"Fine. Go to your lunch date, but this conversation is far from over."

"Unless it's work related, we have nothing to talk about."

"Oh, I think we do."

"You know what? You have a lot of nerve. First you treat me like a robot, but now that I've changed my look, you're suddenly interested in what's going on in my life. Well, I'd thank you to mind your own business." When she stood to leave, Sebastian's hand snaked out to grab her wrist.

"I'm making you my business, Chast.i.ty."

She shivered at the sheer strength in his hold. Judging from the feral gleam in his eyes, she had him right where she wanted him.

Let the fun begin.

Chapter Four.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Kev, but my brainstorming session with Sebastian ran a little late." Chast.i.ty sat at the table Kevin had saved for them in the quaint Market Street Bistro. Kevin surveyed her from head to toe before approval entered his eyes.

"I'm proud of you, honey. You've kept the look up quite nicely."

Chast.i.ty giggled, picking up her menu. "It's only been a couple days, but I plan on keeping it."

"There's something totally different about you, and I'm not talking about the look. You seem more confident and it shows. I think that's one of the reasons why this transformation suits you. I mean, anyone can get a makeover and look presentable, but you make it work. I always knew you could be beautiful, but looking at you now, you're making me consider switching teams."

Laughing out loud, she wagged her finger at him. "Stop that. We both know you're crazy about Nick."

"You're right. He's my soulmate." Kevin sighed, getting that same moony look in his eyes whenever he talked about his partner.

"So, are you two still planning to go to Hawaii and tie the knot next year?"

"That's still up for debate. Nick wants the whole nine yards, with the white picket fence and kids. I'm not sure if I'm ready to take that step. I mean, I love him, but bringing children into this union is a step I've never really considered."

She patted his arm in a supportive gesture. "Well, I'm sure you and Nick will work something out. You two are too perfect together to let this issue come between you." And they were. Chast.i.ty was sometimes envious of the close bond her next door neighbors had.

She'd been friends with the two of them since the day she moved into her Cape Cod, just outside of the city in Montgomery County. Other than Dallas, she couldn't ask for two better friends.

A wistful look crossed Kevin's face. "I'm sure it will, but enough about me, how about you? Has Sebastian declared his undying love for you yet? Does he want you to be his 'baby's mama'?"

Chast.i.ty snorted. "Hardly."

"You two would make beautiful chocolate and vanilla babies."

She laughed, browsing through the menu. "You're getting way ahead of yourself. First of all, I have no plans whatsoever of having children with Sebastian and secondly, just because he likes the way I look now, doesn't mean it will lead to anything."

"Aha! So he did like the new you. I want details, Chas. What was his exact reaction?"

Chast.i.ty proceeded to relay the morning's incident, not leaving out any details. His eyes widened. "Shut up! He asked you out to lunch?"

"He said it was business."

"Well, I knew you'd get a reaction from him, but I didn't think it would be this fast. Wow. I'm impressed."

"And I'm annoyed." She rested her hand under her chin.

"Why?"

Chast.i.ty was about to answer when their waiter came to the table to take their order. When they were alone again, Kevin raised a blond brow, obviously waiting for an answer. "Why are you annoyed?"

"It bothers me that even though I've changed on the outside, I'm still the same person on the inside. What was wrong with me before?"

"I can name a few things, hon. Let's face it, Chas, you hid yourself in oversized clothing, wore no make-up and to be honest, I can't really think of a diplomatic way to describe how those gla.s.ses made you look. If you didn't care about your appearance before, then why should he? A man likes to see a woman make some effort, you know."

"But he's still a superficial b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Maybe so, but you can't lay all the blame at his feet, even if he is a weasel. Life isn't always like the movies, where the handsome billionaire notices the plain-Jane girl next door for what she's truly worth."

Chast.i.ty scrunched up her face. Why did he have to be so right? Maybe some of it was her fault, but that didn't give Sebastian the right to use her feelings to his advantage. That's what irked her the most. She sighed. "You're right. I guess I let my mother affect me even after putting several hundred miles between us."

"I thought your mother was quite charming, the one time she came for a visit," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"My mother is an extremely charming woman...to the opposite s.e.x, of course. I think I would have been better off if I'd been born a boy. That way, she wouldn't have felt the need to constantly compete with me." For as long as Chast.i.ty could remember, her mother had always put an emphasis on looks and weight.

