Chapter Four
A gorgeous blonde walks by me, and shoots me a look that can only be interpreted as‘What are you doing here? How in the heavens did you ever make it in?’
Yes, I’ve already deduced that I’m the least attractive woman here. These women are absolutely gorgeous, real beauty queens. They seem to be all about my age, in their twenties or so, but most of them are super model-like slim, or curvy like Sophia Vergara. And as I guessed, they all have phenomenal dresses and long hair, save for the pixie cut blonde, who has the bone structure of an angel.
I feel less-than compared to them, but who cares. I'm only here for the money, and maybe the food. And speaking of which, a waiter passes by and offers me a snack from the crudité platter, and I happily take a sliced carrot, anything to distract myself. There’s also glasses of wine floating around, and I hastily grab one. I don't care what it is. I just need some alcohol.
I stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and enjoy the view outside. This property is extraordinary, and made even more beautiful by the soon-to-be setting sun over the tranquil lake. I can’t see my place from here, because it’s on the bay, on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak.
A thousand dollars and a striking sunset… life could be worse.
I’m completely mesmerized by the view when I feel soft fur around my ankles. I glance down, and am thrilled to see a beautiful long haired cat, in shades of soft white and grey, and stunning blue eyes. This room may be full of beauty queens, but this cat is definitely the most gorgeous thing here. I crouch to my knees to pet her, and she revels in the attention.
As I stroke her, or him, my gaze darts about the lively space. Cliques seem to have already formed. There's three girls chatting in one corner, and three more on the sectional sofa. I get excited when I see one floating around by her lonesome, a pretty brunette in a pink dress. I stand and scurry to her.
My heart is beating fast as I introduce myself. “Hello there,” I say as I offer my hand. “I’m Cl… I’m Anna.”
She smiles. “Hi, I’m Sarah. So nice to meet you.”
“So, you’ve been here before?”
She nods. “Yes… first time for you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
She shoots me a tight grin. “A little… don’t worry, everyone here is super nice and friendly.”
You could have fooled me.
“I love these parties,” she goes on. “The food is great, and the entertainment…” Her words trail off, and a dreamy look traces her features.
The entertainment?
“Don’t you love it here?” she asks. “It’s kind of fabulous.”
“Kind of weird, more like,” I joke, but she doesn’t seem to find me funny.
“I've been to about three of these parties before,” she tells me. “I keep coming, hoping to maybe get picked one day."
I study her long brown hair and pretty blue eyes, and I wonder why she hasn't been picked. Perhaps she's just unlucky, or perhaps she’s lucky. Getting involved with Colton Rossi seems like a bad idea.
“Yes, I heard he picks someone at the end of the night to stay over,” I say. “I wonder what goes on then.”
She pulls a face, as if to say,‘Seriously, were you born yesterday?’
I'm not sure exactly what the specifics are or how he goes about picking, but I suppose I'm going to find out soon enough.
Heads turn so swiftly, it catches me by surprise. And when I turn on my heel, I know why. Colton Rossi has just entered the room, and I hate to say it, but he is a sight to behold. No wonder he can get away with these kind of shenanigans. He’s absolutely stunning; about six feet, olive complexion, dark wavy hair, kept just a bit too long, just long enough to tell you that he's chill. And those eyes. I can't quite tell what color they are exactly from this far. And those lips… I’ve heard he's famous for his lips, and now that I see them in the flesh, I understand why.
The redhead is practically wrapped around him, smiling up at him. These two have obviously known each other for a while.
Sarah leaves me to go say hello to Colton. From the looks of it, she will be standing in line for a while. I decide to forgo the hellos, and sit on the comfy looking sectional, now empty. I sit and stare up at the artwork over the fireplace. It’s colorful and Picasso-ish, and very strange; a female mermaid with flowing blond locks, and a male mermaid playing the guitar and wearing a cowboy hat. I’ve never seen a cowboy mermaid before. I wonder what male mermaids are called. There must be a special term for them. I make a mental note to Google it. Geez, I’m starting to sound like Christian. I really need to get out more.
I’m startled by a cat again, but this one is orange, and just as beautiful; long hair and green eyes.
“Hey, Garfield.” I pat him, or her, on the head, and he seems to like it. “Where is your friend?”
I study my surroundings again as I pet him. The first time I came to the Rossi estate, I went straight to the second floor, to the office. I never had a chance to see the rest of the mansion. The main living area has a completely different vibe. The walls are covered with music inspired art and collectible LP covers. A collection of acoustic and electric guitars and other string instruments; banjo, mandolin and ukulele, are also displayed on the walls.
