Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1) by Courtney McPhail

out but luckily it came to just above her knees. It was then she saw that the rest of the outfit consisted of a black satin corset with silver embroidery work along the boning. 
    “Mary, I can’t wear this!”
    “Why not?”
    “It’s so not me.”
    “And who are you?”
    “I’m someone who doesn’t wear this. I’ll look stupid.”
    “You won’t look stupid. You think you’ll look stupid because you’ll look different. Different isn’t stupid. Just give it a chance.”
    “Fine,” she sighed and pulled on the knee-high leather boots Mary had left out before strapping herself into the corset. “I’m going to need you to tighten the laces on this thing.”
    Mary came into the closet, her smile wide as she gave her the once over. “See, you don’t look stupid, you look good.”
    Cordelia took the chance to study herself in the mirror while Mary stood behind her and adjusted the laces of the corset. The skirt came to just above her knees and with the knee high boots, she really wasn’t showing that much bare leg. The corset wasn’t as uncomfortable as she expected and she had to admit it did give her a flattering hourglass shape. Yes, the ensemble was outside her comfort zone but that didn’t necessarily mean it looked bad.
    “There we go,” Mary said with a pat against her back. “Now, go sit at the vanity and I’ll do your hair. When I’m done, you’re going to have beat the men off with a stick.”
    “I don’t know about that,” Cordelia said with a laugh as she sat down and Mary began to brush out her hair. “I’ve never had the best of luck with men.”
    “There wasn’t anyone special back in your old life?”
    “Not really. I was always that girl who was ‘one of the guys’ or ‘like a sister’ to them. I mean, I dated and had a couple of semi-serious relationships but the last one ended over a couple years ago. There hasn’t been anyone since him.”
    …then who is the blond hottie you sometimes think about?…
    “Hey!” Cordelia cried out, jerking her head around to glare at Mary and getting the comb stuck in her hair in the process. “Nicky said it was rude to read other people’s thoughts without their permission.”
    Mary put her hands on her head, forcing her to turn back around and she began to untangle the comb from her hair.
    “Look, I didn’t go rooting around in your head. Sometimes when you aren’t paying attention, you let your guard down and I can’t help but pick up your thoughts. It’s just quick flashes, nothing detailed.”
    Well that was good at least. Last thing she wanted was to have her idle fantasies broadcasting out to the whole house.
    “He’s hot, you know,” Mary said, grinning at her in the mirror. “Who is he?”
    “Gabe, a friend. We worked together.”
    “So you two weren’t…” Mary waggled her eyebrows with a saucy grin. 
    “No, we are just friends,” Cordelia replied, unable to keep out the note of disappointment in her voice. 
    “But you wished you were more than friends, huh?” Mary said around the bobby pins she had clamped between her lips as she pinned her hair. “And let me guess, you didn’t say anything because you didn’t want to ruin the friendship.”
    “That and I figure, if he was interested too, he’d let me know,” Cordelia replied. “I know all about the He’s Just Not That Into You school of thought.”
    “Well, he’s an idiot if he didn’t realize what a catch you are,” Mary said. “There will be plenty of eligible bachelors at Roxy tonight who know how to appreciate a female.”
    “I’m not sure if this is a good time in my life to be getting involved with anyone.”
    “Who said anything about getting involved? Just enjoy the attention. It’s an ego boost.”
    Mary had a point. Maybe an ego boost would be a good thing. Even she could admit she looked pretty hot tonight. Mary had pinned up half of her hair, letting the soft curls bounce around her shoulders while the rest was pinned to her