Cruel Fortune

by K. A. Linde

  “I mean, sure…I’d love to ruin your week. Also, you’ve been offline and basically unreachable. You’ve been out. And I’m hardly in anymore. You’ve finally accomplished what you always wanted. You’re separate from the Upper East Side. You sure you want to know?”

  “About her…yes.”

  Lark sighed. She seemed to dread having to be the most levelheaded and down-to-earth member of my high school crew. The only other one with a real job, following her dreams of running a political campaign. “Looks like Natalie moved to the city this week and has a place on the Upper West.”

  She’d moved to the city. Natalie, who had told me she didn’t want to be here or anywhere near me. Who had run back to Charleston as soon as she could. This didn’t make any sense.

  “Are they…together?” I clenched my hands into fists, anticipating the blow.

  “Penn…it’s been a year.”

  “I know it’s been a goddamn year!” I shook my head and paced the small office space. “But she said that she didn’t want this life. Maybe she’s changed her mind. Or maybe she’s dating Lewis out of spite because of that goddamn bet.”

  Lark looked at me evenly. It was why I’d come to her. I might have been pissed, but she usually kept me on the straight and narrow. Saw the logical conclusion in the middle of my flame.

  “Does that sound like Natalie?”

  “How should I know?” I spat. “I fucked everything up, and then she left. It’s been a year. Anything is possible.”

  “Penn?”

  I sighed and slouched down into the chair in front of her desk. “No, it doesn’t. She holds a grudge, but dating Lewis…that sounds like a purely Warren move.”

  “It does,” Lark conceded. “Maybe you should find out what’s really going on.”

  “I’m not going to ask Lewis. That’s what he wants. You know he’s only doing this to get to me.”

  Lark arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t suggest that you talk to Lewis.”

  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin to get to Natalie.”

  “You just stormed into my office and nearly knocked my ex-boyfriend on his ass. Where’s that fire for yourself?” she spat. She rose to her feet and threw a pen at my face. I dodged it but just barely. “She wants you to fight for her, you idiot.”

  I couldn’t help but scoff. “I tried that once. Didn’t exactly go as planned, did it?”

  “Boohoo, you tried once. The only time you’ve had to try for anything in your whole life. Guess that’s over. You’ve been in love with this girl for a year, even when she doesn’t want to have anything to do with you. You know that you didn’t manipulate her and that what you felt was real. That’s what matters. Now that she’s here, you’re not going to do anything?”

  Lark’s words hit me fresh. I remembered that rush of adrenaline when I’d found out she was in the city and hurried down to see her at The Strand. I’d thought that I was doing the right thing by staying away. But I should have seen her. I couldn’t stand by and watch this happen. Watch her be with someone else. Let alone Lewis.

  “How do I find her?”

  “Now we’re talking.” Lark pulled something up on her phone and handed it to me. “I assume that you got this invite.”

  I glanced down at her phone and saw the invitation to Harmony Cunningham’s house party. Harmony and I had a long, varied history that had mostly ended up with major disappointment for her. I’d only had interest in her at one point because it drove Katherine crazy. She was the exact kind of person I tended to avoid at present.

  “Yeah. Not going to that. Talk about a land mine.”

  “Well, I’m ninety-nine percent sure Lewis will be there.”

  “Great. He can deal with Harmony.”

  “I’d guess he’s bringing Natalie, dummy.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “No way. This isn’t her scene.”

  Lark shrugged. “It seems like it is. Jane is going, and they’re friends.”

  Yeah, I was still confused on how that had happened. Natalie, who wanted to be as far from the Upper East Side as possible was now…entering my world of her own volition?

  There was only one way to find out the answers to my questions. Only one way to stop whatever Lewis’s plan was. I had to go to the party. I had to fight for Natalie.

  “Well,” I said, scanning the invitation once more, “looks like I’ll have to make an appearance.”

  “That’s my boy. Back in the game.”

  “And you’re coming with me to the party.”

