by Jerilee Kaye
Adrienne saw Mac grip Tara’s hand tighter, as if he, too, was resisting the urge to put a shiner on N-1-9-8-9’s face.
A waitress went to their table to take their order.
“I don’t usually drink, but what the hell, I think I need a daiquiri!” Adrienne said.
Tara ordered a margarita, and Mac said he wanted a beer.
The waitress turned to Justin J. He was ogling at her, literally staring at her big boobs and long legs. “Damn! Are you on the menu?” he asked her.
The waitress just smiled at him coyly.
Justin J. licked his upper lip and said, “Could you give me a Blow Job?”
Adrienne’s eyes widened. “You pervert!” she said crossly, unable to stop herself.
Justin J. stared back at Adrienne, raising a brow. “What? I meant the shooter. You know? Irish liquor mixed drink? Haven’t you heard about that before?”
Adrienne bit her lip in embarrassment. Tara turned away from Justin J. so he wouldn’t see that she was suppressing her laughter.
“I sure will,” the waitress said. Then she left. After a few minutes, she was back with their orders.
“Anything else?” she asked them.
“Maybe when you get off work, you and I can have some Sex on the Beach,” Justin J. said to her.
The waitress just giggled and then she left.
Adrienne glared at him. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know that Sex on the Beach is a mixed drink, either?” he asked her, giving her an innocent look.
“You think you’re very funny, don’t you, you little piece of Gorilla Fart?” she asked him angrily, trying to turn his joke on him.
Mac and Tara actually laughed this time.
N-1-9-8-9 gave her a dazzling smile. “Ahhh… she is smart,” he said. “And nope, I’m not funny. I just think I’m a little too hot.”
Mac took a gulp of his beer. “Left fist or right fist, Yenny. Just say the word and I’ll give it to him,” he offered.
Justin took his drink with him and stood up. “You are such a bore. I’m gonna find myself a good time.” He stood up and left. It was only then that Adrienne noticed what he was wearing. Gold baggy pants, over very tight fitting black shirt and again… suspenders.
Seriously? Gold?
Seriously? Suspenders?
When he left Tara stared at Adrienne. “What the hell was that creature?” she asked. “Really? Your mother thought you would hook up with that?”
“Yep.” Adrienne nodded. “I don’t think I could even be friends with him.”
“You have to get out of this,” Tara said. “We’ll tell Jin! We need to convince Ariana that she could not do this to her daughter.”
“Guys, don’t…tell every detail to Jin, okay?” Adrienne said. “This guy is an ape, I know. But Jin is becoming overprotective of me. If he finds out how this guy treated me, he might just give him a swing of his fist. And I don’t want to break our parents’ friendship because of that. I just came here two weeks ago.”
“Yeah, we were wondering about that,” Mac revealed. “Jin never mentioned you before. How come?”
Adrienne didn’t know whether Jin really want to disclose the very small details about their family. “Well, Jin is my half-brother. I’m not a Starck. I lived with my Dad ever since I was a kid.”
“Oh, that’s why,” Tara said.
They spent the night talking, listening to the music and watching the interesting patrons on the dance floor. Adrienne thought she was actually having a great time. Tara and Mac didn’t leave her side. Maybe they’re just afraid Neanderthal would come and harass her when she’s alone. She is after all wearing a skirt! And he looked like a guy who would hit on anything that is wearing one.
Adrienne saw Justin J. on the dance floor. He was dirty dancing with a girl. She watched him grind his crotch to the girl’s behind, like he was already humping her with clothes on. The girl was happily twerking her ass against him. Then he gripped her to him, pulling her by the waist and nuzzled her neck. He was even casually touching her boobs. And she seemed to be liking it.
“Unbelievable!” Tara said behind Adrienne. Obviously, she was watching him, too.
“Your mother is really thinking this ass-wipe is boyfriend material? Are you seeing what he’s doing to that girl?” Mac asked.
