by Tia Siren
She spotted Jessica Kindley waiting in the lobby of the fine arts building. Her heart lifted at the sight of a familiar and friendly face. Jessica lived in the room next to hers in their apartment building. She was on a full-ride scholarship to study English and Creative Writing. She came from a low-income home with five sisters, so that was the only way she had been able to come—through her writing.
“How was class?” Jessica asked.
“Fine,” Paige said. She stopped to wait for Jessica to gather her things from the couch she had been studying on. “I’m glad the afternoon is over though. Want to get some pizza tonight for dinner? I’m craving it like crazy, that thin crust New York style pizza that you can fold over and it still takes forever to eat.”
“Absolutely.” Jessica grinned up at Paige before laughing. “You don’t have to ask me more than once if I’d like to have some pizza for dinner. Heck, you had me at thin crust.”
Together, they stepped out into the warm afternoon and the bustle of people walking on the sidewalks. The sound of car horns filled Paige’s ears as they waited for a light to turn red before they could walk across in the direction of the freshman apartments.
“I’m glad it’s Friday,” Jessica said. “I’m exhausted from all this running around my senior sister has been having me do.” She stifled a yawn with her hand and shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of the exhaustion that seemed to cling to her more often than not. “There should be a curfew against them getting us out of bed in the middle of the night.”
“My senior sister hasn’t even really done anything,” Paige said, trying not to let her nerves show when Jessica glanced at her in surprise.
Shannon Palmer was a glamorous and wealthy woman with a well-known reputation as the ring leader of her senior class. She was the popular and social butterfly with a half-brother who dealt with even richer people than their family. Celebrities. That was the rumor Paige had heard when a few freshman classmates had talked about Shannon Palmer picking her as a freshman sister.
Except, the only times Paige ever saw Shannon were in passing on the street with a gaggle of senior friends around her. Sure, she smiled, said hello, but not once had Shannon asked her to do anything like the other senior sisters had asked their freshman sisters. She tried not to let it get to her though. Things like that didn’t matter. She wasn’t in New York to become popular or to hang around her rich classmates.
They made it back to the freshman apartments thirty minutes later while they talked about their days. While Paige had a deep and profound passion for painting, she loved to read too. She and Jessica could spend all night pouring over the books they loved. They had gone several times to the bookstores around the city just to browse through, because they couldn’t afford to purchase much.
“What are your plans tonight after pizza?” Jessica asked. “We can have a read-a-thon in my room. It’s a bit quieter than your apartment that overlooks the entire city.”
Paige smiled as they swiped their cards through the card reader to enter the small lobby. The housing areas were located in the city as well but secured as tightly as possible. Strangers were not allowed in the dorms. The doors were locked as well past a certain time for security reasons.
Her apartment overlooked a good portion of the city, which almost felt extravagant at times. The small living room had minimal walls. Instead, she had large glass windows. She enjoyed sitting in a chair at the end of the day while overlooking all the lights. It was beautiful. Dreamy.
“How about getting a movie?” Paige suggested as they climbed the stairs to the top floor. “We could watch movies and eat pizza. My eyes hurt from all the reading I did today for history class.”
“Wimp,” Jessica said, laughing. “Reading is part of the deal here at NYU. You’re going to find yourself with your head stuck in a book all the damn time if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll do my best to watch out.” Paige crinkled her nose and gave her friend a funny smile. “God forbid I turn up a bookworm.”
They reached the top floor of their building to find the last person they had expected to be in freshman housing—Shannon Palmer.
She was as glorious as usual with her long blond locks curled perfectly, her smudge-free makeup, and her tight clothes that showed off her impressive physique. The smell of rich perfume filled the entire hallway.
“Hi, girls,” she said, beaming at them both. “I was wondering if I’d catch you before the end of the evening, Paige.”
“Oh,” Paige said, exchanging a look with Jessica, who looked as equally baffled by Shannon’s appearance. It was a rarity that Shannon focused on anyone but herself. Something was up… “I didn’t think you would be looking for me, honestly.”
Shannon laughed. “Why wouldn’t I be? You’re my freshman sister.” She glanced over at Jessica, who shifted nervously on her feet. “I overheard that you two were making plans for tonight, and I hate to be the one who breaks them, but I have a specific thing for you, Paige, that I’d like us to do together.”
Paige blinked a few times in confusion. She didn’t know what to think of Shannon’s sudden appearance after two months of nothing. After glancing at Jessica, who shrugged her shoulders indifferently, she looked back at Shannon hesitantly. “Okay. I guess that’ll be okay if you’re fine with it, Jessica. We had plans.”
“Nothing important,” Jessica said. She nodded at Shannon. “Go ahead, Paige. I’ll see you this weekend.”
“You sure?” Paige said, but she was quickly cut off.
“Wonderful!” Shannon exclaimed, walking toward them on teetering high heels. “Do you have any dresses, Paige?”
“No, not really. I just have shirts, leggings, and—”
“You’re a bit petite, so I know you won’t fit into any of my things,” Shannon said, dragging her eyes up and down Paige’s form. “That’s okay though. We can go shopping before we hit the club.”
