Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“No cocaine,” she said with a sigh. As if she could still taste the euphoric high. “I hear it’s addictive.”
I snorted. “I have heard that before.”
“Just a drink. A few drinks. You in?”
Was I in?
“Fuck yes, English. I know someone who is having a party tonight. We could get drinks out and then head there.”
She nodded, coming back to herself, as she seemed to just realize that she’d opened up to me. “I’d like that.”
14
English
We found margaritas.
And tacos and chips and salsa and guacamole.
Court insisted it was his favorite place in town. But the boy had clearly never been to a real Mexican restaurant in Southern California. Because while it felt like comfort food, it was nowhere near as good as home.
But they poured their drinks strong, and after three of them, I was definitely tipsy enough not to care that the tacos were subpar. At least they were tacos. Tacos were life.
I came back from the restroom to find that he’d already paid the bill. I swatted at him. “I was going to pay half.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “I’m a gentleman.”
“No, you’re not,” I told him, poking his rather firm chest. “Next time, it’s on me.”
“You seem to be uncomfortable with the idea of me doing things for you.”
I stepped back a step. “I’m… well… I am. You’re a client.”
“Yes, and you do enough for me,” he said evenly. “I was raised that a man holds the door open, gives the girl his jacket, and picks up the tab. Not because we’re not equal. But out of courtesy. And I’m not going to stop doing it for you, Anna.”
I swallowed, heat coming to my cheeks at the way he caressed my name. He hadn’t called me Anna since that night in the green room. I hadn’t realized that I’d missed it.
“All right,” I said finally. “Then… thank you.”
He smiled, all charm, and then pulled the door open to the restaurant. “You’re welcome.”
I might have hesitated before, but this time, I just strode through it and into the awaiting car that whisked us to his friend’s party. The car pulled up to an innocuous building on Park Avenue nestled between a bakery and a designer handbag store. A doorman stood at the ready when we appeared. Court flashed him a smile as if he knew the man and then beelined for a set of elevators.
To my surprise, the party wasn’t actually in a penthouse. I’d practically grown accustomed to them. Lark didn’t have one, but that was a choice against her parents. The rest of the Upper East Siders that I knew had one. Even I did. Though… I was far from an Upper East Sider. I was Hollywood, looking in on the New York glamour and high society.
The door was unlocked when we reached it, and Court let himself in. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but the place was massive. Completely unlike the evenly spaced doorways in the hallway. It was clear the owner had purchased multiple apartments and renovated them into one space.
“Wow,” I whispered to Court as he closed the door behind us.
“Yeah. Robert’s place has that effect. He’s always trying to buy out his neighbors and knock down more walls. Honestly, I’m not sure how structurally sound it is.”
“We’d have to ask Sam. Isn’t he good at that sort of thing?”
Court laughed. “That he is. Too bad that he’s in North Carolina, visiting family this weekend.”
“Oh, really?” I blinked. “I thought he was going to the Hamptons.”
“Seems he felt about as welcome as you did.”
“Huh. Lark didn’t tell me.”
“You’ve both been kind of busy.”
“True,” I agreed as I followed him into the living room and through the pulse of people.
We stopped when we reached the kitchen. An array of alcohol was displayed. There was even a bartender stationed at the front. My buzz was already wearing off. Whatever he was serving, I wanted it. It had been one hellish week.
Court pointed at me. “She’ll have a gin and tonic. I’ll take a bourbon and Coke.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Court flashed me a smile. As if it was just another thing that he’d been raised to do. He knew what drink I liked. And he knew to order it for me. I let the protest die on my lips and took the procured gin and tonic.
“You made it!” a man crowed, appearing out of the crowd and clapping Court on the back.
Court turned and grinned at the Hispanic man I’d recognized from lunch the other day. “Robert, good to see you.”
“I just heard about your announcement.” Robert shook his hand. He was handsome with sun-kissed skin and dark hair, almost black, styled in the latest European fashion. He had the air of someone who could talk his way in and out of everything. “Congrats! Now, you’ll get to live the drudgery life like the rest of us.”