“This is what happens when your husband abandons his oldest child,” I tell her, taking another fortifying gulp of beer.
She scowls. “He didn’t abandon you. Your mother kept you from him.”
“Keep believing that.” My tone is cryptic. We watch each other, yet she doesn’t say a word. Neither do I.
Seems like Helena uses silence as a weapon, just like me.
After a couple sips of wine, her scowl slowly eases away. “You look exactly like your father, you know that?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
She moves so her upper arm rubs against mine, the light glinting off the many sequins on the front of her dress nearly blinding me. She’s like a walking pink disco ball. “You don’t say much, do you?”
I slowly shake my head. Most of the time I keep quiet so I don’t say anything stupid that could come back to haunt me. With this woman, I’m guessing she has a mind like a trap and would use my own words against me someday, if they worked in her favor.
Fuck that. I’d rather keep quiet and pretend she doesn’t exist.
Her contemplative gaze locks with mine, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips. “I like you. Maybe someday we could—”
“Helena! There you are!” A platinum blonde woman rushes toward us in a cloud of sky blue ruffles, taking hold of Helena’s arm before she turns her attention toward me. Her perfectly arched brows shoot up practically to her hairline. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Already trading Anthony in for a younger model?”
I tense up, hating how this woman is regarding me like I’m a piece of meat.
Helena laughs, sounding uncomfortable. “Of course not, Lauri. This is my stepson, Tony.”
“Your stepson? Oh my goodness.” Lauri rests her hand against her chest, batting her eyelashes at me. “I’m so sorry. I totally put my foot in my mouth just now.”
“It’s cool. Nice to meet you.” I raise my beer bottle in her direction, like I’m toasting her, just before I take a swig.
“We probably shouldn’t be seen with each other,” Helena says to Lauri, which makes me frown. What the hell is she talking about?
“You’re right. So silly. Their rivalry is completely over the top.” The women air kiss before Lauri returns her attention to me, wagging her fingers at me. “Nice meeting you, Tony. Call me next week and let’s do lunch, love!” she says to Helena before she disappears as fast as she came.
“What was that all about?” I ask Helena once Lauri’s gone.
“Oh, your father is making enemies as usual, including Lauri’s fiancé.” Helena’s smile is mischievous. “Lauri and I have remained friends through it all thankfully, despite their hatred toward each other.”
Huh. I know my dad has had some dirty dealings in the past. When I was younger, everyone figured we were mob, only because we’re Italian. I always thought that was bullshit. But as I’ve gotten older and started to understand the way the world works, I’ve long suspected dear old dad has made some less than legal business transactions. He’s in real estate—he buys large businesses for cheap and breaks them up, selling each individual piece of the business for far more than what he originally purchased it for.
In his type of business, he pisses people off. He underbids. Overbids. He’s sneaky. I’ve done some research recently. Google is my friend, and there is all sorts of information out there in regards to my father. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Should I even contemplate working with him at all?
I don’t know.
Helena goes on about her friendships with the various women in this place, and how my father has messed them up thanks to pissing off all their husbands. I’m only half listening to her, my gaze searching the crowd. Does it make me a shit human that I don’t care about Helena’s problems? They feel really trivial compared to the kind of lifestyle she leads. She doesn’t have to worry about a thing. My dad is taking care of her financially, and she’s locked him down for a while, thanks to having his children.
I’m sure she’s pissed she didn’t give him a boy.
A blonde girl in white suddenly enters the room, and she’s swept up in someone’s arms, her face averted, though I can hear her tinkling laugh from where I’m standing. Awareness settles over me, prickling my skin. She moves in a way that’s familiar. I shift to the right, trying to catch sight of her face, and when she pulls away from the woman hugging her, I realize who it is.
Hayden from the Range Rover dealership.
Well, holy shit. Tonight just got a hell of a lot more interesting.
“I’ll see you later,” I tell Helena absently as I push past her, ignoring her when she calls after me.
I weave my way through the crowd, ignoring the smiles and the nodding heads as I pass them, these fake, plastic people acting like they know me when I’m a complete stranger. It’s not until I’m standing directly behind her, breathing in her delicate scent, fascinated with the elegant tilt of her neck, the way her hair slides across her shoulder as she speaks animatedly to the woman standing in front of her, that I finally jolt myself out of my trance and say something.
“Hayden.”
She glances over her shoulder, doing a double take. “Tony from the dealership? Is that you?”
I can’t help but smile. Her voice is soft and lilting. Sweet sounding. Her eyes are wide and she’s grinning at me like I’m the best thing she’s seen in a long time.
I can’t help but return her smile. “It’s me.” I hold my arms out. “In the flesh.”
“And what pretty flesh you are,” she murmurs.
I rear back a little, surprised at what she said. And she doesn’t back down from it either. She just watches me, completely forgetting about the woman she was speaking to only a second ago. We stare at each other for a moment before I realize this is the perfect opportunity for me to check her out completely.
The white dress she’s wearing should be criminal. It covers up a lot, yet reveals plenty too. It’s short, showing off those killer legs. The ruffled skirt hem flirts with her slender thighs, and while the dress is long sleeved, it has this deep V-neck that shows off her cleavage perfectly.