“Yeah. And he claims he has a lingerie model locked up in his hotel room.”
“Asshole!” Tara muttered. “If you don’t have a ride home, we’re taking you. You cannot even hitch a ride home with that guy!”
“I don’t intend to,” Adrienne said.
She looked at the dance floor with all the couples dancing and she remembered the first night she met Justin Adams. He didn’t grope her like N-1-9-8-9 did to that girl he’s dancing with. Justin flirted with her, yes. But he never disrespected her or harassed her. And he always knew the smartest things to say. He was breathtaking and swoon-worthy.
If Justin’s fiancée met him, Adrienne doubted she would want to break off the engagement and let him go. Who wouldn’t fall in love with him?
She stared at her phone again. Still no word from him. And in a way, she felt glad. Because she knew that the minute she heard from him, she would tell him everything that’s going on in her life and that would make him turn around and take the next flight to Paris. She knew he would. No doubt about that.
But he shouldn’t do that. He should be somewhere in the States, trying to get to know his fiancée better. Trying to see what his other future had in store for him. And hopefully after that, trying to convince his parents that it would never work out between the two of them. Because after all his efforts, after all the tries…his heart still belonged to her.
It was two in the morning when Tara and Mac decided to drive Adrienne home. They took her to the private entrance out to where Mac’s car was.
On the way out, they saw a couple making out near the door. When Adrienne looked, she saw Justin J. with a girl wrapped around him.
“Hey! You should take this somewhere private!” Mac said crossly. “This is a high-end club. We don’t tolerate public sex here.”
Justin J., the Neanderthal looked up and saw Adrienne. He released the girl.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes. But don’t bother yourself. My friends are taking me home.”
“Oh, good,” he said and then put his arms around the girl he was making out with. Then he turned to Adrienne again. “By the way, if your Mom asked, tell her we had a great time.”
Adrienne rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell her what a pervert you are!”
“Come on, babe,” he said. “You don’t really like me. So why not just tell her we had a great time, but wrong chemistry?” He smiled at her sweetly.
Adrienne took a deep breath. “You’re probably right. Anyway, be safe.” And she turned towards Mac’s car.
“Oh my God! I hope your mother never insists that you see that guy again!” Tara said when they got inside the car.
“Despicable, isn’t he?” Adrienne sighed.
“He’s actually quite funny,” Mac observed.
“Really? Then maybe you have a better sense of humor than me,” Adrienne said.
“Well, you’re not really willing to get together with him. You wouldn’t want to like him regardless of whether he’s great or not. So just laugh at his antics. He already knows you’re not each other’s types.”
“He’s right. Because apparently, he only hooks up with the easy ones,” Tara agreed. “Let it go, hon. If your mother really wants you to meet boys, who come from rich families, are good-looking and smart, we could help you with that.”
“No thanks,” Adrienne said. “I sort of told my boyfriend… I’ll wait for a while for him to set things right.”
“And you believed he would?” Mac asked.
Adrienne sighed. “He would,” she said. Then in a sad voice, she added, “If he could.”
33. Maskaradë
Albanian for Masquerade.
Adrienne kept herself busy by helping to organize her mother’s victory party, aka, ‘Adrienne’s Introduction to Society’. She didn’t like that bit, but her mother thought she deserved it. Her mother promised to do it subtly. No speeches, special mentions or any form of acknowledgement whatsoever.
Adrienne insisted on taking care of the venue, the decorations, the catering and the program. Her mother’s assistant, Maryse took care of all the invitations and RSVPs. Most of the people on the guest list were French and Adrienne couldn’t speak French to save her life.
Adrienne actually enjoyed what she did. For days, she was busy ensuring that every detail was in place, everything would be spotless and perfect.
“I could actually make you Head of Banquet Reservations and Events,” her stepfather said to her, finding her in the ballroom, choosing different table linens.
