Dana Bell - Steel Beauty

“ Girl things, like shopping and haircuts.”

“Go get pampered then, Belle.” She almost sighed dreamily over the rough timber of his voice. Of course, he had to go and ruin it. “Just remember: no one pets you but me.”

She rolled her eyes. “No problem, Dick .”

He chuckled, sending a flood of heat to pool in her belly. “Good night, Belle. Sweet dreams.”

He didn’t wait for her reply, simply disconnecting, leaving her feeling empty. “Good night, Rick.” She set the phone back in its charger, put the orange slices on the plate and headed for her bedroom, hoping he didn’t find out that her special One-Fruit Fruit Salad had been dinner for the past three nights. Mr.

Overprotective would have a hissy fit of epic proportions if he did.

I’d probably find a bunch of Wolves on my doorstep with doggie bags. She snickered as she settled in for the night, her water and orange on the nightstand and soothing music playing on her portable stereo.

She wished, not for the first time, that Rick were there to share it with her.

“You’re joking, right?” Belle looked over at her Curana, Emma Carter, who would be Emma Cannon in two months’ time. Emma was staring up at the spa’s sign, a look of anticipation on her face. Becky, on the other hand, looked just as dubious as Belinda felt, but for different reasons.

“Emma, are you sure about this?” Becky pushed her long, curly hair out of her face, holding it back in the cold February winds. She frowned at Emma. “Half the stuff they do here, we can do at home.”

“First off, I’m not touching your feet.” Emma laughed when Becky stuck her tongue out at her. “Second, trust me! What’s a better mating gift than a day at the spa?” Emma grinned at the two of them. From the look of things she was eagerly anticipating the coming wraps, lotions and facials. Becky still looked like she was going to a torture chamber.

Belle, on the other hand, was feeling a little ambivalent. She hadn’t been to the spa, one of her favorite relaxation spots, in months. Not since the incident with Livia. The members of the Pride, despite Emma, Becky, and Sheri’s support, were still very much of the opinion that Belle had been in cahoots with her ex-best friend. So on one hand, she was looking forward to a little pampering. On the other hand…

Marie Howard stepped out of the spa, a breezy, relaxed smile on her face. It froze for just a second before sharpening. “Hello, Emma. Becky.” Those sharp brown eyes turned to Belle and all the warmth drained out. “Belinda.”

Hypocrite . Marie had been a friend of Livia’s too. She just didn’t bear the stigma of best friend. She smiled her toothiest human smile. “Marie.”

Marie turned back to Emma. “Are you and Becky planning on enjoying a day at the spa?”

Either Marie was stupider than Belle thought, or she just didn’t feel the chill in the air as Emma stared at her. “The three of us are planning on spending the day here.” She smiled, her teeth a little sharper than normal. “After all, tomorrow Belinda leaves for the Poconos and her mating with Richard.”

Belle smiled sweetly at her ex-friend. “That’s right. One more day and you’ll only have to deal with me one more time.”

“One more time?”

“Belinda has agreed to be one of my bridesmaids.”

Shock and, yes, hurt, briefly flashed across Marie’s face. Belle still wasn’t sure what had made her say yes to Emma’s request, but it had been worth it to see the excitement in Emma’s eyes. The Alpha and Curana had booked a fairy-tale wedding in Disney World. How Max had managed to swing that in such a short time when the usual waiting period was nine months, Belle had no clue, but he’d managed it, and Emma was ecstatic over it.

Marie’s expression was frozen as she nodded curtly. “Good luck, Belinda.”

“Thank you.” I’ll need it.

“I’ll see you in April, then.”

Marie turned to go without another word. Belle stepped forward, leaning heavily on her cane as she followed her Curana and Beta into the salon.

“I’m telling you, Sheri, those women hate me.” Belle sighed over her Coke, wincing as she tried to shift her legs and rub the irritation at the juncture of her thighs. The pain that shot through her hip made her hiss.

At least I can move my legs now without wanting to chop them off. Those first few weeks after the surgery had been horrendously painful. Thank God Sheri and Sarah had been willing to be with her during that time. She didn’t know what she would have done if it hadn’t been for them. The fact that Richard had allowed himself to be forced back to his Pack until she was well enough to deal with her new position had caused some serious friction between them in the beginning, even if she could understand why. At least Rick called daily, whether she could talk to him or not. It helped ease the sting of his not being there. And if he had been there, the big dope probably would have decked the physical therapist more than once by now, probably landing in jail or in the middle of a lawsuit.

Okay, maybe Max had the right idea, sending him away . Rick was overprotective on the phone. In person, he would have smothered her. She only hoped he’d gotten some of it out of his system by now.

If not, there was always the pepper spray.

“They do not hate you, Belle. I mean, they took you to a lovely day at the spa.” The pale woman sighed, resting one alabaster cheek against an equally white hand. “They never offered to take me to a day at the spa.”

Belle leaned across the table and held two fingers up to her new best friend. Her relationship with Sheri and her other friend Sarah was one of the few good things to come out of the fiasco of the last few months. “I have two words for you: Full. Brazilian.”

Sheri sputtered, laughing.

“Oh, sure. Laugh. Some sick sadist slaps boiling wax on your nether regions, sops it up with a strip of cloth, and then just rips it off without a care in the world. And while you’re lying there, screaming in pain and threatening their lives, the sadist takes out the tweezers to ‘clean you up’ while they tell you to suck it up and take it like a woman.”

“They did not!”

“Oh, no, the girls torturing me didn’t say it. My Curana and her Beta said it while they sipped fruity drinks and got their nails done.” Belinda shook her head, trying not to squirm too much.

“Look on the bright side. Think about what they’d do to someone they don’t like.”

The women exchanged a look, well aware that Belle could easily have been one of those women on the bad side of the Curana and her Beta.

“Belle? Sheri? I’m not late, am I?”

Both Belle and Sheri smiled at the sound of that soft, sweet voice. Sarah Parker joined them at the booth, settling her purse between her feet as she pushed her bobbed brown hair behind her ears. “I’m late, aren’t I?”

“You’re not late, Sare-Bear.” Belle grinned as Sarah made a face at the nickname she’d been stuck with for years.

Sarah pointed an accusing finger at Belle. “You are so totally lying, but I’ll let you get away with it this time.” She grinned. “And don’t think you can intimidate me, missy.” She struck a pose, nose in the air. “ I am a High School Guidance Counselor. I face much scarier things than you every day.”

“Amen,” Sheri muttered, toasting Sarah with her diet Coke.

“Ditto.” Belle raised her own glass, pleased when Sarah’s and Sheri’s clinked loudly against hers. No matter how much Becky and Emma did their best to draw her in, there was too much emotional baggage for them to be best friends. In these two women, women she wouldn’t have given the time of day once, she’d found comfort and a deep friendship she hadn’t known was possible. Both of them accepted her for herself, not the false persona she’d shown the world for so long under Livia’s influence.