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"Put it on Look as good as you can It’s our ticket in" Maybe he did have clubbing in o hoirl, are you?"

"What?"

"Neverwith the ski shoes and to my surprise, a pair of silky pantyhose Whatever Raffe doesn’t know about hu isn’t one of the where he learned his expertise on the topic He returns

There’s no private place to change away frouys on our hood Funny I still think of h none of us have homes anymore They were probably South of Market hipsters back in the day The day being only a couple of irl kno to change in public I pull the dress over my head and under my sweatshirt I pull le into the dress using my sweatshirt as a personal curtain Then I pull it down to hs, and then take off o as far down as I’d like, and I keep tugging it to , and the last place I want this kind of attention is where I’m surrounded by lawless men under desperate conditions

When I look at Raffe with anxiety in my eyes, he says, "It’s the only way" I can tell he doesn’t like it either

I don’t want to take off my sweatshirt because I can feel the skiht be coht even be excited at how cute it is, although I have no idea if it’s cute or not since I can’t see ht be a size too sht I’ht, but it only adds to the sensation of being naked in front of savages

Raffe has no qualers He pulls off his t-shirt and slides out of his cargo pants to button on a white dress shirt and black dress slacks More than anything, it’s the feeling of being watchedhiuy strip before It’s only natural to have the i at him, I look forlornly at the strappy slippers They’re the sah the previous owner had one custoh, thin heels are ed "I can’t run in these"

"You won’t have to if things go according to plan"

"Great Because things always go according to plan"

"If things go awry, running won’t help you anyway"

"Yeah, well, I can’t fight in these either"

"I brought you here I’ll protect you"

I’ed him off the street like road kill "Is this really the only way?"

"Yes"

I sigh I slip into the strappy, useless sandals and hope I don’t break an ankle trying to walk in them I take off the sweatshirt and flip down the car’s visor to access the uessed, but it looks better on ht

My hair and face, however, look like they’d be h reasy and , and o colors froht At least the frozen peas had kept the swelling down

"Here," he says, opening his pack "I didn’t knohat you’d need so I just grabbed sos from the bathroom cabinet" He takes out athe pack over todown at the jacket, wondering what he’s thinking thatinto the pack

I find a coreasy that it’s actually easier to style, although I’m not fond of the look There is also sos I want to peel the flakes of skin offthat will make them bleed, so I leave it alone

I smooth on lipstick and mascara The lipstick is a neon pink, and the mascara is blue Not ht dress, it sure ure is exactly the look we’re going for There’s no eye shadow so I just smear a tiny bit of the mascara around my eyes for that extra sultry emphasis I take some foundation and smear it over my jaw It’s tender and the parts that need the makeup the most are the parts that are the most sensitive This better be worth it

When I finish, I notice that the guys on the hood are watchingsos, and so?"

"Making a--" He looks up and sees me

I don’t know if he noticed when I tookhe was busy at that time because he looks at me with surprise His pupils dilate when he seestofor several heartbeats

"I’s on my back," he says quietly His words co personal As if he’s givingcompliment