by Tia Siren
“You are doing wonderful,” he said, patting her on the shoulder. “More advanced than some of my graduating seniors this year.”
The compliment cheered her up instantly. Two months of living in the hustle of New York City had taken a toll on her emotionally. She dearly missed both her parents who were back in Wyoming. This was the first time in her life she had gone this long without seeing them face to face, and it was hard every single day to not feel homesick. It didn’t help that her mother cried every time they spoke on the phone at the end of Paige’s hectic days of classes and figuring out where all the dining places were.
New York University was spread throughout several city blocks. It took forty minutes to an hour just to walk to a class from her dorm. She didn’t mind so much though, except in the winter when it was freezing.
It was a drastic difference compared to the quietness of her hometown. There were only 5,000 people there, and they lived on sixty acres of farmland. Hearing the constant sound of cars, alarms, and late-night chatter was also drastically different.
And there were times that Paige wondered if moving to New York had been the right thing to do after what had happened. She quickly shut that last trailing thought down. There would be a time to deal with all that later, not while she was in her freshman painting class.
“Really?” Paige asked.
He nodded and let out a soft chuckle. “Yes. That’s a scary thought, now isn’t it?” He gazed down at her with kind blue eyes. “How are you handling your first two months here at NYU? Feeling homesick at all?”
“Yeah, a little. If I’m being honest, it’s been hard,” she said. “I miss my parents, but I assume that’s normal.”
“Normal as can be. You came from Wyoming, correct?” He tilted his head to the side, watching her closely.
“Yes. My parents own a farm, so the nightlight is a change of pace for me.” She shrugged, trying hard not to think about home. It would be far too easy to dive into another depression about missing her family and her old room.
Professor Grey laughed. “I imagine it is. Well, try to stick to being here in New York. It’s a lifetime experience and a wonderful opportunity for a woman such as yourself.”
He continued down the line of students. Paige finished up her painting with a pleased smile. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That much she had recognized when opening the acceptance letter over a year ago to find out she had also been selected for a hefty scholarship that at least covered her food and housing. Everything else had fallen onto her parents’ shoulders, who insisted they had saved for a day when her dreams and talents would take her places.
It had taken to her New York City of all places. The big city. And for a small-town country girl like her, it was different…even terrifying at times.
She cleaned up her workstation as Professor Grey talked about next week’s student critique. He excused them a few minutes later with a bid for them to have a good weekend.
Slipping the strap of her leather tote onto her shoulder, Paige filed out with the rest of her freshman classmates, but she didn’t bother talking to anyone. They were all nice, but several of them were too high class for her. They didn’t have problems with money. They were only going to New York University because their parents could afford it and they were required to go to school if they wanted access to a wealthy lifestyle. Students like Paige were the oddballs who wore cheap leggings and T-shirts to every class.
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 Jess
ica, 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 Shannon 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 sh
ouldn’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.