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“Don’t look at me that way,” Charlie warns him with squinting eyes. “You know you can be a pain in the ass. If I had to work with you, I’d have filed a complaint to Human Resources on day one.”
“Remind me why I married you again?” he questions, rubbing his chin.
“I’m great in bed. I can cook, plus you knocked me up, so…” Charlie answers confidently, grinning at her reflection as Lex remains unusually quiet. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Drinks with your friend?”
An odd glance passes between them, prompting me to pay closer attention. Lex isn’t the type of person to keep ‘friends.’ For as long as I’ve known him, his ruthless persona landed him enemies more than anything. Most of the so-called friendships he has are all because of Charlie.
“Yes,” he agrees, checking his phone. “I’ll be back soon to change and will meet you both in Versailles.”
“We can wait,” I offer, watching him closely. “I’m sure we can be a little late.”
“I’d rather you ladies don’t miss anything.” He moves toward Charlie, kissing her on the cheek as something passes between them. Surprisingly, Charlie doesn’t argue with him and tells him to enjoy drinks.
The moment he leaves, I ask the questions lingering at the tip of my tongue.
“What was that about?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lex rarely goes out with friends. Who’s this person he’s meeting?”
“Some guy he knows.” Charlie brushes it off like it’s not a big deal. “Look, it’s probably business since everything always is. As you know, his interest has shifted to the European market, so I don’t expect to be spending quality time with him here, which is why I have you.”
Breaking into a genuine smile, I ignore my curiosity and change the subject, asking her about the girls. When it comes to talking about her daughters, Charlie can go on for hours. I miss all three girls, and last time I saw them was a year ago when I had a two-day conference in Manhattan. Charlie flew over with them so we could spend a little time together. There’s no doubt she has her hands full, another reason why children are great to spoil but equally lovely to hand back at the end of the day.
The makeup artist and hairstylist finish working on us, prompting me to put my costume on. With the help of the two of them, I step inside the dress as they button the back one by one. The Marie Antoinette-inspired dress is deep red with heavy black brocade, trimmed with gold pearls and diamantes. The dress is buttoned, ultimately making my breasts look enormous in the square-cut neckline. Considering I am not wearing a bra, the firm and sheer size of them leaves me speechless.
“Kate,” Charlie mouths with her eyes wide. “You look amazing! Plus, your boobs… you’re so going to get some with a rack like that.”
“Get some by a man wearing questionable tights?” I laugh, clasping the back of my choker. “I need to be really drunk for that to happen.”
“You never know.” Charlie nods with a grin. “Tonight could be your night.”
“I’m not interested in me
eting anyone. As long as we have fun, that’s all that matters. Don’t leave me hanging and run off for a quicky in the hotel room.”
This moment could’ve been an opener for mentioning Dominic. Yet, over the years, I chose to keep our encounters to myself, knowing exactly how Charlie feels about him. As expected from a best friend, she only wants the best for me and reminds me of my worth every time we speak. Charlie is very vocal about Dominic’s lifestyle, which is why I choose again to ignore my thoughts and keep quiet on the matter.
“Honestly, Kate, you’re the female version of Lex. All work, no play. I understand the importance of sacrificing a personal life to fulfill your ambitious goals, but when are you going to start putting yourself as number one?” Charlie rambles, her deep stare garnering some sort of response.
“I’m fine the way things are,” I answer confidently. “Let’s just enjoy tonight, please.”
The large mirror gives me ample space to inspect my entire ensemble.
Charlie busies herself by putting on her dress. Adriana designed her an emerald-green gown with a black-lace mask. The color itself is breathtaking.
Placing my black mask on which is made from delicate lace, I take a moment to admire my completed outfit. My hair sits softly to the side, pinned with curls to match the era. I colored it only recently to an ash blonde, somewhat liking this shade from my natural tones. Unlike many of the other images I have seen online when preparing for this event, I opted not to wear a wig as did Charlie. Between the summer heat and the heavy dress we’ll have to wear all night, a wig was deemed annoying and unnecessary.
Charlie turns around, fully dressed as her eyes sparkle with excitement. She’s also drunk at least two glasses of champagne while we’ve sat here, and I expect her to be completely drunk by midnight at best. I don’t mind. Drunk Charlie is fun Charlie. There’s always that one friend who makes it ten times more fun when they’re drunk, and Charlie takes the medal with Rocky coming in a close second.
“Adriana is brilliant,” she gushes with a fake British accent causing me to erupt into laughter. “This dress is absolutely perfect.”
“Are you ready to party and drink expensive French champagne in Versailles?” I cheer, holding my glass to clink with hers. “La vie est belle!”
The two of us drink while we sing along to “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.
“Life is beautiful,” Charlie repeats in English. “And tonight will be the night I’ve been waiting for.”
