Page 27 of The Enemy

Why didI agree to go to a party on a Thursday night? I knew I couldn’t back out now because Clove would be on my ass. It wasn’t her fault our London branch was suddenly in chaos. Neo had come back in a mood after lunch with his mother, and I decided I had poked the bear enough.

Every time he called me, my stomach was in knots, thinking I had gotten caught stealing his credit card. Once the day ended, I felt like I had gotten away with it. I was biding my time, and then I would decide when to strike.

Since I was tired, and I was going mainly for Clove, I showered and changed into a cream-knitted dress, black pantyhose, and black chunky boots. I was dressed up enough for a work night out. Not that the majority of the people in attendance had any real responsibilities.

I was constantly on a double-edged sword that none of my friends had ever understood. If you were a person of color, you had to look put together all the time. We didn’t have the grace of the clean-girl aesthetic. Now, don’t get me started on having to look put together all the time just because you weren’t thin.

Putting my issues aside, I headed toward my car, glad my father nor Pricilla were around. The house was big enough that I didn’t have to run into them, but lately, I was considering moving into my own place.

Pride was the only thing keeping me in the house. I didn’t want to ask my father for a bigger allowance just so I could move out. I didn’t get access to my full inheritance for two more years.

Clove came down looking as flawless as always.

“How was work?” she asked as she got in the car.

“Meh, I don’t want to think about Neo. It’s enough I see him daily now.”

“At least he’s fucking sexy.”

I gagged.

Clove rolled her eyes. “Pretend all you want. You thought so too in high school…and besides, he’s not your real brother.”

“Gee, he annoys me like a real one,” I said as I played a song to stop her from mentioning the enemy.

The party was at someone’s penthouse, it was the same shit, different day. People were getting drunk on expensivechampagne, bragging about their newest jewelry or cars that they had added to their collections.

Maybe it was the fact that my mother raised me with different values, and she cared more about charities and sitting on philanthropy boards, that I didn’t see the appeal of a lot of materialistic things. I loved a good collector’s item as much as the next person, but I didn’t find joy in bragging about it.

While Clove went ahead to get us some drinks, I looked around to see whom I tolerated enough to go have a conversation with since I knew Clove would mingle before she would swarm back to me.

I smiled to myself when my eyes landed on Wes. He was chatting up someone, no Neo in sight, which was a plus, and maybe the asshole wouldn’t come out on a work night since he was more anal about work than I was.

“Hey, you.” I bumped his shoulder when I reached him.

When Wesley turned around, I instantly recognized the woman he had been talking to. She was the same woman who had been Neo’s date a few years ago. He only brought her once and did not bring her around anymore.

“Lou.” He got up and instantly wrapped his arms around me.

As he did this, I could see the woman’s face sour.

“Caitlyn, you remember Lou?” Wesley reintroduced us.

So that was her name? Caitlyn smiled, and it was the kind of smile that was dipped in venom, so I braced for what would come out of her mouth.

She looked me up and down before she spoke.

“How can I forget her? Lou has such a large presence.”

Bitch.

I smiled back at her, tired of playing word games this week.

“It must suck, having no personality, and it makes it worse by lacking tits and ass.”

Wesley, the gentleman he was, tried to cover his laughter with a cough. As for Caitlyn, her face reddened, but she downed the rest of her drink, probably trying to collect herself.

Maybe I was a bitch, but if people wanted to use my body as a weapon, I would not shy away from their petty insults. If they wanted to spar, so be it, I could hold my ground.

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