“How long until you’re done?” Roni glanced at Sylvia.

“Five minutes. Why?”

“I think I’m done for the day. This stuff depresses me.”

For the past week, he and Sylvia had been collecting information on human trafficking, which meant that for the first time ever Roni wasn’t looking forward to starting his workday. What they were doing was important, but he would have rather been doing anything but that.

Sylvia leaned back in her chair. “I have an idea that is going to cheer you up.”

“I’m listening.”

“How would you like to leave the keep and go for a ride? Maybe visit the beach? Go to a restaurant?”

“I would love to. But I can’t. They are still looking for me. It’s not safe.”

“What if I give you a makeover? I think you’ll look great with spiky blond hair. That, a few fake piercings, a pair of dark sunglasses, and you can rock the beach bum look.”

Roni wasn’t crazy about changing the color of his hair, but freedom was worth the sacrifice. He’d been cooped up in one building or another for years. “When?”

“Yay!” Sylvia jumped out of her seat and did a little dance. “I’m going to the nearest drugstore to get the hair color and the sunglasses. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

“What about the thing you needed to finish?” He pointed at her computer screen.

“It can wait until tomorrow. I’m too excited to stay here for another minute.” She grabbed her purse and stopped by his chair to peck him on the cheek. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Close up your station and go home.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

As Sylvia rushed out with her hair billowing behind her, Roni swiveled his chair to face William. “What do you think? Am I going to look good as a blond?”

The guy shrugged. “If you don’t like it you can always cover it up with a hat.”

“Good point.”

An hour later, Roni looked at his reflection in the mirror and grinned. “I look like a plucked chicken, but I don’t care. My own mother would not recognize me.”

“Wait until I spray you with the self-tanner.”

He lifted his arms. “Go for it, baby.”

Clad only in his boxer shorts, he stood patiently as Sylvia applied the spray first to his face and then the rest of his body.

“Pull down your boxers,” she instructed.

Roni hesitated. “I don’t think I want that stuff on my privates. What if it’s a carcinogen?”

“Don’t be silly. You’re an immortal now. Besides, I’m not going to spray your junk, only your upper thighs and your ass.”

“Hey, don’t call it junk.” He didn’t appreciate his manhood being referred to in such a derogatory manner.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Your crown jewels. Is that better?”

He pushed the briefs all the way down. “Much. But I prefer scepter and orbs.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Sylvia mock bowed while spraying his ass. “What do you think?” she asked when she was done.

“I look orange.”

Placing the can on the vanity’s counter, Sylvia regarded him with a critical eye. “Give it a few minutes. The color will get deeper. In the meantime, get dressed.”

Roni pulled up his boxer briefs, then stepped into the board shorts Sylvia had found in the drugstore. The muscle shirt was next.

“You must be kidding.” He looked ridiculous. “I’m going to get a regular T-shirt.”

“Why? You look awesome.”

Despite being an immortal, the woman must have had bad eyesight. He lifted his arms and turned in a circle. “You think?”

Sylvia grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to her. “You’re nineteen, Roni. You look like any other guy your age who doesn't spend half his day in the gym. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

He wanted to point out that Jackson, who was about the same age and as far as Roni knew didn’t spend hours lifting weights, looked like an underwear model.

The lucky bastard.

She kissed him hard, nibbling on his lower lip and then sucking on his tongue. “I can’t wait for your fangs to be fully grown.”

That made two of them. The suckers hurt as if they were going through rapid growth, but every time he checked, they seemed the same to him. Thank God for the meds Dr. Bridget had prescribed him, or he would not have been able to work.

“Can you see any difference?” He opened his mouth wide.

Sylvia peered at his teeth, then patted them with her index finger. “They are definitely growing, that’s for sure. And your gums are swollen.”

He sighed. “I hate all this waiting. First, it was the transition, and now those fucking fangs. Why does everything have to go so slow for me?”

Poking him in the chest, Sylvia smiled. “So you’ll appreciate the good stuff more once you get it.”

“Talking about good stuff, I’m ready to go.”

“Give me a moment to put my bathing suit on.”

He hoped it was a bikini. “Take all the time you need.”

It was beside the point that he saw Sylvia naked regularly, it wasn’t the same as seeing her in a bikini. Roni hadn’t seen her or any other girl wearing a swimming suit other than on the pages of Sport’s Illustrated or online or on television. If he’d been to the beach as a child, he’d forgotten.

A few moments later Sylvia emerged from the walk-in closet wearing a sundress and flip flops. She was holding out a pair of men’s flip flops for him. “I got you these too. Put them on.”

Down in the garage, she led him to a red convertible. “Your majesty.” She opened the passenger door for him.

“I didn’t know you had a convertible.”

“It’s not mine. I borrowed Rachel’s. I figured your first excursion should be done in style with the top down.”

Roni was touched. He’d only told Sylvia once about his road trip in a sports car fantasy. “Thank you.”

She got behind the wheel, turned on the ignition, and leaned to give him a quick kiss. “You’re welcome.”

With the push of a button, the roof retracted and folded in the back.

“Let’s get this baby on the road, shall we?”

Roni put his sunglasses on, leaned back, and put his hands behind his head. “Full ahead, Mr. Sulu, maximum warp.”