Part 4 (2/2)

”Dash had his seventeenth birthday party here,” Noelle said, glancing over her shoulder. ”I forgot about it until I saw the room.” My shoulder muscles coiled at the mere mention of Dash's name. At the not-so-new but still annoying realization that he and Noelle and everyone at Easton had had very full lives before I ever showed up there. That he and Noelle had a shared history I would never be a part of. I knew that hooking up with Dash had been wrong, but it still stung that he had been able to dismiss me so easily, without so much as a phone call or an explanation. All of this. .h.i.t me from every angle as I stood there with Noelle, Sabine, and the Twin Cities waiting for my comment. ”So?” I said finally. ”That was almost two years ago.” ”Exactly,” Sabine added, taking my side as always. ”And you heard what Lucas said. The room can be anything we want it to be. We can make it look completely different.”

Noelle smirked and glanced over at Vienna, who hid a laugh behind her hand. London sim ply chuckled out loud. Clearly, they were all so very amused at our naivete. Which, of course, made my blood boil. ”First of all, it doesn't matter what Mr. Universe over there says, people will know it's the same place,” Noelle replied in a facetious tone. ”This is supposed to be the event of the season. You don't want it to feel as if it's been done before, do you?” ”You really don't,” Vienna put in with a shudder. ”Like, really,” London added helpfully. I looked at Sabine, who suddenly seemed as uncertain as I felt. These people were, after all, the experts. And we still had four more places to see. One of them had to be as good. Still, I hated kowtowing to Noelle. Especially with the sting of Dash's name still searing my skin. But what else could I do?

”Fine,” I said through my teeth. ”Let's just go.” As we said goodbye to an understandably confused Lucas (I think he'd noticed our collective drool), I realized that even this far away from Easton, I wasn't completely free of my drama. Until Noelle had mentioned his name, I had forgotten that Dash was supposed to be in the city this weekend. That he and Noelle were supposed to have dinner with his parents. Would he pick her up at our room? Would tonight be the first night I laid eyes on Dash McCafferty since the Legacy--the night he'd laid his eyes all over me? So much for my focus.

MAYBE PRINCE.

Noelle couldn't stop checking out her own a.s.s. As soon as we'd returned to the suite at the hotel, she'd taken a shower and then come out wearing a black dress that looked staid and conservative from the front with its high neckline, but had such a low-cut back that you could practically see the top of her b.u.t.t crack. For the past fifteen minutes she'd been stand ing with her back to the mirror, craning her neck so that she could study the effect. ”Dash is a b.u.t.t man,” she explained. ”You'd think he'd be a b.o.o.b man, but he's totally not.” She finally turned around to smooth her hair. As I sat on the edge of my double bed, all I wanted to do was grab a chunk of her brown locks and tear. She had been talking about nothing but Dash for the past hour. About how he had booked them a separate room in the hotel so they could be alone later. About how it had been so long since they'd been together that he wasn't going to be able to keep his hands off of her. It all made me so vilely ill I was growing belligerent. I wanted Josh, not Dash. I did. But I was so sick of hearing about how much Dash wanted Noelle. So sick. ”Why would you think he'd be a b.o.o.b man?” London asked, clicking off her cell phone. She looked down at her own mega-b.r.e.a.s.t.s, as if a.s.sessing whether they could ev er grab Dash's attention. Vienna was in the corner, trying to wheedle free champagne for the photo shoot out of some vendor who'd done her mother's third wedding.

”Look at his father,” Noelle said. ”He may act all proper and upright all the time, but he's had several mistresses over the years and every one of them? Double-D's. At least.” Now I had to glance down at my own flattish chest. The fact that Dash had been attracted to me at all did kind of prove he was a b.u.t.t guy. But of course, I couldn't weigh in. ”So you think s.e.xual preference runs in the family?” Sabine asked, holding a dress up to herself as she looked in the smaller of our two mirrors. ”Like it's genetic?” Noelle rolled her eyes. ”I wasn't trying to be scientific, Frenchie. I was just talking.” Sabine blushed and went into the bathroom to change her clothes. Yet another of Noelle's pointless jabs had hit home. What was her damage? ”So, I really think we should go with Loft Blanc,” Noelle said, grabbing her lip gloss and leaning to ward the mirror. ”It's the hottest new venue in town. People will be beyond impressed if they see it on the invite.” Loft Blanc was this admittedly amazing s.p.a.ce in the Meatpacking District with high ceilings, huge windows overlooking the Hudson, and an incredible collec tion of modern art adorning its otherwise stark walls. It also had outdoor, rooftop s.p.a.ce, but considering I was 0 for 2, with rooftops in the past year, that wasn't much of a selling point for me. Besides, it was November. Who wanted to mingle on a rooftop in New York in Novem ber?

