“Today, yeah. Needed a bit of color.”
“Well it looks great babe. They'll be lots of young eligible guys there tonight, so good timing!”
I smiled. There was only one guy I was looking to impress.
“Here we go girls.” Tess handed us each a glass. “Happy birthday to the twins. Hopefully Zack will enjoy my present for him.”
I saw Alice's face screw up a bit. “You got him a gift?”
Tess had this cheeky grin on her face. “Kind of.”
“What is it?”
“It's not for public consumption Alice, let's leave it at that.”
“OK, say no more,” Alice said quickly. “I really don't wanna know.”
Tess smiled as she took a sip of her champagne. I mean, I didn't want to use the word slut, but she certainly had a voracious interest in guys. It looked like Zack was just her latest target.
I felt kinda odd to have been invited to be honest. I mean, I had only met the twins once the night I'd arrived, and we didn't exactly hit it off. Alice had told me that she could bring some friends, though, so invited me and Tess. That's if Zack hadn't invited Tess himself. I wasn't sure if that was the case or not.
Zack and Cade were hosting a birthday party at this fancy hotel in town, the Globe or something. I didn't know much about it, except that it was a black tie affair. As soon as I'd learned about it I was straight into town to buy a suitable dress. It almost crippled my budget for the month, but I needed it. The money these guys had I didn't want to look out of place. Alice and Tess certainly wouldn't the way they were dressed. They both looked stunning.
We sank our champagne and listened to music for the next hour. I must have had a smile plastered on my face the entire time. It was just so liberating to be sat here with these two girls. They were funny, popular, sweet, and two of the friendliest girls I'd ever met. I was just grateful that I'd landed on my feet so well coming here. I hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
We took a limo to the hotel, paid for by Tess. Her pockets seemed to be endlessly deep. Rich parents I guess.
Alice went slightly quiet as we arrived, her eyes dropping a bit as we entered into the hotel lobby. I thought about asking her but, frankly, I knew she'd give me nothing. I'd never met someone who bottled things up so well. Or maybe I was just imagining it.
A glass and a half of champagne down. I've done a lot more on a lot less.
The hotel was magnificent. It had this aura of total luxury about it. Everything on the inside just oozed money. The crystal chandelier, the lush red carpet, the golden lighting fixtures: it was all so grand.
I could see Alice's eyes stay low as we continued into the lobby, her head drooping slightly, as if she was trying to obscure her face. She dropped back behind Tess and I as we walked in, the both of us looking around at the amazing space within. Alice didn't seem in the slightest bit interested.
Tess waltzed straight up towards the front desk and spoke to one of the reception staff. I followed, leaving Alice to wander off to the left.
“We're here for the Logan birthday,” Tess said, “where is it?”
“Ah,” said the girl behind the desk, “it's just over towards your left there. Down the corridor towards the main hall.”
We walked off and joined Alice as she loitered at the side of the room, casting her gaze over a painting on the wall.
“This way babe,” Tess said, grabbing her attention.
We walked down the corridor and towards a door at the end. There was a man outside holding a chart.
“Names.”
“Tess Taylor, Alice Newton, and Elle...erm Elle, what's your surname?”
“Harper.”
“And Elle Harper.”
The man ran his eyes over what seemed to be a very long list and ticked our names off as he went. “OK, in you go.”
He opened the double doors and a wide space appeared before our eyes. It was a ballroom of some kind, with a stage at the end and a number of tables set up in the middle. Right in the center was a champagne fountain, the golden liquid trickling down into waiting glasses. Waiters shot this way and that, some with trays of champagne, others with a range of canapes.
I ran my eyes over the other people there. Most were young, attractive women and men standing in groups and couples. The women wore all sorts of stunning dresses, many sparkling in silver and gold jewelry. The men stood in their well fitted tuxedos, most of them clean cut and looking sharp.
It was a scene of beautiful people, one that I knew Alice and Tess would fit right into. I wasn't so sure about myself. This wasn't the sort of thing I was used to, or overly comfortable with.
I could feel the nerves tingling in my body as I looked out over the scene, and was grateful when a waiter approached carrying a tray of champagne glasses. I quickly snatched one off it, with a couple of funny looks from Alice and Tess, and gulped down a generous portion.
“Easy now Elle,” said Tess, “you've gotta pace yourself here. Come on, lets take a look at where we're sitting.”
Tess turned towards the board positioned near the main doors and eagerly searched for her name. I glanced back at Alice, who gazed into the crowd. She seemed seriously preoccupied with something.
“Hey, here we are. Elle, you and me are together. Alice, you're at another table with Kyle.”
We turned together to see that she was no longer with us. She'd descended into the crowd, no doubt searching for her man.
Tess smiled at me knowingly. “Guess its just me and you then babe!”
Yeah, until you latch onto Zack. Then I'll be all alone.
....
My prophesy came true.
Not long after Alice had disappeared into the crowd the bell went for us to take our seats for dinner. It was much more formal than I'd have imagined, kinda like a wedding reception. I didn't think two guys turning 23 would choose to celebrate their birthday in such a way.
