Chilled water sluices over my hands as I scrub meticulously under my nails. My sister’s voice echoes through the phone’s speaker, her high-pitched tone ricocheting off the marble and steel surfaces of the massive kitchen.
“Don’t be late, Jules. The chef I hired is bringing samples for the party, and you know I have terrible taste in food.”
I chuckle, the thin bristles of the brush scraping harshly under my thumbnail until every last grain of dirt is gone. Amelia does have terrible taste in food. She never quite grew out of her childhood palette, still ordering buttered noodles and french fries even at the fanciest restaurants.
“I told you I’d be there, so please have some faith in me.”
“What are you doing?” she asks a moment before I turn off the faucet and grab the towel draped over the sink. “Sounds like you’re doing dishes, but that can’t be right.”
“Ha ha,” I quip back sarcastically. Without answering herquestion, I redirect the conversation. “Who are you bringing to the anniversary party?”
“Bringing?” she asks with hesitation in her voice. “Like a date?”
“Yes, like a date.”
I can practically hear her chewing on her bottom lip. “No one. I mean…are you supposed to bring a date to your parents’ anniversary party?”
Picking up my black and silver rings piled on the counter, I slide each one on while smiling to myself at my sister’s nervous response. “Relax, Mel. You don’t have to bring anyone.”
“I’ll just sit by Matis.”
“Sure,” I respond with a shrug.
“You know…” she says, and the mischievous sound of her voice makes me pause. “My friend Freya will be there.”
“Have I met her?” I ask, walking into the living room. Onyx meows on the back of the couch, so I stroke a hand down her back as I search my memory.
“No. She’s the chef.”
“The one you hired?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.
“Yes. Is that a problem for you?”
“Why would that be a problem?” I reply with bite. “I simply asked if she was the same friend you hired to cater Mom and Dad’s party. Chill with the matchmaking attempts. I’m sure she’s nice, but I’m not dating your friend.”
Onyx purrs as she rubs herself against my shirt. It’s a good thing she’s black. Her fur manages to stick to everything, no matter how many times I run a brush over it, but it never shows up on my black-on-black ensemble.
“Hey, Jules, I gotta run. Mom’s calling me on the other line.”
“Wait, Mel. You’re not going to the club today, are you?”
She pauses. “It’s Wednesday. It’s your day. Besides, I almost never go in unless Jack needs something or we have a meeting. So you’re safe.”
With a wince, I say, “Thanks.”
When running a sex club with your sister, it’s always wise to be intentional with your time and boundaries. Amelia’s business in the club is absolutely none of mine, but I’m fairly certain that all she does there is occasionally work, decorating for events and picking fabric and paint samples.
As for me, I don’t need my little sister walking around while I’m there, doing verynonbusinessthings. Hence, the schedule. She only goes in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and I only go in on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
“Four o’clock tomorrow. Don’t be late!” she adds before the line goes dead.
“Yeah, yeah,” I murmur to myself. As soon as the call with Amelia ends, the apartment is bathed in tense, bleak silence. Onyx meows again, so I glance down at her with a tender smile.
She jumps down from the couch, and I walk to the ornate gold-framed mirror by the front door to check my appearance. Ice-blue eyes stare back, lifeless and cutting, as a piece of nearly white hair falls over my brow.
I pull open the entryway table drawer, grabbing the lint roller to swipe over my shirt in brisk, precise strokes. Once it’s clean, I put the brush back and check myself in the mirror again. My impeccably tailored shirt, a shade of inky black, fits snugly over my shoulders. Yet something about my reflection feels slightly off.
I slip the top two buttons of my shirt from their slots, peeling each side back to offer a glimpse of my pale chest underneath. The open collar frames the silver chains stacked against my skin.