  “Oh, yeah, no, I’m busy tomorrow night.”

  “No, you’re not. You’ve been sulking as bad as me since you and Thomas broke up. You shouldn’t be working twelve-hour days when you’re not even on campaign right now. Even my mother would agree with evenings off, Lark.”

  “Ugh, I’m not getting out of this, am I?”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Guess I’ll have to go shopping.”

  “Such a travesty,” I joked.

  “Hey, I’m saving your ass. Save your snark for someone else.”

  “Thanks, by the way,” I told her.

  “Anytime.”

  “Now, let’s get some dinner. I’m dying for that Thai place around the corner.”

  Lark shot me an exasperated look. “Didn’t you hear that I’m busy, and now, I need a dress?”

  “Yeah…who cares? You can wear whatever you want. It’s a Harmony party. Live a little.”

  Lark threw a second pen at my face, smacking me in the nose that time. “You’re paying, Kensington.”

  I just laughed and held the door open for her. “Obviously.”

  Part III

  Best-Laid Plans

  Natalie

  15

  Despite the frigid temperatures, I decided to enjoy my walk across Central Park rather than take an overpriced cab to Lewis’s apartment. It was a breezy day, and I wished that I’d brought a hat with me. But we were heading out to a small house party later, and I didn’t want to fuck with my hair.

  I ducked my chin to my chest against the wind as I navigated the park. It was surprisingly full for the weather. Likely, everyone else was more accustomed to this than I was.

  As I came upon the stairs that led to Bethesda Fountain, I snapped a shot and sent it to Melanie to taunt her. She was in the middle of finals, and basketball season was about to start for the dance team. Of course, she’d made the team as a freshman.

  Her response was almost instantaneous.

  Bitch.

  I laughed and shot back a response.

  You could always apply to fashion school and move up here with me.

  That’d be a dream, but I couldn’t leave Michael.

  I rolled my eyes. Of course. Michael.

  Besides Amy, that was the hardest part of leaving Charleston. I hated how Michael and Melanie were together. I’d hoped that I’d be able to convince her to dump him. But it had been a year, and they were still together.

  I sighed and pocketed my phone once more. A problem for another day. I should be more worried about this party that I had agreed to go to. Lewis had insisted that it was going to be a chill thing and that the rest of the crew wouldn’t be there. Ease me back into society.

  I’d agreed between kisses after we left Rockefeller earlier this week, and I was second-guessing myself. The only positive was that I was writing again. Thankfully, the city and Lewis’s presence had had a positive effect on my manuscript.

  My fingers were half-frozen by the time I entered his building and took the elevator up to the top floor. Like most Manhattan penthouses, it opened up directly into the residence. A fact that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to.

  “Hello?” I called into the empty apartment.

  “In the back,” I heard Lewis call out. “Make yourself at home.”

  I stepped gingerly inside. I’d been here once before. The night that Penn had kissed his ex-girlfriend, Emily. It had all been orchestrated to cause havoc
in our relationship, probably thanks to Katherine. But I hadn’t known that, and I’d had Lewis take me back to his place. I was here for an entirely different reason this time.

  Lewis’s place was impeccable. All clean, sharp lines and carefully placed furniture. Art pieces that I knew Amy would covet hung on the walls, and a record player was playing a classical piece that I didn’t recognize. An impressive collection of records was on display on a bookshelf next to the player. There were literally hundreds from all different genres. I ran my fingers across them, picking out artists that I liked. Almost all mainstream pop or rock with a whole shelf of classical.

  “You like vinyl?” Lewis asked.

  I whipped around, and my mouth watered at the sight of him. He was in a blue button-up, half undone as if he had been in the middle of getting dressed when I entered.

  “My dad does,” I told him. “He still has a few from when he was in high school.”

  “That’s the best part about vinyl. It ages well,” he said with a signature smile as he threaded each button into its hole. My eyes were struck by the strangely sexual motion.

  “Like good bourbon.”

