Free Unnoticed and Untouched by Lynn Raye Harris Page A

salary for accompanying me.”
    “I like my hair the way it is,” she insisted.
    He quirked an eyebrow. “Do you realize that in all the time you have worked for me, I’ve never seen your hair down?”
    “I wanted to look professional.”
    “And you still shall. But with style,
cara mia
.”
    “I’m not happy with you,” Faith said, seething inside and more than a little curious, as well. What would it be liketo have a style she could actually manage? Something that gave her more versatility than she had now? She’d always been afraid to let a stylist touch her hair because she didn’t know how to communicate what she wanted. What if they cut too much off, or gave her a look she hated?
    It wasn’t like she could afford the expensive places on Park Avenue where the rich went. No, she was more likely to use the local chop shop equivalent—and did when she got her annual trim. In fairness to Renzo, she had to admit that she made enough money to spring for a nicer salon than a discount place—but she never knew how to find someone she trusted, and therefore she never took the plunge.
    Not to mention she saved every dime she could for the down payment on her future home.
    Now, however, he was presenting her with the opportunity to use the kind of salon she could never have afforded on her own. The kind of salon the elite frequented.
    Renzo gave her that smile that had the power to tilt her world sideways. “You will be happy with me when you are finished. Trust me.”
    “Fine,” she said, arms crossed defensively. “But if I hate it, you’re never going to hear the end of it.”
    Renzo laughed before nodding at the woman who then escorted Faith into the salon and handed her over to a smiling stylist named Giovanna. Thankfully, Giovanna spoke English and put Faith at ease. Before Giovanna made the first cut, Faith discussed her wishes that she be able to keep her hair long. Giovanna listened intently, and then told Faith exactly what she proposed to do.
    She didn’t cut much length, but she added plenty of layers to make Faith’s hair more manageable. An hour later, Faith was staring in the mirror at a woman who had the sleekest, most gorgeously touchable hair imaginable.
    “It’s amazing,” Faith said.
    “You have great hair,
signorina
. You only needed a little cut, a little product to make it so.” Giovanna spun the chair away from the mirror. “And now a little bit of makeup, si? I will teach you how to do a smoky eye, and you will be ready in moments. It is all you will need to drive the men wild.”
    Ten minutes later, Faith was walking out of the salon and into the reception area where Renzo sat making notes on his tablet. When he looked up and saw her, a little thrill of pleasure shot through her at the shock on his face. He quickly masked it, however, and stood to greet her as if salon appointments were an ordinary part of his day.
    “
Fabuloso
, Faith. You look lovely.”
    Faith was feeling far too happy over her hair to harbor any resentment that he’d basically hauled her into a salon and told her to cut her hair. No, in fact, she was feeling grateful. For the first time, her hair was elegant and chic—but it still felt like her, not like someone else’s idea of her.
    Her happy feelings began to ebb, however, when Renzo dragged her into a clothing store and arranged an impromptu fashion show in which she was to be the leading lady.
    “No,” she said as a saleswoman stood patiently by and a group of others hauled clothing into a dressing area. “This is too much, Renzo. I can’t accept clothes from you.”
    His expression was implacable. “Consider it a perk of the job, Faith. I require you to be stylish when you are at my side.”
    “You never cared before.”
    He didn’t look in the least bit apologetic. “We were in the States. Things were different there. Here, you will be traveling at my side quite frequently and I require you to look the part.”
    “Look the part of what?”