Today is Day 28 of NaNoWriMo! My total for day 27 of NaNoWriMo was 1,310 words. Only 2 days left. Let's see what I can get to for a final count.
All passages were in order from yesterday's post, so here's what I wrote:
He scratched the back of his head. “You think so?”
Zalrish chuckled. “I told you I knew what I was doing.” he then looked over the dress and my new drawing. “Love, you really need to come work for me. This dress, it’s beautiful!”
“Zalrish, we’ve been over this. I can’t make things like this without Atria and it’s too draining to keep up on a daily basis. Beyond that, it’s not what I enjoy.”
“Yes, yes, you love your games.” He shook his head. “I will never understand your obsession with them.” He looked at Vesser. “You send her my way if she ever stops being part of your team.”
Vesser held up his hands. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
Zalrish snorted. “Pansy. See if I ever do your hair again.”
I giggled. “Male Dragons are rarely ever repeat customers for yours, Zal. They don’t go through desires of hairstyle changes every six months.”
“Yeah, about that,” Vesser said. “What is in that solution you used in my hair to make it grow? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Zalrish winked. “Family secret.”
“That solution is only available in salons run by Zalrish’s family,” I said. “It’s part of what makes their salons so successful.” I glared at Zalrish. “And they’d be more, if they had Draconic on their signs or on their buildings showing Dragons where they can get new looks at any time too.”
Zalrish waved me off. “I am not changing my signed again, and I won’t ruin my salon’s look with a gaudy second one.” He grinned wickedly. “Well, I may reconsider if you give me contact information for your handsome elf friend.”
I shook my head. “Zalrish, we’ve been over this. I don’t give out contacts arbitrarily, especially when you’re asking for a guy’s and I don’t know his orientation.”
“It’s fine,” Vesser said.
My brow rose. “Really?”
“Yeah, Vamir is gay.”
I looked at Zalrish. “All right, guess you’re getting a new contact. Just don’t freak him out or lead him on. You do, I’ll zap your ass.”
Zalrish winked. “Careful, I might like it.”
I sighed and shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you look tired,” Vesser observed.
“I’m exhausted,” I admitted. “I’m going to go take a nap. Zalrish, if you need me for anything when it comes to my dress, feel free to wake me up.”
“Oh, I will, love,” he said. “I need your measurements and need your approval on some dresses I’ve worked up for you.”
I shook my head and headed for his room in the back of the studio. “I don’t need to be measured again. You did that a few months ago with my last outfit you made.”
“Yes, and your proportions had changed, so I’m going to make sure just incase you’ve become more shapely.”
I waved him off. No way that was going to be the case, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. Would have been a waste of energy I didn’t have.
I flopped down on Zalrish’s fluffy bed and closed my eyes to rest, but Zalrish’s low voice kept me alert and eavesdropping. “Careful there, Team Captain. You’re drooling.”
“What? I am not,” Vesser said.
Zalrish chuckled. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I know your team’s odd no dating policy, and I’ve seen that look in many men who’ve fallen hard. You’d better wife her quick or you’ll be in trouble.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before. We’ll see how you handle the dress I have planned for our star lady.”
“That makes four,” Rashta said to me quietly. “You can’t keep denying fate’s pull, Rinneth. Not with more noticing every day.”
“I don’t want to talk about this, Rashta.”
“You said you wanted that happy ending.”
I sighed. “Say, you’re right. Say, we are meant to be together, and he does want me even though I’m half Human...this isn’t a good time. We’re teammates. If one of us is to bend, one of us can’t be on this team. I’ve been trying so hard to prove myself worthy of being on a team as a legitimate member. I’m not willing to give this spot up. And there’s no way in hell a Team Captain will give up his spot on a team for some girl.”
“You should know to never underestimate what a Dragon is willing to do for his mate.”
“On top of all that, is Hellion and his clan ar a problem still, and I won’t allow that problem to fall onto someone else. I’ve caused enough problems as it is…”
“Rinneth--”
“I’d like to go to sleep now.”
“All right…”
With a now heavy heart, I closed my eyes and lulled into a recovering sleep, hoping tonight went smoothly.
Chapter 12
(Vesser)
I stood quietly into the large lounge room we had been led to inside the convention center. I tried not to fidgit with my suit. My mother drilled into my head it was a bad, unprofessional habit, and I needed to be as professional as possible. We needed to make Fallon Industries look good, especially since I was aware of the talk how many believed we secured our sponsorship by allowing Rinneth on the team. Honestly, it was really Rinneth I really wanted to give a good impression for, and not her father’s company. The last thing I wanted was for her to think she was valued less as a member because she was Fallon’s daughter. We brought her on this team thinking we wouldn’t secure a sponsorship from Fallon Industries, and we needed others to see that too.
I casually looked over my teammates, the only one not here still was Rinneth. After Zalrish had finished getting the four men on the team cleaned up and dressed in custom suits, he had shoved us out before we could see what Rinneth would be wearing tonight. I was nervous to see her. Zalrish had warned me his goal was to make her drop-dead gorgeous, center of attention, and I was honestly worried, especially since I saw her that way as it was.
He had caught me intently watching her as she went to take her nap. Fitted shirt and tight jeans giving none of her curves a place to hide, it had been hard not to keep my eyes off her. I did what I could to brush it off when he said something, I didn’t need anyone but Vamir finding out the truth, but Zalrish couldn’t be bluffed.
The door opened and my heart stopped at the sight of Rinneth walking in. No amount of prepping could have prepared me for this sight. I had expect Zalrish to to design a long flowing evening gown for Rinneth, but instead, she wore a tight, black one shoulder metal O-ring braided strap, mini cocktail dress. Her hair no longer sported her prefered pigtails, and instead had been brushed and teased into an untamed...sexy look. Her favored necklace hung around her neck and her wrists and fingers were adorned in elegant jewelry. To complete her look, she wore black sandal stilettos on her feet, accentuating her shapely legs, red lipstick, mesmerizing red and black eye makeup.
“Whoa…” Rial said quietly next to me.
Rinneth smiled as she looked us over. “You guys clean up nice. And Thuldren, you have hair now.”
Thuldren ran his hand over his head that now had hair pulled into a neat ponytail. “I got jealous of yer luscious locks, lass. Made me miss my own.”
Rinneth giggled. “Well it looks good. Now, you guys are going to want to follow me. My father doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
She spun around and sashayed out of the room, her swaying hips snaring my gaze and compelling me to follow automatically. Yep, I’m in trouble.