@parapsychedâ, cont.
  âYa got a, uh, tiara ya wanna throw on topâah all this or what?â Pashâs tone CARRIES ANNOYANCE ON A SILVER PLATTER but her body speaks a whole different language as Lesley brushes a dark lock of hair behind her shoulder and smooths the shimmering fabric of the dress from her ribcage past her hips with that solid, assured touch of his. As most things are with her, gettinâ ALL PRETTIED UP with him was more of a double dog dare ya than the indebted favour it wouldâve been between any other pair of people.
  âWhat I mean tâsay is, ARE YA QUITE FINISHED MY FAIR LADYINâ ME or is there some ten tonne Cartier surprise I oughta be bracinâ myself for? Huh? Edward Lewis?â Youâre dickinâ up your references there, Novak. For all her shit talking, Pasha can admit she AINâT AT ALL PREPARED for what happens when Lesley wordlessly pivots her toward the mirror. Goddamn, that motherfucker knows how to roll a street rat in glitter. Sheâs a SMOKING GUN in gold lamĂ©, doing them long divorced Greek ancestors of hers a good turn thanks to Lesleyâs even better eye. Her dark stare tears away from her hot-as-shit reflection to stare at him over her shoulder. She couldnât bite back that megawatt smile if she tried. âTell me the truth. Should I be wearinâ underwear to this function?â
heâs proud of his work, despite the fact that he thinks itâs pointless. no matter how he preaches to himself (sometimes others) the importance of dressing well, his principles on the subject have never applied to pasha novak. she could turn up in a burlap sack and heâd still be charmed beyond hope of self-preservation.
his hands still on her hips, les rests his chin on pashaâs shoulder and grins, too, in a knee-jerk reaction to her own. he gives her reflection a slow, wildly appreciative once-over.
     â nah, â he says, finding her eyes again and smiling like heâs got a secret. â save us the hassle. â