  “You’ve got me there. Want a drink?” he asked as he moved toward a fully stocked bar. “I can give you a quick tour before we go.”

  “Sure.” He poured us each a glass out of a bottle that I couldn’t help but recognize. “Jefferson’s Ocean?”

  “I thought it was your drink.”

  I broke out into a laugh. The first night I’d met Lewis, I’d plucked a bottle of bourbon out of the Kensingtons’ bar at the Hamptons home. I’d used half of it to light my rejection letters on fire, and the other half, I’d shared with the crew. I’d had no idea what I was drinking, but it’d tasted damn good.

  “It is now. I’ll admit that I didn’t know what it was before I drank it that first night. I stole it out of the bar.” I shrugged with a wicked smile on my face.

  “Scandal,” he said as he passed me my drink. “Well, you don’t have to steal this one. I got it for you.”

  “Thank you,” I said softly. It was thoughtful in its own way.

  “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

  I took a sip of the bourbon, remembering the fiery flavor and all the memories that it dredged up. I hadn’t had it since that night. And for a second, all I could see was Penn’s face when I’d walked out of the ocean, naked. The way he’d looked at me, treated me, the stubborn, strong-willed grudge I’d held. The way he’d melted it.

  I sighed heavily and hurried after Lewis. No need to think about things that didn’t matter anymore.

  We looked into the guest bedroom and then into his office. It was more of a library than an office, and I was here for it. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases in a deep, rich mahogany covered three walls. His desk took up the center space. Every shelf was jam-packed full of books. I could live in this room.

  “Gah,” I breathed. “It’s perfect.”

  “I thought you might like it.”

  “This makes the yacht look like a joke,” I said with a laugh.

  “You should see the one my father has. It’s easily triple this size.”

  My eyes turned into heart emojis with how much I wanted that. Lewis just chuckled and pulled me out of the room. He had a spare room filled with instruments that he claimed he could only half-play and a green felt poker table. A half-dozen baseball trophies sat on a bookshelf next to marathon medals. An impressive-looking digital SLR camera and lens sat next to a collection of framed pictures of family and friends. I hastily turned away from them before I could pick out the crew in the shots.

  “You’re good at everything,” I told him.

  He shrugged. “I like to pick up hobbies.”

  “Like ice skating,” I said.

  “Precisely.”

  We moved to the other side of the apartment to what appeared to be the wing for his master bedroom. It was enormous, taking up the size of the other three bedrooms and baths combined. The bathroom alone was a sprawling complex with a jetted tub at the center, a giant walk-in waterfall shower, and a stage-level vanity. His closet was nearly as big as my entire apartment. And the man had more suits and ties than God.

  “Well, the tour is a bit different than my place. My apartment could fit inside here,” I said, leaning against the bathtub.

  He grinned, his eyes sweeping down my body. And I could see that his thoughts were far from pure. Thinking about all the things we could do in that bathtub.

  “I’m second-guessing taking you out,” he said as he strode toward me in the flawless bathroom.

  “That so?” I tilted my head up to look at him.

  “I kind of like the idea of keeping you all to myself.” His hands slid to my waist. “Maybe we should stay in. I can get takeout, and we can use the bath. I’m sure I have bubbles somewhere.” He firmly pressed his lips to mine. “What do you say?”

  “You drive a hard bargain,” I breathed against him. “I think you could convince me.”

  He tilted his head against my forehead. “Fuck. I want that.”

  “We can stay.”

  “I have to meet someone there,” he said on a sigh. “It’s a stupid business thing. If I didn’t, then I’d say, let’s skip it. But we can make a quick appearance, say hey to Jane, and then disappear. Plan?”

  I nodded. “Plan.”

  * * *

  There was a sense of irony to the fact that the “small” house party Lewis took me to happened to be for Harmony Cunningham. That was the party Amy and I had snuck into in Paris when we were eighteen. The party where I’d first met Penn. I hadn’t known it at the time. We’d only been there to meet up with Enzo. I thought it proved that their world was even smaller than I’d thought.

