Chapter 48

Standing tall, back straight, in front of the full-length mirror, she was full to the brim with apprehension. It took all of Bridget's will power to open her eyes. The deal she had made with Bern, not to look in a mirror until the makeover was finished, was now at an end. She had not seen herself properly since having her hair cut and styled and that was nearly a week ago. Since then she had suffered the dreaded dentist, the sadistic beauty therapist who performed painful threading on her eyebrows and waxed places best left unmentioned, which was even worse than the one-day in and out liposuction treatment she had, and the one she feared the most, laser eye surgery. Feeling the comforting hand of Bern on her arm, she hears her soft voice whisper close to her ear

"You look beautiful hun"

Mustering all the will power she possessed and taking a prolonged breath, she opened her eyes. Focusing on the mirror, she did not recognise the stranger staring back at her. The image of herself, only just over two weeks before, with lank greasy hair, stained clothes and teeth caked with hard black plaque was still in her mind's eye and she wasn't ready for the transformation that greeted her. Her knees weakening, she grabs Bern's hand for support.

"I look even better than I used to look before the Rat ruined me," she sobs as the tears, like a stream flowing down a mountain, cascade over her cheekbones.

"Hey Bridget you deserve this," Bern utters "I know its overwhelming babe but, if you don't stop crying you will look like a panda. The mascara is not waterproof" she laughs handing over a tissue.

The new wardrobe of clothes they had purchased were all hanging on the a-fame rack in the corner of the room. Every outfit purchased, meticulously chosen for a specific purpose, needed to be appealing to the eye but not so much as to appear too tarty. They had spent hour after hour trawling from shop to shop trying on different clothes. They figured out the best way to choose which to buy would be to let men choose for them, and to do that they made a game of it. Bridget would go into the changing room of the shop and try on the outfit, come out and do a twirl in full view to show Bern, and then they would look around to see how many men were leering at her. If they could count at least five, which wasn't hard, then that would be an outfit to purchase.

The outfit, which was the most crucial, was the one she would wear for the first meeting with Saim. Too tarty, she may be just given to his men to use as a toy. Too classy and that may raise suspicions. To be accepted as his new girl, they only had one chance to make an impression.

Acting like two girls dressing a Barbie doll, Bridget was dressed and undressed, dressed and undressed until they finally settled on the one. Made up of a figure hugging blue skirt, that came halfway between her knee and thigh, it was just the right length, as long as she didn't bend over too much. The underwear underneath was the pull you in and hold you tight type. After the liposuction left the skin a little loose, and until she had time to go to the gym to tone it, this type of underwear would keep it in check. The white lace push up bra, keeping everything where it should be and giving her the lift she needed, was perfect. Slightly see through, it went well with the thin white off the shoulder blouse, which was also quite see-through, and open to show just the right amount of cleavage. Once she stepped into the pair of four-inch heels, adding to the tone of her calves and buttocks, the outfit was complete.

Flicking her straightened, newly dyed, blonde shoulder length hair seductively across her neck, she turns to Bern for approval.

"Wow look at you," Bern complimented "If I were the other way I would be all over you"

"If I were the other way I wouldn't be doing this job," Bridget replied fluttering her false eyelashes.

Facing Bridget and looking her straight in the eyes, Bern's face becomes serious.

"I am going to ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to go through with this? If you want to back out now then that is fine. You could go and start a fresh life"

"I will start a fresh life. I am going to do this for two reasons. One, because you have helped me get out of the hellish rut I was forced into and two, it will give me some cash to start with."

"Okay hun, I won't ask again" Bern replied with a concerning smile.

The next step would be to get into the house and in front of Saim. Dan had already given them the when's and how's. He had told them that the best time would be in the morning when the bodyguards would be outside so that is how they were going to do it.

Bridget was already up and getting ready as the sun appeared over the rooftops opposite. Showered, shaved and eating breakfast, she knew what she was about to get herself into would probably be dangerous, and although she did not want to let it show, she was nervous. What if she messes up and doesn't get in to see Saim? What if she does and he didn't like her? What if she gets in and he finds out about the plan? There were so many what ifs that she could not answer and that only added to her nerves. The only definitive way she was going to find out was when she got there, and when she does, she would have to play it by ear and think on her feet.

It would take roughly half an hour to get there and the time to leave was drawing near. With a last hug and a good luck from Bern, she was out the door.

The short train journey to her destination was a little unnerving. Full of bored husbands in off the peg suits, following the same mundane routine every day, travelling to their over worked and underpaid jobs in London. Up and down the carriage, every head was facing in her direction, some even stretching their necks to look over shoulders to ogle. Not one of them was looking at her face. Following their gaze took her head straight down to her breasts. At that moment, she realised just how see through her top and bra were. Even looking down at herself, she could see the shape, contour and even the colour of her erect nipples and areola, made worse by the cold air-conditioning blowing like an arctic gale. For the rest of the journey, which was only two more stops she sat with her arms crossed, depriving the men of their morning fix. Well at least we chose the right outfit I guess, she thinks stepping onto the platform.

Stopping at the turn into the road of the house, she psyches herself up. Re-adjusting her breasts, making sure they were as high as possible, she licks her lips to make them moist and inhales deeply.

"Come on Bridget you can do this. Where is your confidence? Stand tall and show them you are proud".

With a last look in her compact mirror, and spot on time, she sets off towards the gate. Fifty yards before the gate she noticed, like statues from the Terracotta army, the four bodyguards were already in place outside. Her head held high and full of confidence she opens one more button on her blouse, pushes out her chest and struts up to the guards. Stepping right up to their faces she stops and turns to face them. Almost as though she were a magnet, and the guards heads were made of metal, synchronised like a team of swimmers, all four heads spun to leer at her.