Chapter 15 I've got a new dress

　　Louisa's POV 　　That was definitely a new low in my life. 　　How could I possibly shout something like that out loud? 　　"Louisa, listen to me. Everything will be fine." Leah held my arm and said. 　　"No! I don't want it! Stop! It's so painful!" 　　"Well, if you can't put up with this amount of pain, you'll be in big trouble later on." Another girl whispered, giving me a meaningful glance. 　　Other girls chuckled. 　　"Ahem." Jackie cleared her throat. 　　All the girls were silent, busy applying sticky paste between my legs. 　　"What?! What are you doing?! Stop putting wax on my crotch!" 　　Nobody seemed to hear me. 　　Jackie pulled up the curtain and brought me a glass of water. 　　"You need to be hydrated. Your lips are chapped," she said. 　　I ignored the water and hissed, "Let go of me! You two have been acting weird ever since this morning! What's going on?! You ought to tell me the truth!" 　　"Lucas wants to see you tonight at his birthday party. So we are asked to groom you. You can't show up at his birthday party looking like this." Jackie pointed at my private part and said. 　　"Do you work for him or something? Does this have something to do with the Alpha guy?!" 　　Both Leah and Jackie were silent. 　　I continued, "I don't even want to go to his fucking orgy! He's a fucking shameless son of a b... Arrrrrgh!" 　　Rip, zap! 　　I temporarily lost consciousness due to the tearing pain coming from the tenderest part of my body. 　　I was overwhelmed by shame and grievance. 　　Why? Why do I have to go through this kind of humiliation?! I'm not a puppet or a doll that can be groomed like this! What the fuck is going on with Jackie and Leah? 　　When I opened my eyes, I could feel they were covered by some sort of cloth. 　　Someone was washing my hair and the shampoo smelt like lavender, pine, and sea salt. 　　Then, the cloth was removed. The back of the chair was bounced up and I could see my reflection in a giant mirror. I was sitting on a leather chair, strapped, dripping wet, and completely naked. Someone must have bathed me, that's why I smell so good. 　　This fragrance was familiar. It reminds me of Lucas. 　　Did he bribe my friends to lure me to this forsaken place and wash me with his favorite shampoo? That's so fucking twisted! 　　Then, my eyes popped up. 　　Damn. I couldn't see a single fucking hair down there. It looked so smooth and... Pink. 　　Did someone apply lipstick on my lips down there?！ 　　The tender tissue of my vulva was directly touching the cold, hard surface of leather. I felt more naked and embarrassed than ever. 　　A girl took up a hairdryer and started to blow my hair. 　　"You've got a beautiful mane," the girl said with admiration. "I'll cut your hair to shoulder length first. Then, after Jeremy brings your nightgown, I'll do a classic French roll for you." 　　"I don't want any rolls! I just want to go home!" 　　"I'm afraid that's not possible," the girl said decisively. 　　Then, she lowered her voice and said, "Listen, this is a 20,000-dollar therapy session. All the beauty products, nightgowns, and jewelry were directly shipped by private jet from Europe this morning. The Himalayan salt was handpicked at minus 100°F to maximize its cleansing effect. Girls of your age are dying to be treated like this. If everything goes well tonight, you'll be living like royalty. So if I were you, I would close my eyes and enjoy it." 　　While she was chanting these words into my ear, some girls kneeled down on my sides and started to do my manicure and pedicure. Some other girls started massaging my legs and arms. 　　I felt waves of fragrance coming toward me. I tilted my head and saw the aromatic candles dancing around in the gentle, soothing breeze. The 　　The hairdresser held my head to the front position and started trimming my hair adeptly. 　　I had tears in my eyes. I bit my lips and tightened my fists. 　　Never ever had I felt so indignant, so humiliated, so... 　　good. 　　Well, it felt way better than wiping vomit stains at Juicy Lou or cleaning horseshit on my parents' farm. 　　You know, when you are poor, your life is all about dealing with all kinds of disgusting things, such as vomit, shit, or stench. 　　They follow you everywhere, penetrate your skin, and contaminate your marrow. 　　I guess it takes a 20,000-dollar therapy session and lots of holy salt to drive the stench of poverty out of your system. 　　Mysterious, low-chanting oriental music appeared in the background. 　　I closed my eyes and gave a satisfied "ah". 　　If this was another fucking weird dream, then at least I could enjoy it at that moment. 　　I inhaled the fragrance in my lungs. 　　For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by lots of expensive, good stuff. 　　No shit. No stress. No sweat. 　　I didn't know how long I stayed passed out on that day. 　　I only woke up when I heard Jeremy's voice - 　　"Wake up, girl. Your nightgown is here." 　　I opened my eyes and saw the most beautiful satin dress in front of me. 　　It was gold-colored, strapless, and dazzling with lots of bling, bling diamond things, which made me squint. 　　I rubbed my eyes and stared at the dress. 　　Jeremy asked me, "Why are you staring at it like that? You don't like it?" 　　"I'm just not sure such a beautiful thing could be real," I mumbled. 　　I turned my head toward him and asked, "Am I dreaming? You know, I had a weird dream in the car..." 　　Jeremy smiled faintly at me and said, "It's real. Touch it. Feel it." 　　I stretched out my hand and touched it with the tip of my manicured fingers. Then, I held it in my arms and let it cover my skin. 　　The dress was like milk, running all over my body and almost triggering a minor organism. 　　What was wrong with me? 　　I opened my mouth and let the cool, refreshing breath recover what was left of my equilibrium. 　　It's not a dream. 　　It's real. 　　The most beautiful dress in the world. 　　It's in my arms. 　　And I'm going to wear it! 　　And I'll be at Lucas' party and surprise everyone, including that fucking bitch Jessica! 　　Jeremy smirked and said, "Put it on already before I get too envious and take it away from you! I'll help you." 　　"I prefer to let Leah and Jackie help me." I blushed and said. 　　"They went to the safe to fetch the jewelry for you. Come on. Tick tock. Tick tock. Chop. Chop." He checked his watch. 　　"Jewelry? You mean, pearls?" 　　"Oh, girl. You're so adorable. A single gem on your dress is worth two million dollars. And you think you'll be wearing pearls?"