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Cat
The six of us left work at five on the dot and raced down Fitz’s on Russell Square to grab a table before the evening rush hit the cocktail bar. The classic regal bar room was spread with low leather chairs, the most light coming from the giant crystal chandelier that hung above us and the golden back light of the bar, illuminating the dark colours of the liquor on its shelves. The place was so packed that most guests were standing, but we had managed to secure one of the precious low tables and were chatting over the smooth jazz and the loud buzz of the Friday night crowd.
“So… what’s he like?” Lucy pressed into me, pouring me another margarita from the three jugs she’d ordered. She’d been bouncing around me excitedly all day, trying to get some kind of gossip about Max. She loved being close to the rich and famous and, if I didn’t know her better, I would have said that’s why we were friends. She’d swapped her work jacket out for a sparkling silver wrap that went perfectly with her black dress and gold hoops.
“Who?” I said innocently, grinning at her, knowing exactly who she was talking about.
‘He’ was the reason I'd already rejected several tall, dark, and handsomes who had already offered to whisk me away for a night of unbridled pleasure.
“Oh my God!Come on,Cat, don’t do this to me!” She hit me on the arm, a gleam in her eye.
I tapped my glass against hers, smirking. “Client confidentiality, Luce. We’ll lose Collins International if any gossip gets out before the engagement party.”
“Which we’re both invited to.” Dom threw his arm around my shoulders, looming over me at six foot two.
Both of us laughed as the others groaned.
Dom and I studied Law together at Cambridge, and we joined the company straight out of uni. Thank God he was gay because he was built like Adonis, and I would have ruined our friendship years ago by trying to fuck him. His dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and fashion model good looks meant he was never without a lover.
“You would think,” Lucy sniffed to no one in particular, “that being co-workers of Ms Fischer herself would get us extra perks.”
She was fishing, but she’d catch nothing. It was Bunny’s party. She chose the guest list.
“Hey! I got you into the premiere ofDark Lightning.” My mum’s last movie before she retired in favour of gin and her socialite duties.
“I suppose.” She shrugged huffily.
“And that one-on-one shopping day with my sister? Who, I might add, ended up kissing you in front of the paparazzi.”
Jazz was an awful flirt, but the media loved that the youngest Fischer sibling was a lesbian playgirl. And Lucy fed off the buzz to help propel her book blog to new levels of notoriety.
“Those aren’t the events of the century! You know, the ones that change history.Everyoneis going to be at Bunny Collins’s party!”
By everyone, she meant anyone famous enough to be on Bunny’s radar. It wasn’t a big deal. Once you got used to seeing celebrities as people, the glamour wore off, and the party became just another excuse to drink and mess around.
I usually avoided parties like hers simply because I wasn’t interested, but Mum had been nagging us for weeks to attend since she was one of the hosts. I’d already accepted the invitation before I knew about Max. There was no backing out now. There should be enough guests that I could avoid Max and the bittersweet memories that would follow. It still shook me how deeply he’d thrown me off this morning.
“Can we talk about something else? Christian, how’s your new partner? Hadley, did you get the time off you wanted for the new puppy? Sally, did Rico end up buying you a ring?”
Those were enough bombshells to distract them.
Dom gave me a squeeze. “Let’s go.”
Neither of us needed a drink, but it was easier to talk away from the overhead speakers and our nosey friends. He’d seen my face at lunch and knew something was wrong.
I’d been vibrating with lust and frustration ever since Max had left my office. The bastard snuck under my skin, and I’d been a mess all day. Things I hadn’t thought about in years kept cropping up, like the way he’d massage my feet or the soft covering of hair on his arms, how I would lick that scar on his eyebrow, or how he’d gently kiss the veins on my wrists. Our intimacy, the passion, the depths we went to as we explored each other… And in one violent night, it all vanished.
I’d only told three people about what happened with Max: Dad, to call in a team to clear out the flat; Dom because it slipped out during a drunken sleepover; and my sister, Grace, because she understood what it meant to be betrayed by someone you trusted.
I’d told Dom how I’d come home, expecting Max to be gone as he started his new life in London, and instead, I found my place had been invaded, every room a scene of destruction.
He’d asked why, and I tried to explain what a spiteful person Goss was — his bitterness, the hate he carried and directed at me, but it was difficult if you hadn’t experienced it. I was able to fight him while I had Max by my side, even if Max didn’t believe how poisonous Goss could be. After Storm Records had offered Clutch the contract, Goss took his chance. He and Max had been like brothers since they were five, and even though I had argued with him about it, Max didn’t believe Goss would spit hate at me when no one else was around.
I would have been able to handle the destruction. I could have reported it to the police, had it dealt with easily, but, after destroying my flat, Goss sent me a video that rocked everything I ever believed about Max.
Dom and I rested against the back wall of one of the quieter rooms in the bar, clutching our margarita glasses. It was a calm silence, but I knew he was waiting for me to spill. This room was better for talking. The brick walls were painted black and hung with photos of famous guests, low tables and couches spread around the floor with enough space for groups of people to stand, and the music was low enough for them to chat.
We watched couples dance through the open doorway that led to the adjoining club, grinding against each other under the flashing strobe lights, spinning in time to the music.
