Page 120 of Deeper

“Hold still,” Victoria insisted as she pushed me back into my seat.

“So this is our trial and error,” Zander belted out as he headed off towards the master bedroom. “We gotta find a way out.”

Victoria was starstruck at his flawless live vocals. I didn’t blame her. It still took me by surprise every time he would break out in song.

We let the music play from my phone as Victoria did my makeup.

“You nervous?” she asked me.

“Very,” I admitted.

“It’s just dinner, and you’re with your man, so relax,” Victoria encouraged. “He shouldn’t let anything happen to you. The same way you won’t let anything happen to him.”

Right, we were a team. I had Zander’s back the same way he had mine.

I laid those thoughts down as my foundation as I gave up my anxiety.

Victoria did Nazanin’s makeup and I was extra happy Nazanin wasn’t rude about it. She was actually polite enough to be friendly and complimentary about the final product. To go along with her plum pantsuit, Victoria had given her wine-stained lips, and a subtle dusty pink eyeshadow with the perfect sharp-winged eyeliner.

“You look beautiful,” I let Nazanin know.

She simply smiled at me, not in the mood to fake it for my company’s benefit.

Victoria side-eyed her as she gathered her makeup kit together to go. The mean-mug on her face made me hop into gear before she let loose on Nazanin before I got a chance to.

“I’ll walk you to the elevator,” I said as we left the suite.

As soon as the door shut behind us, my best friend faced me, gesturing towards the room. “What the fuck is her problem?”

“Don’t even get me started.”

“If I had not have done a good job, I would’ve blacked her eye.”

Zander had his Pitbull, and I clearly had mine. “I can handle her, trust me.”

“Take pictures, okay?” Victoria instructed as we waited for the elevator to arrive to our floor.

“I will,” I promised. “You sure you don’t wanna come?”

“Girl, I’m not trying to dress up and go and be around them rich bougie people just to eat some barbecue.”

“Still, won’t be fun without you.”

“Yeah, it will. Besides, Zander paid me double my usual rate. I’m going out to splurge.”

It was a nice gesture for Zander to do that for Tori. I suddenly realized she was right: I wouldn’t have my best friend by my side, but I would have my boyfriend, and for that, I felt invincible.

25

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

The sun was just beginning to descend when we arrived at the estate hosting the Dymond Dinner. Together, Zander, Nazanin, Paul, and I rode over in a truck Zander requested for us. Before we could even get to the house, we were met with a parade of vehicles up ahead of us. It didn’t take much to guess that they were all heading for the same location. This area of Pasadena the driver had driven into was filled with nothing but illustrious homes and properties. And of course, the best was for last.

Situated up on a hill was the home for the Dymond Dinner. This wasn’t a house, no, it was a manor, aDymondmanor. The huge structure with multiple parts to its overall build stretched across acres of land, easily being its own block at the end of the cul-de-sac.

We weren’t even inside yet, but if the gushing fountain out front in the middle of the circular driveway wasn’t a sign of their wealth, it was the many valet rushing out to vehicles to take off the hands of drivers that was. The valet were taking the cars and driving over to the hangar at the far end of the house. The Dymonds had a separate building for parking for events like this.

“Is this their home, or do they rent for these parties?” Nazanin asked.

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