel.
She chuckled. “You sure have a lot of pep in your step for such an early hour.”
“It’s early? I didn’t notice.” Grinning, I tied an apron around my waist. “A lot of pep, huh? Oh, yeah. Maybe I do.”
She shut the door and looked me up and down, smirking at me. “Something is different about you.”
I hadn’t thought anyone would be able to tell, but I supposed if I could see it, they would, too. I stopped tying the apron strings and hoped she wouldn’t somehow pick up on the fact that Ty and I had fucked.
She was an employee, and I was the boss. We had our roles to play and jobs to do, and I didn’t want to discuss all of the details with her. Besides, I wanted to keep those intimate moments between Ty and me.
Cassidy smiled warmly. “I can’t put my finger on it, but whatever it is, you should do it more often. It looks good on you.”
Do it more often. I giggled. “Maybe my happy disposition will rub off on everyone else.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the staff who were chopping and dicing. “Doubtful.”
The morning flew by as we prepped ingredients and cooked a delicious breakfast for my clients. Cassidy and I chatted while we worked, and by the time I was finished, I had a feeling that something good and pure had come into my life.
Thanks to Ty, I felt womanlier than ever before, and it showed in the way I carried myself at work and how I interacted with others. His touch had given me a newfound sense of confidence and power, but also something else I couldn’t quite place.
On my way home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for a client later in the week. One of the spices I needed was hard to find, so I’d popped into multiple stores in hopes of finding it.
I snatched a basket from the floor and scoured the seasoning aisle. An elderly couple stopped next to me, their cart clearing me by only an inch.
“Hello, dear.” The woman smiled kindly, and her husband nodded.
I racked my brain, trying to place their faces, but after a few minutes, I gave up, confident I’d never seen them before in my life.
“Good afternoon.” I smiled and went back to searching for the specific spice as the couple moved on.
They didn’t speak to anyone else. Odd. I’d taken them to be one of those lonely couples who used their time at the grocery store to socialize, but they didn’t say a word to the other patrons in the store.
It was a bust. The specific spice I needed was nowhere to be found. Not wanting the trip to be a waste, I decided to grab a few non-perishable items I needed at home. Each person I passed went out of their way to make eye contact with me and smile. Some said hello while others nodded in my direction.
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my chin and smiled back at them. All of a sudden, I was approachable, and it certainly hadn’t always been this way. It was almost like I had an aura of light around me that drew people in.
Was this the power of love and intimacy? Or had I simply discovered something new about myself?
Either way, it was nice to be considered a friendly face.
After exchanging pleasantries with the teenage cashier, I carried my groceries to the car. I stowed everything in my trunk and glanced at my watch. It was still early enough to visit my parents. I hadn’t seen them since our dinner with Ty, and I might have been going through a little Mom-withdrawal. In any case, I wanted to check in on them.
As soon as I walked through the door, Mom took me by both hands. Her brow furrowed when she leaned in, staring at my face from every angle. Without her saying a word, I could tell she was worried about something.
Dad popped his head out from the newspaper he’d been reading and scowled. The newspaper slipped out of his hands as he stared at me.
What the hell? Why were they acting like that?