Page 19 of The Mirage Guild

“No, it’s not that.” She placed her hand on my forearm as she spoke. I loved that she kept finding ways to touch me as she opened up. “I just . . . everyone else in my life seems to have always known exactly where they want to live, what they want to do, who they want to be with, and I . . . just don’t.”

I stopped walking and turned to face Isabella. “No one says that you have to. Now or ever.”

Her face was soft when she said, “Sometimes I just wish someone would tell me what to do. That someone would just take the pressure of making the decision off my plate for me.”

I smiled down at her. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for someone who wanted to be told what to do.”

“I don’t know, it sounds nice sometimes,” she said.

Her hand was still on my elbow, my skin felt hot under her fingertips.Her neck and cheeks were flushed a bit from the wine, and I wondered what her lips tasted like. I bet the warmth of the tannins could still be tasted on her tongue. Isabella tilted her chin up slightly; it was so subtle I could’ve missed it.

I leaned my head down slowly and kept leaning down when she didn’t stop me. I could see her teeth behind the part of her lips and, god, I bet her mouth was warm. My eyes scanned hers for permission, but her own gaze was locked on my mouth.

“Do you mind taking our picture?” The drunken request came from a girl who was already staggering in her heels on the lawn. Her friends all huddled up together against the grapes as a backdrop. The moment was sucked up in a vortex and thrown across the world.

“Oh, of course!” Isabella let out a breath, reached out for the outstretched phone, and turned away. She helped arrange the group of giddy girls and started snapping a few photos.

I stepped back a bit. I was that close to kissing her. And she had been that close to letting me.

NINE

ISABELLA

My pulse quickened with a mix of nerves and excitement as the elevator doors parted, revealing the bustling third floor of the Prism Society. The last time I had been here, the rain had cast a solemn mood, but today, sunlight flooded through the large atrium, infusing the space with a sense of possibility.

Three days had passed since the almost kiss with Max happened in the vineyard. My eyes had been locked on the fullness of his lips as he leaned down and down and down. And like an alarm clock going off way too early, the demand of a drunk girl had zapped us out of it. I’d spent the last three days wondering what he would’ve tasted like. How he liked to kiss.

Clearing my head, my eyes scanned over the vast room that lay before me like a painter’s canvas, bathed in the warmth of the sunbeams filtering down from the clear blue sky above, visible through the geometric dance of the atrium’s glass panels. Today, that same sky lent an almost ethereal quality to the room, a stark contrast to the stormy gray that had greeted me before.

With the wine-tasting event drawing closer each day—two weeks and six days to go—the pressure was mounting for me to bring my vision to life. In a move born of both desperation and inspiration, I had reached out to Emma, who had a talent for turning the mundane into the sublime. Emma’s skills in design had already transformed the club into a beacon of luxury, and I was counting on it to conjure that same magic for Max’s event.

Emma’s footsteps indicated her arrival, her heels clicking a confident rhythm on the marble. “Izzy!” she called out, her face alight with the thrill of a new project. “Ready to create something unforgettable?”

“Thank you so much for your offer.” I sighed, already overwhelmed. “I was already beginning to drown in decisions. What color should the tablecloths be? What’s the right music? What about table settings?” I rattled off a few of the items that were spinning around in my mind.

I calmed as Emma rested a warm hand on my shoulder. “I’ve got you. There’s no reason you have to figure this out alone. We’re family here at the Prism Society. You’re one of us now.” Emma winked at me as she circled the space, pulling up a sketch on her iPad.

I couldn’t help the envy that laced my gut when I looked at Emma. Someone who was so young yet so sure. She had her dream career, a booming luxury interior design business, her dream partner, the very handsome Liam, and great friendships.

“So tell me what you’re thinking,” Emma said, interrupting my thoughts. “What’s the vibe?”

I took a deep breath, and my apprehensions slightly eased. “I’m thinking of deep hues, velvety tones, and an ambiance that invites guests to lose themselves in the wine and chocolate experience.”

Emma, looking down at her iPad, nodded enthusiastically. “I love that. Maybe we can bring in some moody flowers to go with your Enchanted theme.”

“Yes,” I said, my voice raised in excitement. “What if it’s, like, a secret garden-type experience? Each tasting could be set to a different vibe in little corners around the room. Is that too much?” I worried that my big ideas wouldn’t be able to come to life and that I was asking too much from Emma.

“‘Too much’ is not a phrase we use here at the Prism Society, Iz,” Emma said, “Too much is my favorite way to do things.”

I helped Emma map out the zones for each of our tasting experiences. There would be purple orchids and moss for the port tasting, pink peonies and ivy for the Chardonnay, cream roses to go with the Champagne, orange ranunculus and cinnamon sticks for the Syrah, and finally, deep red roses and eucalyptus for the Cabernet Sauvignon.

This event was going to be next level. I already had a list of floral pieces to order, tablecloths to reserve, and lighting to figure out. Emma offered her team up to create any sort of signage or wall backdrops for the event.

We could have small wooden signage directing guests to the next tasting, leading them further into the secret garden of flavors. Emma gave me the idea of lighting the pathways with floor lanterns and hanging string lights from the atrium windows to add a magical feel.

“Ah, there she is.” Jessie burst through the door with her portfolio of set design ideas clutched tightly under her arm. I turned as Emma tugged her best friend, Jessie, into a hug. Emma had brought Jessie in to help with building some of the elements for the event. Max had filled me in on the drama that had unfolded with the design firm Emma and Jessie had worked at. It turns out not everyone is super cool with the whole sex club vibe.

Emma had taken the leap and started her own firm and hired Jessie as a contractor here and there. Jessie, with her ridiculous woodworking skills had gotten to stay at Spectra, but I got the vibe that wasn’t going to last for much longer. I’d picked up on some vibe between Jessie and Dom whenever they were in the same room together, but no one had shared any insight, so I let it be.

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