I’m a leg man. I always have been. But Hayden’s tits are absolute perfection.
“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” she says to me while I stand there gawking at her like an idiot.
“I didn’t expect to see you either.” I slip my hands in my pants’ pockets, trying for casual. My blood is buzzing, racing through my veins at just having her this close. “Guess we both had the same plans.”
“Guess so.” She turns away from me, grabbing the hand of a girl wearing a dark blue dress and yanking her to her side. “This is my sister. Palmer.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake her little sister’s hand. She watches me with narrowed eyes, her lips parting, revealing the braces on her teeth. Definitely younger. She’s blonde too, and her features are similar to Hayden’s.
“Who are you again?” she asks me.
“Oh sorry. This is Tony.” Hayden puts extra emphasis on my name, sending her sister a knowing look.
Hmm.
“Wait a minute. Range Rover Tony?” Palmer studies me carefully and I can’t help but chuckle. “Hayden told me she thought you were cute.”
“Palmer!” Hayden nudges her sister with her elbow.
“What? It’s true! You’re always telling me I should be truthful and never hold anything back.” Palmer rubs at her side where her sister jabbed her. “It’s no big deal that you think he’s cute. From the way he’s staring at you, I’m sure he thinks you’re cute too.”
Hayden glances over at me, her eyes lighting up when she catches me staring, just as her sister said.
“So you’re talking about me to your sister, huh?” I ask Hayden, taking a step closer to her. I think of Helena and how she invaded my space only moments ago, and I hope like hell Hayden doesn’t think I’m doing the same thing to her right now.
Clearly, she doesn’t, thanks to h
er taking another step closer to me too. So close, our chests are almost brushing. I can smell her delectable scent even stronger now, and unlike all the other cloying fragrances filling the room, I can’t help but inhale her like I’m some sort of junkie.
“I told my sister I thought you were cute,” she says, her expression like a dare. “That’s all.”
“You think I’m cute.”
“Cute is too common of a word for you, but yes. It’ll suffice for now.” Hayden smiles, showing off her straight, white teeth.
Damn. Everything about this girl is pretty. Perfect. She doesn’t have nearly as much makeup on her face as all the other women who are here, and she definitely doesn’t need it. That sexy white dress showcases her banging body to perfection. The scattered star necklace from earlier lays against her throat, a delicate spray of gold upon her smooth skin. I’m intrigued by that necklace.
I want to touch it. Trace it with my fingertips. See if I can make goosebumps rise.
The whine of a mic being turned on sounds over invisible loudspeakers, and the majority of the room gasps in response. It’s followed by the tinkling of silverware against glass, and I turn to see a man standing on the stage in front of a podium, a fork in one hand and a wineglass in another. He taps the edge of the glass again with the fork, just before he announces into the mic, “Welcome everyone. Please do find your seats. Dinner will be served momentarily.”
It’s a free for all after that, and I watch Hayden be helplessly dragged away by her sister, still smiling while we continue to stare at each other. I’m tempted to go after her, but she turns away at the last second and follows after Palmer. I watch Hayden walk toward the other side of the room, my gaze dropping to the sway of her hips, the way the skirt flutters around the back of her thighs.
One wrong move and I could see her ass. That skirt is fuckin’ short.
I like it.
“Tony! There you are.” I turn to find my father striding toward me, a grim expression on his face. “Let’s go sit down.”
I follow him, grateful he’s not trying to introduce me to anyone else. He’s too determined to find our table. I don’t even understand how anyone actually knows where they’re supposed to be seated in this place, but I’m sure it’s some country club secret I’m not privy to.
Whatever. This isn’t my scene. And it probably never will be.
Once we find our table, I settle into the chair to the right of my Dad’s. Helena appears soon after us, her cheeks flushed, clutching a full glass of wine. I’d guess she’s had a few of those already, and Dad sends her a disapproving look. She ignores him, plopping into her seat and flipping her hair over her shoulder before she sets the glass down on the table.
“I saw you speaking to Lauri.” The irritation in my father’s voice is obvious.
Anger flashes in Helena’s eyes. “I can still be friends with her. It’s not my fault her boyfriend got the Kaminsky deal.”
Guess she’s not one to back down.
Dad glares. “I told you not to associate with their family.”
“You cannot control who I talk to, Anthony. I’m not a child,” Helena huffs, sounding exactly like a little kid. “Lauri is my friend. Can’t really say that about any of the other women in this room, so I’m going to keep talking to her whenever I can get the chance.”
“I don’t trust her boyfriend.”
“You shouldn’t.” Helena smiles. “I’m sure he’d love to get me alone and drill me about all of your secrets.”
It’s the way she says get me alone and drill me that has me raising my brows. Helena notices too. “Don’t give me that look. I saw you openly flirting with Hayden Channing,” she tosses out.
Dad whirls on me, anger flaring in his gaze. “You know Hayden?”
“I just met her at the dealership earlier—” I start, but he thrusts his finger in my face, his furious gaze meeting mine.
