“Yep. Eight. You’ll need time to get there and make yourself beautiful.”
“Shit!”
“What now?” Jax huffed, draining the rest of his latte.
“I don’t have anything to wear!”
“Oh, sweetheart, we know. That’s why you’re going to finish your coffee, and then we’re going shopping.”
***
From the moment the wheels were in motion, I wanted to call Luca and tell him what was going on, but no one would let me. Sienna told me it was better this way. When I’d reached out to her, I’d been as nervous as a whore in a church, but once she’d stopped laughing, she had been completely on board with helping me. Turns out teammates of Hunters would be there, so getting tickets was easy, and with their partners tagging along, I was booked in with their hairdressers and makeup artists. All I had to do was get on the flight and get my arse to Melbourne, then make my way to the casino where the event was being held. The girls, girls I’d never met but Sienna swore were good people, had already booked a suite for child-free, boy-free champagne and prep time and were more than happy to add one more.
Knocking on the door to the suite, I adjusted the garment bag hanging over my shoulder. I can’t believe I’d let Jax convince me to buy this dress. It wasn’t me. And more than that, he’d packed me heels. Me. In public. Wearing heels. Was he on drugs?
“Elise?” I was asked as the door was thrown open by a girl with a thick coating of green goo covering her face and her hair tangled in yellow rollers.
“Hi.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Come on in. I’m Tash!” She smiled, and the dried goo near her mouth cracked, a hunk flaking off and floating to the ground. “Everyone, Elise is here!” Tash announced as I shuffled through the door, dodging the shoes and bags covering every surface.
After introductions were made, my mind was spinning. There was Tash, who was married to Logan, an AFL player in Melbourne. Emma, who was Bryce’s partner, another AFL player, but he was based out of Sydney. Ava Jacobs, swimmer Tyler Andrews’ wife, and then there was Victoria Crawford. She seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face, but the jewels she was dripping in were impressive. She was the girlfriend of Jyreese Rhodes. Apparently, he was an American basketballer who’d just been traded to Australia for the upcoming season. I’d never heard of him, but then again, a couple of months ago I’d never heard of Luca either, so I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.
“Is that your dress?” Emma asked, pointing to the bag I was still hauling around.
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Just hang it on the wardrobe with ours. I’m almost finished with my hair and you’re up next,” she explained.
Six hours.
Six freaking hours of my life I’ll never get back.
Wringing my hands together, I stepped out of the elevator and waited for the others. Tash appeared, adjusting her earring. I couldn’t help but appreciate how stunning she looked. She was absolutely flawless in her floor-length ruby gown with a deep V in the front. When she linked her arm through mine, she walked me down the red carpet, not pausing to return greetings offered. She was on a mission, and even though I’d just met her, I got the distinct impression that not much got in her way.
Stepping into the ballroom, I could barely believe I was here. Above my head dangled a million tiny fairy lights intertwined with the softest white fabric, which made the whole room feel like it was floating on a cloud. The round tables were covered in thick white linen tablecloths, and the silverware sparkled under the lights. In the centre of each table stood a huge vase overflowing with white hydrangeas.
Around me, people chatted excitedly and glasses clinked. There were so many good-looking men in the room, I was tempted to snap a few pictures to them send to Jax just to teach him a lesson. Good-looking guys were a dime a dozen, but there was something about them when they pulled on a tuxedo that elevated their hotness to a completely other level.
“You ready?” Emma asked, stepping up beside me.
“No,” I answered honestly.
For the past hour, I’d been second-guessing this whole thing. What if I completely embarrassed myself? What if he didn’t want me here? Or worse, he was here with someone else? Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted the exit and was seriously tempted to make a break for it. So far Luca had no idea I was here, there was no reason it couldn’t stay that way.
“Here. Drink this,” Tash instructed, shoving a glass of bubbles into my hand. I knew I was going to need the liquid courage if I was going through with this and it seemed, my new friends were just as pushy and demanding as my old ones. There was no way they were about to let me sneak out a side door.
“Right, now let’s go find our men,” Tash declared as she set the empty glasses on the tray of a passing waiter.
Sandwiched between Emma and Tash, I sucked in a deep breath and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. The last thing I needed was to fall flat on my face in front of all these people. Just because I looked likeBambilearning to take my first steps, didn’t mean I was keen on making a spectacle of myself.
“They’re over there. Hiding in the corner,” Emma announced, pointing to the group of tall men standing in a circle.
“Typical.” Tash laughed with a shake of her head.
The closer we got, the faster my heart raced. My hopes of quietly slipping in without a fuss evaporated as we reached the circle and one of the suits, one I didn’t recognise, stepped back to make room.
“Boys, we’re here!” Tash announced loudly, and briefly I wondered if that girl was actually capable of doing anything quietly.
