by R. Linda
I shimmied out of my shorts and scoffed, “Yeah, sorry he got caught more like.”
“I don’t know, Wren. He seemed pretty cut up about it.”
“I don’t care anymore. He’s a tenant. He helps me pay the bills. Keeps my pizza schedule, that’s it.” I pulled the dress over my head and walked out of the bathroom. “Let’s go.”
“Umm…”
I slid a pair of black heels on and picked up my clutch, dumping my phone, I.D and credit card inside, and turned to face Eva.
“Babe, you can’t go out like that.” She waved in my general direction.
“What?”
“Paint on your cheek. And what is this? What’s going on here?” She pulled on my bun and screwed her face up. Bringing her hand away from my head, she had a piece of spaghetti pinched between her fingers. It came from my hair. “You need to shower first.”
I rolled my eyes. “I better get a pizza out of this, I swear.” I stomped back into the bathroom, and called over my shoulder, “Bring me more wine.”
She was right. I looked in the mirror and cringed. I was a mess and there was more than one piece of spaghetti in my hair. I thought back to the last time I ate pasta or washed my hair. It was too long ago to remember, four or five days ago, maybe. For both. I mean, I showered every day, I just didn’t wash my hair more than once a week. If I did, it dried out and became super frizzy.
“Don’t forget to shave your legs,” Eva said as she slid the shower door open enough to slip a wine glass through.
“So bossy,” I grumbled and took the glass from her. I sipped the cool, bitter liquid and carefully placed the glass on the wine holder I specifically installed in the shower so I could wash out the soap in my hair.
After I finished showering and getting dressed again, Eva was standing in my room with the blow dryer, a can of hair spray, anti-frizz serum and a whole bunch of other products I never used.
And…
“Where is it?” I asked, inhaling deeply and sighing.
“Sit first. If you’re a good girl, then you’ll get a reward.”
“I’m not a dog. Where’s the damn pizza?” I demanded as I sat down.
“One slice, because you showered.” Eva walked away and returned a second later with a slice of cheese pizza for me.
I took a huge bite and argued with her. “I shower.”
“Just shut up and eat. If you don’t complain about your hair, you’ll get another slice.”
So, I sat quietly and let Eva do whatever she wished to, and she fed me pizza as a reward. By the time we were ready to leave, I was full and well on my way to tipsy.
Blake called Eva to say she was out the front and waiting for us. With one last look in the mirror, I smiled to myself and followed Eva down the side of the house quietly to avoid drawing unwanted attention from Tate. My hair hung in long waves, my cheeks were rosy, partly from the wine, and the dress Eva had chosen was killer. My boobs looked awesome, my waist accentuated, and my legs looked longer than they ever had before.
I had to admit that when I made an effort, or rather, when Eva forced me to make an effort, I felt beautiful, and he was the last person I wanted to see. Tonight, I was dressed to kill, and I wasn’t going to let his sexy face ruin my wine buzz or my night.
I didn’t know what it was about the man, but before I met him, nothing used to bother me. I was confident and comfortable in my own skin. I didn’t give a hoot what people thought of me. But then Tate walked into my life with Malibu Barbie on his arm and suddenly I was brought to my knees on the verge of tears after nearly every interaction.
No more.
I wasn’t putting up with their narcissism. Their taunts. Or their cruelty.
I was Wren Keller.
Miss Independent.
Artist.
Wealthy.
Real.
I wasn’t plastic.
And tonight, I was going to have fun. Hang out with my friends. Tomorrow I was getting out there and chasing my dreams.
Tate
I STOOD IN the darkened office and tried not to stare out the window like a creeper as Eva and Wren tiptoed down the side of the house, and through the gate I was sure was reserved solely for Nico and his giant, black pizza bag.
Tried being the operative word.
I tried.
I failed.
I hid behind the drapes and peeked through the gap before moving to the front window and watching as they climbed into the car that was idling not-so-quietly out the front. If Wren was trying to sneak out, she needed to tell her friends and clue them in on how to be stealthy, because laughing like schoolgirls and blasting cringeworthy pop music from the car stereo was not the way to avoid attention.
Once they left and I was sure I hadn’t been seen, not because it was weird or anything, but because Wren would probably rip my balls off with her teeth and spit them in my face if she caught me, I went and had a shower. And while the idea of Wren’s mouth on my balls was appealing, those full lips of hers were absolutely dickable, it was the damage her teeth could do when she was pissed that scared the hell out of me.
She didn’t take shit from anyone, least of all me.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my phone and called Rachel.
“Baby!” she answered, excitement tainting her voice.
“Where are you?”
“No hello? I miss you? Or, how are you?”
“I’m dressed and feel like going out,” I said, rubbing my eyebrows with my hand. She was giving me a headache already and I’d only said ten words to her.
“Seriously?” She gasped. I could hear the gleeful smile in her voice. She hated that since we’d moved here I didn’t party as much, and was always begging me to go out and be seen with her. She knew why I couldn’t. Why I needed to lay low, but all that mattered to her was her image.
How did it look when she was seen out every night partying and dancing at clubs with her girlfriends and my friends? She didn’t care how it reflected on me that she was out all the time without me, but I was past the point of caring.
