In Love, Never Say Never (Ashton Fuller and Scarlett Stovall) novel Chapter 760

She nodded and blocked my way with a smirk. After a brief deliberation, she said, “I recommend that you make yourself decent before heading in.”

I blushed automatically. “Why? What is it?” I stammered.

Linda coughed and spoke in as normal a voice as she could muster. “Ashton has… a way with women, based on how he looks. You don’t have to make it so obvious, we’re all adults after all.”

Confused, I pulled out my compact mirror to take a look. Oh, God! My lips were swollen, hair in a tangled mess, and even the hickey, which was originally quite subtle, now pulsated an angry red.

Without thinking further, I rushed off to a washroom in the base to clean myself up.

Linda followed me close behind, her smile wide with glee. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s normal!”

“Then why did you look at me in that manner earlier on?” I was speechless.

“I’m here to remind you that there is a large group of older men inside the base,” Linda giggled. “If you went in there looking like this, it would be even more awkward!”

I blended the hickeys in with my skin tone as best as I could, but they still showed up like angry boils. I began to panic. “Linda, help me out here. It’s not going away.”

She rummaged through her purse and handed me a bottle of liquid foundation. “Try this. I get eyebags from staying up late at night, and this helps to hide them.”

She was right; it made my hickeys almost invisible. However, my swollen lips still made me anxious. “What about my lips? I can’t hide them!”

“Why don’t you wear a mask?” Linda suggested.

It was an excellent idea. “Where would I find one here in the base, though?”

Linda chuckled and procured one from her purse. “It’s yours for the day.”

“Thank you, Linda! You’re a lifesaver!” She had everything I needed!

As we came out of the bathroom, we ran into Rachel again. She was clad in black from head to toe and looked very cool. Her makeup was heavier than it was in the restaurant.

The cold look of disdain she had when she caught sight of me only intensified her haughtiness and made her look even more beautiful.

As Rachel walked past, she passed a scathing remark. “It’s one thing to pretend to not want it but another to deliver yourself. You should be ashamed.”