Black Lace (Eternal Love Billionaires #1)

1. Party Time

CHAPTER 1

PARTY TIME

(TIFFANY)

I look up as my sister, Jasmine, walks into the café where I sit and wait to have lunch. She’s wearing a knee-length red dress with elbow-length sleeves and walking in ridiculously high black heels. I ordered our food twenty minutes ago, and I was starting to worry she wouldn’t arrive before it did.

“You took your sweet time getting here, Jasmine Carter,” I say, raising an eyebrow at her.

Jasmine smirks at me before flicking her long, brown hair behind her as she sits down. “Yeah, Teddy called just before I left the office. Melanie’s throwing some sort of hissy fit. Again.”

Theodore Richardson’s girlfriend has a history of serious dramatics, so I’m not surprised. I roll my eyes because I’m well and truly used to our friend’s relationship issues .

“Do I even want to know what it’s about this time?”

“Probably not.” Jasmine shakes her head, then her face brightens as she smiles at me. “Anyway, let’s talk weddings. Are you excited?”

I grin down at the large diamond ring on my finger. My fiancé, Benjamin Littrell, proposed to me last week. We’ve been dating for ten years, and I’m thrilled to finally plan a wedding. I’m used to planning high-profile events for my family because, with mom gone, that kind of social organizing has mostly fallen to me. This event will be all about celebrating my relationship with Ben, and I’m excited to swear my love for him in front of everyone we know.

“I can’t wait. Will you be my Maid of Honour?”

I eagerly wait for her reply. I’ve already planned this out in my head. I just need her to say yes, which I know she will.

“Sure. Will Crystal be upset you didn’t ask her, though?” Jasmine looks thoughtful.

Our youngest sister has been away at college for the last four years. She chose to go to Stanford University and openly told us that she did it because she wanted to go somewhere no one knew who she was.

“I don’t think so. She probably won’t even want to be a bridesmaid since the pictures will be all over the magazines.” I shrug.

I plan to ask her, just in case, but it’s unlikely she’ll say yes. I couldn’t not ask her, though. My sisters and I have always been close, but it’s more important to me that Crystal’s happy on my wedding day than having her be a part of my wedding party.

A waiter arrives with our food and interrupts our conversation, delivering our meal as we thank him before he leaves again.

“So, are we going to a club tonight?” Jasmine asks before shoving a forkful of salad into her mouth, making me laugh.

“We can. I’m sure Ben will be up for it. Do we want to invite Dec and Teddy, as well?”

I figure that if we’re going to party, we might as well party .

“I’ll send an invite to the chat. If people come, they come. If they don’t, they don’t. As for Teddy, we’ll see if Melanie lets him out to play.” Jasmine smirks at me.

I roll my eyes. “There’s probably a fifty-fifty chance.”

We finish our lunch and walk together back to the offices of Carter Group. I wave to Jasmine as she gets out on the marketing floor. Carter Group is the media conglomerate our grandfather started fifty years ago, and he’s been grooming me to take over the company since I was five.

I can’t remember a time when my life wasn’t about marketing, revenue, and spreadsheets. I’ve worked in every department on my way to the top because my grandfather wanted me to learn every aspect of the business .

Our dad shunned the company and went into medicine. He’s a surgeon, and a highly respected one, at that. Even when Gramps threatened to write him out of the will and refused to pay for his college education, Dad stood firm about having no part in the business. He allowed Gramps to train me, though.

I sigh as I walk through the office, noticing people scurry away from me as I approach them. They all look very actively busy, a little too busy, whenever I walk by. I tried to make friendships while I was working my way up the corporate ladder, but there was always the fact that I’m Tiffany Carter in the way. Nobody in the company ever seemed to really want to let their hair down around me, but they also didn’t want to piss me off. So it made for strangely cordial “friendships” that have long since fallen away now that I’m the Vice President.

I nod to my assistant as I walk into my office, where I settle into work. I’m only mildly distracted by the group chat with our friends, confirming that we’re going to party tonight. It’s after nine when Jasmine appears at the door to my office.

“Come on, sis. It’s time to go. Your work will still be there on Monday.” She winks at me.

“Wow, I’d forgotten how easy life is in the Marketing department. Imagine leaving work on Friday and not thinking about work again until Monday. Remind me what that’s like, slacker,” I tease her .

“You’re such a bitch. Turn off your computer, and let’s get out of here. Your work will still be there tomorrow, I guess,” she laughs.

I shut my computer down, and we Uber to the nightclub to meet up with our friends.

“Tiffany! Jasmine!” Danielle McLean yells when she sees us entering the VIP area of the club.

She’s cute, and her black hair is chopped off into a pixie cut. Her brother, Declan McLean, looks up at once. He has the same pale skin as Danielle and is well-built, with black hair and bright blue eyes.

Dec gives me a once-over and then smiles. “Hey, Sexy. Come straight from work?”

I walk over to them and give Dec a big hug. He’s one of my best friends, and we’ve all known each other since we went to the same high school as kids.

