“Then who is it?” she wonders.
“It’s his father,” I say, feeling ashamed.
“Is he hot?” she asks with a smirk, not seeing the problem.
“Yes,” I respond. It’s the truth. Francisco is hot, among other things. That’s not the problem at all.
“So, are you going to the party?” she asks.
“What choice do I have?” I groan.
“None,” she agrees.
I check the time on my phone. “I’ve got a few hours. Will you have a drink with me? I think I need it.”
She laughs. “Sure. But be careful about drinking too much in that outfit.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Well, it’s obvious he wants the dress to come off at some point,” she suggests.
I give her a shove, disgusted and turned on at the same time. “Francisco doesn’t think about me that way.”
Rebecca raises her eyebrows, not believing a word. “Go get changed,” she says.
I do as I’m told, and we drive to one of those chain restaurants that also has a bar. We sit and drink, mapping out my game plan. We decide that I’m just going to stay for two hours. That’s the optimal amount of time, according to Rebecca. Less than that, and it would be rude.
I want to have two glasses of wine, but Rebecca cuts me off. Bless her heart, she’s really looking out for me. We drive back to my place, where she helps me get dressed. I give her a hug when I’m finally ready to go.
“It’ll be fine,” she insists. “Enjoy yourself.”
I give her the side-eye, as if there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen. She laughs and walks me to my car. I do my normal thing where I turn the ignition on with the door open. Luckily, she’s already pulling out of the parking lot, and she doesn’tnotice. I suspect that if Francisco saw me doing that, he would know exactly what it meant.
With a sigh, I pull out onto the street. The whole way to Frankie’s home, I’m arguing with myself.
“It’ll be fine,” I say out loud. Then, a moment later, I contradict myself. “I don’t want to do this.”
If anyone heard me talking to myself, they probably think I’m crazy. I do my best to shake my nerves out before pulling up to the iron gates. This time, they’re wide open. But it’s not as if there’s no security. Two of Francisco’s bodyguards are out front, saying hello to all the guests as they come in. It feels more like a club where the bouncers aren’t concerned about whether people are of drinking age, but whether they’re cops.
I pull up and smile. I know these guys, and they know me. They wave me through, and I have to hand over my keys to a valet. I’m feeling extremely exposed, wearing nothing more than the dress Francisco has given me. I clutch a matching purse to my stomach, doing my best to be inconspicuous.
The moment I step into the house, I’m blown away. If I thought it was lavish before, this takes things to the extreme. Much larger bouquets have replaced the flowers that I noticed on my first day. Someone cleaned every surface until it was brilliantly shiny. The mirrors sparkle, and the marble floor glistens.
There are tasteful white lights strung along the ceiling and up the banister of the grand staircase. People in fancy wear are mingling, sipping champagne and having a good time. I can see the mayor in the doorway of the kitchen, talking to someone who I’m pretty sure isn’t his wife.
Frankie comes up to me and puts a hand on my elbow. “I’m so glad you came,” he says.
“Of course,” I reply, as if there had never been any question. “This is our party, right?”
“Right,” he agrees. “Although Dad’s never done this before.”
Maybe he had an ulterior motive,I think, but I don’t share those thoughts. I don’t want to intrude on Frankie’s celebration. If he thinks this is a party for his benefit, I’m not going to disabuse him of that idea.
“Let me get you a drink,” he says.
I watch as he disappears into the kitchen. Looking around, I’m afraid I don’t see anyone else I know. This is going to be a long two hours without anyone to talk to. I can’t very well monopolize Frankie’s time. He’s probably got tons of friends waiting to talk to him.
I glance over at the parlor and see it’s filled with dark-suited men. They’re seated on the couches and leaning against the walls, beautiful women sprinkled among them. Actually, this might not be that bad. I feel like I fit in with my amazing dress and diamond earrings. I might actually have a good time if I let myself.
