“Yes, Morgan called.” I wish she hadn’t asked. Saying it out loud makes my failure more real. “I didn’t get the spot.”
“Oh, Neddy.” She wraps her arms around me, and it makes me want to cry.” I pull away and wipe away a stray tear.
“I told you I’d invest in your gallery. Why won’t you let me?”
“Because that isn’t the way it works, Amy. But that’s not what I have to talk to you about, it’s about Sai Shah.”
Her face reddens. “Just the mention of that man’s name has my blood boiling.”
“I know him, well kind of. We met at the beach the other day. A long story short, we ended up having dinner, and I may have flirted, a hell of a lot more than I would have if I’d known he was your fiancé. I did slap him, though. I mean he knew who I was the entire time.” I feel a weight lift off my chest.
Amelia stares at me with wide eyes, then laughs so hard she has to hold her stomach. “Good on you, Neddy. I wouldn’t put anything past that jerk. He does have a reputation of sorts. Rumors of orgies, underground sex clubs, where really depraved things go down. But if he made a pass at you…” She gets that look in her eyes. The kind that always gets both of us into trouble. “What if you played along?”
“What? Absolutely not.” I whisper. “That man is a monster, as you’ve so clearly stated, and he’s your fiancé.”
“But who better to keep an eye on him, and dredge up some dirt on him? If it’s incriminating enough, my father may call off the wedding.” She looks so excited, in stark contrast to the pain on her face just a few minutes ago and the frown that’s pulling my forehead so hard together, it’s giving me a headache.
“Amy, you know I love you, right? But this, this is insane.”
“Come on, it’ll just be hanging out, getting to know him a little better. I mean, even if I have to marry the asshole in the end, at least I’ll know what I’m getting into.”
I fold my arms across my chest. This is stupid on so many levels. We aren’t in college anymore, playing pranks on guys, this is real life, and if Sai is anything to go by, he’s not the kind of man who takes kindly to games.
“Just think about it,” she pouts.
I nod and tuck into my fruit salad. I agree to think about it, but I doubt that it’ll do any good.
* * *
I pullout my MacBook and spend an hour looking up, Sai Shah. He seems to be pretty big news around these parts. He is CEO of Shah Holdings, having taken over from his father last year. The picture of him on the company’s website displays his crude, God-complex personality to the letter, complete with that smoldering look I’m sure has women falling at his feet.Women like you, I admonish myself.
The youngest executive at SH graduated from Bilkent University, majoring in fine arts. He was on the Dean’s List. Hmm. I never would’ve pegged him for the sort. He took over leadership of the company at just twenty-one.
There are news articles about him, mostly consisting of him hanging around with celebrities and socialites like himself. There aren’t any pictures of him with a woman on his arm, but there are several tabloid stories about the parties he held and insinuations about what went down at said events. I scour through pictures and stories until late in the evening. I finally shutting down my laptop, having done enough information gathering for one day.
Amy and I are going clubbing tonight. It’s not something I usually do, but being in another country and not doing everything there is to offer will be frowned upon by my mother, so I decide to be adventurous.
“Oh my God, you look stunning!” Amy shrieks as she bursts through my door. She could say the same about herself. Her red hair is flat ironed, and she has on the sexiest black sequence dress I have ever seen, paired with strappy red Manolos.
I opted for a low-cut black playsuit that, in my opinion, displays too much of everything. I pair it with silver heels, tying my hair into a high ponytail.
“You look like sex on legs, and Henry would have never let you go out in that.” I smile sadly.
“God, I miss him.” she says softly.
“I know you do. Sorry to bring him up. Don’t want to damper your spirits.”
“I’m okay, babe. Even if I don’t speak about him, he’s always there, in my mind. I’m just glad you’re here, and the fact that it might be one of the last few times we get to go out like this makes it all the more special.” Amy says it lightly, but I know how much that fact scares her.
I give her a long squeeze. She pulls out her selfie stick, and we grin into the camera so she can update her Instagram feed. I have never been into social media, and I mostly live through Amy’s. We look in the mirror one last time, pleased with what we see, before we head out.
A limousine is waiting for us outside. “This is pretty fancy.” I laugh.
“Tonight, we party like Rockstar’s.” She squeals, her handbag swinging in the air.
There is some fancy champagne I can’t pronounce and canapés waiting for us inside. She snaps a shot of the setup then sends it to my mom. Amy’s phone pings, and she hands it to me.
Mom: Finally, you’re getting her to let her hair down.Have fun, you two. XO
