Page 94 of Claim Me

It took Belle two passes to fix my smeared mascara. I didn’t mind. I’d rather be stuck in a restroom than smiling and pretending everything was fine.

“Ready to enter the fray?” Belle asked when I’d run out of ways to stall us.

I shook my head and she smiled sympathetically. We both knew that there was only one way out of here and it meant going back to the party.

Outside the door, I paused to thank the guards, who’d begun to look a little nervous. We’d only made it a few steps toward the hall that led to The Raphael Gallery when a simpering voice said, “About time,” a bit too loudly.

I closed my eyes and grabbed Belle’s arm before she could confront Pepper. This night just kept getting better and better. But Pepper, ever the sadist, wasn’t about to let us off the hook so easily.

“It’s really rude to make everyone wait out here so you two can attempt to apply make-up. Accept a lost cause when you see it, ladies,” Pepper called over, but none of the women waiting around her laughed. Not even Sarah, who’d been stuck waiting out here with her friend. There wasn’t so much as a nervous titter among the lot of them. Pepper frowned.

“Feeling unappreciated?” I asked her coldly. I wanted to tell her that no one wanted her here, but tonight was about Sarah and I wasn’t going to ruin it for her. Even if her best friend was a twat.

“I don’t know,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “How does that feel? I’m sure you have experience.”

“Stop,” Sarah said, dragging her to the loo as others filed in, eager to get away from the catfight.

Next to me, Belle dropped her voice, “I know what you said, but—”

“No,” I said firmly. I wasn’t going to let my pregnant best friend take a swing at Pepper, even if I would have paid to see Pepper’s reaction.

“Please,” she whined.

“What’s the matter?” Pepper called as Sarah tried to hustle her past the door. “Clara got you on the short leash?”

My hands let go of Belle voluntarily, unable to hold her back anymore, because sometimes a cat fight was in order.

Before Belle could reach her, Sarah stepped between them and rounded on her friend. “You’re her guest.”

“I’m your guest.” Pepper’s lower lip stuck out a little as she battled her shock over Sarah’s reaction. “I told you that these two are trash.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sarah took a deep breath, glancing between us and Pepper as if making a choice. “But I’m beginning to think you’re the trash.”

Pepper let out a strangled cry and lunged for Sarah, who looked too surprised to get out of the way. I held Belle back from getting involved, gesturing to the security guards who had already caught Pepper by the shoulders and were pulling her away. She fought them for a second before realizing it was a lost cause.

“Your Highness?” The guard prompted Sarah, waiting for instructions before realizing his mistake and looking to me.

I shook my head and pointed to Sarah. This was a decision I would leave up to her. She hesitated for a second before ripping her eyes from Pepper. “I think you should leave.”

Pepper protested as they led her away from the scene of her meltdown, and Belle waved at her as she went.

“You know what happens to trash, Pepper?” Belle called. “It gets taken out.”

“You enjoyed that too much,” I muttered to her.

“It might have been better than the time I broke her nose,” Belle admitted.

“You broke her nose?” Sarah stared at Belle in awe. “I thought it looked different. I’m sorry about what she was saying. I don’t know why she hates you so much.”

Belle and I looked at each other and began to spill the running list.

“I broke her nose.”

“She was after Alexander.”

“She broke up my engagement, but Philip dumped her,” said Belle

“Then I called her out for sleeping with your dad.”