Chapter 375: Own It

Mina was worried, she had received the dress that Madam Rue sent to her, but other than the belt that opened and shut like a bangle bracelet; Mina felt that the gown was underwhelming. She had been cautioned by Director Porter about her appearance at the gala. The man had told her that although it was not explicitly said, it was a fashion show and the best dressed women always won. When Mina had asked about the men, her boss said they did not matter.

"Willow are you sure you can help me?" Mina asked, worried that she was putting too much pressure on her friend. Cylus had offered to send someone to help with hair and makeup, but for Mina that blurred the lines between a friendly outing and a date, so she declined. It was also why she had refused to allow Cylus to give her the money for the dress his mother confiscated.

"Have faith in me child," said Willow, making Emma laugh. She winked at the girl and Mina was glad that the two had hit it off nicely. Willow was bad at making friends, mostly because she told things as they were, but for Mina, that was a quality she appreciated.

When Willow finished with Mina's makeup, she stood back and gave a satisfied and exaggerated sigh. Emma just stared, making Mina worry that her friend had done something crazy to her face. She stood up and quickly made her way over to the mirror where she proceeded to have a heart attack.

"What did you do?" Mina asked.

"I made you smoldering, that is what I did." Mina's mouth hung open; she knew having Willow do her makeup was a bad idea. Whatever it was that Willow had done made Mina's eyes appear brighter, but it also gave the impression that she was being seductive.

"I don't want to be smoldering. Make it normal," Mina said, and once again Emma giggled.

"Sorry sis, that makeup won't budge. I'll have to rub an oil-based remover all over your face, and that would take up time you don't have." Willow pointed to the time on her phone and Mina's eyes widened.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Willow grinned like the sly fox that she was.

"Not at all, I just want my friend to look her best. Now shut up and sit down so I can finish your hair." Mina pouted and sat down. There was nothing wrong with the makeup Willow had put on her, it was just a little too sexy, and she was going out with Cylus. Mina was almost positive that he would misunderstand, and if not him, others would certainly.

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Emma watched as Mina and Willow bickered with one another and she wished she had a friend that she could playfully argue back and forth with. Having Jay as a sister was great, but Emma was not sure Jay was her friend because they were family, or because she wanted to be. She found herself jealous of Mina, who was not much different from her in terms of quietness, but somehow the woman managed to draw people into her.

Emma stared at Willow removing the heated rods from Mina's hair and ruffle the curls before spraying them with some sort of mega hold hair spray. Her mouth once again fell open when she looked at the woman in front of her. Mina was too gorgeous, and Emma knew that she was definitely going to be one of the most beautiful women no matter where she was going.

"Mina you look…" Emma paused, not really knowing how to describe the woman in front of her. "I knew you were pretty but, wow." Mina felt herself turn red at Emma's words.

"Is it really okay?" she asked, letting her shoulders slump forward in embarrassment.

"Don't do that," Willow demanded. "Own the look."

"Willow, are you a professional makeup artist?" Emma asked, still stunned with Mina's transformation.

"Nope, I'm just a spoiled daughter of a rich-ish old man." Emma laughed, but she stopped herself not knowing if Willow was telling the truth or not. She did not want to be rude, but Willow did not seem offended at all.

"I thought you went to Wayvair with Mina?" Emma said, but her words had the tone of a question.

"I did. You are looking at a straight C student from a prestigious university." Both Mina and Emma laughed that time. Willow was proud of who she was, and not being the brightest star in the sky was part of it. "Enough about me, lets finish making Mina sexy." Mina rested her fingers between her brows.

"How long until I melt?" She asked, remembering Jay telling her that makeup shifts as the body heats up.

"Didn't I tell you? That makeup is not moving. Besides, I didn't use a lot of foundation on you." Willow proved her point by rubbing a cotton swab across Mina's cheek. There was barely any pigmentation on it.

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Mina stood staring at herself in the mirror of her closet. The dress was gorgeous, but it was too revealing, and combined with her tousled hair and smokey cat eye; Mina looked like she was trying to steal the limelight. She complained to Willow, feeling as though she could cry, but her friend simply reminded her that she needed to own her face and body, not hide it.

The statement made Mina think about Doctor Witt, then her panic attacks, and it forced her to calm down. There were things she could control, and things she could not, and her body type was one of them. Mina told herself that she would treat the evening as a new experience she could learn from and if possible, avoid in the future.

Mina looked herself up and down once again and wondered how Madam Rue knew her exact waist size. The giant metal cuff could not be adjusted, which meant that it was custom made to fit Mina and it was perfect. With the aid of a few hidden buttons, it held the wrap dress closed and allowed Mina to adjust the bust to show more or less depending on how she pulled the fabric.

The only downside was the slit that left Mina's bare leg peeking out. If she were not careful and stepped too broadly, her thigh would show. Fortunately, the dress came with a bottom wrap that matched the fabric, so if that happened, Mina's dignity would be spared.

Mina checked the time and knew Cylus would be arriving at any Minute. She had asked the man not to come to her apartment, but to text her when he was five minutes away so she could meet him, and she hoped he would keep his word. In the meantime, Mina had prearranged with Emma to stall Willow when that time came.

While the women waited, and Willow snapped what felt like a million photos; Emma disappeared into her bedroom and came back with a bottle of shimmer lotion that made Mina cringe. She tried to stop the women from making her legs and neck sparkle, but they insisted that she needed it to compensate for her lack of jewelry.

Careful not to overwhelm Mina with too much sass, they were sparing with the lotion, and only used a small amount that even Mina found bearable.

Mina's phone rang and Willow tried to snatch her device, but she was able to dodge in time. She rushed Cylus off the phone and cast a look to Emma who gave a secret nod. Emma pulled Willow's attention by asking for advice on what to wear to an event she would be attending soon, while Mina slipped out of the front door.