“Of course she did,” Jasmine laughs. “Do you even know her?”

I hug Danielle before nodding as I wrinkle my nose. “I hate when Jazz is right. Where’s Ben?”

“He’s, um, in the bathroom,” Dec says, looking uncomfortable.

I sigh internally but work hard to keep my face neutral. I love Ben with all my heart, but I hate when he gets high when we’re out partying. I don’t see why alcohol isn’t enough for him. He keeps trying to get me to use drugs, but I have no desire to do them.

“Come on, Sexy, let’s go get drinks. You look like you need to unwind.” Dec grabs my hand and drags me toward the bar.

We get drinks for ourselves as well as Danielle and Jasmine. We’re back in the VIP when I see Ben walking toward us. He’s six-foot-three, has short brown hair, and chocolate-brown eyes. He’s wearing jeans and a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looks sexy as hell, and I smile as soon as I see him.

“Hey, Tiff. How’s my fiancée after her busy work week?” He slides onto the bench I’m sitting on and places his arm around me before pulling me to him for a kiss.

I kiss him back passionately as desire and longing wash over me. It’s been a long day, and I’m suddenly horny as hell.

“Want to find somewhere more private to say hello to me?” Ben whispers in my ear.

Okay… maybe not that horny.

“Ew. Pass. I love you, Ben, but not enough to have sex in the back of a nightclub,” I laugh.

“Come on, Baby, let’s have some fun,” Ben takes my hand and moves it to his crotch.

A wave of anger hits me, and my jaw tightens. The last thing I need is to be caught fucking in a nightclub. Pictures of something like that would be plastered all over the internet before I even got an orgasm.

I glare at him and hiss quietly, “Just because you’re high doesn’t mean I am. ”

Ben raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Sorry, Tiff. I just love you and want you so much. Kiss me again?”

I kiss him, but I’m definitely not horny anymore. When he’s sober, Ben is amazing. It’s part of why I hate him getting high when we’re out at clubs like this. He stops pressuring me for sex, and I relax into his embrace as more of our friends show up.

They all congratulate us, and I smile as I thank them, grateful to have such wonderful friends. Jasmine and I exchange a knowing look when Teddy shows up with Melanie in tow, looking as sour as ever.

“Hey, guys,” Teddy says, with a friendly smile as he slaps Dec on the back, then hugs Jasmine.

Melanie’s jaw is tight, though her face is serene as she clings to her boyfriend.

“It’s good to see you, Mel. I love your nails,” I compliment her.

She holds up her hand, displaying long, coffin-shaped nails painted electric blue with black nail art stars on them.

“Thanks,” she says with a cool smile as she takes a seat next to Teddy.

I’m aware of the eyes on us in the club, but it’s something I’m also used to. We’re not famous, but we’re in the public eye, making people frequently recognize any or all of us when we’re out together. I’m hyper-aware that the things I do reflect on Carter Group, which is why I’m disappointed when Ben disappears to take more drugs later in the evening.

I watch him walk away, and Dec puts his arm around my shoulders. “Are you okay, Sexy?”

“Yeah. You know how it is.” I shrug, trying to pretend I’m unbothered.

“I do,” he confirms before continuing in a surprisingly serious tone, “but if you don’t like it, you should tell him.”

“Do you think I haven’t?” I give a bitter laugh.

Dec squeezes me before removing his arm from around my shoulders, and I’m surprised by how much I miss the comforting feeling of it.

My phone rings with an unknown number, and I frown as I answer because not many people have my private number. “Hello?”

I hear some vague talking but can’t make sense of it. I cover my left ear in frustration, trying to block out the noise around me.

“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. Give me one second,” I say loudly into the phone.

I make my way to the corridor leading to the bathrooms, and it’s slightly quieter than the VIP area.

“Hello?” I say, hoping the person hasn’t hung up.

“Am I speaking to Tiffany?” the person asks.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“It’s Dr. Timberlake,” the person says.

A sense of panic comes over me because Dr. Timberlake is one of the highest-profile cardiothoracic surgeons in New York. He works with my dad, and I’ve met his kids at a few events.

“Is something wrong?” I choke out through my fear.

“I’m calling from Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Your grandfather has had a heart attack. Can you please come in as soon as possible?”

Nausea rolls through me as I get as much information from the doctor as I can, informing him that I’ll be at the hospital within an hour. As soon as I’m off the phone, I rush back to the VIP area, desperate to find my fiancé and sister.

“Where’s Ben?” I yell over the pounding music to the first of my friends that I find.

“I’m not sure. Why?” Danielle asks.

“I need to go to the hospital. Gramps has had a heart attack.” A wave of fear washes over me, but I push it away because I know I need to focus.

“Shit, I haven’t seen him in a while.” Danielle looks distressed as she cranes her neck to look around the club.

I frown at her, my annoyance that Ben is nowhere to be found at such a crucial time quickly buried under my worry for my grandfather. “I’m going to get Jasmine and go to the hospital. When you see him, please tell him to call me?”

Danielle nods, and I thank her before heading off to try and find my sister.