“Papa.” She smiled at him. She was hesitant to call him that. Pierre isn’t really her flesh and blood. But then again, he’s her mother’s great love, and her brother’s father. And he was great to her so far. So, every day, it got easier for her. “I used to review a lot of restaurants and event services in my previous job.”
“I can see you really know what you were talking about.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
“You know you always have a place in this company, Adrienne,” her stepfather said. “When I married your mother, Starck Corp. acquired more than a dozen of your mother’s family’s hotel chains. This business is yours as much as it is Jin’s.”
She smiled at her stepfather, feeling how sincere he was in showing his affection towards her. If only, her stepmother was like this to her when she was growing up. “Thank you, Papa. But I have no idea how this works.”
“I can send you to a few courses here or in the States if you want. It would help you learn more about what we do, if you decide you want to be a part of this. Jin told me you have an inclination for writing. Well, you can write on your own time. You can do something here. It’s totally up to you.”
Adrienne found that thought really exciting. She really had to start planning her life now. She hadn’t heard from Justin and she knew…even if she didn’t want to think about it, there was also the possibility that he wouldn’t come back at all. What would she do if that happened? If finally, she came across a newspaper announcement that he was getting married? She had to be ready, too.
She wanted to start thinking about her future as well. Paris would be a good start for her. She couldn’t be in New York and not think about Justin. Going back to Boston to her father wasn’t an option.
She hadn’t forgiven her father yet. He called her once but she didn’t answer him. Her heart broke over that. But she wanted to be honest with him, the way he’d been so dishonest with her all her life. She wanted him to know how painful it still was for her. By spending time with her mother, she wanted to bring back all the years that were lost between them.
“I think we should start by sending me to French language classes,” Adrienne admitted to Pierre.
Pierre smiled. “You’re right. Whenever you’re ready, let me know.”
When she got home, Adrienne was surprised to see a box on the bed. The box said Versace. She opened it and found a white cocktail dress. It was beautiful and elegant. And Adrienne loved how it wasn’t screaming for attention. A matching silver Manolo Blahnik high-heeled open toe sandals also came with the box.
She sighed. She wasn’t really used to this. She knew her mother’s friends and colleagues would have high expectations of her. She wanted to live up to those expectations not for her own sake, but for her mother’s.
Jin called her that evening. He was still in Dubai and would only return on the day of the party.
“You have to be here. You have to do some escort duties for me, please.” She almost begged him. She really felt that she needed Jin to stay beside her, orient her on the norms of the French crème of the crop.
“I shall try. But I think Mom wants you be escorted by somebody else.”
“Justin the Neanderthal?” she asked.
Shit, no!
“This is just a warning. She seems so keen on making this guy her son-in-law. I haven’t spoken to her about it yet. But this guy does come from a pretty powerful family. And from what I heard, he’s the perfect package—whatever you girls mean by that!”
“Have you met him?”
“Oh no, no. I am not in the business of socializing with Mom’s friends unless they’re doing business with us.”
“Well, this guy feels like he’s the god of awesomeness!” Adrienne said sarcastically. Apparently, Jin has not yet spoken to his friends about N-1-9-8-9.
Jin laughed. “Don’t worry, Yen. If he makes a wrong move, party or no party, my fist is going to connect with his face.”
Adrienne sighed. “Just be here on that day, okay?”
“I sure will,” he said. “All right, got to go.”
“Jin…” Adrienne said softly. “Thank you…for everything. It’s the first time I actually felt I have a sibling.”
Jin took a deep breath. “I’ve known I have a sibling all my life. And you were taken away from us. Mom never really told anybody that we lost you. For years, she’s just been telling people, including her best friends that your father got custody of you and thus, you lived with him. But every day her heart broke because you weren’t with us.”
“I wish I could have known that when I was growing up. At least, I wouldn’t have felt like something was wrong with me.”
“Mom, Dad and I are thinking of filing a case against your Dad,” he said.
Adrienne felt a shot of panic. “Jin…is that really necessary?”