Brenda Bryant was blessed with a genetic make-up that enabled her to eat whatever she wanted without gaining a single pound. Chast.i.ty had not been so fortunate, taking after her stocky father, who'd pa.s.sed away before she was born. It was around the time she began developing b.r.e.a.s.t.s and boys started noticing her, when Brenda seemed to realize her own mortality.

Whenever Chast.i.ty brought a male friend home, her mother would prance around their house in the skimpiest outfits and flirt shamelessly. That wouldn't have been so bad if Brenda wouldn't have pointed out Chast.i.ty's flaws in front of her friends. Mentioning the embarra.s.sment to her mother did no good because it was only brushed off with a laugh. "Oh, Cha.s.sy, you know I don't mean anything by it. What's the matter, baby? Scared that your mama's going to outshine you?"

Chast.i.ty realized her mother would never change and stopped bringing boyfriends around. By the time she'd turned eighteen, she knew she'd never be a great beauty like her mother was, or at least that's what her mother had pointed out to her on so many occasions. "Too bad you don't take after my side of the family." "You don't have good hair like I do." "You're not wearing that, are you?" were comments she'd heard throughout her childhood.

During her freshman year in college, Chast.i.ty broke her own rule and brought home a guy she'd had a crush on from the moment she'd laid eyes on him. D'Angelo Green, with his tall, lean body and skin as dark as onyx, made her drool whenever he stepped into a room. He was one of the s.e.xiest men she'd ever met. The problem was, her mother thought so too.

Finding the two of them locked in each other's arms had been the final straw. Her mother, as usual, laughed it off. "I can't help myself sometimes. You know how it is, Chast.i.ty. Besides, if you did more with yourself, your little boyfriends wouldn't stray."

D'Angelo had later confessed, "You're cute, but your mom...well you know how it is." Actually, she did know how it was and after that, she stopped caring. Even after finishing college and moving to the Philadelphia area with Dallas, Chast.i.ty had a hard time getting over what her mother had done. It affected her to the point where she wanted to make herself as plain as possible. That way, it was okay if someone found her lacking.

She loved her mother, as much as she could. With several hundred miles between them it was easier, but Chast.i.ty knew she'd never have the typical mother-daughter relationship with Brenda, who was still chasing her youth.

"Sweetie, you can't keep beating yourself over the head about it. It's time for you to start living in the present," Kevin reasoned.

She released a deep breath, glancing at her watch. "I know, but it's easier said than done. I guess, in a way, I have Sebastian to thank. If not for him, I'd still look like a beauty school reject. He's the one who made me realize how pathetic I actually was. Speaking of Sebastian, I don't have much more time for lunch. I walked here, but I didn't realize how much time it would take on foot."

"No worries, I'll drive you back. Do you think the big bad boss will object because you're a few minutes late? It just might give your Italian Stallion something to think about."

Chast.i.ty gave this some thought. "That would be something, wouldn't it?"

"Most definitely."

Sebastian couldn't take one more second in his office. Where the h.e.l.l was Chast.i.ty? Late to work, and late back from lunch. What was her d.a.m.n problem? He'd gone by her desk to see if she'd be able to go over a few things with him, but she was still out to lunch, when she should have been back by now. Who was she with and why had she been so secretive? These thoughts were driving him nuts.

He had to get out of the office, if for nothing else than to get some air. Yes. That's what he'd do. A walk down the block would clear his head, and once he got back, he'd be able to put things into perspective. Once outside, far from getting the peace of mind he'd hoped for, he saw Chast.i.ty getting out of a sporty, red convertible driven by a blond hulk. What the h.e.l.l?

Was this new man the reason for her about-face? From the way they smiled at each other, it was obvious the two of them were close. It shouldn't have bothered him to see her with another man, but it did. In less than a day, Chast.i.ty had managed to get under his skin, and he didn't like it one bit.

As though his feet had a mind of their own, Sebastian found himself marching toward Chast.i.ty as her blond friend drove away with a jaunty wave. "You're late!" he stormed, when he stood less than a foot away from her.

Chast.i.ty looked up, eyes widening. Her mouth formed an "O" as if she were trying to get words out but they wouldn't come. Why did her perfume make him delirious with l.u.s.t and why did he feel the urge to pull her against him? This was unacceptable.

"Well, are you just going to stand there staring at me or do you have an answer to my question?"

