Bride by Design 2: Manchala on the Mind by Alicia Roberts Page A

limo. Colin had been waiting for me downstairs, I wasn't about to let him up and look at my pigsty of a place.
     
    My orgasm had left me happy and relaxed, and I smiled at hi m warmly, ignoring the fact that his jade eyes sent strange ripples down my spine. 
     
    "You're in a good mood," he said cynically, looking at me as though he knew why I was so happy.
     
    I lau ghed and refused to be ruffled, confident there was no way he'd know what was on my mind.
     
    I leaned forwards and said, "Why can't a girl be happy? Thanks for paying off Alex's debts."
     
    There was genuine gratitude in my voice and Colin was caught unawares.
     
    "Huh," he said gruffly, "You're welcome and it's not a favor. I just paid you to support me next week."
     
    "Of course." I smiled. He could play the business card all he liked, but I could tell there was a soft spot under that gruff exterior.
     
    I was able to tell my relationship with Alex touched his heart, and I wondered if it was because he'd been an only child.  I had Google'd him last night, but there was a surprising lack of information about his past. The reporters loved to talk about his girls and money, but something was holding them back from delving into his pre-tycoon life. Not that it was any of my business either.
     
    "So where are we going?" I asked innocently.
     
    He looked at me - his eyes were narrow and appraising and his voice was hollow. "People will expect my wife to look a certain way. So we're going to fix that today."
     
    The words stung. "Oh - so you're saying I'm not good-looking enough to be your wife?"
     
    He smiled - the beautiful smile that turned my insides to mush and made it hard to be mad at him . "I wouldn't know about that. I'm attracted to you, so I can't objectively tell how pretty you are. But I do know you don't look like the kind of women I'm normally with…"
     
    "Because they're so glamorous and tall and skinny?"
     
    My voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Colin didn't take the bait.
     
    "Maybe they are," he said, "But I think we should change some things about the way you look."
     
    I bristled. "I'm not a building for you to fix up!"
     
    He smiled and said coldly, "No, I wouldn't need to have such a long conversation with a building."
     
    I stared at him, trying to ignore my attraction and understand if I felt horror at his callousness or embarrassment at his need to "improve" me. "What exactly are we doing?"
     
    "First I'm taking you to a hairdresser. A couple of girls mentioned they went to him and I looked him up."
     
    "My hair is fine."
     
    "Maybe it is, maybe it's not. Jared's the expert, and he'll tell us."
     
    "Fine."
     
    I sat in silence, angry at the jabs about my appearance and the implications that I needed to do something more. I couldn't afford to spend thousands on my skin and hair each month! And even if I could, I wasn't too horrible looking. Maybe too plain for Colin, but - I remembered his comment about not being able to tell how I pretty I was. I wondered if he meant it? It was certainly soothing, but he probably threw that in to keep me from having a real fit. Not that I have fits - his exes might be drama queens, but I've learnt to keep my emotions in check. Mostly.
     
    We finally arrived at the salon. A "closed" sign was hanging on the door, and we walked right through.
     
    "Welcome, welcome."
     
    A tall man, obviously Jared shook hands with Colin and air-kissed my cheeks. "So you must be Lisa, and we're operating on you today?"
     
    He winked, his charm disarming and unaffected. There was a petite blonde girl standing in the background, probably his assistant.
     
    Connor was all business. "What do you think she needs done, and how fast can you do it?"
     
    Jared began to lift my hair and run his hands through it. "Well, Lisa, your hair is absolutely gorgeous, completely virgin I can tell. Have you ever dyed it?"
     
    I shook my head no, suddenly wondering if Colin planned to turn me into a blonde bimbo. "