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She surfed the channels, allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the harsh daylight.
    The phone began to ring across the room, causing her to jolt. Sitting her mug on the coffee table, she walked across the room. “Hello,” she answered, her voice still a little hoarse from the night of tossing and turning.
    “Jade?”
    “Zoë? How are you?”
    After a brief pause, Zoë spoke. “Are you sure that you still want to go tonight?”
    The question caught Jade off guard, and she quickly took a seat to regain her bearings.
    Was she really ready to see the life her sister had been living?
    Could she really go through with it?
    “Jade? Are you still there?”
    “Yes, I’m here. I’m sure. Do you want me to meet you there?”
    Zoë hesitated for a moment, and Jade instantly feared that the other woman was reconsidering. “I’ll meet you at Ruby’s apartment at eight,” Zoë finally informed her.
    “Zoë?”
    “What?”
    “What should I wear?”
    At Zoë’s hasty instruction, she searched through Ruby’s closet, finally settling on a black leather skirt with a slit up the side that she was sure would show every man the world if she bent over. Her black fishnet top clung to her breasts, which were covered in a jet black bra. She let her hair hang in loose curls and applied her makeup more vividly than usual. As she slipped on a pair of high heels, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror.
    She shook her head at what she saw.
    There was no doubt about it.
    She looked like a hooker.
    Worse, she looked like a cheap hooker.
    Even though she knew she had successfully achieved the look she was going for, a part of her wanted to run into the bathroom, strip every inch of it off, and scrub it away until she felt clean again.
    A knock at the door told her that the time had come. Her insides shaking, she took a deep breath. She had to do this. Instinctively, she knew that, but it did nothing to ease the fear that was welling up inside of her. Refusing to allow any room for second thoughts, she pulled open the door.
    The woman before her looked nothing like the girl she had met before. This Zoë was a different person. Her hair was teased into big curls, and her usually pale lips were covered in a deep shade of red. The dress she wore matched the color of her lipstick, and it clung to every curve.
    Each woman surveyed the other.
    Each for very different reasons.
    Zoë to see if Jade fit the part and would not stand out, and Jade in awe of the other girl’s transformation.
    “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
    Jade held her gaze with more courage than she actually possessed inside.
    “Absolutely.”
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 7
     
    They arrived at the club fifteen minutes later. Zoë walked ahead of Jade to knock on the door. The small window opened. The large man behind it took one look at Zoë before closing the window to open the door.
    No turning back now, Jade thought, giving herself the same pep talk she had been reciting like a mantra since they left.
    It was too late for that.
    And she had come too far to stop just short of the answers she sought.
    She watched Zoë walk ahead of her and knew that she had to follow. To contemplate the outcome of her actions would only serve to strengthen her fear.
    No, there was nothing left to do but close her eyes and jump.
    Zoë led her into a long dark hallway with blue lighting as its only illumination. The sexy tune playing through the overhead speakers seemed to vibrate through her chest as they forged ahead. At the end of the hall, she spotted a curve. Zoë stopped abruptly, causing Jade to nearly bump into her.
    “This is it,” she whispered, pulling Jade close. “When you walk around that corner, you have to act like you belong. You can’t stare or act like what you are seeing shocks you. Believe me, these aren’t the type of people who would welcome me back if you cause a scene. If you want to find out who Ruby was seeing here, you have