The Makeover Read online

  “I’m sorry.”

  He nodded. “Anyway, I’ve learned to fend for myself. Mostly with junk food, but that’s in my past. This is twice you’ve cooked for me. I owe you a meal.”

  Scared of what she might get, she immediately shook her head. “You don’t have to.”

  “No, I insist.”

  Mykal bit her lip. She’d have to arrive early to guide him through it. How bad could it be? “Okay. I look forward to it.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, right. You look like you’re looking forward to it with about the same amount of enthusiasm as you would a root canal. Don’t worry. I’m not perfect like you, but I can read a recipe.”

  He thought she was perfect? That was sweet but so wrong. If she were perfect, then Mario wouldn’t have cheated on her at the first opportunity. No matter how many times she told herself that she was not to blame for his weakness of character, she couldn’t help wondering what she’d done wrong that he hadn’t loved her enough to be faithful. She stood and gathered up their plates. Greg got the glasses. “Tell you what, I’ll stick around after our workout and help you. It’ll be fun.”

  “I’m not going to argue.”

  They cleaned her kitchen together. She convinced Greg to hang out and watch a movie with her. She curled up on one end of her couch while he sprawled comfortably on the other end. “So, Greg, tell me what makes Daria special? What makes her worth this effort?”

  He gave a husky laugh and pushed his hands through his hair. “This effort may be entirely wasted. She may not want me back no matter what I do.” He paused, the sparkle in his eyes dimming a little. “I think I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. There was just something special about her. You couldn’t help but watch her. She has the type of charisma that causes her to naturally be at the center of attention. She’s also smart and determined. When she wants something, she’s tenacious. And, of course, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with.”

  Mykal had always considered herself to be a romantic at heart. Maybe her recent experience with Mario made her biased, but she didn’t think that winning Daria back would be a good thing for Greg. She only hoped he realized that when the time came.

  Chapter Four

  “I read somewhere that music increases your workout performance,” Mykal announced about two weeks into their sessions. Greg didn’t argue. He could use the motivation. Five minutes on the elliptical felt like an hour. And there were some days when he thought he’d be willing to fight for a slice of cheesy pizza. He used to dream about sex. Last night he had a dream about eating a hamburger with large fries and a chocolate shake. The sad thing was that he became filled with such guilt that when he’d awakened, it had been an hour before he recalled that he hadn’t actually eaten the burger.

  The reason for his exaggerated guilt was currently thumbing through his mp3 player and frowning. Mykal was working so hard to help him. He didn’t understand it, her working so hard to help him with his love life. A few weeks ago, they’d never exchanged more than a nod if they both happened to be outside. He couldn’t have correctly identified her outside of her yard if his life had depended upon it. Now his main motivator was that he didn’t want to let her down.

  Sighing, Mykal put his player down. “I think I have at least an hour of music on my phone.”

  He frowned. “Is something wrong with my player?”

  “Yeah, it’s full of sucky music.”

  “Hey!” he objected. “There are some fine tunes up there.”

  “It’s a mix of crap I’ve never heard of, country, rap and heavy metal.”

  He blinked. “You didn’t find anything you liked in there?”

  “Nope.” She dug through her purse and came out with her phone.

  “Wait. Suppose I don’t like your music?”

  “Tough. It’s my gym. Deal with it.”

  He choked. They were standing in the middle of his workout room. But then she flashed him a smile as she connected her phone to a portable speaker. Damn, he thought to himself. He was a sucker for a pretty face. Maybe he should be getting some therapy for that. As pop music flooded the room, he shook his head.

  They began as always with stretches and he found a safe spot over Mykal’s shoulder on which to focus. She had a killer figure and her fitness bra and tight little shorts did nothing to hide her assets. He wore loose shorts and a long t-shirt and he was still worried she might spot his boner.

  “So you’re really into pop, huh?” he asked as another enthusiastic girl anthem began.

  She laughed. “I like several types of music. I chose my upbeat playlist. Don’t you just want to dance to this?” She had her hands over her head and she suddenly did a sexy shimmy that caused her full breasts to jiggle. The move also had him almost swallowing his tongue.

  “Maybe if I could dance,” he managed to say despite the rapid evacuation of blood cells fleeing his brain for regions south of his waistband.

  She grinned. “I’ll teach you later. Women love a guy who knows how to move his hips.”

  He almost groaned. Dance with Mykal? Have his hands on her while she made more moves like the one she’d just done? It sounded like pure torture to his sex-starved male brain.

  ***

  Mykal glanced up as Greg’s fork clattered onto his plate. They’d prepared dinner at her house tonight. It was her first time preparing artichoke hearts and she thought it’d turned out pretty well. They’d just been discussing movies, trying to decide what they’d watch after dinner. Greg’s mouth hung open in what appeared to be shock. “Is something wrong?” she asked as he simply stared at her.

  “Mykal, I-I just can’t believe you’ve never seen Star Wars!”

  She shrugged. “It’s a long movie and then they added more movies to the series. I’m just too far behind to catch up. If it makes you feel better, I’ve never seen Gone with the Wind or any of the Godfather movies either.”

