She mocked me with a cutting remark. “You’re the Goody Two-Shoes with the wacky sister.”
I didn’t take it lying down. I jabbed her right back, using my words as weapons. “And you’re the tramp whose boyfriend kicked her to the curb.”
“Jesus,” Duncan said. Whether he was cursing or calling for divine intervention was difficult to tell. He was stuck with two catty females, and he didn’t seem to know what to do.
Lori stared me down, tossing her golden locks to one side. I hated it when girls flipped their hair. Could she be any bitchier? Any more conceited?
I wanted to poke a hole in her perfect boobs and deflate them. Then I realized that they were probably fake, which made her an even bigger phony.
“Why is this happening?” Duncan asked. “Why are you both acting this way?”
I snarled at him. “Because you were naive enough to think Miss Breast Augmentation was going to be nice to me.”
He just stared at me, and if I wasn’t so pissed, I might’ve laughed at his bewilderment. Lori actually had the gall to laugh.
Then she said to Duncan, “Relax, Lock. I was just playing a game. I like her. She’s cool.”
“What?” His mouth was agape.
I was gaping, too. Was she talking about me?
Yes, apparently she was. She said to me, “I was just being mean to see what you were made of and if you could handle Duncan. Even with all of his good attentions, he can be a bit of a predator.”
He looked about ready to choke her. “Fuck you, Lori. I mean really, seriously, FUCK YOU.”
“See?” She smiled at me. “That’s the predator in him. And you, my dear, are not as delicate as I thought you were going to be. You’ve got some cojones on you.”
I returned her ruby-red smile. She was just about the strangest, most fascinating girl I’d ever met. But the best part was that she thought I had balls. I almost did the unthinkable and flipped my hair.
“I like you, too,” I told her.
“Super. Then it’s settled. We’re going to have to start partying together.”
Duncan quickly said, “Vanessa doesn’t party.”
I cocked my head at him. “Who says I don’t?” I’d never drunk more than a few sips of wine and I wouldn’t know an illegal substance if it attacked my face and chewed off my eyelashes, but I wanted to party with Lori. She was making me feel like I was part of the “in” crowd, and since I’d been homeschooled and had never been part of any crowd, it was a mighty privileged feeling.
“All right. Fine. You’re a party animal.” Duncan dragged his hand through his ponytailed hair. “But I’m going to be there to catch you if you fall.”
“What if you’re not invited?” Lori said to him. “You can’t catch her if you’re not there.”
He repeated his bitter sentiment from earlier. “Fuck you.” He paused, then added, “Lorelei.”
She glared at him. “You know I hate that name.”
“Too bad.”
She socked his shoulder, and suddenly they both laughed. I could see how they’d become friends. At the moment, they were acting like brother and sister. It was tough to picture them sleeping together. But they obviously had at some point.
Carol and Eleanor returned from the buffet, and Lori grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the food.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get something to eat, too.”
As she squeezed my hand, I imagined that I was in high school, becoming BFFs with the most popular girl on campus. I glanced back at Duncan and reached for him with my other hand.
“Come with us,” I said.
He shook his head. “I have to socialize with some of my other guests. I have obligations. But I’ll see you before you leave. We can pick a night for our date.”
“Okay.” Dreamy, I smiled at him. He looked so tantalizing, with his dark, sexy eyes and primitive beauty. I couldn’t wait to kiss him.
Lori whisked me away, closer to the buffet and farther away from Duncan. He stood there, watching me as I watched him. It was like a romantic scene out of a movie. We didn’t break eye contact, not until I entered the reception area and we faded from each other’s sight.
My new BFF kept a steady hold on me. She steered me through the people hanging out by the bar and straight for the hors d’oeuvres.
I picked up a plastic plate, utensils, and a napkin, and she said, “You and Duncan are going to make an intriguing pair.” She leaned in close and whispered, “He’s going to make you melt in bed. You’re going to go crazy with it.”
