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As soon as she’s gone, I sigh, collapsing into my chair. This is so typical. I should be used to getting shuffled around and pushed aside.

“Hey,” Mariah says, nudging my arm.

I look at her through the mirror. The concern on her face makes me squirm. Then, I look at myself. I’m pale, washed out, my hair looks like I gave zero shits when I got up this morning—and I’m not even supposed to be here. But none of this is Mariah’s fault, and it’s not fair to her to put up with me and my mistakes and bad moods.

After a quick breath, I straighten and force a smile to my face. “You know? It’s fine. I wanted to explore Chilliwack anyway. It’s a beautiful day. Maybe I’ll go visit the park, or the library, or—”

“How about I do your makeup?” Mariah interrupts.

I gesture at my face in the mirror. “You already did.”

“No, like for real.”

“Are you sure? You have time?”

She shrugs. “It won’t take long.”

I sit up a little straighter. “Okay. Thank you.”

Mariah gets to work, moving with much more energy than before, telling me to close my eyes and open them and close my mouth and open it and five minutes later I barely recognize myself in the mirror. My eyes are lined in black with smoky brown on the lids, making them seem twice as big. There is a sharp angle to my jaw, my cheekbones stand out, and everything is just...

“Wow,” I manage.

Mariah lifts her chin. “There you go. Now, why don’t you go call up that Mitch guy—”

“Matt.”

“Why don’t you call up Matt and invite him over. See what happens?” She leans toward me, talking in my ear. “Take your relationship from G-rated to X.”

I shiver at the sensation of her breath on my neck, at the places my imagination goes with the mention of X-rated things and Matt.

“You know what?” I look at myself with the kind of confidence I haven’t felt in a long time. “I think I will.”

As soon as I’m back in my cabin, I march to the stove, pull it inch by inch away from the wall, hoist myself up onto the counter, lean down, and unplug it. I’ve barely pushed it back into place by the time I’m texting Matt.

ME:hey! Sorry to bother you again, but the stove is acting up. Is there a secret to getting it to work?

The bait has been set. While I wait for him to reply, I twirl past all the twinkling lights in the main room of the cabin into the bedroom. I remove my sweaty Christmas sweater and pull on a much sexier, and still somewhat seasonal, red tank top.

My phone dings.

MATT:hey, I’ll be right over??

The bait has been taken!

Casting a glance in the mirror, I give myself a sultry look, fully embracing the character of the woman who eyes me back. She’s confident. She’s sexy. She knows exactly what she wants and how to take it. And that’s what she’s going to do.

I busy myself straightening up while humming “Santa Baby” until there’s a polite knock on the door. After a quick excited squeak I saunter to the door, adjust my posture (shoulders back, tits out), and open it.

Matt’s eyes pop when he sees me. “Oh, hey... Ellie. Wow, you look—” His eyes wander down my body then back to my face.

I smile, giving my bottom lip a calculated bite. “Hey, Matt. Thanks so much for coming over on such short notice.”

He blinks several times then averts his gaze. “Yeah, no problem. The, uh, stove?”

I step aside and let him in. He’s a little more cleaned up today than he was yesterday, his scruff trimmed neatly along his jaw to form a fledgling beard. His sportsball cap has been replaced by a small man-bun, leaving it up to my imagination how long his hair actually is—is it Kit Harrington long, or Jason Momoa long? Either way, I’m here for it. As he brushes past, I get a whiff of his cologne, which is deeply earthy, constricting my throat as I inhale. There’s definitely a constriction lower down, too.

I close the door and allow myself the privilege of checking out his ass, on full display with a pair of tight knee-length shorts. His shirt is a little snug, wrapping around his broad chest and back, falling loose around his middle. He helps himself to the kitchen and begins inspecting the appliance.