  “Because they’re too long? What’s your time limit for movies?”

  “Certainly under two hours. I’ve got stuff to do.”

  He laughed. “Sitting is such a burden, huh? You’d never do well at gaming.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t do well with the controls. You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to learn how to drive.”

  “Yet, you can dance.”

  “Like nobody’s business. And I’m going to teach you enough to get you on the dance floor.”

  “Why the hell did I bring that up? I don’t need to know how to dance.”

  “We’re going to bump into Daria at a club. Don’t be shy. We’ll take it slow.” She drained her wine glass. “And since you’re only growing more anxious about it, maybe we should just get this over with now.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and stood.

  He looked up at her. “Shouldn’t we clean this up first?”

  She held a hand out to him. With a groan, he put his hand in hers. Mykal laughed at his reluctance. “This won’t hurt a bit,” she ensured him. “Let’s take this to the den.”

  She was wrong. It hurt her feet. An hour later and she’d long since shed her cute peep toe sandals to save them from injury. Greg was trying his best. Actually, maybe he was trying too hard. Not all of her winces were due to his stomping on her toes. “Okay,” she said, calling a halt to his twitching. “Let’s go simple. Less is more. Listen to the music. Feel the beat. Ignore the words.” A little more guidance and she had him dancing in a way that wouldn’t humiliate him or his dance partner. He wouldn’t win any contests, but she was satisfied. “How are you with slow dancing?” They hadn’t tried that yet. As it was, he’d seemed reluctant to touch her as she danced around him.

  “Um.” He grabbed his hair and yanked. “I’m okay, I guess.”

  She selected a slow song on her phone and stood in front of him. She waited patiently for him to pull her into his arms. She sighed when he did
nothing. Finally, she grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. He turned an adorable shade of red. It was strange. She’d had far more eloquent compliments on her beauty but none so sincere or as moving as Greg’s reaction to her.

  Grinning at him, she placed her hands on his shoulders. “Just follow my lead and remember to keep it simple.” He didn’t pull her too close and he kept his hands rigidly in the exact location where she’d positioned them. Unlike him, she let her hands roam over his broad shoulders and down his back. “You’re doing well.”

  “Thank you,” he said stiffly.

  “Greg, I’m not going to slap you if you move your hands an inch. I’ve had to contend with a fresh suitor on more than one occasion. I’m not going to faint. Besides, you’re in pretty safe territory.” She shifted closer to him as they were practically an arm’s length apart. She was assailed by the clean scent of him. She didn’t think he wore cologne. His smell was a combination of soap and shampoo. Somehow she couldn’t recall ever being with a man who smelled better.

  He cleared his throat and backed his hips away from hers. Mykal resisted the urge to laugh. He was so sweet. The second the song was over, Greg immediately dropped his hands and stepped back. “Well, that’s good, but I’d recommend you get a little closer. You want the woman to be able to rest her head on you. Want to try?”

  “Um, no. That was good. Closer—I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Okay, then. Would you like to watch a movie? Your choice—as long as it’s under two hours.”

  “How do you feel about superheroes?”

  “Oh, I’ve seen all of those.”

  He grinned. “Then we’ll get along just fine.”

  ***

  “What are we doing here?” Greg asked later that week as they parked in front of the ice skating rink, but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew exactly why. And it did not bode well.

  “Why do you think?” Mykal asked in return, cutting the engine to her car.

  He groaned. “You want me to break a limb?”

  “You know exactly why I’m doing this. It’s so you don’t get bored with the same exercise routine.”

  “I’m fine with being bored,” he said, but she was already opening her door and he had little choice but to follow. Sighing, he climbed out of the car. Last weekend she had taken him rock wall climbing. Grudgingly, he admitted that had been fun and he hadn’t managed to break anything.

  He was dragging his feet so much that Mykal was already getting laced up by the time he caught up with her. “I’ve never done this before,” he warned her. “I’m liable to take you and myself down.”

  She flashed him a confident grin. “That’s okay. I’ve taken a few falls before.” Her fingers flew through the motions of lacing her ice skates. He noted her perfect manicure. Today her nails were painted a soft, feminine peach. What a strange mix she was. She was always so perfectly dressed. Her clothes and shoes must cost a fortune. Yet she wasn’t afraid to sweat or get dirty. And she looked damned sexy when she did. Her skin took on a caramel glow that he found difficult to look away from. He’d never dated a woman of color before. Hell, he hadn’t dated much at all. He’d had a couple of fledgling relationships in college. He’d even had a one-night stand. Though he hadn’t realized at the time that that was what it was. The girl had lost some sort of bet with her friends. He’d thought he was at the beginning of a new and exciting relationship. He was sure she had liked him but she was too embarrassed to admit it or be seen with him in front of her friends. And then there had been Daria.

