I glanced over at Piper’s approaching figure and tried to keep the building dread off my face.I’m sure to some extent Piper was aware of what my family did. There had been whispers in highschool regarding dirty money. The whispershad never grown too loud out of fear ofretribution. But Piper had never brought it up, and when it came to her, I liked to pretend that portion of my life didn’t exist.
The only bright side was that I didn’t have to deal with Mark, too. He was off in the corner, speaking to a girl sporting next year’s Versace resort collection.
“We just met,” I repliedwhilePiperdaintilyguided herself down into the mint green chair across from me.
Sebastian released the grip on the pillow andplaced it in my lap. Iflicked the pillow off to the other couch cushion like it was a rat.A wicked grin spread across his face as he leaned back into the couch.
Chapter 10
“And who is this?” Piper asked, her eyes shiftingfrom ditzy socialite to on the prowl. Ahh, what a familiar sight.
“Sebastian,” hesaid, his grin growing more sinful.
“Piper,” she said with a wink.
“How’ve you been, Piper?” Jared cut in, probably waiting for an opening to startdiscussing‘guaranteed’investments.
“Good,” shereplied, hertawny eyes not leaving Sebastian’s grey ones.“Jared, would yoube a doll and grabmea refill?”
Jared glanced down at Piper’s barely touchedcosmo, and shrugged. He understood a dismissal when he heard one.
While Jaredsearched foranother target for his investments sales, Piper brushed a manicured hand against the bottom ofherfeathered dress. Iusuallyfeltnostalgic whenPiperenactedher playbook. Todaythat emotion was overwhelmed by dread. I glanced towards Sebastian to see if step two of Piper’s playbook to get a guy was working. Internally, I prayed it wouldn’t. I’d rather take another steel-tipped kick to the kidney than seePiper involved in our world.
But Sebastian wasn’t even looking at Piper.His eyes were rooted on my face.
“Seleeene,” he mimicked Piper’s high-pitched greeting, “I’m surprised that you never introduced me to Piper before.”
“Yeah, Selene!” Piper agreed, leaning forward while subtly sticking her fake boobs out. Alreadyonto step number three.From experience, I knewthere was no way I’d manageto drag her away from this conversation. But what the hellwasSebastiandoing here? He didn’t even know the host of the party.
I shruggedwhile keeping my face blank.“You come fromtwodifferent worlds, I never thought I’d see you both in the same room.”
He snorted. “I wasn’t aware that Connecticut and the Upper West Side were ‘two different worlds’.”
Of course he knew which part of Manhattan I’d grown up in.He probably even knew the minute details like Piper and I’s Friday high school lunch spot: Barney’s Greengrass, 2 orders of bagels and lox with just a squirt of lemon. After all, he’d made it his job to know everything so he could blackmail me into doing what he wanted.
That ended now.
“Piper, want to come with me to the bathroom?”I asked.
Her seductivehalf smileslipped into a frown.
“There’s so much I have to tell you,” I added, inclining my head slightly towards Sebastian. Her eyes lit up, while his eyes seemed to laugh at me. She bounced up from the chair.
“We’ll be right back,” Piper announced with a wink.
No, we wouldn’t be.
Once we were inthethird guest bathroom, Piper sat on a white leather chaise in front of the mirror. She opened the drawer and reached for a tube of blood red lipstick.
“Spill,” she ordered while she began reapplying.
“Sebastian’s interests don’t align with yours-” I started.
“Jealous?”
“His activities are a little more dangerous than you’d like.”
“That sounds right up my alley,”shesaid, puckeringher lips in the mirror.