”We've already been through this. There's no way we're having it there,” I told her, getting up and whipping my navy blue dress out of the closet. ”Move on already.” Noelle paused with her lip gloss wand on her bottom lip. She shot me an annoyed look in the mirror, then slowly closed the tube, put it down, and turned to face me. ”Okay, that's it,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. In the mirror, her dress s.h.i.+fted enough so that I actually could see her b.u.t.t crack. If Dash's mother was anywhere near as uptight as her reputation indicated, she was just going to love that dress. ”What is your problem today?”

”I don't have a problem,” I said, yanking my sweater off over my head. ”You're the one with the problem. We're supposed to be making money on this thing, remember? Raising five million dollars? We can't spend five million if we want to make five million.” I shoved my jeans to the floor and stepped into the dress, zipping it up the side. Then I went over to the fulllength mirror, subtly nudging Noelle aside, and started brus.h.i.+ng through my hair like I was try ing to bald myself. Sabine returned from the bathroom, looking simply elegant in a dark gray sheath. ”Everything okay?” she asked me. ”Fine,” I said through my teeth. ”Reed, I thought I was here to help you make the right decision. I think we can all agree I know more about these things than you do.” Noelle walked over to her dresser and selected a pair of diamond earrings from her small Herve Leger bag. ”You don't have to insult her,” Sabine said, irked.

”I wasn't. I was merely stating a fact,” Noelle replied. Sabine squared her shoulders and turned toward Noelle. ”It sounded like an insult to me.” And to me. But I didn't say so. London got up and quietly slipped from the room, while Vienna continued to battle it out on the phone, oblivious to the rising tension. ”Reed, haven't you ever heard that old adage, 'You have to spend money to make money'?” Noelle asked, ignoring Sabine and training her attention on me. ”Or is there so little cash where you come from, the phrase never happened to trickle down?” ”See! Another insult!” Sabine pointed out, lifting her hand. My face was burning at this point, but I was used to that. I was used to Noelle's barbs. I knew they didn't really mean any thing. It was just her way. Still, the fact that Sabine was so offended on my behalf made them sting a bit more than usual. ”We don't have any money to spend, Noelle,” I said, dropping my brush on the vanity with a clatter. ”I say we go with the St. Sebastian. It was a beautiful s.p.a.ce and much more traditional. The older alumni will appreciate it.” The St. Sebastian was this an cient, converted church with an arcing ceiling and beautiful stained gla.s.s windows looking down from above. When the proprietor showed us photos of the many ways they had trans formed the s.p.a.ce for weddings, alb.u.m launches, and fund-raisers, I was sold. Plus it was rea sonable. As reasonable as one could get in NYC. Noelle, of course, thought it had been done.

”Fine. We'll do it your way,” Noelle said. She spritzed a cloud of perfume, then stepped through it. ”But we're going to spend more money dressing that place up than we would if we simply went with Loft Blanc.”

At that moment the doorbell to our suite rang. My heart all but stopped. ”I'll get it!” London shouted from her bedroom on the opposite side of the sunken living room. ”Dash is here,”

Noelle said, grabbing her clutch purse and a sheer silver cardigan off the vanity. ”We can talk more about this later.” Dash was here. Dash was here. Dash was here. The moment Noelle was out of the room, I double-checked my hair and gave myself a quick powder, blush, and lip gloss makeover. ”Finally I get to meet the famous Dash McCafferty. Is he as big a b.i.t.c.h as his girlfriend?” Sabine asked. I rolled my eyes, shoved my feet into my shoes, and walked un steadily out to the living area of our suite, my ankles teetering thanks to the thick carpet and my nerves. Noelle was halfway to the door. London was just about to open it. Vienna came tearing out of my room behind me, phone closed now, and rushed to London's side, all smiles. What the heck were those two up to? Not that I cared much at the moment. All I could think was that Dash was behind that door. What would he say to me? What would I say to him? Would Noelle be able to tell what had happened between us?