Sweet Lord. He already made me melt, and if she knew about the warrior, she would automatically assume that I was crazy.
“How did you meet him?” I asked. I was curious how they’d become friends. I wanted to know how their sexual encounter had transpired, too. But I saved that question for later.
She placed a small helping of fruit and cheese on her plate. “We went to a continuation school in The Valley.”
“Continuation?
“High school for kids who are at risk of not graduating. We were both fuck-ups. He had a better excuse than I did, though. He’d just come off the streets with that schizoid guy and was in foster care. Me, I’m just a dysfunctional rich girl.” She added some chicken wings to her plate. “I got expelled from private school, so my mom said ‘screw it’ and sent me to a regular public school. But that turned into a disaster so I ended up in continuation with all of the other wildings and misfits.”
“Did that work for you?”
“More or less. I graduated on time and now I’m studying fashion merchandise marketing. It’s a private institution, though, so basically my mom is just paying for me to say I’m in college. I’ve always been a fashionista. But I’m a shitty student. I probably won’t go very far after it’s over.”
“I’ll bet you’ll go farther than you think you will.” She was too glamorous not to make it in that business.
She ignored my compliment and pointed to a tray of vegetable rolls. “Be sure to nab a couple of those. The caterer who did this spread makes the best futomaki around.”
I took two. “They look delish.”
“They definitely are. But this isn’t really my scene. Most of the people here are my mom’s crowd, collectors and art-goers that she invited. A few of them are Duncan’s friends. But none of them are mine. I’m glad Mom believes in Duncan’s work, though. He deserves to be recognized for his talent.”
“I think so, too.” I was enamored of his art. I was enamored of everything associated with him.
Lori and I finished filling our plates and found a secluded spot to eat. But as we stood in the quiet alcove, nibbling on appetizers, I went into fear mode. What if Duncan actually was the warrior and I couldn’t save him? What if I couldn’t undo what I’d done?
“Do you ever think about dying?” I asked Lori, my heart pounding inside my chest, much in the way the warrior’s used to thump-thump in my head.
Her eyes went wide. “You mean suicide? I’m fucked up, but I’m not that fucked up.”
“No. Oh, God, no. That isn’t what I meant. I was just talking about dying in general.”
“Why would I think about that?”
Yes, why would she? It was a stupid question. But my fear of Duncan dying was clouding my mind. I tried to say something to cover my tracks. “My parents died when I was eight. They were in a car accident.”
“I’m sorry.” She accepted my reasoning for bringing it up. “That sucks. My parents are divorced, and I hardly ever see my dad. He’s remarried and mostly they live abroad. I don’t really like my stepmom. My mom is way cooler.”
I eased back into the conversation. “She does seem nice.”
“She has a lot of men in her life, like I do. Do you think that sort of thing is hereditary?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been with anyone. If I sleep with Duncan, he’ll be my first.”
“Yeah, he told me that he thought you were a virgin. The boyfriend I’m st
ill smarting over is the guy who popped my cherry. His name is Martin. I met him at the same continuation school where I met Duncan. But I knew Martin first. We were together for a year, then he got interested in somebody else. They’re still together, but sometimes when they’re having problems he comes back to me and we have sex.”
I made a face. “That doesn’t seem like a very good idea.”
“I know, but I can’t seem to help it. I still love him.” She picked at her food. “I hate that I can’t get over him.”
“Did you sleep with Duncan to try to get over Martin?” It seemed like a good time to ask what I was anxious to know. “Is that how you two hooked up?”
“Yes, that’s exactly how it happened. I was friends with Duncan at school, and a few days after Martin broke up with me I ran into Duncan at a party. I got really drunk and came on to him. We did it at the party in one of the bedrooms. But as hot as it was, I felt like shit afterward. In hindsight, I think Duncan should had been more of a gentleman and turned me down.”
“Is that why you call him a predator?”