  “You’re sure the rest of the crew won’t be here?” I asked. Because I had my doubts.

  “Positive,” Lewis reassured me with a hand on my lower back. “Harmony and Katherine hate each other. Always have. Lark doesn’t come out. Rowe is an introvert unless he has to be in society, or someone forces him. And Penn…well, even if I’d seen him out in the last couple of months, he wouldn’t be here.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  Lewis arched an eyebrow. “He and Harmony have a history.”

  Of course they did. No wonder he’d been at that party in Paris. Maybe he’d been there for Harmony all along, and I’d just stumbled into his orbit.

  “Well, that’s good at least.”

  I shook my hands out and tried to channel my inner Jane Devney.

  Fake it till you make it. Fake it till you just don’t give a fuck.

  I could do it. I’d done it before. How different was it all really?

  Harmony’s apartment was exquisite. It was very obvious that her mother was a designer from the second I stepped in her place. Everything was soft, feminine, and cultured. It reminded me so much of the Cunningham flat in Paris that I’d been in.

  “Lewis, you made it!” A tall blonde crushed herself to him.

  He patted on her back and then released her. “Hey, Harm. This is Natalie.”

  Harmony leaned forward and brushed kisses to each of my cheeks. “Welcome! I’ve heard so much about you from Jane, but we’ve never gotten a chance to meet.”

  I flushed. “We actually met three summers ago in Paris. I was there at the flat near yours. That’s where I met Jane first too.”

  “Oh Lord, those parties are such a blur. Forgive me.”

  “Nothing to forgive,” I said with a wave of my hand.

  I had been vacation home watching the flat for Amy’s parents. There was no reason for Harmony to have recognized me. It was a fluke that I’d ended up there.

  “Well, come in. Come in. I’m thrilled to meet the woman who caught Lewis Warren’s eye,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “And look at you. My mother would simply die over you. Do you model?”

  “Natalie is a bestselling author,” Lewis interjected easily.

  “Wow. Forget it. Use your brains
and not your beauty. Makes for a longer career, I’m told.”

  “And what do you do?” I asked.

  Harmony snorted. “Model. Like an idiot.”

  I had been prepared to hate Harmony Cunningham. I’d thought she would be just like every other Upper East Side bitch that I’d endured. That she’d put me on edge with her history with Katherine and Penn. But truly, she was charming. Bright, funny, and lively. So far…she didn’t seem like she was going to try to ruin my life.

  “Lewis knows his way around. Grab a drink, dance, have a good time. Great meeting you.”

  “You too,” I said and then followed Lewis to the kitchen where a huge selection of cocktails was being hand-prepared by a pair of bartenders. “She’s kind of great.”

  “See? Nothing to worry about.” He brushed a kiss to my forehead, and I relaxed a fraction more.

  I took a glass of champagne and turned to face the crush of people. The music was loud, and most of the living room furniture had been moved to accommodate a moderate-sized dance floor. I didn’t recognize anyone at all until an ash-blonde beauty materialized in front of me.

  “You’re here!” Jane crooned. She was glowing and seemed utterly in her element. “Lewis, can I steal your girl for a minute? I want to introduce her to everyone I know.”

  “Easy, Jane. Let her get her sea legs under her,” Lewis said. “We both know that you know everyone.”

  “So should she,” she said with a grin.

  “Let me at least have a drink before I meet everyone.”

  “Fine. But we got the green light on my club, and it’s officially opening next week.”

  “Jane, that’s incredible!”

  “So much happened while you were gone.” She winked at Lewis. “Thanks for the help, by the way.”

  He raised his glass to her, leaving me wondering what exactly he’d done to help her. Had he done something for the club? Or invested?

  “I’m thinking we need to shop this week one day when you’re not writing. I’m too excited, and I need to blow some cash,” she said with a laugh. “Need to see my three best friends—Gucci, Dior, and Cunningham.”