They had breakfast on the terrace again, and when they were finished, Sasha went back to the bedroom to gather the clothes she had worn the day before. Darien followed her, noticing she was holding her purse. “What are you looking for?”
“My things from yesterday. I’ll need to get the skirt to a dry cleaners.” She continued to check the top of dressers and chairs.
“Honey, the bed is made. That means Clara has already been in here, and I’m sure she has already arranged to have your clothing cleaned.”
“Maybe I can catch her. Darien, she doesn’t have to pick up after me.” Sasha tried to get to the door, but Darien caught her wrist.
“Don’t be silly. Everything goes to the cleaners. Clara hates to do laundry, so she sends it out. It’s nothing to throw your things in the pile.” Darien’s deep blue eyes held her as he smiled. “Come on, we need to get going.”
Clara was dusting the living room as they passed by. “Sasha, I sent your things out with the wash. They’ll be back on Monday, unless you think you’ll need them sooner.”
“Thank you, Clara. Monday will be fine.” Sasha followed Darien to the car.
Darien walked her up to the apartment. “I’ll call you this afternoon.”
“Okay. I’m probably just going to hang around here. I have some cleaning to do, and I might run my text books back to the school store and see if I can get anything for them.”
“If you get bored, give Katie a call. Edmond and I are going to be together today while we discuss the transition.” Darien waved and drove off.
Liz was still sleeping when Sasha walked into the apartment, and she grabbed the books she wanted to trade in and walked to the bookstore. She was back in her room an hour later with an extra hundred and twenty-five dollars. Sasha stared at the money on the bed. It was about all she had left since she had quit her bartending job, and the familiar butterflies began to circle her stomach as she glanced in the mirror.
Sasha stared at her reflection. The blouse she was wearing probably cost more than the little bit of money she had left, and the entire ensemble Darien had chosen for her this morning gave the stranger looking back at her the look of comfortable sophistication. It was perfect, all the way down to the shoes, and Sasha thought briefly of Kate’s statement at lunch and wondered if she was now the ‘fraud’.
A noise from the kitchen alerted her that Liz was awake, and Sasha ambled in that direction. As she came around the corner, Liz and Paul gaped up at her as they stood naked in front of the refrigerator. Sasha spun around, Paul grabbed a dishtowel to cover himself and Liz squealed.
“Sasha, oh shit, I didn’t know you were home.”
“I’m sorry, Liz.” Sasha retreated to the living room and faced the windows.
Paul and Liz scurried back to her bedroom, and a few minutes later, Paul was back in the kitchen preparing food while Liz joined Sasha on the couch.
“Liz, I am so sorry. I’ve been home a little over an hour and I just got back from running up to the book store to trade in last semester’s textbooks.”
Liz gave an awkward grin. “Well, I should have known better than to run around naked. I figured Darien would be keeping you occupied again today.” Liz’s eyes traveled up and down her friend, narrowing at the expensive clothes. “Another new outfit, huh?”
“He likes to pick things out for me,” Sasha finished weakly.
Liz gave a little harrumph. “Your own clothes are fine. I think he’s a bit of a control freak, Sasha.”
‘If you only knew,’ Sasha thought. “I didn’t have much of a say in it Liz, unless I wanted to wear the same clothes home I had on yesterday.”
“Nope, it’s more than that, kiddo. I bet if you brought some of your things to his house to wear, he’d still be dressing you up like his personal fashion model.”
“That’s not fair, Liz. I have to dress up a little for the places I’ve been going, and you know I can’t afford a wardrobe like that.”
“Speaking of which, where did you have lunch yesterday?” Liz asked.
“I met Kate, a girlfriend of one of Darien’s partners, at ‘Sparrows’.” Sasha wanted to tell Liz about the lovely lunch on the terrace and the shopping spree, but she stopped herself when she saw her roommate’s expression.
Liz rolled her eyes. “Up in Northbrook? God, you must have been bored out of your mind with those yuppie snobs.”
