Page 11 of Vicious Little Vows
Silk and linen of every shade was strewn across the massive bed. Shoes littered the floor, and more than a few undergarments had been flung across the polished oak dresser. Dawn stood in front of her closet with her back to me.
I cautiously stepped closer. “It looks like a tornado came through here.”
Dawn’s shoulders slumped as she hung her head, obscuring her strong features with her hair. “None of it is right. Everything looks terrible.”
“Literally every item in your closet was made specifically for you. Idoubtany of it looks bad.”
She sighed, stepping away from the closet. “Do you know how long it has been since I went on a date, Eva?”
“You go on dates all the time.”
She glared at me. “I mean a date that I actually might care about. One who could quite possibly reject me.” She slumped down onto the bed.
I moved a black lace bra before sitting beside her. “He knows what you look like, so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. If anything drives him away, it will be your personality.” I smiled sweetly at her.
She swatted my leg. “If personality alone could drive men away, you wouldn’t have so many boyfriends.” She moved her eyes toward the doorway leading to the main room, then brought them back to me.
I lifted a finger into the air. “Only one of the guys out there is my boyfriend.” No need to mention Mistral since he wasn’t here, and Icertainlywasn’t going to bring up Sebastian.
She snorted. “Yeah, right. You obviously know more about men than I have ever given you credit for.” She lifted her manicured hands toward the open closet, even though most of the clothing was now strewn around the room. “Now tell me, what do I do?”
The growling of my stomach prompted me to stand. The faster I helped her, the faster I could eat. “Okay, first things first. Where is the date to occur?” I started sorting through the clothing on her bed, observing each of the garments.
“A wine bar downtown, but daytime. Casual and low pressure, but not quite as casual and low pressure as a coffee date.”
I lifted a brow at her. “I thought the invite was something about having tea?”
She lifted her nose. “I made a counter offer, of course.”
I laughed. It was good to see that having a crush hadn’t changed her entirely. “Okay so more casual and chic versus dressy.”
Her eyes drifted toward my jeans, which were at least dry now.
“Yes,” I said in response to her skeptical expression. “I am also wondering why you asked me of all people for fashion advice.” I picked up a flowy purple jumpsuit. It would have looked terrible on me, but with the long and strong lines of Dawn’s body, I knew it would look just right… just like the restof her wardrobe. She really had no issues getting dressed. “What about this?”
“A jumpsuit? For a first date?”
“It’s fun and flirty, but still elegant.”
She stood, towering over me as she took the jumpsuit from my hands. “Fun and flirty, but elegant. I like it. I know why I asked you, Eva. Despite our bickering, you do have my best interests at heart. There are few people I can say that about.”
While my list of people I could say that about was slowly growing, I also had a growing list of enemies, so I appreciated the sentiment. “Right back at you, I think.”
She straightened. “Of course I have your best interests at heart. It’s just that sometimes I know what those interests are better than you do.” Her eyes drifted once again toward the doorway. “Though lately, you have impressed me.” She tossed the pantsuit onto the bed like she hadn’t just been fretting and tearing her closet apart. “You’ll stay for a drink?”
I followed her toward the doorway. “Actually—”
But she had already gone out, and she was halfway to the liquor cabinet before I caught up with her. “I’ll tell you the rumors I’ve been collecting for you while we relax for a moment.” She sniffed the air. “What is thatgreasysmell?”
“Our dinner,” I grumbled, glancing at the guys still standing uncomfortably near the front door. I had been ready to make an excuse to leave, but her mention of rumors gave me pause. I doubted she knew more than any of us at present, but I couldn’t be entirely sure. “And just one drink.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened. I couldn’t tell if Crispin had a similar reaction since he was busy observing a painting of swirling sunflowers on the wall.
With impressive speed, Dawn whipped up a pitcher of martinis, adding olive juice to mine until it was more brine than alcohol because in my humble opinion, martinis are disgusting.We unpacked our food, the little white takeout boxes looking out of place on Dawn’s sleek, four seater table. Hergreasycomment couldn’t dissuade me though. I set my drink aside and dug into mygreasynoodles with a pair of wooden chopsticks.
As I chewed, I watched Dawn, waiting for her to spill on the rumors, but she merely observed me as she sipped her drink. The four chairs at her table were a little larger than average, suiting both her and Gabriel just right. Crispin managed well enough, while I felt like a child at the adults’ table.
“So,” Dawn crossed her impressive legs, leaning back in her chair as she set aside her drink, “how does this work? Are you all sleeping together?”