London whipped open the door and everyone froze. The guy standing on the threshold was not Dash McCafferty. He was, in fact, Dash's physical opposite. Tall, sure, but tan. Dark. Lean. With long black hair that just skimmed the bottom of his earlobes. Dominic Infante. Do minic Infante and a single purple orchid in a white ceramic pot. He glanced around at each of us, dotted as we were around the room, and stopped on me. ”Reed. You look lovely,” he said, holding out the orchid. Whahuh? ”Look what we imported just for you!” London announced. She and Vienna flanked the door like a pair of game-show models showing off the latest prize. Noelle glanced back at me over her shoulder, amused. ”Guess someone else has a date tonight,” Noelle said. Realizing it was my turn to speak, I took a few steps forward. ”You came all the way down here from school just for me?” I asked Dominic. He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my legs, my hips, my chest, and then my face. ”Wouldn't you?” My heart actually fluttered. ”d.a.m.n. Good answer,” Noelle said be hind me. Dominic handed the potted orchid to me, and London whisked it right out of my hands. ”Shall we?” Dominic said, stepping aside to make room in the doorway. I looked at London and Vienna and their insane Ches.h.i.+re grins and knew there was no way I could turn this down. Not without a fight. And why would I want to? Why not get out of here before the torture of seeing Dash and Noelle together could occur? Why not hit New York with a gor geous Italian maybe-prince? This weekend was supposed to be about distraction. About get ting away. I could think of no better method of escape. I smiled and grabbed my coat. ”I guess we shall.”

PART OF THE FAMILY.

”This place is incredible,” I said to Dominic, laying my long, flat menu aside. When we had arrived at the small restaurant, tucked away in the West Village, it hadn't looked like much. Just a brick bas.e.m.e.nt in someone's brownstone. But once inside, we had been ushered through the small, cozy dining area and out onto this even cozier patio, where only a dozen in timate tables were placed among the trees that grew right out of the brick beneath our feet. There were heat lamps placed around the periphery to ward off the November chill, and white twinkle lights were strung from the tree branches overhead. I couldn't believe places like this existed in Manhattan. ”I'll tell my cousin you said so,” Dominic replied. ”Your cousin?”

”Yes. My cousin Antony owns this place,” Dominic said casually. His accent really was al luring. ”There is usually a long wait list to get in, but when I told him of your beauty, he man aged to clear a table for us.”

I blushed as I looked across the tiny table at him. Dominic had been saying things like this ever since we left the hotel, but I couldn't tell if he was serious, or if he was just feeding me lines. But then, what did it matter? I could use the ego boost either way. ”I was thinking that af ter this I might take you to a couple of my usual places,” Dominic said, placing his menu down. ”Usual places?” I asked. ”Clubs. Have you done the club scene?” he asked. ”Um, no,” I replied. ”And I'm not really sure I should. I have to get up kind of early in the morning.” ”Well, you could always just stay up all night,” Dominic replied with a smile. A suggestive smile?

”That's what I usually do.” ”We'll see,” I replied. Time for a subject change. I didn't want to know what he thought we would do if we stayed up together all night. ”So, is your cousin here? I'd love to meet him.”

”He promised to bring out his special dessert for us personally.” Dominic took a sip of his white wine and smiled. ”If we make it through the first four courses. The service here is truly Italian. Which means excessive.” My stomach grumbled as a delicious -looking dish was car ried past our table. ”Sounds good to me. I'm starving,” I replied. Dominic smiled. ”A girl with an appet.i.te. Are you sure you go to Easton?” I laughed and felt myself truly start to relax for the first time all night. Suddenly I felt grateful to London and Vienna for blindsiding me with this date. If I had gone out for dinner with the two of them and Sabine, I was sure the conver sation would have centered around the fund-raiser and maybe even Cheyenne. Maybe they would even have gotten around to asking me what happened with Josh. But here I was simply being showered with compliments and attention. A much more satisfying way to spend an evening. ”Actually, you'd be surprised by how much the girls in Billings can put away,” I told him. ”Just a couple of days ago we--”

