Second Lies (The Second Life Series) (9 page)

“He sounds worth it, and it sounds like you need to blow off some steam,” she grabbed her purse and began digging through it. “Did you ever think you’re so tense all the time because you need to be a little more spontaneous?  Garrett sounds like he’s exactly what you need, and an orgasm would be just what the doctor ordered.”

I downed my new glass of wine in one, long gulp.  Bethany was right, and I was starting to like her more and more.  Gloria always told me to play it as safe as possible.  She said I had already gotten myself in enough trouble, but maybe, she was wrong.  A little danger could be a lot of fun.

Bethany pulled a dime bag out of her purse and shook it in the air. “Speaking of just what the doctor ordered…” She took a second to examine my reaction. “Did you want to smoke?  I promise it’s good stuff.”

Yes, I was definitely starting to like Bethany Howell…and very much so.  Frantically, I nodded in her direction, and then, I grabbed some rolling paper from my bedroom.  I laid everything out on the coffee table and set to work.  After I rolled it up, I lit the end and sucked in the sweet taste of marijuana.  Every nerve in my body relaxed.

As I blew out the smoke, watching it dance in the air, I breathed, “Maybe, I could be just a little bit bad.” I smirked. “I am very good at it after all.”

I sat in my bedroom at my mom’s house while Whitney, my stylist, curled all of my hair and clipped it
, so it fell down my right shoulder.  I didn’t like people (especially people who Dennis hired) doting on me, but Whitney and I had an understanding.  She’d work quickly and efficiently, and I’d put up with it without complaining.  Besides, one of the conditions to attending these functions was looking both glamorous and sophisticated enough to arrive with
the
Dennis Darth.  Whitney accomplished that while respecting my space.  The last thing I wanted to do was get her fired and have someone else come in who I disliked.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed once she finished my hair.  She started rubbing liquid
concealer on my face. “How do you want to look tonight?”

She always asked me that question, and normally I’d tell her to do whatever she wanted.  Tonight was different though.  My mom and Dennis joined forces to throw a Charity Christmas Dinner in their plush mansion.  It was an annual event held the week before Christmas where they collected donations and toys for a local children’s hospital.  It would take days for the house to be transformed into a winter wonderland, and this year, it was made even more extravagant for the sake of Dennis’s reputation.  This was my first year attending, and after skimming through the invitation list, I noticed a certain
“G. Holden” was confirmed for the night.

“Sexy,” I answered. “Make me look irresistible.”

She started brushing my face with quick strokes. “Is there anyone specific you’re trying to impress?”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Sort of.  I have an agenda tonight, and I need to make sure I look my best.”

Whitney chuckled and grabbed a new brush. “Pucker.” She slid some gloss on my lips. “Well, let’s make you look irresistible then.”

When she was done with my makeup, Whitney helped me slide into my midnight blue, strapless, chiffon gown.  Two slits were on either side, testing the limits of too revealing
.  They crept up to nearly indecent-exposure heights.  After spraying my hair one more time, I was ready to join the party.

Guests arrived for the cocktail hour in waves.  For the most part, people were actually prompt and on time.  They liked networking with each other, and the prospect of gossiping with one another was even more appealing to them than teenage girls.  As usual, I made my rounds with Dennis and my mom, shaking all the right hands and flirting with all the right men.  They’d compliment my voluptuous
personality
, and I’d pretend to not notice them staring straight at my tits.

After some time, Dennis made a speech thanking the guests for attending
and bringing donations that I was bored with from the moment he opened his mouth.  With a martini in one hand, I searched the crowd of listeners for the one man I was interested in seeing, but he wasn’t here.  I slung back the rest of my drink in disappointment.  Of course the one evening where I put effort into my looks specifically for Garrett, he doesn’t show.  Disappointment couldn’t even begin to describe what I was feeling.

Dennis finally stopped babbling on, and the crowd went back to turning into small groups of conversationalists.  It was hard pretending to be interested in these people’s lives, but my role was to be witty and engaged, even if I did think every person in this room was a superficial asshole.

Finally, I spotted Garrett, standing by himself with a drink in one hand, gazing over the crowd with his forest eyes.  He was dressed impeccably in a black suit that hugged the large muscles of his sculpted body.  Instantly, I was drawn to him, rudely walking away from one of the guests while she was in the middle of a story about nothing interesting.