“Do not talk to her. You’re not allowed to even look at her, do you hear me?”
I lean back to get away from his shaking finger. “What’s the big deal? I don’t even know her.”
“Keep it that way.” Dad growls, reaching for his drink and slamming it back until there’s nothing left in the glass but ice.
I watch him, remaining quiet, wondering what the hell the Channing family did to him to make him so angry. Helena won’t even look up from her phone. Dad suddenly stands and leaves the table, and I watch him make his way toward the nearest bar.
“Don’t mind him.”
I glance over at Helena. “He’s pissed.”
“He’s always angry lately.” She shrugs.
“What did Channing do to him?”
“According to your father, Brian Channing has stolen three deals from him, all within the last couple of months.” Helena rolls her eyes. “I think he might be exaggerating though.”
“Bad blood then?”
“Terrible blood. I’ve been friends with Brian Channing’s girlfriend for a long time. Longer than I’ve been married to your father.” She gestures at me with her wineglass in hand. “You met her. She’s my friend, Lauri.”
Wait a minute. Lauri, the platinum blonde, is with Hayden’s dad? That’s her father’s girlfriend she was telling me about at the dealership?
“Got it.” I try not to react, but this is wild.
I’m connected to Range Rover Hayden and I didn’t even know it.
“You should probably avoid her. Hayden,” she clarifies when I look at her strangely, “spending time with her will set your dad off.”
“Not like he ever spends any time with me,” I say with a little shrug. “What does it matter to him who I’m with or what I’m doing?”
“I’m being serious, Tony. Like your father said, Hayden is off-limits. I won’t have you ruining my friendship with Lauri because you want to fuck Brian’s whorish daughter,” Helena retorts.
“Whorish? And who said I wanted to fuck her?”
The people sitting on the other side of the table are watching us with obvious interest. I have no idea who they are, but when I turn to glare at them, they look away quickly.
“You didn’t have to say anything. I saw the way you looked at her.” Helena smirks. “From what Lauri says, Hayden spreads her legs for pretty much anyone.”
I seriously cannot believe what Helena is saying to me. Why is she being so crude? So damn disrespectful? “Do you have a grudge against her or something?”
“I’m just letting you know the truth. It’s the least I can do for you, since you’re my stepson.” Her smile is brittle. “Just watching out for you, that’s all.”
Dad comes back with two glasses clutched in his hands, settling in his seat before he turns to Helena and starts whispering ferociously.
I ignore them, wishing I didn’t have to deal with them.
But thanks to Hayden, this night keeps getting more and more interesting.
Four
Hayden
“What were you doing talking to Tony Sorrento?” Dad asks me once he has me out on the dance floor.
Dinner was a painful affair of eating dry chicken and pretending to enjoy my father’s friends’ stories. They all talk about themselves and their successes and how much money they have. I know pretty much everyone at this country club tonight is rich and successful, but aren’t we more than that? Shouldn’t we be discussing world problems and what we can do about them, especially considering how much damn money everyone has?
But no. It’s one big my bank account is bigger than yours bragfest at this table.
Some of them have sons who accompanied them tonight. They’re all mildly attractive, I can’t lie. One in particular is extraordinarily good looking. He’s seated across from me and flashes a cocky smile in my direction every few minutes, as if he expects me to melt in my chair because he’s looking at me. His father lists his stats as if he’s a stud horse we might be interested in purchasing.
From the near salivating expression on my father’s face when
they were talking, I’m thinking I wasn’t too far off the mark in my thoughts.
The stud in question is a lacrosse player. A senior at Harvard, pre-med. Wants to be a plastic surgeon like his father. Considering Lauri knows his father so well, I’m gathering he’s the one who gave her the recently purchased fake boobs that are practically spilling out of her blue dress.
I glance down at my own chest, feeling flat compared to Lauri. I have nothing against breast implants. I get why a lot of women want or have them. But I don’t think I want boobs so big they’ll bust out of everything I wear if I’m not careful.
“Who is Tony Sorrento?” I ask my father. I am playing innocent, and assuming Range Rover Tony is who he’s talking about.
And why wouldn’t I talk to him? He’s the hottest guy in this place, hands down.
Dad takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he whirls me around the dance floor. They actually have a live band playing, and the singer is crooning some ballad from the nineties, I think.
It’s kind of awful.
“He’s no good.”
That’s a very blanket statement, and it doesn’t say much. Meaning he’s probably never had a conversation with Tony before in his life. “You know him?”
“I know enough.”
“So you know him personally? You two hang out? Golf buddies, maybe? At the very least, drinking buddies?” I prod further.
Irritation flits across his face. “No, I’ve never personally spoken to him.”
Just what I thought. “Then how do you know he’s no good? Making assumptions about people you don’t know isn’t fair,” I tell him.
Anger makes the color rise in his cheeks. And my father is usually such a cool customer. Nothing rattles him—with the exception of my mother. And sometimes me. “His father is a complete asshole.”
“Maybe he’s nothing like his father.”
“The apple never falls far from the tree,” Dad points out, and I laugh.
“I’m nothing like you.”
The Freshman Page 3