Sasha stared at her. She wanted to gossip and laugh about the Cinderella world where she found herself. Instead, she felt like Alice. It was as if she had stepped through the looking glass, and the world where Liz and her friends carried on with their lives was now separated from her and unreachable.
“What did you do afterwards?” Liz continued, as Paul came into the room with coffee for all of them and sat on the chair.
Sasha discovered she was becoming agitated and no longer wanted to discuss the interesting time she had had with Darien’s friends. Liz was making her feel as though the two halves of her life were being rated against each other. It was only the patient expectation on Liz’s face that got her speaking again.
“He’s taking me to some kind of formal dinner Friday night, and Kate and I met two more of the partners’ girlfriends at ‘Berstrands’ to find evening gowns.” At this point, Sasha was feeling extremely uncomfortable.
“‘Berstrands’?” Liz exploded. “Geeze, Sasha, I bet the sales staff wouldn’t let me walk through the door.”
“It’s actually very nice, and Sherry, the manager, already had things set aside for us.” Sasha found herself getting a little angry with Liz for making her defend her good fortune. She decided to plow ahead and let her roommate know that she had a very good time with these new friends. “Melanie picked me out these outrageous strappy shoes, and I’ll probably break my neck in them,” Sasha smiled.
Liz was looking at her, bewildered. “So what, is this just going to be your crash pad now? I mean, it certainly can’t compare to Northbrook and formal dinners. I bet Darien cringes when he has to drop you off in this neighborhood.”
“Liz,” Sasha exclaimed. “What’s gotten into you? Darien’s not like that.”
Her roommate settled back on the sofa and sighed. “I’m sorry, Sasha. I really am happy that you seem to be getting along so well with him, and maybe I’m a little jealous at being left behind.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Liz. You’re not being left anywhere.” ‘Wasn’t she though? Hadn’t she been having those same thoughts last night?’ Sasha fidgeted. “You were my first friend when I got here and you always will be my friend, and besides, you and Paul seem to be keeping each other occupied.”
Sasha caught Paul’s uncomfortable glance at Liz, willing her to say something, and Liz gave her head a quick shake.
“What? What is it Liz?” Whatever Paul wanted Liz to tell her, Sasha wanted out in the open. The uncomfortable conversation had to be leading somewhere.
Liz stalled, and then reached over for Paul’s hand. “Paul is moving in next week.”
“I see.” Sasha looked at their nervous faces.
“The thing is, he needs your room for his studio. We can make a darkroom for his photography out of your closet and save a fortune over having them processed.” Liz’s knuckles were white as she gripped Paul’s hand.
Sasha felt like she had just been kicked in the stomach. “Oh, I guess I had better get busy finding a place, then.” She had less than two hundred dollars to her name and no funds coming in, and she sensed the door with the naïve little girl on the other side closing a little further. Sasha rose and walked towards her room.
“I mean, you wouldn’t have to move right away,” Liz called after her. “I’m sure Darien will help you out with something.”
Sasha never looked back as she shut the door to her bedroom. She sat on her bed, deflated and confused, knowing it would make no sense to argue. Obviously, Liz and Paul had made this decision and were not going to back down on it. Sasha was distracted from her musings by the jingled r
inging of her phone.
“Hey Sasha, it’s Kate and I’m bored. Let me send a car over for you and we can spend the day out by the pool. Please say yes.”
Sasha really wanted out of the apartment. An uncomfortable day of running into Liz and Paul did not sound like a good idea. “I’d love to.” She gave Kate her address and packed her swimsuit, hat and a cover. Liz and Paul were still in the living room when she left the apartment to wait outside for her ride.
Sasha was lost in her own thoughts of the rapidly changing world around her, and she was surprised when the car turned into a long driveway leading up to a huge, pillared home.
Katie was waiting at the door in an extremely revealing bikini. “I’m so glad you could come over. Ronnie and Mel are busy all day.” She took Sasha’s hand and pulled her into the quick peck on the cheek. Sasha noted all three of the women seemed to greet each other that way.
“I really needed out of my apartment. Thanks for the invitation.”
