This had a different feel to it.
Everyone was dressed in suits and dresses.
The dancing had a certain rhythm to it too. People who knew how to dance with each other. And those who didn’t or couldn’t dance sat on long leather couches with tables in front of them with little candles burning. Everyone seemed mature and there for a purpose. It was almost creepy.
But it was also kind of welcoming.
“Make up a name and have fun,” Lizzy said.
“This is absolutely dangerous and crazy,” I said.
“Yes it is,” Danica said. “And we can do whatever we want.”
“For the most part,” Lizzy said.
“Why aren’t we allowed down here?” I asked her. “We’re old enough…”
“The way it’s run, there’s only so many people allowed down here per night,” Lizzy said. “Makes it all more exclusive and fun. Builds the buzz for the place. Want to go dance?”
“Sure,” I said.
“You look killer in that dress, Belle,” Danica said.
I grinned.
They didn’t know that this was the dress I bought when Uly told me to wear something nice to meet his father.
Such an asshole move, but at least the dress was coming in handy again.
The three of us walked to the dance floor area. I kept my eyes wide open and kept looking around, waiting for something to happen. I felt dumb for being paranoid, but how could I not? There was something off about the underground thing… but nothing bad happened.
We literally danced.
Song after song, just the three of us together, dancing and laughing, forgetting everything above us and in BFH.
It was actually the perfect kind of night for me.
After everything that had been happening with Them…
When I got thirsty, I stopped dancing.
I signaled for a drink and Lizzy smiled. “Anything you want, Belle.”
That suggested another reason why this place was so secretive then. And maybe why we shouldn’t have been there.
I looked to Danica. She said, “you know me. I’m always the driver.”
I was totally fine with drinking water and then going back to dancing.
It was fun.
And nobody knew me. Nobody paid attention to me.
I was a stranger and able to have fun.
I didn’t need anything else.
But it looked like Lizzy did.
She grabbed my hand and I grabbed Danica’s hand.
We rushed to the side of the bar and waited.
This was definitely feeling crazier by the second.
Someone breezed by us and for some reason my nose twitched. Then I heard, “Two glasses of the most expensive scotch you have here… don’t fuck this up…”
I turned my head and my eyes opened wide.
A woman then strutted by us. She was ridiculously gorgeous.
And she walked up to…
I gasped when she placed her hand to his ass.
Without hesitation, he looked down at her and leaned down to kiss her.
And it was a kiss…
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
Both Lizzy and Danica asked me what was wrong.
I nodded as Jo’s boyfriend kept kissing some other woman.
* * *
When I realized exactly what was happening, I grabbed Lizzy and Danica and pulled them from the bar. That was just as one of the bartenders was coming over to help us.
“What is it?” Danica snapped.
“That creepy asshole Jo has been seeing is here,” I said.
“Oh, shit,” Lizzy said. “Is Dr. Thornburn here? She’ll kill us all.”
“She’s not here,” I said.
“That’s good.”
“That’s the problem,” I said. “Michael is with someone else. Look at them at the bar.”
We all watched as Michael turned and put his back to the bar. He was still kissing the gorgeous woman. His hands at her sides. She was so pencil thin that his hands almost went all the way around her.
The way they were kissing…
“Oh, he’s definitely fucking her on the side,” Danica said.
“What if Jo is the side thing?” Lizzy asked.
“What?” I growled.
“Maybe that woman is his girlfriend or fiancée or wife,” Lizzy said. “And he’s banging Jo for fun.”
That made it seem worse for some reason.
Either way, the guy that Jo had been going out on dates with was getting really worked up with some other woman.
Their kiss broke and Michael reached behind him to the bar to get a glass of scotch. He then put the glass between them and nodded.
The woman laughed and put her head back.
Michael poured a little of the scotch into her mouth and then purposely out of her mouth. His mouth then latched onto her neck where the scotch had run down.
“I have to get out of here,” I said. “I have to tell Jo.”
“Belle, stop,” Lizzy said.
I started to move.
I snuck around and took out my phone to take a picture.
That got a few people looking at me.
And then Michael looked in our direction.
We were at the steps and I rushed up them as fast as I could.
“Belle, wait!” Lizzy said.
I pushed at the door and it opened maybe a foot before stopping.
Then it suddenly opened the rest of the way.
I gasped when I saw that big dude that had been guarding the door earlier standing there, rubbing the back of his head.
“You,” he said. “I thought you left. You hurt your ankle. Where’s your fucking ID?”
“Go, go, go,” Danica said as she pushed me.
Next thing I knew, the three of us were in a full sprint out of the restaurant.
The big dude was behind us for a couple seconds before he stopped and yelled that we were done for if we ever came back again.
I already knew Lizzy and Danica were pissed at me, again.
I fucked up their night.
But what was I supposed to do?
Stay down there and watch Jo’s boyfriend do what he was doing with another woman?
“I guess I can drive still,” Lizzy remarked when we got to her car.
