“I will.”
“Miss you!”
“I miss you, too!” I said, and then I severed the connection. And in a weird way, I did miss her. As crazy as Epifania was, she was as wild as she was good. Sometimes the combination was hilarious. Other times it could leave your jaw on the floor. But her heart was pure, and I was lucky to consider her one of my closest friends.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WHEN THE HOUSE WAS properly decorated and ready to go, it was agreed that all of us would meet in the living room dressed to the nines at seven-thirty—just thirty minutes before Marcus would arrive.
The caterers and servers had arrived on time at six, and from their professional behavior alone, it was clear to me that we were in great hands. So, I just handed over the kitchen to them and left to get ready for the evening with Alex.
When he and I were dressed and ready to go, we appraised each other.
Alex was in a tuxedo that fitted him to perfection. I was wearing a shimmering cosmos-embroidered tulle gown by Valentino. It was a daring choice since it appeared as if I was nude at the torso, but that was just an illusion—and one that Alex clearly approved of.
“Pardon my language, but you look fucking hot,” he said when I emerged from the bathroom with my hair straightened and my makeup done up in full force, thanks to Bernie’s many lessons.
“Is it too much?” I asked. “I mean, it looks as if I’m baring my breasts, which I’m not. I’m wearing a nude bra, but you really can’t tell that I am. Is it too sexy for tonight? I can always change.”
“Don’t change,” he said. “Wear that.”
“Well, you certainly said that quickly.”
“Yeah, because you’re turning me on.”
“Think about our guests for a moment.”
“Why? I want my wife to look like that.”
“Alex, I need you to be serious.”
“Fine,” he said. “Jennifer, since meeting Blackwell, you have turned into a fashion icon in New York. Everyone writes about whatever you’re wearing now or whatever you’ll be wearing next. You’ve set a very high bar in Manhattan, and because of that, you’ve certainly dressed a hell of a lot more daring than this. And everyone here knows that. All of them are expecting you to bring it tonight, and you have. So, have fun with it.” And then he cocked his head at me. “Did Blackwell pick that gown out for you?”
“She did.”
“Then you’ll be getting nothing but applause from your main critic, so relax.”
“You know,” I said. “I worry about Madison. Here I am wearing a thirty-thousand-dollar gown. Blackwell is going to show up in Chanel—we both know it—and that alone will have cost her a good twenty grand. And then there’s Alexa and Daniella, whom Blackwell has clearly set up in ways that are going to make them shine tonight. But Madison doesn’t have the means to come anywhere close to what the other women will be wearing, and that bothers me. She’s already said to all of us that she’s self-conscious about the fact that she ‘can’t compete’ with the rest of us, as if this is a competition, which it isn’t—well, at least it isn’t for me. I can’t say the same for Daniella and Alexa, who are in the weird throes of some sort of unlikely fashion battle. But with that said, I can’t blame Madison for how she feels. I hate that she might be feeling inadequate right now.”
“Maybe Blackwell and I already have taken care of Madison for that reason,” Alex said.
And when he said that, I just looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“That what she’ll be wearing tonight wasn’t exactly purchased at Century Twenty-One.”
“Oh, my God. You’ve already thought of this? And here is yet another reason why I love you!”
“To be fair, it was Blackwell who thought of it. I just told her to spend whatever she needed to spend to make certain that Madison felt as glamorous as the rest of you girls tonight. When she first came to tell me what she had in mind, it was clear that she was sensitive to the situation. And since I didn’t want Madison to feel uneasy when Blackwell gave her the gown, which Madison would know had cost plenty, I asked Blackwell to tell her that it was an early Christmas present from the both of us.”
“You know,” I said as I walked over to him and pulled him in close to me. “When you do things like that, I just want to tear your clothes off.”
“Maybe later tonight?”
“In fact, I’m expecting it. It is Christmas Eve, after all. And just so you know, I’m aiming to please.”
He kissed me on the neck, and then on the lips. I felt his stubble brush against my cheek, and my whole body tingled because of it.
“Just so you know, I’m aiming to do the same thing to you. Because later tonight, when the party’s over, I’m going to have my way with you, Mrs. Wenn. I’m going to bring you to your knees.”
“And when I’m down on my knees, don’t think that I won’t take advantage of the situation. So, get ready for that, Mr. Wenn.”
Whenever Alex and I entered into this sort of banter, it became a full-on game between us. Who could one-up the other with the sexy talk before the other one broke into laughter?
“Now you sound like a dirty little tramp,” he said with a grin.
I winked at him. “Maybe I am one. Maybe I was born in a red-light district. Maybe I was raised by a gaggle of whores.”
That nearly got him, but not quite.
“I think you need someone to take a paddle to that beautiful ass of yours.”
I smoothed my hair away from my face, rolled my eyes, and looked bored. “Let me know if you can find someone who has the balls to do it.”
“That would be me.”
“Then the question is whether you’re man enough to use the back of your hand? Because why do you need the paddle? Are you afraid of callouses?”
“Oh, you are so going to get it now.”