Once he spotted me though, his face blanched, and he gulped.  The last time I had seen him he had been between my legs
, ignoring a phone call from his wife.  I guess I’d be nervous to see me, too, but in my eyes, there was nothing but lust.  Tonight, Garrett Holden would be mine.  I was sure of it.

“Hey,” I said, doing my best to refrain from any public displays of affection.  It was hard though when he was looking the way he did. “I’m really glad you came tonight.”

“Are you?” He narrowed his brow like he didn’t believe me but then shook it off. “Networking here has been great for us financially.  We want to continue to do business with these people, but my brother thought it’d be inappropriate for him to show up.” Garrett gestured to himself. “So now I get suckered into doing all the events.  Oh well, Holden Industries has to survive somehow.” He downed the rest of his drink.

“Listen,” I said playing with the curls of my hair. “We should talk about what happened the other day.”

“Yes, and I couldn’t agree with you more, but this isn’t the place or the time,” his voice lowered. “See me after.  We can go to your apartment and talk where it’s private.”

Before I could answer, the familiar voice of a woman called my name, “Adriana, is that you?” My heart stopped.  Michelle approached me with her pregnant belly and wrapped me into a hug.  She was followed by an older couple.  She turned to them, putting her back to
Garrett, and simultaneously turning me by the shoulder to face them. “I’m sure you know her, but this is Adriana.  Her mother and stepfather are hosting the dinner.”

“Of course, we know A
driana,” Mr. Dawson or Dickson (I’m not really sure of his last name) said.  He was a good friend of Dennis though, so it really didn’t matter to me. “She’s always here supporting Dennis and his endeavors.  She’s such a gorgeous girl.”

“She is and so sweet,” Michelle added with her arms still wrapped around me.  Her touch felt like acid on my skin.  Michelle was dressed in a
flowy, mango colored dress that fell tastefully over her baby bump.  I wasn’t sure how I was even standing up straight.  Just the sight of her made me feel sick. “Um, oh, and this is my husband, the one I was talking about.” She grabbed at Garrett, so he was standing next to her.  He extended a hand to each of the people in front of us, admittedly looking awkward and uncomfortable.  I wanted to run in the opposite direction. “He’s the one you should talk to about your son’s birthday party.  Garrett, this is Tim Dalton.” Oh, Dalton, my guesses were close.

“
H-Hello, Tim, what kind of, um, event are you looking to do?” Garrett asked with a little less charm that usual.  My skin was burning, pricking me with discomfort.

“My son’
s turning forty, so it’s a milestone for him.  I want something youthful though, lots of alcohol and fun to bring him out of his slump,” Tim laughed. “He’s a bit bitter about turning forty.  He thinks it means the end of everything for him.  I keep telling him when he turns sixty-five, forty will sound like a wonderful fantasy.”

“Well if you’re looking for youthful and fun, you should try our newest location in Philadelphia,”
Garrett said, fumbling over his words in the process.  The muscles between my legs clenched at the sound of that bar.  The memory of his tongue…fuck, I needed a drink. “It’s newly acquired by my brother and I and very much what you’re looking for.  I’d be happy to set up an appointment for you next week to look it over and go over some details.  We can discuss a plan of action and see if it’s a good fit for what you’re thinking.”

The discussion continued in a lull with
Garrett clumsily mulling through the conversation.  I managed to get a hold of a couple glasses of chilled raspberry vodka, and I didn’t stop drinking until one of the glasses was empty.  Finally, Tim and his wife left, leaving me alone with a drink in each hand and Michelle and Garrett standing in front of me.  Michelle caressed her stomach.  The sight of it made me knock back the other drink.  Garrett stood wordlessly before us.

“You could have at least tried a little harder to be articulate,” Michelle spat.  Immediately, I turned my back to them, offering some kind of privacy to this conversation even though that didn’t seem like it was a priority for her.
  She hissed. “You talk like you’re a damn idiot sometimes.  I came here for a fucking reason, not to watch you piss away an opportunity because you don’t feel like being around these people.  God, Garrett, you make me physically ill and exhausted.”

“Shelly,” he huffed. “Let’s not do this here.”

