The Playboy's Crush By Deborah A. Olaleye

SIX

  Lara smiled at herself in the mirror as she checked out her profile this morning.

Clothing and accessories play an integral part in a person's outlook. She looked like an utterly different person.

She looked high-class and exotic. Her new look was a far cry from her usual casual hand-me-down jeans and cardigans, which she usually wore to work daily.

A giddy feeling spread through her belly, coating it with a bubble of warmth and excitement.

"Wow!" She breathed into her reflection in the mirror. "You look good, girl." She blew a kiss to herself and chuckled.

There were bags of clothes, shoes, heels, bags, and a lot of other accessories occupying more than half the space of her room.

She hadn't been able to completely sort through the collection of purchases Shane had made the previous day.

She tried not to think about how much money had been spent on all the clothes in her room. The ones she had been able to unwrap after his driver had assisted her with carrying all the bags into her living room would have paid her house rent for four years' worth.

She had been too tired to carry them all into her bedroom and had zonked out immediately after she had taken a shower and picked out the clothes, shoes, and bags she would be putting on to work.

She looked at the bags. Luxury brands she could never have imagined she could afford at the moment.

How had she gotten so lucky—and within such a short period?

She had gone from scrambling to pay her debts to living a life of luxury and abundance. It was amazing.

"Mom." She smiled at her mom's picture. "Your princess will be fine from now on." She pressed down on her lips tightly, trying hard to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her face. "I'm on the path to actualizing the dream you've always had for me." She nodded, exhaling softly. "I've got to go now. I will talk to you about how my first day of work went. Hopefully," she shrugged, "it won't be awkward." She flattened her lips and scrunched up her nose before she laced her forearm through her handbag and walked out of her apartment.

People stared as she walked down the street to the road to hail a cab. It was a few blocks away from her house.

She understood the surprise on their faces at her overnight transformation. Of course, she had been surprised too.

"Oh, my God! Lara, is this you?" Sarah gushed over her new look.

She lived in the next flat to the building her apartment was in. She had done her fair share of supporting her after her mom's death.

She and her mom were neighborhood chat buddies, so it had been as devastating for her as it had been for Lara when her mom died. "You look..." She was at a loss for words for the perfect compliment to evaluate her new look.

"Stunning. Exquisite, darling," she finally said, her eyes going over her body with awe and unsheathed admiration.

"Thanks, Sarah. Good morning." Lara flashed a smile at her, beaming.

"Run along, child. Don't let me get you late, alright? Break a leg!" She winked at her, holding a fist raised in encouragement.

"Sure, Sarah. Later..." She turned and flagged down a cab as soon as she got to the road.

"Miss Lara." The receptionist smiled at her as she walked into the lobby. " Morning. You look flawless today."

"Good morning. So do you."

"You can call me Diana. I gather you are resuming work today?" She inquired.

Lara nodded in response. "Correct. Okay, Diana."