“Well, not exactly right now—we do have a party to attend, after all. But try to be mindful of this, Mr. Wenn—be careful about how much you drink tonight, because I’d hate to find myself dealing with a limp dick on Christmas Eve...”
The moment I said that, he took my hand in his and cupped it against his cock, which was shockingly rock hard and pulsing in his pants. “I have a feeling that disappointment is out of the question for you tonight, Mrs. Wenn.”
“Really?” I locked eyes with him, and then reached down and grabbed his balls. “Well, good. Because I plan to rock each of your snow globes tonight, chickpea. And when I do, I expect a mouthful of tinsel.”
His lips wavered a bit when I said that, but still he didn’t laugh—damn it!
“You’re nothing but a temptress.”
“Why even make it sound elegant? I’m a gutter whore.”
And that finally did it. Alex reared back his head and howled in laughter.
I lifted my fists above my head. “Jennifer for the win!” I said.
He swept me into his arms. “I’m holding you to all of that, you know?”
“I fully expect you to.”
He looked at his watch. “Nearly seven-thirty. We probably should get going.”
“Yeah, about that. You’re not leaving here with that bulge in your pants. So, you know, think about math or something. Because you are so not walking into that living room with a full-on erection. Daniella alone would totally call you out on it.”
“Actually, I’m not sure that she would. Did you see her when she returned from her walk with Cutter? She looked happier than I’ve seen her in years. And she was polite to everyone—even Alexa. Who’s to know what’s to come of this?”
“I still can’t even wrap my head around what’s going on there. Daniella finally landing Cutter? And he instigated it? Yes, on some levels it makes sense to me, but on other levels it makes zero sense. So, I guess we’ll see. Now, take a deep breath, think about cows, the color black, and robots or something, because you still need to settle down, big boy.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“The hell
it isn’t. You’re still packing some major heat—and we can’t join our guests with you looking like that. So, chill. You can have your way with me later,” I said. “And vice versa.”
“Now, I’m going to get hard again,” he said.
“Then imagine this—your parents having missionary sex on a Victorian bed.”
“That did it,” he said.
“Good—so, let’s go.”
WHEN WE ARRIVED IN the living room, Streisand’s ‘Ave Maria’ was playing on the Bose surround sound system, candles flickered on tables and on windowsills, the Christmas tree was a towering, heavenly display of glimmering lights, and everyone was there waiting for us, which immediately made me glance down at my watch.
We were, after all, the hosts and should have been here before everyone else had arrived. But we weren’t late. Everyone else was either early or on time. It was, after all, seven-thirty on the dot.
“I’m sorry that we’re the last ones to be here,” I said to everyone as I moved through the group and gave everyone a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “We should have been here to greet you.”
“A proper host and hostess would have been,” Blackwell said. “Not that either of you know anything about being ‘proper’.”
“Oh, please,” I said as I air kissed her on each cheek. “We’re right on time. And by the way, you’re a knockout tonight. I knew that you’d be wearing Chanel, but I certainly didn’t expect to find you in winter-white. Just look at you—divooooon!”
“What are you? Six? Seven? Grow the hell up.”
“It sounds to me as if somebody hasn’t had a cocktail yet...” I singsonged.
“Actually, none of us have—but to be fair to you, darling, all of us just sort of happened to come here at once. And only moments ago—so, you and Alex are good.”
“Here come two servers now,” Daniella said.
And when she said that, I not only noted that she was standing next to Cutter, who looked smashing in his black tux, but that Daniella looked ravishing. She was wearing a sleeveless, navy blue bead-embroidered gown, with a deep V neckline that exposed a fair amount of cleavage, but nothing that could be considered scandalous. The silhouette was fitted and the skirt was straight, which revealed her body in ways that I knew she wanted it revealed.
“Daniella, you look lovely,” I said.
“Thank you, Jennifer. So do you. Your dress is literally over the moon. Who made it?”
“Valentino.”
“Well, there you have it—you pretty much can’t go wrong there. And by the way, I love the way you’ve straightened your hair tonight. You look as killer as you always do. What do you think, Cutter?”
“What can I say? When doesn’t Jennifer turn it out?”
OK, so they’re totally relaxed in each other’s company and Daniella is clearly going out of her way to be polite and positive, so what in the hell transpired between them today? Clearly, something good. And for the lack of drama alone, may it continue!
“And look at you, Madison,” I said. “That dress is a knock-out.” And it was—Blackwell had come through again. She’d opted for an Oscar de la Renta strapless floral sequined fit-and-flare dress in ivory that came to just above Madison’s knees, which accentuated her long, pretty legs. On her feet was an elegant pair of black Manolo Blahnik BB suede point-toe pumps, which I’d seen for myself at Saks—and which I’d nearly purchased. Looking at them on her now, I kind of wished that I had.
“I love it,” she said. “Thank you so much!” She twirled in front of me. “I have no words.”
“That’s because you don’t need any,” Brock said, who also was wearing a tux. “You’re an exclamation point.”
“You two look terrific. I’m really glad that you decided to come along on the trip.”
“That means a lot to us, Jennifer,” Brock said. “You know, to have your support.”
“You have everyone’s support.”
When I turned my attention to Alexa, she caught me off guard again.