But they did, and there I was, sat there at a table, surrounded by beautiful people I didn't know. They weren't like the people I'd met at college, or the girls I was meeting in dance class. No, these people had a different air about them.
One of money. One of arrogance. One of superiority.
It wasn't directed at me, but it infected the air, made me choke. They probably thought I was just another one of them, another rich kid, another one of the gang.
Luckily I had Tess next to me, so we spent most of the dinner chatting between ourselves. Call me antisocial, call me what you want: I didn't want to talk to these people much. Maybe the other tables were nicer, I don't know.
All I knew was that this one was replete with the sort of people I'd avoided all my life.
But then, dinner didn't last long, and soon the evening was descending into something more akin to how I'd expect a 23 year old to bring in their next year.
The booze began to flow, makeshift bars on either side of the room well stocked with alcohol. People stood and mingled among the conceited masses, the noise in the room beginning to build as the night wore on.
Tess abandoned me, as expected, winding her way towards Zack. I knew she liked him, but I kinda hoped that he'd give her the cold shoulder, tell her where to go. Then, maybe, she'd come back to keep me company.
But she didn't.
A growing sense of awkwardness began developing inside me as I sat there at my table, unable or unwilling to mingle. I didn't fit in here, not with these people. I felt completely out of place.
I poured myself another glass of wine from a bottle on the table, filling my glass to the brim with white. When in doubt, drink. It was my reaction in awkward social situations like this.
I caught glimpse of Alice and Kyle, the two of them sitting to one side. They looked so loved up, it was kinda sweet. Or was she crying? I couldn't be sure from where I w
as. She had her head in his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, a stern look on his face. That look never seemed to change.
“I see you managed to replace your handbag?”
The voice shot me out of my stupor. I turned to my left to see Crash standing above me, a smile showing off his beautiful white teeth. He looked incredible in his tux. James Bond eat your fucking heart out.
A smile grew quickly on my face at the sight of him. Someone I knew. Thank God.
“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, his hand resting on top of the chair next to me, preparing to pull it out.
I nodded. “Please.”
Please save me.
He sat down next to me, his cologne floating across the short gap between us and drifting up my nose. His eyes settled on me, a friendly look to them. Yet inside those hazel browns I could see turmoil.
“I wasn't expecting to see you here,” he said.
I couldn't tell whether he was glad about it or not. I felt an urge to apologize, as if I didn't belong. That's how I felt anyway.
“Um, Alice invited me. I hope that's OK?”
“It's not my party,” he said, “I'm just a guest, like you. I have no control over who comes.”
He took a sip of his drink, his eyes staying on mine the whole time.
“How come you're sitting here all alone?”
I lowered my eyes and sucked up some wine. I had no answer for him. I couldn't say it was because I thought the people here were conceited and arrogant. I didn't want to tell him the real truth - because I was a shy little girl with no aptitude for large social functions like this. Someone who needed to ply themselves full of wine to feel comfortable, often resulting in embarrassment and humiliation the following morning.
No, I couldn't do any of that. All I could do was lie.
“Just taking a break,” I said, my eyes still unable to meet his full on.
I glanced back at him as his smile deepened. “Long break,” he said, his tone dry.
Was he toying with me? And I thought my night couldn't get worse.
“Well, it's been a long night.” Great, now I was on the defensive.
I took another gulp of wine and forced my eyes to his. They didn't hold that burning fire like before, yet they weren't completely relaxed either. A light frown seemed to be permanently etched on his face, the weight of the world heavy on his shoulders.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” he said suddenly, “you don't look happy.”
Holy shit. Did I really look that glum. I bet everyone here thought the same. This random moody bitch sat in the corner. What a fucking downer. Crash was probably trying to remove my sucky presence from the room.
“No, it's OK, I was about to leave anyway. It's your brothers' birthday, you should stay.”
“Trust me, I'm not having a great time either. The last thing I want to deal with right now is small talk, but that's all these events are. The same fucking conversations over and over. It's doing my head in.”
He arched one of his eyebrows up a touch, awaiting my reply. “Come on, I'm leaving, you can follow or not.”
I smiled. What's the harm.
“OK, give me a moment, I just need to use the bathroom.”
“Sure, I'll wait. It's over there at the end of that bar.”
I stood and followed the direction of his finger over into the corner of the room. Tess was draping herself over Zack at the main table, his twin Cade and a group of others all laughing and joking raucously. Tess clearly had no trouble integrating herself into a new group.
I reached the corner of the room and passed through a door. There were a series of doors down a short corridor. I noticed the sign for the ladies and walked towards it, my ears pricking up to the sound of raised voices through another door, sitting ajar on its lock.
My curiosity got the better of me as I passed by, the bathroom just over to my right. I stopped briefly, lightening my footfall and listening closely. It sounded like Alice, heightening my interest.
“I just don't want to be here any more,” she said, trying to keep her voice down. “Can we just go Kyle, it's creeping me out.”
