AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Saoirse
Thethingaboutalwayssaying yes was sometimes I wound up regretting how indiscriminate I was.
Those regrets usually didn’t last, though. I almost always found a bright side, even in the most boring, tedious, and uncomfortable situations.
I didn’t regret tonight’s “yes” yet, and I doubted I would. Spending my evening in a penthouse unlike any I’d ever seen was worth it for the experience alone.
Kara pressed into my side as we made our first round through the spacious living room, with its twenty-foot ceilings and unobstructed views from every angle. Even the curved staircase leading to the second floor had Lucite rails to not block the light streaming in from the double-decker windows.
I made a mental note to venture onto the balcony later once Kara found the man who’d invited her here tonight.
This wasn’t his home, but according to Kara, he’d been given permission by the owner—his cousin twice removed or something like that—to hold a party here.
I hoped that was true. And if it wasn’t, I hoped I had enough time to explore before we were all kicked out or arrested for trespassing.
“Where is he?” Nudging Kara with my elbow, I took stock of the fairly plentiful crowd. Everyone was beautiful, fitting in well with the magnificent space. Women dripping in jewels and designer dresses amid couches shaped for style rather than comfort. Men in bespoke suits, power emanating from their stances, standing around sculptures made of marble and steel, probably worth millions.
Kara, who was more of an acquaintance than a close friend, was shaking. Since we weren’t close, it was hard to tell if it was from excitement or nerves. Although why she would be nervous, I didn’t know. With her hourglass frame, soft ebony waves, and cherry-red dress that molded to her every curve, she fit in with this crowd to aT.
“I don’t see him.” She hooked her arm with mine. “Don’t leave me. I’ll die before I walk around this party alone.”
“I have no plans of leaving you until you find your Vincent.”
“But you can’t leave even when I find him. If you do, he’ll know I only came for him.”
I tugged her to a mirrored bar set against one of the few walls in the wide-open space. There, I poured us both a generous glass of Pinot Gris and handed her one. She took a long pull, swallowing almost half the wine in the glass.
“How many rooms do you think are in this place?” I asked under my breath.
“Five bedrooms, six baths, eight-thousand square feet,” she answered far too quickly and with entirely too much precision.
“Have you been here before?”
“No.” Her shoulder lifted. “I looked it up online when Vincent gave me the address.”
“Whose place is it again?”
She shrugged again. “He just said a relative he’s staying with while he’s in the US.”
It was beginning to look more and more like this evening would conclude with me dashing for the exits to avoid another trespassing arrest.
Just when I’d resigned myself to the fact that Vincent either wasn’t real or he wasn’t here at all, a grinning man with a boisterous Italian accent in a suit that fit his body like a second skin strode toward us, his arms outstretched.
“Kara, you have come. I was getting worried,bella.” He clasped her shoulders and leaned in, kissing both her cheeks.
Her arm unhooked from mine the moment she’d spotted him. She went a step further to distance herself from me now that her dream guy had arrived by moving in front of me. At that point, I was shocked I hadn’t received a shove to top it all off.
Too bad Kara was a smidge over five feet tall and I was a hairsbreadth under six. Blocking me from view was impossible. But her message had been received loud and clear. I turned toward the bar again, refilling my mostly full glass.
“And who is this you brought with you?”
My shoulders stiffened at the rowdy voice drawing near. I was here for the vibes, not to poach Kara’s man. But I couldn’t exactly stare at the wall all evening.
I slowly turned around, making eye contact with Kara first. Hers flared, and her head tipped subtly to the side. I nodded once in understanding.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” I started to hold out my hand, then accidentally on purpose jerked my other hand, sloshing wine onto the bodice of my dress. Luckily, it was black and the wine was white. My sacrifice wouldn’t do long-lasting damage. “Oh no. I made a mess of myself.”