“Club?” Paige repeated nervously. “I don’t know if—”
Shannon took ahold of Paige’s hand. Her fingers were cool and strong.
“I promise it’s not what you think,” she said. “I know you don’t like nightclubs. It said it in your ‘about me’ paper. That’s why I picked you. It’s perfect.”
“For what?”
The smile on Shannon’s face grew even bigger, which should have been comforting but wasn’t at all. It was downright scary. “You’ll see.”
****
“See. Look at that. You look hot in this dress.”
Paige tugged nervously at the hemline of the black bodycon dress Shannon had insisted she try on. It hugged her curves in all the right ways, but it was a bit short and snug. She looked down at the modest heels Shannon had brought over as well. None of this was cheap, either.
She turned to look at Shannon, who grinned excitedly at her. Suspicion trickled in through her nerves. None of the senior sisters spent money like this on their freshman sisters.
“I can’t accept these things,” Paige said. “It’s expensive. It’s too much.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Shannon waved an airy hand. “My brother is a famous publicist for celebrities. He flips me tons of money all the time. This is chunk change for me.”
“Okay, well, I still don’t know why you’re doing this all of a sudden.”
That gave Shannon pause. “Doing what all of a sudden?”
“Paying attention to me,” Paige said. “You’ve never once asked me to do anything with you before this.”
“Oh, that.” She tucked a long blond curl behind her ear with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t anything personal. School is just so busy sometimes, you know? I also travel a lot on the weekends, believe it or not.”
That made sense to a degree. She never saw Shannon around on the weekends. Still, suspicion filled her at what had prompted Shannon’s sudden need to buy her nice clothes for a fancy VIP club.
She was startled out of her thoughts when Shann
on reached forward to unclip her hair.
“I love your hair,” Shannon said. “I’m in love with the lob-type haircuts. I never have the guts to cut my hair.”
“Thanks.”
Paige stood still while Shannon fretted around her, fluffing up the natural waves of her hair and adding bits of makeup. It felt as though she were Shannon’s life-sized Barbie doll that needed a makeover.
“This is perfect,” Shannon said. “Let me pay for our things, change into my own outfit, and let’s get out of here. We have to meet some people.”
“Meet wh—”
Shannon slipped out of the private changing room before Paige could finish her sentence. She turned to look back at the mirror in uncertainty. My mother would have a heart attack seeing me in this dress.
She grimaced while gathering her old clothes from the floor to shove them into a plastic bag Shannon had brought along. Opening the door, she stepped out of the changing room right as Shannon stepped out in a gold sequin dress that barely reached her upper thighs. She sparkled as she walked with a confidence that Paige inwardly wished she had.
“Are we ready to go?” Shannon asked.
“I guess,” Paige said. “Can you tell me where we are going, or who you say we are going to meet?”
They walked out into the store. Paige half expected a store employee to tell them off for wearing the dresses before they were paid for. None of them said a word. In fact, they smiled at them as they passed by.
“My brother,” Shannon replied, handing over a credit card from her small black purse. “He’s a publicist for celebrities all over the world, but he invited us out for a few drinks.”
“I’m not twenty-one though.”
Shannon leaned in to whisper into her ear. “It doesn’t matter where we are going; trust me. They don’t care as long as you flash your credit card.”
Her nerves didn’t settle as they climbed into a cab a few moments later. The sun had set behind the towering skyscrapers. Orange sunset light occasionally filtered through the alleyways and westbound streets. The entire cab ride over, Shannon talked amicably about her life in New York. Her parents were wealthy, but not like her half-brother, who had a knack for smooth talking. Shannon wanted to be a writer, but she had put that dream aside to help her brother manage his clients.
“We travel all over during the weekends,” she said. “You’d never believe how many miles you can cross in one day.”
“I imagine,” Paige replied, biting on her thumbnail nervously as the cab pulled up in front of a black building with security surrounding every corner of it. “Are we going in there?”
“We are,” Shannon said, flipping a few twenty-dollar bills to the cab driver. “This is where my brother meets with his clients. It’s a good watering hole because paparazzi can't get in, and neither can fans. There is a list too, so strangers can’t just get in.”
She didn’t doubt that. There were some beefy security guards strolling around the building with dark shades on.
“How are we going to get in then?” Paige asked.
Shannon opened the cab door. “They know my brother and me.” She slid out of the cab without waiting for Paige’s reply. “Come on. Let’s get a good table.”
Paige followed behind as quickly as her dress and heels let her. She still had no clue why Shannon had brought her here to this lounge. She didn’t even know what had prompted this type of adventure in the first place.
They were let into a nice lounge area with black tables and leather chairs. A waterfall roared down in the middle of it with soothing lights flickering off the water. The smell of rich perfume and cologne filled Paige’s lungs as she followed behind Shannon to a table next to a patio that overlooked the city. A small dance floor sparkled under the candlelight while a slow jazz song filled the atmosphere.