“Oh, my God!” I said to her.
She brightened and then asked, “Do you like?”
“Are you serious? Who are you wearing? It looks like Dior...”
“Actually, it’s Dolce & Gabbana. Mom told me what the style of the dress is, but I can’t remember.”
“It’s a black bijoux open-back stretch-crepe dress, Alexa,” Blackwell said.
“Right. I’m sure that means something to somebody, but for me, I chose it because it’s form-fitting, and because the black matches my hair. And look at the back of it, Jennifer—check out the jeweled bow at the base of my neck.”
She lifted away her hair so that I could see it.
“It’s insane,” I said. “And your back is nearly bare. And hello Christmas, just look at your heels. You’ve killed it.”
“And not one animal was murdered in the making of any of it—including the heels. Faux leather, not that anyone would know. Still, being a vegetarian and someone who loves animals, wearing something like this is important to me.”
“As it should be,” I said. “Because that’s who you are.”
“And by the way,” she said. “You look super sexy.”
“Believe me, it’s all an illusion. Smoke and mirrors. And by the way, everyone, just for the record—my breasts are not exposed! I know that it might look as if they are, but trust me—they’re not.”
“Well, they should be,” Daniella said. “Because you totally could pull it off, Jennifer. I sure wish that I looked like you.”
“Why?” Cutter said. “Look at you tonight, Daniella. You’re beautiful.”
Shit just keeps getting real!
“I agree,” Blackwell said. “Jennifer looks lovely, especially since I did, after all, choose that dress for her. And as for the rest of you girls, let’s just say that you’ve made this fashionista proud.” She turned to me. “Drinks?” she said.
“Indeed.”
ALL OF US WERE DEEP into our first drink when the doorbell rang.
“Oh, God,” Blackwell said. “That must be him. And what am I to do? How am I to behave? What in the fresh hell have I gotten myself into?”
“Just relax,” Alex said as he moved toward the door. “He seems like a nice man. Why don’t you just continue to give him a chance? You’ve got this.”
But she didn’t, because when Alex opened the door, a young man was standing just beyond it who was not Marcus Koch.
It took me a moment to place him, but then I recognized him from the night before. He was the cute, twenty-something, dark-haired boy who was the first to approach Alexa at the bar to chat with her the night before. Had she invited him here tonight? She must have, not that I minded. In fact, I welcomed it. With him here and Marcus on the way, all of us would be paired up, which would be perfect.
“Hello,” Alex said as he opened the door.
“Hi,” the young man said sheepishly. “Is Alexa here? I’m pretty sure she gave me this address, but I never expected to come upon a house like this. I might be at the wrong address. This place is a mansion.”
Clutched in one hand was a bouquet of flowers that was still wrapped in plastic, and which made my heart go weak not only because of the gesture, but because he seemed so nervous.
“You’re not in the wrong place, Justin,” Alexa said as she crossed the room and stood alongside Alex. “Come in out of the cold. Let me take your coat. I’m so happy that you came. Everyone, this is Justin Campbell, the one I told all of you about earlier. You remember—right?”
While everyone else just looked at the poor kid with question marks stamped on their foreheads, I immediately jolted into action and walked over to shake his hand before he could figure out that Alexa hadn’t shared any of this with any us, likely because she wasn’t sure if he’d show—and didn’t want to embarrass herself if he didn’t.
“Of course we do,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you, Justin. I remember you from last night. You were the first to talk to Alexa, weren’t
you?”
“I was—though the other guys I was with tried to steal away her away from me.”
“Looks like they lost! And thanks for coming. Merry Christmas Eve. And what beautiful flowers you have. They’re lovely,” I said.
“They’re for Alexa,” he said, holding them out to her. “They’re not much—it’s hard to find a proper florist around here. I would have done better if I could have, but it is what it is—and I hope that you like them, Alexa.”
“I love them,” she said as she took them. “Thank you.”
When she said that, his eyes roamed over her and I thought for a moment that I saw him blush. “You look amazing,” he said. “I mean, really amazing. I think that I might have underdressed...”
“I know that suit,” Blackwell said as she moved toward him. “Brooks Brothers. Black, but with a festive red vest. You are not at all underdressed, Justin, so think nothing more of it.” She held out her hand to him. “I’m Barbara,” she said. “Alexa’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m also happy that you’re here.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“But I have to ask—why are you here?” she said. “It’s Christmas Eve. Don’t you have a family you should be with now?”
Oh, Christ. Blackwell, give the kid a break. Do you really need to be that direct?
“Actually, my parents are kind of in the middle of a divorce,” he said. “And it’s starting to get heated between them. Since I don’t want to be around that kind of negative energy over the holidays, a few buddies of mine decided to come to the Loaf with me so that I could get my mind off all of it.”
“Well, then you have the very best of friends, don’t you?” Blackwell said.
“In fact, I do.”
“I’m sorry for what you’re going through. And you are absolutely welcome here—please know that, Justin. Consider us your family tonight.”
And when Blackwell said that, the tension I noted on Justin’s face and in his shoulders lessened a bit. “Thank you,” he said.
Holiday: Annihilate Him, #4 Page 13