They walked into the large marble foyer and Katie guided her towards a guestroom. “You can change in here and I’ll meet you by the pool.”
Sasha changed into her discount two-piece, carefully laying her expensive outfit on the bed. The room she was in was large and tastefully furnished, and a brief thought passed through her mind to ask Kate if she could stay here for a while.
She wound her way back through the house to the patio that led to the pool. Kate was reclining on a lounge chair with two strawberry daiquiris complete with real strawberry garnish sitting on a small table. There was a second lounge chair beside her that Sasha settled into.
“I hate the transitions.” Kate wrinkled her nose. “I’ve only been through two of them, but they take up so much of Edmond’s time.”
“They only last a few months though, right? Darien explained to me how they were divided up.”
“Yes, and at least Darien offered to take the first shift. That’s definitely the worst. Edmond had to do it with the club in LA. I hardly ever saw him, and when I did, he was exhausted. The first quarter is where all the problems crop up,” Kate explained.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad for you this time,” Sasha offered.
“I’m sure it won’t. Darien already has the club running smoothly and it seems to go a little quicker with each one. Of course, there are always the upstairs rooms if I want to join him.”
“Darien pointed those out to me when he showed me around the club. Are they suites?” Sasha asked.
“They’re more than that. They’re like little expensive apartments, complete with our own unique toys. Sometimes the guys need a break from work.” Kate gave a small laugh.
“Are they empty the rest of the time?” Sasha felt a slightly optimistic plan forming.
“Yes, each of us has one in all of the clubs.” Katie studied Sasha’s expression and noted a nervous depression. “What’s up? I can see something’s bothering you.”
“Liz is kicking me out. I mean, not in so many words, but her boyfriend is moving in and they need my bedroom for a studio for his photography.” Sasha chewed her lip. “Kate, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Darien’s already had me quit my job, and I only have about two hundred dollars to my name. Do you think he’d let me work at the club in exchange for using one of the suites upstairs?”
Kate’s mouth dropped open. “Are you crazy? There’s no way he’s going to let you work at ‘The Penitentiary’. Sasha, he’s not going to want you working at all. He’s off shift now. Why don’t you move in with him until you figure things out?”
Sasha squirmed. “I just met him, Kate. It’s only been a couple of days.”
“So what? You were planning on spending the summer with him anyway.” Kate was already reaching for her phone, and Sasha panicked when she realized her intention. Kate turned away as Sasha tried to stop her from calling. “Hey, what are you guys up to?” Kate listened for a while and laughed.
“Sasha’s got a little problem. Her roommate asked her to move out, because she’s moving her boyfriend in.” Kate listened again. “Actually, she wants to ask Darien if she can work at the club and rent one of the suites.” Kate held the phone out as Edmond relayed the plan, and Darien’s loud protest could be heard through the earpiece.
Kate put her hand over the mouthpiece and said to Sasha, “Told you that wouldn’t work.” She put the phone back up to her ear. “I already suggested that to her, Darien. Apparently your charm is not as overwhelming as you think it is.” Kate reached for her drink while she listened. “All right…Yes…See you then.” She flipped her phone closed.
Sasha looked totally panicked. “Kate, he’s going to think I’m trying to corner him.”
“You are so naïve, do you know that? Anyway, we’re having a late dinner here tonight. You can stay, right? It doesn’t sound like you want to go back to your apartment anytime soon.” Kate was already pushing a button under the table.
Sasha groaned. This was all happening way too fast. “I guess dinner will be all right, thanks. Kate, I am not moving in with him,” Sasha stated emphatically. “I’ll figure something out. Maybe I can check with Angie and Beth. They have a three bedroom and their roommate was thinking about transferring.” As Sasha rose to get her cell phone from her purse in the guestroom, a woman showed up with two more daiquiris.
“Oops, sorry about that, Ellen. We’ll drink them anyway. Actually, I wanted to let you know we’ll be having two guests for dinner tonight. We’ll still want to eat around eight. For now, could you bring lunch?” Ellen disappeared into the house. “I told her I’d only be ringing for drinks,” Kate explained. They still had plenty left in their first glasses. “I figured we could order lunch when she came out to deliver them. Come on, bottoms up.”