She nodded. “It almost ruined our friendship, but then I cut him some slack because I shouldn’t have come on to him in the first place. I do a lot of things I shouldn’t do.”
“Like making yourself available to Martin?”
“I let that jerk do whatever he wants with me. And when I’m feeling bad about it, I go off and sleep with a stranger to make myself feel better.”
“It doesn’t sound like that approach is working.”
She shrugged. “It beats being alone.” She watched me eat one of the vegetable rolls she’d recommended. “So what do you do? Work? School? Both?”
“Just work. My aunt owns a consignment shop and I help her run it. It’s where she got her Chanel suit and where I got this dress.”
The fashionista in her perked up. “Maybe I’ll come visit you and see the store.”
“You can come anytime.” I would be thrilled to have her as a client. But more than that, I wanted her as a friend. I’d never had a girlfriend to call my own.
Lori eyed my seventies garb. “You have a cute sense of style. You’re like a fairy or something.”
I corrected her as quickly as I could. “I’m not a fairy.” That was Abby. She was the fey. “I’m a butterfly.” I held out my arms as if they were wings, my plate tottering in my hand.
She laughed. “You’re weird, but you’re interesting, too. Duncan should paint you.”
I liked the idea of him painting me. “Has he ever painted any of the other girls he’s been with?”
“No. He only paints people he loves. So I guess he would have to love you in order to do a portrait of you. It’s probably better if you don’t count on that. I’m not sure if Duncan is capable of that kind of love.”
I didn’t want to hear how incapable he was. But I didn’t want to get wrapped up in the fantasy of loving him, either. “I think I should take it one day at a time. I haven’t even dated him yet.”
“I agree that you should take it as it comes. When Duncan first told me about you, I cautioned him to not rush things, especially if you’d never been with anyone before. I mean, let’s face it, you wouldn’t have waited this long if there wasn’t a proper side to you. But don’t worry.” She made a claw-like motion, baring her glossy red nails at me. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a hellcat once your naughty side is unleashed.”
I laughed, appreciating her bad-girl confidence in me. I had no idea if I was capable of being a hellcat in bed, but it was an exciting thought.
She peered around the alcove. “See that guy over there?” She gestured to a gray-haired man in a European-cut suit. “He was staring at me earlier, checking out my tits.” She gave a little shudder. “It’s creepy when old guys do that.”
“I’m sorry I called you Miss Breast Augmentation earlier. I shouldn’t have made cracks about them.”
“It’s okay. They are medically enhanced. I got them for Martin because he likes busty girls.”
“You got surgery to please him? I thought girls were supposed to do that for themselves.”
“He didn’t ask me to. It was my idea. But now I’m glad I have them. Other guys like them, too.” She laughed a little. “Even the creeps.”
No one ever looked at my itty-bitty boobs. But I wasn’t going to run out and get surgery. Besides, if anything needed to be altered, it would be my brain.
I changed the subject. “Where do you live, Lori? Are you still at your mom’s house?” I envisioned a sprawling estate with all the trimmings.
“I live in an apartment, but my mom owns the building.”
Her mom pretty much owned everything. “Do you have a roommate?”
“It’s just me. Roommates are a pain in the ass. A lot of people stay over, though. I get tons of houseguests, especially after a party when everyone is too hung over to go home.”
I hoped that I would be invited to stay over. Me and Duncan. “What’s Duncan’s loft like?”
“He did a great job of fixing it up and it’s really nice inside, but I would never live there. It’s close to where he used to hang out on the streets when he was homeless, so it borders on a rough part of town. But that’s his turf so he feels comfortable there.”
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be comfortable there. I wasn’t sure of anything except that my life was on the brink of change.
My phone bleeped, signaling a text. I checked the screen. Buzz kill. “It’s Carol. She wants me to meet her back where we were before. She’s ready to head home.”
“This will be winding down soon anyway. But let’s exchange numbers so we can keep in touch.”