My cute little anecdote died on my tongue as I heard familiar voices just on the other side of the patio door. I had about half a second to prepare before Noelle stepped out into the courtyard, with Dash's hand on her waist. I felt as if the bricks were falling away beneath the legs of my chair. So much so that I actually gripped my armrests for support. Dash. Dash's lips, Dash's hands, Dash's eyes, Dash's longing desperation. Suddenly every image, every feeling, everything from the night of the Legacy came rus.h.i.+ng back, hitting me like a tidal wave to the chest. Dominic and I had scored the back corner table, and in the dim light Noelle had yet to spot us, but Dash had. He had looked right into my eyes the second he arrived, as if he had expected me to be there. But then he tripped. He braced himself on one of the tree trunks to keep from going down. My heart was in my throat. Okay. So maybe he hadn't entire ly forgotten that night. ”Das.h.!.+ Are you all right?” his mother asked. She could only be his moth er. Tall. Blond. Perfectly manicured and coiffed. Then his father, the spitting image of Dash, but with salt-and-pepper hair. , ”Just a couple of days ago you... ?” Dominic prodded, un aware that anything was amiss.

Noelle finally figured out where Dash was looking and spotted me. I endeavored to smile. She whispered something to Dash's parents and they all looked over. Dash cleared his throat about ten times and straightened his tie. Finally, at the obvious prodding of his mother, he cleared it one last time, squared his shoulders, and walked over to us. OmiG.o.d. OmiG.o.d, omiG.o.d, omiG.o.d. ”Is something wrong?” Dominic asked. ”Dash,” I said through my teeth. ”What?”

”Dash McCafferty is here,” I said. Dominic looked up just as Dash arrived at our table. ”Reed. Dom. How are you guys?” Dash asked, his tone formal. ”McCafferty!” Dominic cheered, get ting up to hug his former dormmate. ”How are you? How is everything at Yale?” Thank G.o.d Dominic knew him. If I had been forced to speak first, I might have thrown up on Dash's ex tremely buffed shoes. As the two of them briefly caught up, I stared at the underside of Dash's chiseled chin, a thousand questions flooding my mind. Why haven't you called? What the h.e.l.l happened that night? Why did you get back together with Noelle ? When ? And why do you have to be So. Effing. Hot?

Not that I could have said any of those things with Dominic there and Noelle looking on. Not that I could have said any of those things without dying of mortification even if Dash and I had been alone. ”Reed,” Dash said finally, turning toward me. I looked up at him. My many queries must have been blatantly readable in my eyes, because I stopped him cold. ”I...” His jaw worked. ”You look... I mean, it's been a while.” ”Not that long,” I heard myself say. A pang of something crossed his face. Regret? Annoyance? It was impossible to tell. And then Noelle swooped in. Her coat had been removed, but she wore the light, open-weave cardigan over her dress, camouflaging her b.u.t.t crack, apparently, until she could get Dash alone. ”Hundreds of restaurants in Manhattan and here you are!” she said gaily, taking Dash's hand. ”What are the chances?” ”I'm glad you decided on this one,” Dominic said politely. ”You're in for a won derful meal.” ”Well. Let's get to it then,” Noelle said. ”You two have fun!” She practically dragged Dash away, but not before he was able to say one last thing over his shoulder. ”See you guys at the fund-raiser.” And that was that.

Noelle and Dash joined his parents at their table in the opposite corner. Mercifully, the two of them sat with their backs to us or I would have never made it through the meal. Still, I couldn't help glancing over every now and then and noticing how comfortable Noelle looked with his parents. Touching his dad's arm, making jokes with his mom. As if she was already part of the family. Seeing Noelle and Dash together, I couldn't help but imagine what the rest of my night would be like. Best-case scenario? I returned to the suite and Noelle came back alone to gush about her dinner with the McCaffertys. Worst-case scenario? Tomorrow at brunch I'd hear about the hours Noelle and Dash had spent in their suite, sharing their mutual admiration for the female backside. Ew. ”You know what, Dominic? I'm in,” I said. His eye brows shot up. ”For what?” ”The clubs,” I said, reaching for my wine. ”I'd love to check out your usual places.”