“Seriously. I need to celebrate,” I told her.
“You got the gig?” She squealed into the phone.
“Yeah.” After Wren ran out almost in tears earlier, the phone call I’d been waiting on finally came through. And they were so keen to sign me up they basically offered me anything I wanted. So naturally, I told them I had a few conditions, to which they agreed, and now I was waiting on the contract to be sent over to sign.
“I’m so happy for you! This is going to be amazing. Paris, here we come!”
Little did she know, we weren’t going to Paris.
I picked up my keys from the bowl near the front door and made my way outside. “Uh, yeah. So, where are you? I’m getting in my car now.”
“There’s a new club opening tonight. We’re there. I’ll text you the directions.”
“It’s fine, just tell me the name of it.” I had GPS. I could find it on my own.
“It doesn’t have a name. It’s just a door that’s hidden down an alley.”
Of course, it was. I sighed. “Fine, text me.” I hung up the phone and stared at the screen while I waited for her text to come through. I should have known she’d be at a place like that. She constantly frequented places that tried too hard to be edgy and cool. And this sounded just like that. What sort of business didn’t have a name?
I sent a quick text to my manager asking him to do something for me.
His reply was exactly as I expected.
Steve: Thank fucking Christ. Consider it done.
Rachel’s text came through a minute later, so I punched the address into my GPS and took off toward the club. Toward hell. And the devil herself.
The club was easy enough to find considering there was a line halfway around the block. I parked my car and sat there for a moment, kicking myself. I wasn’t wanting to be seen, and there was no way I could walk past that line into the club without being noticed. But maybe
it wouldn’t look so bad if I was seen entering the club alone and not with Rachel?
Yeah, right.
I could imagine the headlines in the morning and Steve’s reaction. What other choice did I have though? I had to get in there, and I had to do it now before I lost my nerve or hurt her more.
I reached into the back seat and pulled out my baseball cap. It was a poor excuse for a disguise but sometimes hiding in plain sight worked. Pulling the cap low over my face and looking like a total douche with my sunglasses on at night, I got out of the car and headed to the door. Rachel’s text message had said she’d put my name on the list, which meant I should be able to just walk straight in.
Keeping my head lowered and turned to the side slightly to avoid being recognized, I approached the bouncer at the door and slid my identification and a hundred dollars out of my wallet. I handed it to him discreetly, hoping he wouldn’t make a fuss about who I was.
“You’re…” He nodded and shut up the moment he realized there was cash in his hand.
I cleared my throat and waited while he eyed me for a moment before handing back my ID and pocketing the hundred bucks. He lifted the rope and stepped aside. “Have a good night.”
I acknowledged him with a tilt of the head and darted past him as he crossed my name off the list. My shoulders sagged in relief that I’d managed to sneak inside and not be noticed.
Inside was dark and the air was tainted with the sweet scent of cocktails. Bodies moved on the dance floor and the bar was lit only by a strip of neon purple along the floor and back lit mirrors behind the counter. Bright-colored alcohol bottles lined the shelves and the bartenders were all dressed the same. White shirt, black pants or short shorts, and a thin black tie.
I walked to the bar, and not really in the mood to party, I took my sunglasses off and hung them on the collar of my shirt before ordering a beer.
Liquid courage.
It was a necessity. This was going to end in a huge scene and more drama than I really needed at the moment, but it had to be done. For my sanity. For hers. I was banking on the fact that maybe, just maybe she didn’t want the bad publicity as much as me.
The beer was cool and refreshing with a hint of lime. I leaned against the bar and sent a text to Rachel asking where she was, but I had no doubt that she was on the dance floor surrounded by her friends.
I circled the dance floor in search of her, but it was the full, sexy figure swaying her hips to the beat that caught my attention first. Head tilted back, arms raised, and eyes closed as she felt the music, moved with it perfectly. Wren. I stood mesmerized by her movements, unable to tear my eyes away from her, until a body pressed into my back.
Thin bony fingers rested on my stomach, and the warmth of a body rested against my back. Rachel’s fruity-scented perfume burned my nose and it took all my strength not to turn around and push her away, but this wasn’t the place to do it.
“Baby, you made it,” she purred in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
I took a mouthful of beer and walked across the club to the back corner where it was dark and there was less chance of prying eyes, knowing she’d follow me.
I leaned against the wall, the beer bottle hanging from my fingertips as I watched Rachel start toward me. Her heels were too high, she could barely walk in them, and her dress was so short she had to tug it down after every step she took.
“Congratulations on the deal.” She pressed her body against mine and ran her teeth over my earlobe. I suppressed a shudder, not wanting her to touch me at all, but I needed to tread carefully. Placing my hands on her shoulders I pushed her back gently.
“We need to talk.”
“Sure, baby, but dance with me first.” She grabbed my hands and tried to pull me back toward the dance floor. “We haven’t been out together in so long; we need to make the most of this appearance.”
“No one can know I’m here, you know that,” I said and pulled my hands from hers. I was laying low. Yet, I was about to cause an epic public meltdown and the fallout would either be catastrophic to my career, or launch me into superstar status. I was hoping for the latter.