Sitting down on the edge of the cool leather, Paige watched as Shannon scanned the lounge quickly. Unable to take it any longer, she asked, “What’s really going on? Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I wanted to spend time with my freshman sister,” Shannon replied easily. She smiled warmly at Paige. “I’ve heard that you barely leave your dorm room during the weekends. It’s our job as senior sisters to make sure that you enjoy your time here in New York City— not hide away from a fun experience.”
“Oh,” was all Paige could think to say. Still, something felt off, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. “I’m not much of a ‘get dressed and go out’ type of girl.”
Shannon gave her a look. “I’ve noticed. You shouldn’t be trapped up in your dorm all the time. You’ll go crazy being homesick.”
“Do you miss your parents then?” Paige asked.
Dark shadows danced along Shannon’s tanned face. Her pink and glossy lips pulled into a thin line.
“My parents aren’t around, so I’m used to being on my own. Their jobs require them to be out of the country most of the time.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Oh, there’s my brother!” Shannon exclaimed. “And Luke is with him too. I didn’t know Luke would be here.”
Paige turned in her chair to find two men dressed in casual business suits approaching them. Her eyes landed on the blond-haired man who stood tall and proud with muscles threatening to rip through the fabric of his shirt. His long blond hair was sleeked back while a shadow of a beard danced along his strong jaw. He walked confidently toward them, his eyes flicking to where Paige was seated next to Shannon.
Her heart pounded when he raked an appreciative gaze over her bare legs. Shifting them out of sight, Paige gripped the edge of her chair as the two men sat down. The one with Shannon’s same eyes and hair color took a seat next to Shannon.
“You must be Paige Scott,” he said, holding out a hand. “I’m Toby Patel. I’m Shannon’s older half-brother.”
“Nice to meet you,” Paige said.
“And this is Luke Turner,” Toby said, gesturing to the man who took a seat directly next to Paige. “He’s one of my close friends, but I’m also his assistant.”
Luke held out a large hand that appeared to be covered in callouses. She gently laid her hand in his after hesitating for a moment. His skin felt warm, but his fingers were strong when they tugged her hand forward. Paige’s heart skip erratically at the sensation of Luke’s hot lips pressed up against the skin of her knuckles.
“Pleasure is all mine,” he said smoothly. “I’ve heard many things about you.”
Paige withdrew her hand from Luke’s before she could swoon even more. Cool it, Paige. He’s just a really gorgeous man kissing your knuckles like it’s the old days.
“Like what?” she asked, her voice garbled with nerves.
He didn’t answer. The waiter returned to their table with a platter of wine glasses. Picking her glass up, Paige took a tentative sip as slowly as possible. The last time she’d had wine had been with her parents when celebrating her high school graduation. Needless to say, she’d ended up throwing up all night from the fruity wine.
Alongside her, Luke ordered a whiskey after downing his wine in one gulp. His eyes were riveted elsewhere, and it confused the hell out of her. One minute he had been charming and interested in her. Now he appeared to be distant and uninterested.
“That you are a fellow student at NYU with Shannon,” Toby answered for him. “My sister travels with us a lot, you see. We usually leave the city on the weekends. She mentioned that she had a freshman sister she had no time to spend with.”
“So that’s why we are here,” Shannon added with a smile, cradling her own wine glass with a contented sigh. “It’s nice not to be on an airplane tonight either. It felt good to just stay here in the city.”
“What made you come to New York?” Luke asked abruptly. “A small-town girl like yourself, why are you here in the city?”
Paige stared at him in confusion. “To go school, obviously. That’s the only reason I am here.”
Is he this painfully awkward for bein
g this attractive? Or is he just uncomfortable? She glanced over to where Shannon sat with her brother at ease. Maybe it was just his personality.
“Did you go to college?” Paige asked.
“No,” Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. He grabbed his drink from the waiter a second later. “I grew up with a nanny and tutor. I didn’t have time for college because I was too busy working with my dad in his business.”
“What is your father’s business?”
She bit her tongue when Luke arched an eyebrow at her, a silent “are you fucking kidding me?” type of question in his eyes. She honestly had no idea who he was besides that he was probably rich judging from the expensive suit he wore.
“My father died two weeks ago,” he said a bit harshly. “Turner Oil will pass down to me within the next few months. The college experience has never exactly been on my agenda.”
Sensing a touchy subject, Paige let the conversation drop, unsure of what to say. She lifted her legs from where they were sticking to the leather chair. Oil. If he came from an oil family, there was no doubt in her mind about that. This whole night felt strange, off. She didn’t like places like this, and Shannon didn’t seem too keen on letting her know the real honest truth of why she had been brought along. She only seemed to irritate Luke, given the agitated and weighted glances he shot in her direction.
“You’re an ass tonight,” Shannon commented, signaling for another drink. “Maybe we should’ve left for the weekend. You need some stress relief apparently.”
“Stress relief sounds good to me,” Luke said. His eyes drifted to Paige again, who squirmed under the weight of his gaze. She couldn’t read those damn expressions of his. They were utterly blank, but something was hidden behind them.