The car begins to move, and I riffle around in my bag for a while even though I'm not searching for anything. It's an awkward journey. The man in the front seat peers at meevery so often, so I keep my head low and pretend I'm preoccupied with my misplaced belonging.
It's a half-hour drive from my town to Connolly. Knowing I can't riffle around for that long, I pull out my phone, open my kindle reader, and continueUgly Loveby Colleen Hoover.
I've just gotten to a juicy bit when a picture message from Toni drops down from the settings bar. I click on the notification and a picture of Max pops up. He looks pissed off with the person snapping it; there is no wondering why. He's bent over a redhead. Her thighs are spread, dress pulled down below her bra and bunched up above her underwear. She looks flushed and excited to have him over her.
I would be too.
He's probably moments away from ripping her black, lacy underwear off her annoyingly perfect body. His tattoo-covered back is bare, but I can see a peek of denim at his hips though, so he's not completely naked. He's glowering at the camera, his eyes slits of stormy grey.
Ugh.
God, he's gorgeous.
There is a little monster in my belly, sitting high and alert. So, while I was dancing myself into a near coma and then falling asleep alone in bed, he was at a party, humping a gorgeous redhead with perfectly voluptuous breasts. The little monster pinches the walls of my belly. It's green-eyed, lonely, and needy.
The caption reads, 'Redhead caught red-handed between a couch and a hard place. Does Max even know this one's name?'
All of a sudden, anger wrestles jealousy to the ground and stomps on it. So, I'm not allowed to kiss a boy, but he can have long legs wrapped around his body any time he likes? Iswipe the picture away, although I'm sure it won't be the last time I look at it.
Study it.
We finally roll onto a driveway and I press my cheek to the window. The front yard is a large concrete jungle with huge potted plants and very little grass or natural vegetation other than ten-foot-high hedges separating its various sections. There are security cameras everywhere. We pull into the turning circle and stop alongside a central water feature. The three-story house is raised and the front door is accessible by several steps. It has columns and archways, and it's grand and beautiful. I don't see a garage, though, nor any designated parking bays on this side of the property. Presuming this entry is specifically for guests being dropped off, I wonder what the main entry must look like. Does it have gold crusted pillars and a fountain of youth?
My legs are already shaking with fatigue from rehearsals today, and as I take the steps up towards the double doors, they start to feel infinitely weaker. I stop to smooth my dress down my body and adjust a strap on my wrap-around heels. When I peer back up from my shoes, Jimmy is smiling at me from the doorway.
He claps his hands together. "M'a scusari. Cassidy, I feel I must apologise."
I sweep my hair to the side. "For what?"
"Your father contacted me while you were on your way here. He was a bit unsure of why I might want to speak with you. It's occurred to me that my inviting you here without asking him first was poor manners.Se?You're a young girl and that may have been..." He motions with his hands as he appears to search for the word. "Perceived as inappropriate."
"Oh, that's okay," I assure him, feeling slightly more at ease now. Although, not nearly as at ease as I'll be once Iknow what this is all about. Why he hasn't just come out and told me, I don't understand. Supposedly, it's not polite to talk business over the phone or maybe his phones are tapped and we're planning on going to the mattresses... I'm not entirely sure what that even means, but I heard it onThe Godfatheronce.
"Well. That’s very kind. Please come inside. My daughter is waiting to meet you in the living room." He moves backwards and I walk past him. "To the right." Stepping inside, my heels clip-clop on the marble flooring. The circular foyer leads off in many directions and I'm unsure about which one to take. Up the stairs? Through the door beside it? Or into one of the many others on the right?
Coming up behind me, Jimmy says, "I'm afraid I have some business to attend to, Cassidy. I'm terribly sorry. Aurora will take good care of you."
I watch him as he strides away. "Oh, okay. Um, thanks."
"Cassidy?" someone calls.
My heels start clip-clopping again as I walk left into a lounge-type area. "Hi."
"Oh, thank goodness. I'm so stressed." A leggy brunette paces around charts on easels and two people sitting with clipboards, looking rattled. "There is so much to do. I've still got seating plans to finalise and the table settings to fix and you to organise."
My brows shoot into my hairline. "Me?"
"Yes." She stops rushing around to scrutinise me. "My dancer."
I tilt my head and contemplate feigning understanding. "Ah... "
Her dark eyes grow wide. "No one told you."
"Not in so many words."
"In any words?"
I wince. "Not so much."
