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A gentleman approached us, giving Tanya a kiss while picking her up, then twirling her around. I noticed they both smiled in the middle of their kiss, happy to see one another. Feeling awkward in the presence of a kissing couple, I shifted my weight while waiting for them to finish. I did not know where to redirect my eyes. She withdrew her lips, whispering in his ear. Setting her feet back on the floor, he pulled her into his side, wrapping his arm around her waist.
He extended his hand to me as he bowed. I giggled, resting my palm in his. Kissing the back of my hand, he peered up at me, still in mid-bow.
“It's a pleasure to finally meet you, for real.”
Dropping my hand, he stood up straight, once again pulling Tanya against his body. He was charming and polite. I could see why she liked him. Glancing at her, I grinned when I saw how she was gazing at him, happiness radiating off her.
Unsure of what to say to him, I gulped, “I'm Isabelle.”
“Oh, I know exactly who you are,” he grinned.
I felt there was more to that other than that statement, but I awkwardly smiled in return.
“I'm William,” he introduced himself, “but tonight I’m someone else.”
Confused, I wrinkled my nose, “Huh?”
Tanya hooked her arm in mine, spinning us both away. “We're going to find the drinks,” she called back over her shoulder, a large grin plastered on her face as she drew me to the other side of the room.
A devilish smirk spread across his face as we hurried away, leaving him standing alone. I continued to stare over my shoulder as another man cautiously approached him. They both watched us with great concentration as the corners of the other man's mouth formed a smile. Before I could fully study him, Tanya reached for my chin, turning my face toward hers.
“Now don't be mad at me,” she cupped my cheeks in her palms, speaking warily.
This was never a good sign. Over the course of our friendship, I had heard this said to me about five hundred times. It was usually followed with some crazy scheme or plan. Other times it was a decision she had made for me without consulting me first.
“Oh no,” I sighed, taking a step back. Folding my arms, I whispered harshly, “what did you do?”
Inhaling deeply, she braced herself, gulping, “Promise me you won't get mad.” She winced, anxiously pinning her lower lip between her teeth.
“Promise you?” I hissed. “You know I will not promise someone something if I don't know what to expect.”
"Okay,” she sighed before continuing, “well this event is kind of a hook up event.” She quickly glanced over my shoulder before redirecting her attention back to me.
Perplexed, I turned my head, peeking back at the men again. They were clutching drinks and now deep in conversation with two other men. They all took turns nodding in our direction as if they were discussing us. I would have worried, except one of them was distinctly Tanya’s boss.
“What do you mean,” I faced her once again, growling, “and you better be blunt with me or I'm out of here!”
“You need money, right?” she shrugged.
I nodded, taking a deep breath.
“Well the men here kind of pay women for sex,” she mumbled, unsure how I would take the new information.
“Are you kidding me?!” I snapped way louder than I should have, but I was fuming with anger.
“Shhh,” she pressed her finger to my lips.
I huffed, glancing back at the four men, who were looking our way. They were not trying to hide their interest in our discussion but maintained their distance. Tanya placed her hand on my cheek, turning me back to her.
“Belle, trust me.”
I averted my gaze to the floor, awkwardly crossing my arms. Suddenly feeling like everyone in the room was silently judging me, I wanted to cry. I took a few deep breaths, keeping myself collected. I lifted my head and scanned the ballroom, looking for any sign of escape.
“I am so angry at you right now,” I muttered.
“Belle, stop looking around all paranoid,” she declared. “Everyone is here for the same reason.”
“I'm not a hooker,” I hissed, glaring at her, unsure how she was remaining so calm at the moment.