UNDER THE INFLUENCE.

Dominic danced with a champagne bottle gripped in one hand and the other hand locked around my waist. From the moment we stepped through the doors of Platinum--a place where nothing related to the name aside from the fact that everyone there was constantly whipping out their platinum credit cards to pay for insanely overpriced bottles of alcohol--he had not been without a bottle. Had he been working on the same one all night, or was this his sec ond? It couldn't be his third. No one could consume that much without regurging. Although from the way his brown eyes swam in their sockets, I wouldn't have been totally shocked if that was the case.

”Having fun?” he asked, his face looming ever so close to mine. Even with that proximity, it was difficult to hear him over the deafening music. ”Absolutely!” The DJ was amazing, after all. And the dancing was a release, as long as Dominic wasn't breathing in my face. Every where I looked I saw vaguely familiar faces. Models, rap artists, rock stars, young socialites. Champagne flowed, diamonds flashed, girls squealed and posed for pictures. I wondered how many of these moments would end up eternalized in the tabloids the next morning. ”Reed! I love this place!” Sabine shouted, throwing her arms around my neck from behind. She tugged me away from Dominic, and I felt as if I could breathe again. ”Thanks for inviting us!”

”You're welcome!” I shouted. The moment we left the restaurant I had speed-dialed Sabine and the Twin Cities, hoping they would (a) make this part of the night more fun, and (b) give me an excuse to avoid kissing Dominic and/or going back to wherever he was stay ing. From the way he'd been looking at me all night, I had a feeling he had one or both in mind. Thank G.o.d Platinum had turned out to be a Twin Cities--approved destination. I turned around to dance with Sabine. Dominic moved right in behind me, grinding against my back. I tried to ignore the invasion. ”Where are London and Vienna?” I asked. ”They saw some guys they knew, so they're bringing them over,” Sabine shouted in reply. She glanced over my shoulder at Dominic and made a disgusted face. I was feeling a little disgusted myself. ”I'm taking her to the bathroom!” Sabine yelled at him. Then she grabbed my arm and pulled me away. I had never been more grateful. ”I will be here!” Dominic shouted after us. We got to a less crowded corner of the dance floor and Sabine stopped. ”Are you okay?”

”Yeah. Thank you for getting me out of there, though,” I said, leaning toward her ear. ”He was totally fine until he started drinking like a sponge. Now all of a sudden he's Mr. Inappropriate Touching.” ”There you guys are!” London sang, holding Vienna's hand aloft as she wove to ward us. They both had full martini gla.s.ses, the liquid slos.h.i.+ng over the sides as they walked. The guys they had brought along looked like two Abercrombie models, one with dark skin and a white s.h.i.+rt, the other with light skin and a black s.h.i.+rt. Both ridiculously hot. ”Let's dance!” Vi enna said, throwing her arm over my shoulder. I glanced behind me, but couldn't spot Do minic in the crowd. Who cared where he was, anyway? A few minutes without his paws all over me felt like a good idea. Plus this place was so jam-packed there was a decent chance he'd never find us again. Might not be the most polite way in the world to end a date, but at least it would be easy. And this weekend I was all about easy.

”Don't worry about him,” Sabine told me, clearly noticing that I was in crowd-scan mode.

”I'm sure he's already molesting some other girl. Hopefully one who feels like being molest ed.” I laughed and decided to just live in the moment. And so I did. I danced with my friends, letting go of everything. Letting the music move through me. Letting it shove out all thoughts of the guys I wanted and the girls they apparently wanted instead of me. Letting thoughts of Billings and its possible closing and of the strange, Cheyenne-related happenings fade. I just let it all go and had fun with my friends. Eventually white-s.h.i.+rted Abercrombie boy moved from Vienna to me and we danced together for a good half hour. Unlike Dominic, any touching he did was appropriate. He had incredible rhythm and an even more incredible smile. Hmmm. Maybe the next boyfriend of the Billings president could be a wild card. Someone from out side Easton's walls... Now all I had to do was find out who the heck he was. ”What's your name? ” I shouted, leaning toward him. ”Fine!” he replied, smiling and nodding to the beat. Yeah. Communication was not so easy inside Platinum. Whatever. I decided to let it go and just dance. Which was what I was doing when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and had to peel my hair from my sweaty cheeks. Dominic stood in front of me, his face gleaming, the champagne bottle still in hand. ”You never came back from the bathroom,”

