“Not necessary. I can deal with all that myself.”
Belinda gaped. “You can’t seriously prefer to do this yourself. For heaven’s sake, you can’t do this yourself.”
Khloë looked up from her magazine. “Why can’t she?”
Belinda ignored the imp. “Harper, surely you want to look your best for Knox. You don’t wear much make-up; you would have no idea how to —”
“If I covered my face with layers upon layers of make-up and did my hair in some fancy twist, it would piss him off,” said Harper. “He doesn’t want a fake version of me.”
Belinda’s lips flattered. “I’ll speak with Knox about it.”
“Snitches get stitches, you know,” Khloë told her.
Glaring at the imp, Belinda spoke. “My job —”
“Is not to hang around him like a bad smell,” said Khloë. “But you use every little opportunity to call him or go knocking on his office door.” Khloë flipped her page extra hard. “Just so you know, he thinks it’s pathetic. We laugh about you, like, a lot.”
Cheeks flushing, Belinda turned back to Harper. “I’ll cancel the team.”
“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” said Harper.
Belinda flapped her arms, almost knocking over the tray of oils and lotions. “I’m trying to help you, Harper. If you go to that event looking like nothing but a warmed-up version of yourself, you will embarrass him in front of the other guests. Is that really what you want?”
Harper arched a brow. “What, pray tell, about me is so embarrassing?”
“Yeah, tell us,” said Devon, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Belinda straightened her shirt. “I just mean that you want to look like you’ve made an effort.”
Khloë smiled. “Ooh, good save.”
“I thought so,” said Raini a little drowsily, head leaning on her folded arms.
Eyes gleaming with exasperation, Belinda said to Harper, “The other guests will be elegantly groomed.”
“Not all of them.”
“You’ll stand out like a wet lemon,” said Belinda. “If you see people tittering at your appearance, how will it make you feel?”
Was that a trick question? Harper puffed out a breath and answered honestly, “I can’t say I’ll care.” That seemed to really piss off Belinda.
Devon’s massage therapist chuckled and looked Belinda up and down. “You don’t know anything about the Wallis family, do you?”
“They’re not people pleasers,” said Raini.
Belinda’s mouth tightened. “Harper, I really must insist that you reconsider —”
Harper sighed. “You might be the sort of person who’ll change for a guy and show him only what you think he wants to see, but I’m not. I’m just me. People can like it or they can lump it, but they won’t change me. I will not go to that event looking like someone I’m not. I will not act soft and genteel. I will be me. You don’t have to approve of that. It isn’t your job to care. Now, how about you walk on out of here and take your clipboard with you.”
The cambion jutted out her chin. “I have a job to do and I will —”
“Do you really want to take me the fuck on, Belinda? I honestly hope you do. I have a lot of tension to work off. Smacking the shit out of you would really help with that.” Harper truly wasn’t kidding.
Hugging her clipboard to her chest, Belinda cleared her throat and backed away. “I’ll leave you to your massage.” She stomped off, but the carpet was so plush that it kind of ruined the effect.
As the door closed behind her, Devon muttered, “She needs a good bitch slap.”
Yeah, she damn well did. It was at times like this when Harper wondered if just maybe she was wrong and it was Belinda who was one of the Horsemen. But, honestly, she couldn’t see that uptight bitch who truly had a major thing for Knox wanting any part in trying to expose him for what he was. Belinda was just too much of a goody-goody.
“Hey, you and Knox are in a magazine again. A reporter took a picture of you together getting out of the Bentley, and they’ve added another photo that zoomed in on your rings.” Khloë angled the magazine so that Harper could see it. “They say ‘sources told them’ that you and Knox got married in a Vegas chapel.”
Harper had figured that the human reporters would come to that conclusion. She and Knox were only hot news because in the past he was so rarely seen with the same woman more than a handful of times.
“I’ll bet Knox will be happy to know that humans think you’re married and unavailable,” said Devon.
Harper nodded. After all, he’d said as much when he gave her the rings.
“Call me evil,” began Khloë, “but I like how much this is eating Belinda alive.” That made the therapists chuckle.
Raini lifted her head. “Ladies, we’re supposed to be relaxing. Belinda is not a relaxing subject, so let’s move on from that.”
Harper did her best to clear her mind and enjoy what was left of the massage. After that, each of them had both a manicure and a pedicure before finally leaving the spa. Keenan was waiting outside, ready to escort her out of the Underground and to the car. As the girls were off to the mall, Harper said her goodbyes to them and then left with Keenan. He radiated menace as they walked, on high alert for any signs of Crow.