“Mom is very furious. She just doesn’t show it to you. She didn’t want you to worry too soon. You just came back into our lives.” Jin took a deep breath. “She wanted to raise you in Paris. She told your father that. He could visit you anytime and you could even live with him during school breaks. That was their agreement. She was furious that he chose to have you all for himself and erased her from your life.
“I get that. We celebrated your birthdays, even though you weren’t with us. Every day, she feared that she would come across the obituaries in the States with your name on it. She found relief each day that she hadn’t.”
“I know, my Dad was wrong. What he did was unforgiveable. But honestly, Jin. I also know that he did what he did because he was afraid of losing me, too. And I don’t want this to get bigger and messier than it already is.” She sighed. “My father knows it’s difficult for me to forgive him. His marriage to Marina is over. I haven’t been talking to him or answering his text messages. Maybe he’s suffered enough.”
Jin was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “Not for me. Not for Mom. It would never be enough compared to the pain and ordeal he made us go through for twenty-three years, Adrienne.”
“Let’s talk about this as a family. Don’t do anything yet, okay? If Mom tells you to push it, you tell me first, okay?”
Jin sighed. “Okay. Let’s wait until after the party.”
“Good. Now go back to work.”
Adrienne started a group chat with Yuan and Jill. She told them about the party. She invited them to her coming-out-to-society. She offered to pay for their flights, too.
Yuan: Sorry, Yen. I have a convention on the same day. I won’t be able to come. But send me pictures, okay?
Adrienne: Okay. Will do. Oh my God, I’m dreading that day! My Mom is setting me up with her friend’s son. And his name is Justin, too. But he is the exact opposite of my Justin!
Jill: Is he hot?
Adrienne: Maybe. Without his weird contact lenses, and absurd taste in fashion, I guess he can be cute. He has gray eyes and he’s a few inches shorter than Justin. Yeah, I guess he’s not bad looking, but he is such an asshole! I don’t know what my Mom was thinking!
Yuan: I guess setting up kids is quite common in rich people’s circles, huh? Welcome to Just
in Adams’s world, sweetie! Now, at least you have more understanding about what he must feel. And you should be proud of yourself for being unselfish enough to let him go because you didn’t want to play tug-of-war with his folks.”
Jill: By the way, I saw Justin in the office this morning, Yen. You wanna hear about it?
Adrienne stared at her screen for a while. She didn’t know what to type. Of course, she was dying to know what’s going on with him. But what if she doesn’t like what she finds out? She knew it would break her heart even more.
Before she knew it, she was typing: Shoot!
She waited anxiously for Jill’s reply. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a notification from her computer.
Jill: He gave notice to Jada that he will no longer be working part-time for Blush. He said it was because of family obligations and he said, he would be getting married soon and would be settling down in Chicago. I’m not going to lie to you, Yen. He didn’t look devastated. In fact, he was looking…chirpy. I’m sorry.
Adrienne stared at the screen for a whole five minutes. She read what Jill wrote to her. Justin announced that he was getting married and settling down in Chicago?
She looked at the calendar. Twenty days. She still had twenty days. That’s what Justin said to her. Twenty days and they’d fly to Italy.
But then… maybe he’s met his fiancée and maybe he did give it a try. He made no more effort to contact her after his last message to her. Maybe his fiancée didn’t turn out to be so bad after all.
Well, she wanted him to do this. She should have been ready for this ending. But then she realized, nothing could prepare anybody for the blinding pain the finality of a relationship would cause. Maybe she was in denial the whole time. Even if she did let him go, deep inside her heart, she really did believe he could convince his parents to set him free.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She thought her heart couldn’t be more broken than it already was.
She started typing: It’s okay, Jill. I wanted him to be happy, remember? I will be fine.
Yuan: I’m sorry, Yen. We know someday, you will find your real happiness, too. Maybe it’s not your time yet. You have so many things to look forward to now. You had Justin before, but you didn’t have the love of a family. And now you do.