he said. ”I couldn't find you,” I lied. He grinned. ”Well, good that I found you, then.” He took a slug from the bottle, then offered it to me. ”Drink?” he asked me for about the millionth time that night. ”No, thanks.” I wrinkled my nose. I had already downed one gla.s.s of wine at the restaurant and I did not want to get drunk. I had learned my lesson at the Legacy and the day after. Being hungover again was not in my immediate plans. ”You have had nothing to drink since we got here,” he accused. ”So?” I replied. ”So you should lighten up. Look around. It's a party.” He spread his arms wide and clunked a Hollywood starlet in the head with his bottle.

”Hey! Watch it!” she shouted, shoving him. Dominic merely laughed.

”I know it's a party, and I'm having fun,” I shouted at him. I glanced back at Abercrombie boy, but he had moved on to some chick in a pink wig, d.a.m.n it. ”I don't need to drink to have fun!” I told Dominic. Dominic snorted a laugh, wavering slightly in place, then took another slug from the bottle. ”Cheyenne was right about you,” he said. My blood seemed to freeze in my veins. I looked over my shoulder at Sabine and the Twin Cities. Apparently they had heard it too, because they had all stopped dancing. ”Excuse me?” I said. ”She was always saying how you had this stick up your b.u.t.t. Which made sense, since you were from the sticks,” he said with another snort. ”Shut it, Infante!” Vienna snapped, coming over to stand next to me. London and Sabine gathered around as well. ”Just because you're a pseudo prince doesn't mean you can talk to my girl like that.” Dominic sniffed and took another drink. ”Wait. You and Cheyenne talked about me?” I demanded, my heart pounding a mile a minute. ”When? Why?”

”Cheyenne was an old friend,” he said. ”A very close friend,” he added suggestively. ”She liked to cuddle afterward. And talk.” Vienna and I looked at one another, skeeved. ”You hooked up with Cheyenne? When?” Vienna demanded. ”All the time,” Dominic replied, stand ing up straight. ”Girl really made her way through Ketlar. But Hollis was her ultimate conquest, and now I can see why he went for her, even though he was with you. Cheyenne was hot be hind closed doors. But you...” He looked me up and down with disdain, a complete one-eighty from the way he'd checked me out at our hotel suite. ”You are kind of a frigid b.i.t.c.h, aren't you?”

I felt as if all the wind had just been knocked out of me. I wanted to slap him, but before I could regain my senses, London did it for me. And Dominic was so drunk, he went down like a house of cards right there in the middle of the dance floor. ”Ow. That hurt,” London said, pouting as she shook her hand. ”Wow, London. Thanks,” I replied. ”Come on. Let's get out of here,” Sabine said, putting her arm around me. ”I don't get it,” I said as we shoved our way through the crowd of curious onlookers who were now surrounding Dominic. ”He was so nice earlier.” ”Bad drunk,” Vienna theorized, giving me a squeeze from the opposite side. ”I'm sure he didn't mean any of that.” ”Right.” She had a point. I knew from experience that people could turn into monsters when they were under the influence. Look at Thomas. My mother. Even me. Would I have hooked up with Dash that night if it hadn't been for all those drinks? I hoped not. I hoped that my sober self was better than that.

”So. Guess we're scratching Dominic off the list,” Vienna said, placing our coat-check tags down at the counter near the front of the club. ”Unless you can keep him sober.” ”Not likely,” I replied, forcing a laugh. Besides, I wasn't sure I would ever be able to forget the things he'd just said, drunk or not. Dominic might have been the perfect arm candy of a Billings president on the surface, but he was clearly not for me. Besides, I didn't want any of Cheyenne Martin's sloppy seconds, which apparently meant most of Ketlar was off the table. It was amazing how these boys kept reinforcing what a catch Josh had been. Amazing and really, really annoying.

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