“Then why did you come?” She pouted, running her fingers along the buttons of my shirt. I didn’t know why she was trying so hard. She knew I had no interest in her. I didn’t want to touch her with a ten-foot pole. But she loved the chase. Thrived on it. And I was her biggest challenge.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from Steve.
Steve: Press release is ready to go. And a cleanup crew is on standby. You just give me the go ahead and we’ll set the wheels in motion. This is a good thing, Tate. You’re doing the right thing.
I typed out a reply, giving him the go ahead and tucked my phone back into my pocket, but not before Rachel saw.
“What’s going on?” Her arms were folded across her chest, and she raised an eyebrow at me.
She knew.
“What press release? And why do you need a cleanup crew?”
“I’m done.” I shrugged my shoulders. I could have been nicer about it. Could have eased her into it with the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ bullshit, but that would be a lie. It was all fucking her.
“Done?” She laughed bitterly. “You’re not serious?”
I nodded.
“You’re unbelievable. What changed? You scored this job so, what, you don’t need me anymore?”
“Sweetheart, this entire relationship, engagement, everything has been a charade from the beginning. It was a business deal meant to further both our careers. That’s it. I’m done.” I drained the rest of my beer, already wishing this conversation would end so I could go home.
“It didn’t seem like a charade every time you had me naked and on my back,” she hissed.
“Eh,” I rolled my neck trying to ease the tension she caused. “Why buy a cow when you can get the milk for free?”
Her lips pursed and her eyebrows pulled together. She tilted her head to the side and eyed me curiously. Jesus, she was fucking clueless. “What the hell does that mean?”
I rolled my eyes. “It means, you were easy. All I had to do was walk into a room and your legs fell open.”
Her palm came out of nowhere and hit me square across the cheek. I rubbed my face to ease the sting. “You’re a fucking bastard.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t care. Steve has issued a press release. And has sent the cleanup crew to the house to clear out your shit. Find a guy and go home with him tonight because you’re not coming back to Wren’s.” I walked away.
I’d only gone a few steps before she pulled my arm and turned me to face her. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re giving up this,” she ran her hands down her body in one last attempt at being seductive, but it only made her look more desperate, “for that hippo.”
I saw red. I’d never hit a female, but in that moment, I was tempted to. I pushed her back against the wall and stepped closer to her, pressing my body against hers. “At least she’s not a plastic bitch who opens her legs to anyone who smiles at her. She’s got more self-respect and integrity in her god damn pinky finger than you do in your whole body.”
And with that I turned and walked back to the bar for one more drink.
Wren
THE GIRLS TOOK me to a new club for opening night. I wasn’t a huge fan of clubbing, I was more of a home body, but Eva insisted I needed to go out and unwind with my friends. And I figured, since I actually had some cash to spare because of Tate’s rent money and the fact he made me let Nelson go, I might as well enjoy a night out.
The cocktails were flowing, maybe more than they should, and I knew I needed to pace myself, but I was genuinely having a great time. It was freeing to forget my money worries, my cruel tenant, and his overly tanned girlfriend.
“Let’s dance,” Eva insisted after I finished my third pretty pink drink—I didn’t even know w
hat was in them, but they tasted like cotton candy.
I groaned. “Do I have to?” We’d already danced, and my feet hurt.
“You have great moves thanks to that pole of yours, so get your ass back out there and shake it.”
She led me to the dance floor where the girls were still dancing, now with a couple of guys hovering close by. I rolled my eyes. This was why I didn’t like clubbing. I wanted a girls’ night. I was happy for a girls’ night. But in places like this, you couldn’t just go out and have drinks and dance without being groped at least a few times.
Eva pulled me close and threw her arms over my shoulders as she swayed her hips and laughed. She was always the life of the party.
“Hey, isn’t that Tate Montgomery?” Blake leaned in and shouted in our faces to be heard over the music.
My blood chilled, and Eva’s head whipped around. “Oh, shit. What’s he doing here?”
“Who cares? Let’s go say hi!” Blake stared over my shoulder, fluffed her hair and rearranged her boobs so they were almost spilling out of her dress.
“Uh, no. It’s okay.” I shook my head. Why was he here? I couldn’t face him, not after earlier.
“But you’re obsessed with the man,” Blake said, staring at me as though I’d lost my mind.
“Lost interest.” I chanced a glance over my shoulder, and there he was, walking in the direction of the bar.
“Come on. When will we ever get the chance to introduce ourselves to him again?”
Eva laughed. Little did Blake know, I saw more of him than I cared to admit. He hurt me, and if I didn’t need his rent to survive, I’d evict him.
Blake pushed between Eva and I and headed in the direction of Tate, but as she neared the edge of the dance floor, I reached for her. “Abort mission.”
“What? Why?”
I pointed to Rachel a step behind him. “Girlfriend alert.”
“Ugh, she’s so fucking lucky to go home to that every night.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” I pulled her back to Eva. “Let’s just dance,” I said before either Tate or Rachel realized I was there. My good mood was dwindling fast, and if I didn’t lose myself in the music, I’d end up leaving and going home to eat my weight in ice-cream and leftover pizza.