“Whatever, I regret coming.  As usual, you’re not trying…but why should I be surprised?” She seethed. “I’m going to the bathroom.  Try not to stand here like a loser.  Maybe, for once, you can actually make an attempt at networking, so I don’t have to do it for you.”

The click of her heels became distant, and I turned around to meet
Garrett’s hard gaze.  Sadness loomed in those eyes.  Before he could even open his mouth, I said, “You came here tonight…with
her
?  Don’t you think you should have told me?”

“She insisted on coming.  Believe me when I say, I wish it was just you and me tonight.  I really tried to get her to stay home.  You and I left things so poorly that I just wanted to talk to you, have fun like at the gallery
, forget about all of our problems,” he looked like he wanted to touch me, but that couldn’t happen here…especially not now.  I stared at his left hand, the one with the ring secured around his finger.  “Adriana, I have a part to play, but I promise it’s just a part.  You’re what I want.”

“Play a part?” I asked, still staring at his finger.  He immediately dug his hand into his pocket
, hiding the eternal symbol of love, and nodded his head.  I hissed. “I guess I should play too then.”  Michelle returned from the bathroom, forcing a smile on her face. “Excuse me you two.  I have to find myself some more vodka for now and a new boy for tonight.”

Garrett
pressed his lips together into a hard line.  He glared at me.  Michelle beamed, “Good for you, Adriana.  Get out there and have a blast.”

Without another word, I left them and went straight for the kitchen.  Waiters and chefs buzzed around me in preparation for the dinner. “Excuse me.” I offered as I passed through the crowd.  I dug into the freezer until I found a half full bottle of vodka that would go down nicely in preparation for dealing with tonight.  I took it and walked down the hall.

As I made my way, I spotted Bethany in a short, cream colored dress with ruffled skirt and sweetheart neckline.  I motioned for her to follow me, and without complaint, she did.  We went into the library and locked ourselves inside.

“I’ve been looking for you,” she said while I twisted the top off of the bottle. “Are we
having a private party or what?”

“Yes, I’ll need it,” I took a long swig out of the bottle and passed it to her.  She followed my
direction. “Garrett showed up here…with his
wife
.”

She gasped, eyes wide with shock, “What the hell are you going to do?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know.  He told me he was ‘playing a part.’  Whatever, I’ll probably just find some guy, hook up with him, and show Garrett what it feels like.”

“Or you could ditch this party
altogether and come with me?” Bethany nodded her head approvingly at her idea. “I’m only staying here for an hour, so I’m getting ready to get out of here soon.  I’m meeting up with some friends in Atlantic City.  Come with me.  It’ll be a blast.  I got a room and everything.”

I drank down the rest of the bottle and sat
against a desk in the middle of the room, thinking about the tempting option laid out before me.  Finally, I shook my head. “I can’t.  Dennis will have my head if I leave this thing.  Normally, I can get away with sneaking out, but this is the Christmas party.  I have to stay.”

“Okay, but it’s your loss,” Bethany combed through her hair with her fingers. “I’m getting ready to get out of here.  Call me if you need anything.” She pushed open the door and turned back to me. “Oh, and Adriana?” I nodded. “You can only get in trouble if you get caught…think about that the next time you get some alone time with the golden haired Sex God.”

I shook my head with a laugh and returned to the kitchen to dispose of the bottle.  Isabel met me in there looking frantic, “Baby, where have you been?  Dinner is about to be served.”

The normal mother would probably care that her underage daughter was bey
ond drunk at a social gathering…but not mine.  She ushered me into the lavish dining room, forcing me to take a seat next to hers.  Dennis was at the head of the table, casting his eyes over the crowd.  He put his hand over Isabel’s, and it was all I could do to not vomit onto my empty plate.  Honestly, I’m not sure if this feeling was caused by all my drinking or the sight of them touching each other or a mixture of both.

Again, D
ennis began a speech, and again, I immediately tuned it out.  I was ridiculously drunk by this point and in no mood to pretend to be interested in a fucking word coming out of Dennis’s mouth.

I searched through the crowd and finally spotted him. 
Garrett was seated by himself at the other end of the table.  Our eyes connected.  He licked his lips.  I blushed and fidgeted in my seat.  Suspicion and surprise peeked at my interest.  Michelle was no longer with him.  Next to him, there was an empty seat.  Bethany’s words played back in my head again. 
You can only get in trouble if you get caught.