“No one knows you baby. Can't you just relax and have a good time?”
“But what if the concierge is up there, at the front desk. What if he sees me, recognizes me?” Her words were slightly frantic, no doubt made worse by booze.
“He's not here any more Alice, he probably doesn't even work here. Did you see him on the way in?”
“No, but..”
“Well then what's the problem?”
“He might be working late or something, I don't fucking know. Why are you being such a dick about this. You told me yourself not to come here, remember?”
“Yes, but that was ages ago. The dust has settled now, nothing's gonna happen to you, to us. What was I gonna tell my brothers? That I can't come to their birthday. I had no control over where they planned to host it.”
“Yeah well I didn't need to come. I shouldn't have agreed.” Her tone was hardening.
“OK, lets just give it another hour. We'll go back in, hang with my brothers, have a drink, and relax. I swear we'll leave in an hour and then you'll never have to come back here again. Deal?”
I slowly crept towards the bathroom as a brief silence fell inside the room. Then I heard Alice mumble her agreement as I quickly slinked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me, making sure to close it without a sound.
My breath poured out of me as I heard Alice and Kyle open the door outside and walk back off down the corridor.
The mystery of that girl deepens further.
Chapter 9
Crash
The light spilled into the room, burning through my eyelids and waking me up in a flash.
“What the hell Mel, I told you not to open the fucking curtains so early.”
“Sorry babe, but it helps wake me up.”
Mel was a 'comfort girl' as I called her. Not a prostitute. No, I would never pay for it. She was just a girl I knew. A girl who helped satisfy my needs when I needed them taken care of.
I rolled over and covered my eyes up with the pillow. How this girl survived on only a couple of hours of sleep was beyond me.
My memory swilled with images from the previous night. I looked over to see my tux hanging loose on a chair. Zack and Cade's party, what a fucking drag.
I had no mind for such formal events right now. No time for them. No interest in them. The thought of spending hour upon hour chit chatting about nothing of importance was beneath me. Now I was swimming with the sharks.
I'd seen Elle there, sitting alone across the room. Poor girl looked like a tree in the middle of an open field, totally secluded and out of place.
I went over to her and asked if she wanted to leave. Kill two birds with one stone: save the poor girl and save myself.
I took her upstairs into the hotel bar. It was quiet there, only a couple of late night guests lingering around, nursing whiskey and their troubles. We fitted in perfectly.
She began to come out of her shell as we spoke. I guess she wasn't overly comfortable in large group situations. She was young, only about 20, so that sort of thing might be intimidating.
She was sweet though, innocent and untouched. She might have been a virgin for all I knew. It wasn't just the way she looked: cute blonde hair, big blue eyes, button nose. It was the way she looked at me, her eyes glancing at me when she thought I couldn't see, this coy expression on her face when I said she looked pretty.
It appealed to me in a way I didn't expect. I'd lived my entire life fast and loose and liked my women just the same. But I was 27 now and had never had a proper relationship, never felt anything more than lust towards a girl. Kyle had been the same as me and now look at him. He was thinking of giving up everything for a girl. It was a
feeling I couldn't compute in my head.
When I asked her about her previous relationships, her eyes flashed in a way that told me she had a serious history with someone. I don't know why, but a tinge of jealousy struck at my core.
She avoided the question, though, and turned the spotlight straight back onto me.
I gave the sort of answer that I always would when a girl asked me that sort of question. “Never found the right girl. Been really busy with work recently.”
It wasn't much of an explanation to explain over 10 years without a girlfriend. But then again, maybe it was the truth. I didn't care to give it much thought. It was easier that way.
I didn't stay too long with her. If I did, she'd probably see the real me behind my facade. I saw her off in a cab back to her dorm at about 2 AM. Weird to think that was only 4 hours ago now.
She'd given me this look of thanks when we said goodbye and kissed my cheek. I enjoyed the touch of her lips. They were soft and warm, her touch as light as she was.
I told the cab driver to get her home safe. There was a menace to my words. I didn't trust anyone, that was my problem. His eyes told me that he knew who I was.
She'd be safe then.
One she'd left I hailed my own cab and made a call, reverting to type. I arrived at Mel's place 20 minutes later and she saw to my needs. Now she was my normal type of girl. Easy, experienced, hot as fucking hell.
She had this jetblack hair set against her tanned skin, a set of fake tips making her slightly top heavy. The surgeon had done a fucking good job - they didn't look fake at all.
She curve of her ass as she bent down in front of me was enough to make a man weep. The feel of it when I slapped it with my hand gave me that feeling of power I'd always craved. Power over women. Power in business. Now I had power over my family.
For some reason though. For some fucked up, deranged reason, this shy little girl from California held a power over me.
A modicum of power, this tiny strand of power, but power nonetheless.
Chapter 10
The Logan Brothers - Books 1-4: (EXPOSURE, CRASH, TWIN PASSIONS, and ADDICTED TO YOU) Page 24