Taryn leaned forward and squinted as she placed the false eyelash to her eyelid. She had been wearing false eyelashes since she was fifteen and had only glued her eyes shut twice. Sitting back, she blinked a few times, looking at the image in the mirror which stared back at her. She had her dark red hair in an up-do, having teased and brushed it into a neat bun on top of her head, then using sections of hair at the front to create a halo of pin curls to frame her face. Taryn had won many awards for her perfected pin-up girl look, from the pin curls to the winged eyes, right down to the bright cherry red lipstick. Her face was flawless.
Happy with her makeup, she switched off the lights surrounding the mirror and got up. Walking to her closet, Taryn grabbed the costume for today’s work requirements.
Her mind wandered back to that warm spring day in Vegas. She had just won the ‘Viva Las Vegas Pin-Up Girl’ competition. After months of interviews, photos, and seemingly endless string of appearances for both the judges and the public, Taryn had finally been announced as the winner of this prestigious pin-up girl competition. Fast forward twenty-four hours, and she had a warrant out for her arrest, and a once in a lifetime job offer in a foreign country.
Taryn zipped up the side of her red and white polka dot swing dress and slid up the black petticoats. Running her hands slowly down the tight bodice, she smiled with a swing of her hips in the mirror as she made sure her breasts were not going to fall out. Walking to the window, she pulled back the latte colored curtains and looked out over a busy province of Tokyo. Taryn was utterly content with the choice she’d made six months ago, to follow the job and avoid wearing some silver bracelets for fifteen to life. The CEO had offered her an escape with no further questions. She accepted the chance to go to Japan, and she was on a private plane that evening—gone from the reach of the States. She quit her job at a small Italian restaurant, left her friends, and vanished from her family. With nothing more than a short-rushed note on torn paper, she left her old life to start afresh in Japan.
One last look in the mirror, she straightened her sparkling ears. Taryn smiled at the pin-up Minnie Mouse reflection that looked back. Grabbing her small red bag, she left her compact apartment for the short train commute to work.
“Hey, hey,” Taryn said into her cell which she held to her ear, as she stood patiently at the train station. On the other end was one of her newly made friends which she’d met at a fifties retro extravaganza held at her work. This American woman had an unbelievable passion for all the retro styling and a deep love for American cars. She’d explained that back in the States she had owned a number of amazing cars, but that she and her best friend got a job offer in Japan and they had to leave them in storage. They were Canadians, but they had traveled so much through the States that an immediate camaraderie was formed, quickly followed by a friendship. Fast forward a few months, and the three of them got together most weekends for a girls’ night out.
“Hey yourself,” the voice replied. “You know what day it is?”
Taryn laughed. “Yeppers. Friday is drinkiday.” Taryn looked left as the train glided into the station. “Kylee, train’s here, babe. Got to go. Call you after work. Yeah?”
Kylee’s voice bubbled with excitement. “You better, Payton and I need a break from this monster of a workload,” she said. “I needs my girl time, some rock-hard abs to look at, and a shit load of booze.”
Taryn laughed as she clicked end on the phone, placing it in her bag and boarded the train. Standing in the corner of the overcrowded people mover, thankful she didn’t suffer from claustrophobia, she swayed from side to side with the movement of the train while her mind drifted to the night’s exciting possibilities.
Payton was Kylee’s best friend, and the three of them got along wonderfully. They joked about two Canadians and an American taking over Japan, one sushi roll at a time. The only thing with Payton was her boyfriend. He was nice on the three times they had met, but Taryn had never seen a man so large. His chest was as big as a Buick. And the arms? Well, she had seen hundred-year-old trees with smaller trunks. The way Payton and he looked at each other was fantastic, though. Kylee liked to make vomiting sounds at the puppy dog eyes they flashed each other, but Taryn knew, Kylee was secretly jealous of the incredible connection the two of them shared. All Taryn could think was she didn’t want to have to pay his food bill.
Boyfriend? Taryn snorted. Not a chance in hell. Thinking to herself, I have Horney Hank McHornyface. He always puts my needs first, and in return only demands new batteries twice a month. Taryn laughed lightly as she made a mental note to buy batteries on the way home. It was six months since she’d left her last boyfriend lying in a pool of his own blood. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.