Mr. Dark 3 (Tamed #3)(19)

Sophie

I checked my hair in the mirror, just now after almost a month and a half feeling comfortable and natural with the bright purple shade. It looked good, and the new manicure from Ms. Wen at her nail salon the day before made me feel pretty and feminine. It was a bit of a surprise, I thought. Six months prior, I'd felt overweight, lonely, and unloved. Since then I'd traveled the world, changed my identity, had some plastic surgery (none of it to my so-called problem areas), and had lost a grand total of five pounds. Yep, only five pounds. The difference was in how the rest of my body was laid out, and more importantly, in how my mind was laid out.

I didn't look in the mirror and see the soft bulge above my belt line, even though I still didn't have much in the way of abs. I didn't see the tired, desperate eyes of the girl who hustled between class, the emergency room, and slinging drinks at an Irish pub. Even though I was working longer hours than I ever did in school, I woke up every morning refreshed and eager to see what I could do that day. "Amazing what love and purpose can do for you," I said to the Sophie in the mirror, a women I couldn't quite believe was actually me. "You're looking pretty damn good, Sophie Warbird."

The door to the ladies room opened, and Tabby came in. "You get lost in here, or just going narcissistic on us?" she joked, coming over. "I mean, kickoff's in five minutes."

"Yeah, sorry, just gathering wool," I said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "By the way, congratulations on the tickets. I'm glad your boss is rewarding you."

"Considering the amount of money you and Marcus have fed through my account sheets since you got back, I think using the company luxury box for the first game of the season is pretty small," Tabby said, "but thanks. Not that I did anything that spectacular."

"You kidding? You've brought us plenty of businesses that fit our needs. And of course, some of your other information you've gathered has proven more than helpful."

Tabby smiled, then shook her head. "You two have a lot more you're going to do. You know, I heard someone mention that Marcus should try running for Deputy Mayor next year, when the election is held. I had to laugh at that one."

"We've heard that one too. Yeah, that's poking the bear a bit too much right now." I heard a roar from outside the washroom, and I looked over at Tabby. "Think we should go. Can't wait to see if the Spartans can get a win against Central City."

We left the washroom, and found Marcus along with a dozen other various executives from Tabby's office along with their dates seated or enjoying the snacks and food from catering. I came up next to him and gave him a kiss. "Ready?"

"Oh yeah," Mark replied, smiling down at me. "You know, I think this is going to be a great season, and it's just kicking off."

Literally.

To Be Continued…