We programmed them into our phones. Then Lori said, “You can friend me on Facebook. And follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll send you a text with my profile names.”
“I don’t have personal accounts on those sites. I’ll have to do it through the store.”
“No, don’t do that. You should set up personal accounts so you can take more liberties with your pictures and posts. By the way, Duncan is big on social networking. You can stalk his pages when you’re bored. That’s what I do with Martin.”
I didn’t want to get obsessed with Duncan the way she was with Martin, but it was probably too late for that. I was already hooked in ways I couldn’t even talk about. “I’ll set up those accounts tonight when I get home.”
“Perfect.” She held out her phone and took a picture of us. She showed it to me. “Nice, huh? Hot blondes.”
We did look good together. “Let me take one, too.” I snapped a similar shot. I was becoming a regular twenty-year-old. I hoped that Abby didn’t get jealous. I debated if I should even tell her about Lori.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to your aunt.”
She didn’t take my hand or tug me along. We walked side by side. When we reached Carol, who was waiting quietly by herself, Lori gave me a hug, waved to Carol and drifted off.
“Where’s Eleanor?” I asked my aunt.
“She got whisked away by someone who was interested in one of Duncan’s paintings.”
“Which one?”
“Which what?”
“Painting?”
“I don’t know.”
I hoped it wasn’t any of the fantasy images. I couldn’t bear to think of them disappearing from Duncan’s grasp. “I need to say goodbye to him before we leave.”
“You can text him and ask him to meet us by the door.”
I followed her suggestion and sent him a message. He replied and said that he would be there as soon as he could.
While we waited, I asked Carol if she’d had a nice time. She assured me that she did. She’d networked with lots of people. She’d given out tons of business cards. But she was tired now and wanted to unwind and curl up with a cup of hot chocolate.
I needed to unwind, too, I supposed. My pulse was jumping all over the place. I was anxious to see Duncan, to hear his voice, to look into his eyes.
When we were face-to-face, he took both of my hands in his. I was tempted to tell him what Lori had said about me having a naughty side, but I thought better of it. I didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
“Did you sell a painting?” I asked him.
“Yes. One of the urban pieces.”
Which meant the fantasy artwork was safe. “I wish I could buy your self-portrait.” The warrior. The nude. I wanted to hang it on my wall and look at it every night before I went to bed, and every morning when the sun seeped into my room.
“That one isn’t for sale.” He flashed a smile designed to make me sigh. “But I might make an exception for you.”
I could tell that he was teasing me. But he hadn’t been joking earlier when he’d told me that he’d included it in the show because he’d wanted me to see it.
“How about next weekend for our date?” he asked. “Next Saturday. I’ll come to your house and take you out to dinner.”
“That sounds perfect.” I leaned closer to him, and he held my hands a little tighter. If I had any sense I would decline the date, especially with the 105 issue boggling my mind. Granted, I was supposed to kiss the warrior someday, but sleeping with him wasn’t part of the deal.
He nuzzled my cheek. “I’ll see you, Vanessa.”
Heat seared through my blood. “I’ll see you, too.” I wasn’t giving up the date. I wanted that first kiss. And I wanted to make love with him. Whoever he was or wherever he’d come from, Duncan Lock was mine.
Chapter Five
Carol fixed me some hot chocolate, along with the cup she made for herself. I didn’t ask for any; she just gave it to me. We sat together in the living room with the blinds drawn. I was thinking about Duncan, of course, envisioning his piercing eyes and soft, sexy smile.
Carol seemed lost in thought, too. She tucked her legs beneath her and blew across the rim of her cup.
“Is yours too hot?” she asked.
The only hot thing on my mind was Duncan. “It’s fine.” I hadn’t even taken a sip yet, but I was sure it would be okay. She’d put mounds of marshmallows in it and they were melting into sticky clouds, making me feel dreamier.
Beautiful Confusion (New Adult Romance) Room 105 Page 5