Belinda gaped. “You can’t seriously prefer to do this yourself. For heaven’s sake, you can’t do this yourself.”
Khloë looked up from her magazine. “Why can’t she?”
Belinda ignored the imp. “Harper, surely you want to look your best for Knox. You don’t wear much make-up; you would have no idea how to —”
“If I covered my face with layers upon layers of make-up and did my hair in some fancy twist, it would piss him off,” said Harper. “He doesn’t want a fake version of me.”
Belinda’s lips flattered. “I’ll speak with Knox about it.”
“Snitches get stitches, you know,” Khloë told her.
Glaring at the imp, Belinda spoke. “My job —”
“Is not to hang around him like a bad smell,” said Khloë. “But you use every little opportunity to call him or go knocking on his office door.” Khloë flipped her page extra hard. “Just so you know, he thinks it’s pathetic. We laugh about you, like, a lot.”
Cheeks flushing, Belinda turned back to Harper. “I’ll cancel the team.”
“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” said Harper.
Belinda flapped her arms, almost knocking over the tray of oils and lotions. “I’m trying to help you, Harper. If you go to that event looking like nothing but a warmed-up version of yourself, you will embarrass him in front of the other guests. Is that really what you want?”
Harper arched a brow. “What, pray tell, about me is so embarrassing?”
“Yeah, tell us,” said Devon, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Belinda straightened her shirt. “I just mean that you want to look like you’ve made an effort.”
Khloë smiled. “Ooh, good save.”
“I thought so,” said Raini a little drowsily, head leaning on her folded arms.
Eyes gleaming with exasperation, Belinda said to Harper, “The other guests will be elegantly groomed.”
“Not all of them.”
“You’ll stand out like a wet lemon,” said Belinda. “If you see people tittering at your appearance, how will it make you feel?”
Was that a trick question? Harper puffed out a breath and answered honestly, “I can’t say I’ll care.” That seemed to really piss off Belinda.
Devon’s massage therapist chuckled and looked Belinda up and down. “You don’t know anything about the Wallis family, do you?”
“They’re not people pleasers,” said Raini.
Belinda’s mouth tightened. “Harper, I really must insist that you reconsider —”
Harper sighed. “You might be the sort of person who’ll change for a guy and show him only what you think he wants to see, but I’m not. I’m just me. People can like it or they can lump it, but they won’t change me. I will not go to that event looking like someone I’m not. I will not act soft and genteel. I will be me. You don’t have to approve of that. It isn’t your job to care. Now, how about you walk on out of here and take your clipboard with you.”
The cambion jutted out her chin. “I have a job to do and I will —”
“Do you really want to take me the fuck on, Belinda? I honestly hope you do. I have a lot of tension to work off. Smacking the shit out of you would really help with that.” Harper truly wasn’t kidding.
Hugging her clipboard to her chest, Belinda cleared her throat and backed away. “I’ll leave you to your massage.” She stomped off, but the carpet was so plush that it kind of ruined the effect.
As the door closed behind her, Devon muttered, “She needs a good bitch slap.”
Yeah, she damn well did. It was at times like this when Harper wondered if just maybe she was wrong and it was Belinda who was one of the Horsemen. But, honestly, she couldn’t see that uptight bitch who truly had a major thing for Knox wanting any part in trying to expose him for what he was. Belinda was just too much of a goody-goody.
“Hey, you and Knox are in a magazine again. A reporter took a picture of you together getting out of the Bentley, and they’ve added another photo that zoomed in on your rings.” Khloë angled the magazine so that Harper could see it. “They say ‘sources told them’ that you and Knox got married in a Vegas chapel.”
Harper had figured that the human reporters would come to that conclusion. She and Knox were only hot news because in the past he was so rarely seen with the same woman more than a handful of times.
“I’ll bet Knox will be happy to know that humans think you’re married and unavailable,” said Devon.
Harper nodded. After all, he’d said as much when he gave her the rings.
“Call me evil,” began Khloë, “but I like how much this is eating Belinda alive.” That made the therapists chuckle.
Raini lifted her head. “Ladies, we’re supposed to be relaxing. Belinda is not a relaxing subject, so let’s move on from that.”
Harper did her best to clear her mind and enjoy what was left of the massage. After that, each of them had both a manicure and a pedicure before finally leaving the spa. Keenan was waiting outside, ready to escort her out of the Underground and to the car. As the girls were off to the mall, Harper said her goodbyes to them and then left with Keenan. He radiated menace as they walked, on high alert for any signs of Crow.