“I’m sorry,” I called out. “What else was I supposed to do there?”
“You could have-”
“Belle’s right,” Danica said.
“I have to fix this now,” Lizzy said.
“You can do it,” Danica said.
“I have to talk to Jo. I have to tell her everything.”
“Wait a fucking second,” Lizzy said.
“I’ll figure it out,” I said. “I won’t say anything about this place. Okay?”
“Belle…”
“Lizzy,” I said. “Jo…”
I shook my head.
I wasn’t going to defend myself for what I had to do.
“Drive me or I’ll walk,” I said.
“Do you know how far that is?” Lizzy asked.
“I don’t care,” I said. “I can’t…”
“Everyone just chill the fuck out for a second,” Danica said. “First off, everyone in the car. Lizzy, let me drive. That way you can panic all you want.”
“If it’s known that I’m fooling around with…” Lizzy shut her eyes for a second. “Belle, I mean this in a way that is not supposed to make me sound like a really shitty person… but you don’t get how it works around here. Family. Money. Who’s allowed to be near who…”
“I’m not going to say a fucking thing about this place,” I said. “How about a little trust?”
Lizzy didn’t respond.
We all got into the car and Danica drove us away.
I couldn’t stop picturing Michael and that woman.
And the things he had said to me the few times I met him.
Jo worked so hard for her life. For her career. And if she w
as even just a little foggy when it came to love…
This wasn’t love.
I shut my eyes.
Wondering if I was practicing saying that to Jo, or if I was saying it to myself.
About Them.
The sight of Michael kissing that woman brought back so many memories. Jo was not my mother… not by a long shot… but in this situation…
“Anyway,” Danica said with a laugh, “that place back there is kind of fun. Once in a while.”
“Doubt we can go back there ever now,” Lizzy said.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Okay? You can hate me, Lizzy. But that guy…”
“He’s a total creep,” Lizzy said. “I’m not mad at you, Belle. I’m just mad at the situation. Why does an asshole like that get to ruin so much?”
“Fucking right,” Danica said. “I hope Dr. Jo cuts his balls off.”
“She better not hear you say that,” I said.
“Maybe if I call her Dr. Jo it’ll piss her off even more… imagine what she’ll do then.”
Danica looked back at me, eyes wide.
“Great,” I said. “Then I’ll have nowhere to live again because she’ll be in jail.”
“Rich people don’t go to jail, Belle,” Lizzy said. “There’s enough lawyers in BFH to keep Jo safe.” She laughed. “Or you can live with me.”
“Yeah? Really?” I asked.
“Totally,” Lizzy said. “My mother wouldn’t care. She’s too busy anyway.”
Lizzy suddenly got quiet.
Danica shrugged her shoulders and loudly whispered, “Stepdaddy issues…”
“I do not have a stepfather,” Lizzy sad.
“Oh, right,” Danica said. “The guy her mother is banging at the moment.”
“Sounds like my mother,” I said.
“See?” Lizzy asked. “We’re a perfect match. Roomies.”
I smiled.
Maybe the night wasn’t a complete bust then.
At least Lizzy and Danica weren’t pissed at me again.
I had about ten more minutes until they were going to drop me off at Jo’s.
Or home… if I really wanted to call it that.
“Hey, Belle,” Danica said. “Need a laugh?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Lizzy and Ryan had some fun in a closet once at a party on a dare.”
“No…,” Lizzy said. “We don’t talk about that.”
“Do you have a thing for baseball players?” I asked Lizzy.
“No,” she said. “It was a dare. It was my turn. And he cried.”
“He cried?” I asked.
“That’s what the beast between her legs does to guys,” Danica said.
I laughed.
“The beast?” Lizzy asked. “I’m not a guy. What the fuck…”
“Sorry,” Danica said. “Belle needs the laugh.”
“Why did he cry?” I asked.
“Over Lizzy’s beauty,” Danica said.
“Because they lost some big game,” Lizzy said. “I swear. I guess it was Ryan’s fault too or something. And he just lost it in the closet. Cried like a baby for a good minute. Then he begged me not to say anything.”
“Why’d you keep your mouth shut?” I asked.
“He gave her a five star review,” Danica said.
“You sold your soul for that, Lizzy?” I asked.
“It wasn’t her soul she was selling,” Danica said with a laugh.
“Hey, whatever,” Lizzy said. “We both got something out of it. And even now, if I see Ryan and I feel like it, all I need to do is run my finger down my cheek like I’m pretending to cry and he just walks away.”
“Lucky you,” I said. “Better than having Uly, Hil, and Ash beating the shit out of him…”
And there I was, steering it all back to Them.
I shut my eyes again.
I needed to tell Jo what I saw with Michael.
And I needed to do what Lizzy said to do.
Get the truth and move on.
Or something.
Lizzy pulled into the driveway to drop me off.
“Belle,” she said in a serious voice.
“I know,” I said.