Sasha felt a mild brain freeze as she sucked down the frozen drink. “I’ll be right back.” She retrieved her phone and frowned at the screen. “Kate, I’m not good with these things. It says I have a ‘voice mail’. How do I listen to it?”
“Here, let me.” Kate held out her hand. There were two recordings, and Kate hit the speaker key.
The first message was from Liz. “Sasha, look, I’m sorry. It’s just that you knew this was only temporary and I didn’t expect things to work out this way so fast with Paul. Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to call your new friends snobs. Call me.” Sasha winced and Katie laughed.
“Imagine me...a snob. Mel’s going to get a hoot over that one.” Katie was already picking up her phone.
“Please don’t tell her,” Sasha begged. “This is embarrassing enough as it is.”
Darien’s voice came through the small speaker next. “Sasha, it does no good to get you a phone if you don’t keep it with you,” he admonished. “Obviously, Katie has hers out by the pool. I’m meeting you there for dinner, and you are not to make any decisions on your living arrangements until we speak. I’ll see you then.”
Sasha stared at the phone in Kate’s hand as she slid it shut. “Good grief,” she exclaimed. “I’m not a little girl.” She grabbed the phone and found the stored numbers.
“Don’t do it,” Kate warned. “He’ll be angry.” Kate picked up her drink.
Sasha only hesitated a second, and punched in Angie’s number. “Hey, Angie.” There was a pause while Sasha listened. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been caught up with things. Look, is Deidra going to stay on with you guys? I know she was talking about transferring.” There was another pause. “Yes, well, I don’t think she expected things to move so quickly with him. Thanks anyway, and please let me know if you hear of anything.”
Sasha closed the phone and looked at Kate’s expectant expression. “Apparently, Liz already called her a couple of days ago to see if I could move in with them. Deidra’s decided not to transfer, so she’s not moving out.” Sasha put her head in her hands and stared at the patio.
“I don’t know why you won’t consider moving in with Darien. You were planning on traveling with him this summer anyway.” Kate handed Sa
sha her other daiquiri.
“I’m not used to depending on anyone. I like my independence,” Sasha said.
Katie laughed loudly, “Honey, there is no way in hell you would have ended up in Darien’s bed if that was the case.”
They spent the afternoon swimming and sunning by the pool with a couple more drinks. Kate left her in the guest bedroom to shower and dress, with instructions on where to find towels, and they decided to meet up in the recreation room. Kate told her how to find it in the maze of rooms.
CHAPTER VI
Kate and Sasha were still drinking daiquiris and watching a movie when Edmond and Darien showed up. Darien arrived, preparing to make his case with Sasha. Instead, the two men stopped in the doorway to Edmond’s recreation room as they saw the two slightly inebriated women crying over a movie on the television.
“Watch, I love this part,” Kate sobbed. The man on the screen said something apparently profound enough to make both women moan.
“Oh, it’s so sad, though. Okay, here she is,” Sasha cried.
A few more words came from the actress in the movie and Kate and Sasha cried in unison. “Oooh, that part always gets to me,” Katie grabbed Sasha’s hand.
“I think I’ve seen this a hundred times and I still cry,” Sasha affirmed.
Edmond rolled his eyes at Darien. “I don’t think you have any hope of getting any sense into or out of either of them until we get some food into them. Sorry!”
“Well, she must have needed a day off. It’s been a tough one for her,” Darien agreed.
Edmond cleared his throat loudly and the young women turned around. Tears were quickly wiped off cheeks as Edmond queried, “I take it the hero came through in the end.”
Kate ran over and wrapped her arms around him. “Well, you won’t watch it with me. Sasha and I agree it’s the best movie ever.”
“Kate, every time you watch it, you puddle up in tears,” Edmond reasoned. He wiped the remaining tear-tracks off her face and she snuggled into his chest.
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