  Greg felt like he was doing an admirable impersonation of a baby learning to walk as he toddled behind Mykal while she skated backwards in front of him. Her sexy grin was like a carrot dangled before a horse. He wondered if she knew just how enticing she was. She did a quick spin and he shook his head. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

  Wiggling her hips to the music blaring throughout the rink, she seemed to consider. “Well, I suck at video games. I’m not quite technologically inclined. Oh, I can check my e-mail and handle all the social media stuff, but if anything doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, I’m stumped.”

  The very areas she was deficient in, he excelled. “How ironic,” he said, struggling to maintain his balance.

  “Stop flailing your arms.” She skated over to his side and took one of his hands. Her smaller one was engulfed in his. “Anyway, I haven’t used my laptop for two weeks because it’s infected with some virus that won’t let me open a browser window.”

  “Why didn’t you say so? I’ll fix it for you.” He couldn’t imagine going that long without his computer.

  “You will?” She hugged his arm to her chest. “I’d really appreciate it.”

  Greg just about went down at the feel of her soft, full breasts pressed up against his arm. His feet tangled and they both would have landed in a heap on the floor if it weren’t for some swift thinking on Mykal’s part. They were close enough to the railing that Mykal grabbed on and didn’t let him go. She started laughing and he joined in. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they made their way to steady feet. He was afraid to let her go, but he was careful to keep his hips away from hers. The woman was a natural aphrodisiac.

  Forty minutes later, Mykal led him off the floor. He was a bit exhausted from struggling to keep his balance, but once again, he’d had a good time. “Let’s go to dinner.”

  His eyes widened. “We can eat out? Can we have pizza?”

  She slapped him in the stomach. “Very funny. Maybe next month. We’re going to a restaurant where we will order something tasty and probably grilled.”

  Well, at least he didn’t have to cook it.

  ***

  Mykal typed in her password then turned to hand her laptop over to Greg. He hovered in the archway to her bedroom. She hid a smile at his nervous expression and waved him over. Surely he’d been in a woman’s bedroom before? Daria couldn’t have been his only relationship. “Come on in.” When he stood uncertainly in front of her, she patted the bed. She passed her laptop to him.

  She got up so that he wouldn’t feel like she was supervising him. Besides, this could take a while. Her computer had been seriously slow lately. She took off her shoes and put them away. She contemplated changing into her pajamas but decided it would probably freak Greg out.

  “Your virus protection is out of date,” Greg muttered after several minutes. He sighed. “I’m going to have to go to my house to get some software. You don’t have anything to remove the malware.” He closed her laptop and put it aside. Standing, he glanced at his watch. “This might take a while. If you want, I can take it with me and bring it back tomorrow.”

  She winced. “Is this going to be a lot of trouble? I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “Are you kidding me? After all you’re doing for me. It’s not a problem, Mykal.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  He tucked her laptop under his arm. “I’ll do what I can to increase the speed also. In future, you’re going to want to keep your software up to date.”

  “I try but it always wants to update when I have something to do.”

  “You can delay it as long as you eventually get around to doing it.” He cleared his throat. “And, um, there are certain sites you’ll naturally want to avoid.”

  “What types of sites?” she asked with a frown. As she watched, his complexion reddened and she caught his meaning. “Ew, no. I don’t watch porn on my computer. They make that stuff for men. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen it, but I can’t get over the look in the women’s eyes. I just know they’re faking it. They seem to be more interested in making faces than what’s going on with their costars. Plus, the camera is focused on them and their phony moans too often. Not really what I’m interested in seeing, if you understand my meaning.”

  He frowned. “I hadn’t really thought of it that way.” />
  “You’re a man.” She led him downstairs and to the front door. “Thanks again, Greg. You don’t know how much this means to me. I’ve been using my phone for everything. Though those screens are bigger than ever, it’s still a pain to try surfing the net with them.” She gave him a quick hug.

  “Um, you’re welcome.” He gave her a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Five

  Mykal sipped her strawberry Frappuccino and hummed appreciatively. Over the course of the last three months, she had lost almost fifteen pounds unintentionally while she worked out and dieted with Greg. Because they shared dinner most evenings, she’d ended up giving up more decadent desserts. They ate homemade fruit and yogurt parfaits and other light sweet treats.

  Across the small café table, Tania chuckled. “You’d think you were dying of thirst the way you’re inhaling that thing.”

  She swirled her straw in the whipped cream and then licked it off. “Laugh all you want. I’ve been dying to be bad.”

  “So how is this diet working for Greg?”

  “Great. He’s lost twice as much as me. I’m taking him shopping soon.” Greg’s wardrobe seemed to be a combination of oversized t-shirts, baggy shirts, and bowling shirts. She couldn’t wait to see him in something more fitted. “After we get him some new duds and a haircut, you won’t recognize him. The makeover is almost complete.”

  Tania sipped her latte, her expression speculative. “That’s nice.”

  “What’s that look about?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t give me that. You were thinking something.”

  She pressed her lips together. “How are you going to take it when he goes back to his girlfriend?”

  Mykal frowned. “I don’t know what you mean. And there’s no guarantee that they’ll ever get back together.”