Page 23 of The Kissing Part
She finishes putting a silver dangling earring in. “Mackenzie and Harper invited me. I told Frankie we’d meet him there.”
“No.” It comes out harsher than I mean it to. “You can’t go to the party.”
“I didn’t ask you for permission. I’m going. You should be happy that Frankie will be at the party with your mom now.”
“You’re not family. This is a family party.”
A flash of hurt crosses her face, but then she lifts her chin. “Claire is like a second mom to me. She’s happy I’m going to be there. She said the only reason she didn’t invite me is because she thought I’d be overwhelmed by the chaos. She still remembers me at sixteen when I needed alcohol to get through a party. I’m good now.”
I clench my jaw. “So now I can’t relax because I’ll be working.”
“Frankie will be working. You’ll be living it up. I’ve got a car waiting downstairs for us. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I grumble.
“Great! Let me just get my purse.”
She returns a moment later with a tiny beaded purse on a chain.
“What could you possibly carry in that purse?” I ask her as I open the door and check the hallway.
“That’s a very personal question.”
My lips curve up, but I hide it by striding ahead to the private elevator. “How is that personal?” I do the elevator code, and the doors open.
She steps into the elevator. “Because a purse is meant to stash things you don’t want everyone to see. Otherwise, I’d be carrying my stuff in a clear plastic bag.”
I follow her in and press the button. She looks straight ahead, ignoring me.
I tell myself to enjoy the quiet, but I can’t help teasing her. “I bet you have a phone and a hundred-dollar bill in there.”
“A hundred-dollar bill isn’t very useful for tipping.”
“And lipstick.”
She turns to face me and opens her purse. There’s two things—her phone and pepper spray. She’s protecting herself. I have the urge to pull her into my arms and tell her everything will be okay, and at the same time, I’m proud of her for carrying it.
She shuts the purse. “And there’s a small inner pocket with a condom. Now you know.”
My jaw goes slack. I wish I didn’t know because now all I can think about is wanting to be the one to use it with her. I’d say she purposely put the sexy image in my mind, but I’m the dope who had to know what was in her purse.
The doors open, and she strides out, her heels clicking on the tile floors of the hallway leading out to the lobby.
I scope out the hallway and open the door to the lobby, taking a look around before stepping out and holding the door for her.
The front desk clerk gives her a warm smile. “Good evening, Miss Adler.”
“Have a good night, Bertie,” she says.
He beams. “Thank you.”
She remembers everyone’s name and makes sure to use it. People seem to love it. I guess that’s how she got my attention in the beginning. Overusing my name, which made me think she was into me.
The car out front is the same Mercedes with tinted windows as before. We haven’t used it this week since we’ve been walking to her work a short distance away. The driver gets out when he sees us. “Everything’s as requested.”
He opens the back door for Shayla.
“Thank you, Martin,” she says with a sunny smile. The woman knows how to use her charm, but that won’t work on me.
