Star-crossed double-cross 11

Chapter 11 – Final preparations

As Lucian entered the Salon, the sound of his heels clicking loudly in his ears, he couldn’t help but feel as though he had made a mistake. With the previous day’s meeting with Raul still fresh in his mind, it was as though he was experiencing an out of body experience. Why had he signed the contract? Was it the money they had offered? Was it the record company's promise to continue helping his mother? Or was it the nagging feeling that if he quit now, all the pain and suffering he'd endured over the last few months would have been for nothing? Either way, it didn't really matter. He had signed away the next year of his life, and now he'd have to live with the consequences.

The first order of business for the day was a session in the sunbed. Used to the claustrophobic box by now, Lucian lay there motionless, counting the seconds. The earphones he'd been given, blasting out cheesy pop music as his hairless oiled skin soaked up the rays, taking on an even darker golden glow.

Feeling the lid open, Lucian had mixed feelings. With a small headache now, thanks to the music, on one hand, he was delighted to be out. But then again, on the other, he could see the chair that had been set up for his makeover and knew today it was likely going to be an extreme one. Later that day, he was going to be assigned his first real job as a body double, and if that thought wasn't scary enough, Mariana had been fussing and worrying all morning, driving him crazy.

Seated in the chair, Lucian looked through the mirror at the masked woman behind him and took a deep breath. There was no point asking what was about to be done to him. He would be getting no answers. All he could do was submit and let her do her work!

===================================================================

In his mind, hours had passed, but in reality, roughly thirty seconds had gone by as Lucian had stared bewildered into the mirror before him.

Surely the alluring woman reflecting back couldn’t be him? It must have been some trick, right? The whole situation felt so surreal and farfetched but having watched the transformation first hand as improbable as it seemed, it was impossible to deny the truth.

Lucian's feminised body shuddered as he recalled the needle pricks that had assaulted his face only a short while ago, transforming it into what now lay before him in the mirror. Wincing, he could still feel the little pricks piercing his skin. Especially his lips, which now felt more swollen than when Tommy Judd had punched him in fourth grade. His collagen loaded kissers, clearly visible past his thick fluttering lashes, were now almost comically large. Two Swollen pillows that would invite the unwanted attention of any red-blooded man that happened to lay their eyes on him.

But, the biggest change of the day, and also the most shocking, was his new nose! At the time, he had no clue what was happening as the masked beautician pushed his chair back, standing in front of him, blocking his view of the mirror. As she poked and prodded, he'd thought back to three days prior, when she had coated his nose in some sort of liquid. At the time, he just thought it was any other skin treatment, even if it did seem odd at the time how the liquid had hardened before she carefully pulled it off.

Only once the prosthetic nose had been firmly attached to his face, did he realise what had happened! Now glued in place, the collagen prosthetic had completely altered the appearance of his face, making him look like someone else, someone who looked strangely familiar!

Reaching up, Lucian placed the tip of a long acrylic nail against his new nose, feeling nothing.

“Don’t touch,” the masked beautician snapped, swatting his hand away.

Mariana, who was now standing by her side, also pulled a face. “Lucita, you need to let it set. Do you want to start all over again?”

Batting his lashes in shock at the hard swipe to his hand, Lucian looked up at Mariana with puppy dog eyes. “Seniorita, Lopez. Can you please tell me what is going on today?” he pleaded. “Who am I supposed to be?”

Mariana’s face softened into a smile.” Ok, maybe it’s time,” she announced, nodding her head. “Look into the mirror once more, Lucita. Does it not seem familiar to you?”

Turning, Lucian looked back into the mirror. This time, studying his reflection in more detail. The face staring back at him once again seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. One thing was for sure, he definitely didn’t look like himself. “I… I don’t know,” he replied while staring blankly at the feminine beauty before him.

(See image 11.1)

“What if I give you a clue?” Mariana replied, broadening her smile. “'Stuck on you'. 'Don’t call me baby'. 'I need your love tonight'.”

For a moment, Lucian thought his mentor had gone crazy as the words of the random sentences seemed to make no sense. But then, as a lightbulb turned on in his mind, his plump, pouty lips dropped open, and his eyes widened. “No,” he moaned softly. “No, I can’t! You can’t expect me to be her.”

“Look at yourself, Lucita!” Mariana shot back. “Why do you think you were chosen for this assignment? The resemblance was always there. You just needed a little polishing.

“But… you’re talking about Bianca Cabello,” Lucian gasped. “She’s like the most popular person on the planet.”

“That’s right,” Mariana answered, touching his shoulder. “Bianca Cabello, International pop star, and rapper. Twice voted the sexiest woman on the planet and three times rear of the year. You can probably imagine how tiring it gets with people following her everywhere she goes. That’s where you come in. You draw their attention while Bianca slips away in peace.”

Feeling the room spin around him, Lucian placed his red-nailed fingers against his forehead. “So… they’ll follow me? How is that better? They’ll know I’m not her!”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head with details like that right now,” Mariana replied, removing his hand. “And stop touching your face. Now we have to finish your hair and get you dressed. Bianca flies in at 6 pm, and we can’t afford to be late!”