Large eyes narrowed. "You didn't ask me a question. You said, 'I'm late', so what could I possibly say in my defense?" The calm tone in which she spoke to him made Sebastian realize what a fool he was making of himself, but that only served to fuel his ire.

"Well, don't just stand there with that stupid expression on your face. The least you could do, is explain why you're late."

"Have I ever been late before?"

"What the h.e.l.l has that got to do with anything?"

"I think it has a lot to do with it."

"You were certainly late this morning as well. I hope this doesn't become a habit."

"I called in this morning."

"It didn't make you any less late."

Her nostrils flared. "For as long as I've been with this firm, have I ever been late before today?"

"No, but that's beside the point. Tardiness is inexcusable under any circ.u.mstances."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind. I've been duly reprimanded and it won't happen again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work on my desk to take care of." She moved to sidestep him, but his hand reached out, stopping her. Chast.i.ty pointedly looked at the hand on her arm and Sebastian instantly let go. With one last look, she swept off, the sway of her hips would have enticed a blind man. d.a.m.n. What had just gotten into him?

He'd never railed at any of his employees like that, even if it had been deserved. Chast.i.ty certainly hadn't. Sure she'd been late, but she had a point. It wasn't her habit to be tardy. There were a few people in the office who were perpetual offenders, and they had never bothered him half as much as seeing Chast.i.ty coming back from lunch with that mystery guy. Jealousy. It was an ugly emotion that made even the most reasonable of men crazy.

Sebastian would be d.a.m.ned if he let her drive him insane. Screw that. The only feasible solution was to get some p.u.s.s.y, and soon, otherwise he was in trouble.

"Sounds like our plan is working better than I thought it would," Dallas said over the phone later that night.

"Yeah, it's kind of weird though. Before, it was like I was a nonent.i.ty to him, but now that I have this new look, he has this sudden interest in my life. I'm not really sure how to handle it all."

"Wasn't that the entire point of this whole experiment?"

"Yes, but I'm bothered that I had to change how I looked before he noticed me. Kevin made a good point about guys wanting a woman who took pride in their appearance, but I don't think I was absolutely repulsive before. I only wished he would have noticed me before all of this. The more that I think about it, the more I'm down with the plan."

"While his thinking is a little shallow, girl, even you have to admit that you looked a hot mess. I know you don't want to hear this, but I have to agree with Kevin. And don't give me that song and dance about your mother. We both know the kind of woman she is, but you can't keep letting what she did to you ruin your life."

"I realize that. Anyway, I can't really put all the blame on Mom anymore. Actually, I feel kind of sorry for her."

"Why is that?"

"Think about it. She's always had her looks to rely on, and though I'm sure she'll be one of those women who'll be beautiful until the day she dies, her youth is important to her. It's something she'll never get back, but she continuously pursues all those younger men. And the fact that she can't be without a man, tells me that deep down she never worked on her inside enough to enjoy her own company."

Dallas sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm glad you've finally realized that. Looks are nice to have, but if your self-worth is dependent on having a man, then that's kind of sad. On the flipside, there's nothing wrong with looking nice, as long as you don't go overboard about it."

Chast.i.ty giggled. "Well, I've been an ugly duckling for so long, I think I'm going to have fun being the swan from now on."

"Yeah, just don't let it go to your head, or I'm going to kick your a.s.s." Leave it to Dallas to pull no punches.

"I'll keep that in mind," Chast.i.ty answered wryly.

"So, what are you going to do about Sebastian?"

"To be honest, I was a bit wary in the beginning about the whole scheme, but just by the way he acted today, I think I can pull this off. Not only that, I'm going to enjoy playing the seductress."

"That's the spirit, girlfriend. You teach him not to toy with your feelings again. If I were you, I'd wait until he proposes marriage and then tell him off."

"Now I know you've lost your mind. I never said anything about marriage, and besides, I don't think he's the marrying type."

"I think you can get him to that point, if you play your cards right. Men like a challenge. Just think about it, you could get him so fl.u.s.tered that he goes down on one knee and proposes to you like a lovesick puppy."

Chast.i.ty rolled her eyes. "That's probably not going to happen. The man gets a lot of action, so I'll settle for a little infatuation for now."

"Well," Dallas sounded slightly disappointed, "my plan would devastate him more."

"You're diabolical."

"Thanks! I appreciate the compliment," Dallas laughed.

As they continued to talk, Chast.i.ty couldn't help but wonder if she could walk away if Sebastian proposed to her.