“And if Dr. Jo goes all psycho, please call us,” Danica said.
She looked way too eager for that to happen.
“You’ll be my first call if anything goes wrong,” I said.
That was a complete and total fucking lie.
nine
I should have smoked a cigarette outside before this. Fuck.
My fingers were so jittery, I started to tap them on the kitchen counter like I was playing piano or something.
I turned the corner from the kitchen and started to walk toward Jo’s part of the house. Her wing. Her section. The part I wasn’t allowed to be in.
The closest I had come was when I helped her zip up her dress.
But that was in the hallway.
And I was past that hallway.
There were a lot of doors. Which was probably an understatement when you were walking through a mansion.
Something about that part of the house smelled different too.
It wasn’t exactly cleaner or fresher, but just… something.
If I was going to start knocking on doors, I’d be there all night looking for Jo.
There was a curved hallway that I decided to take.
It gave the impression that the house was round, which it wasn’t.
Or maybe just this part of it was.
Leave it to Jo to have her part of the house built into something so perfect, right? Symmetrical, with a beginning and an end. Giving little hints to the personality she probably wanted to keep hidden. Obsessive and a perfectionist, which made her the reputed doctor she was. It made sense. There was no cutting corners when operating on someone’s heart.
As I walked around the curved hallway, the walls turned into windows. Giant glass panes that went floor to ceiling. Giving sight to Jo’s private backyard oasis. Which made the main backyard look like crap. There was a gazebo, a cabana, a hot tub that was on a platform, which didn’t make sense at first. But then I realized it was up so that when you were in the hot tub you could see the ocean.
And then there was the pool.
A perfectly misshapen pool. Almost looked like a kidney bean (weird, I know). But the color of the water against the soft lights in the water… the intricate design of the tiles that didn’t end with the pool either. It was the entire area around the pool too. With every few tiles being a light.
Ohmygod…
I opened my mouth to sigh or say something when I saw Jo.
Sitting at the edge of the pool.
In an oversized hoodie, her legs in the water, a very large glass of wine next to her.
I looked around, almost feeling stupid, knowing one of the glass panes had to a be door, but I didn’t know which one. And I wasn’t going to start banging on the glass either.
Luckily, I noticed a silver handle and when I grabbed it and pushed, the door popped open.
My heart raced even faster.
On top of what I had to tell Jo, I was in a place she told me I was never allowed to be.
I opened my mouth again to say her name. Trying to think of the cutest and sweetest and most innocent sounding voice I could find…
“What do you want, Belle?” Jo asked without looking back.
I froze in place. My heart racing even more.
At least if I pass out, Jo’s a heart doctor. She can save me. Right?
“Jo…”
Jo turned her head. She did a double take and then hurried to get to her feet.
Her zip up hoodie was almost down to her knees. The zipper was undone enough to suggest she wasn’t wearing anything under the hoodie either. Of all things to think about right then, I sort of hated Jo. For making a zip up hoodie look sexy.
“Are you okay, Belle?” she asked. “You look sick.”
“I’m sorry I came here,” I said. “I know y
ou told me to stay away. And I… I need to talk to you. I need a cigarette though. I…”
“Do what you need to do then,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Belle…”
I hurried to get a cigarette.
My face started to burn.
My mind desperately tried to convince my heart that what I saw was a mistake. That I didn’t see what I saw…
I shut my eyes and readied myself.
“Okay, if you don’t start talking, I’m going to get pissed,” Jo said. “I’m sitting out here with my wine, going through some thoughts, and here you are…”
“Do you love Michael?” I asked.
“What?” Jo asked. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m not sure how serious you two are…”
“Which is none of your fucking business, Belle.”
Shit. She’s pissed. Of course she is. I’m just…
“He’s cheating on you,” I finally said. “Like… cheating.”
Jo’s face turned to stone. “What?”
I swallowed hard. “He doesn’t know I saw him. But he… you don’t need details. Just believe me, Jo. He’s cheating.”
Jo turned and walked back to the pool.
I stayed where I was.
She slowly sat down and put her feet back into the water.
I swallowed hard.
Only Jo could make me telling her something like this turn on me, making me feel like I did something wrong. Standing there with my face on fire, my heart racing, sweating like I was guilty.
Jo sipped her wine and moved the glass to the other side of her body.
She then patted the spot where the wineglass had been.
“Come sit down, Belle,” she said.
“Jo…”
She made a fist and put it to the spot.
“You’re going to sit down and tell me everything I want to know.”
* * *
I sat down and hugged my knees over the dress.
It really wasn’t the most flattering position for someone wearing a dress, but whatever.
I wasn’t a professional dress wearer and I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing me.
I also keep the shoes on.
I wasn’t going to dip my toes into the pool.
Jo stared forward.
She wouldn’t even look at me.
She was shocked and hurt. Of course she wasn’t going to look at me.
NOT SO Special: a bay falls high novel Page 9
