Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
W hat the heck just happened?
Natalie pulled me into the elevator and pushed the PH button.
“Penthouse?” I blinked. Wow!
“Yeah, wow.”
Shoot. Did I say that out loud? I tried to sound sophisticated. Not like the little small-town girl who was impressed by EVERYTHING. My dorm room at school had a view of New York City. I’d seen things. Although I’d never actually been to New York by myself. All those horror stories about young girls in the big city. My mama used to say it was better to be safe, than sorry.
She never warned me about Vegas, though.
“Listen. Daddy wants to meet you.” Natalie pressed the button again.
She was friendly when we met at school. We literally ran into each other in the quad and struck up a friendship over our mutual desire to get the heck out of New Jersey as soon as possible. We had lunch together a few times and week and spent a lot of time studying in the library. She had the best stories and when she found out I had lost my summer job; she offered to help. Her strong Italian accent made it hard to understand her, but she had seen the world and wasn’t afraid of anything. I wanted to be more like her.
“We’ll pop into his office and say hello and then get ready for the party.” She shifted on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest. She’s yet to look at me. I must look a fright after traveling all day.
“Party?” I frowned.
“Yeah, my dad’s throwing a party tonight for some of his friends and business associates.” Her sparkling brown eyes flit around the small space. “It will be fun. Lots of rich, good-looking men.”
Men.
My stomach churned.
“I think I’ll just stay in your room tonight, if that’s okay. Get ready for work tomorrow.” I looked down. “Besides. I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I got you covered.” Natalie flipped her thick brown hair over her shoulder and peaked at her reflection in the elevator door. “Hair and makeup, too.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for a Vegas party.” I flicked my thumb with my index finger. It was a nervous habit. I shoved my hand in my pocket.
“Hey Rayna, don’t worry.” She placed a hand on my shoulder and steady me with her sincere gaze. “It’s going to be so much fun. I’ll be by your side the whole time.”
She was so beautiful, confident, and sure of herself. Everything I most decidedly was not. She smiled and gave me a reassuring squeeze. As the elevator doors open, she grabbed my suitcase by the handle, and my hand with the other and drug me towards the entrance.
I had seen penthouses on television. They were elegant and spacious, with spectacular views. This penthouse didn’t deliver, according to my expectations. It was sparsely furnished, and what furniture I saw, looked old and worn. People in all black hotel uniforms ran back-and-forth, carting stuff in big rolling bins. Bar height tables, and stools with bottles, and glasses, covered each corner of the room. One of the staff members barked orders at two others decorating a large table with a cheap gold décor, of candlesticks and platters. Billowy drapery adorned the walls and swirly decals affixed to the floor to ceiling windows.
“Pretty great, right?” Natalie dragged me through the room. She didn’t speak to anyone. And, they didn’t seem to recognize her. I got a warmer welcome than this from my grandmother's mailman when I came home every week from school. Natalie, from what I could tell, hadn’t been home in a year. She mentioned she and her father were close, but he never came to visit her at school.
We walked down a long hall. I skidded to a stop halfway.
“Oh, no.” I turned. “I forgot my suitcase at the elevator.”
Natalie grabbed my arm.
“Don’t worry about it.” She pulled me further down the hall. “Someone will bring it to my room.”
I gripped the chain of my cross-body purse and made sure I had my phone. I pulled at the hem of my shirt again. It was too short. I looked like a child. It may be okay on campus, but in this setting, I didn’t fit.
Natalie wore a burgundy shirt dress and strappy heeled sandals. She dressed like a grownup. I dressed like I was getting ready for a play date.
I wouldn’t mind a play date with the hot guy in the lobby. I still felt his fingers on the back of my leg. His presence gave me an unusual vibe—but not in a bad way. It was like he knew something about me. His gaze pierced through me, sending a tight squeeze through my chest.
I exhaled.
Natalie stopped at the last door on the right, adjusted the neckline of her dress, then opened the door and shuffled in. “Daddy.”
I stopped in the doorway. The office was the width of the apartment. A huge rug sat in front of a massive dark wood desk with ornate carvings. It looked like the president’s desk and didn’t fit at all with the modern chairs. Twenty or so men lined the perimeter of the room. Some stood in groups of two or three, while others milled about by themselves, drinks in hand. Every eye in the room landed on me.
I swallowed and gripped the door.
“Natalie, Bella.” Natalie’s father stood and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. He lifted her off the ground, kissed her neck, and sat her back down. He placed a meaty paw on her cheek and brought her face to his for a kiss on the lips. I looked away and flicked my finger, anxiety ripping through my stomach. Maybe that’s how they did it in Italy.
“Rayna.” Natalie’s accent made my name sound like ‘Rouna’. She motioned me forward. “This is my father—Albert Santorini.”
I approached with my hand extended. The faint flush of eyes devouring my body, leaving an uneasy feeling in their wake. Making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, and unfortunately, not in a good way.
“Mr. Santorini, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” My hand disappeared in his. “Thank you so much for the job this summer. You’re a lifesaver.” It was true. He was saving my life. While my scholarship paid for my tuition, I had lost my job near campus, and had no funds left over for room and board. Getting a job was imperative. Natalie had come at the right time and said I could join her in Vegas for the summer to work in her father’s hotel.
“You are quite welcome, young lady. Please, call me Daddy.” Mr. Santorini didn’t stop at just a handshake. He pulled me into him. My chest collided with his rotund belly. He smelled like cigarettes and whiskey. He laid a wet kiss on my cheek and held my hand as he walked me around the room. “I was so happy that my Natalie brought you here to spend the summer with us.”
Again, their eyes followed me, making my skin crawl. I had to fight the urge to wipe the kiss off my cheek. My stomach churned at the thought of spending another second, let alone an entire evening, with a bunch of strange men.
“Well, you ladies go get dolled up.” He kissed my hand. I discreetly wiped it on my skirt. Natalie headed for the exit. I shuffled across the floor to catch up with her. “Rayna?”
I turned back around. “Yes, sir?”
“I’ll see more of you later.” He chuckled, and the men in the room followed suit. Mr. Santorini radiated mob boss energy. I would not be seeing him later if I had anything to say about it.
* * *
The next couple of hours went by in a blur. Natalie dragged me to her room and passed me off to a woman dressed in all black. Her jet-black hair was bone-straight, and her pale skin made her look like a ghost in desperate need of sunlight.
“Hello. I am Helga.” Her thickly coated accent gave off western European vibes. “Oh, your nails are a mess.” She grabbed my hand. Before I could ask her where she was from, she reached for the bottom of my shirt.
“Hey,” I pushed her hands away. “What are you doing?” I stumbled back.
She sighed heavily and pointed. “Go shower. No wash hair, no time to blow dry.”
I blinked and leaned over to see where she pointed. It looked like a padded cell with large, gleaming white tiles. I could barely discern where the floor ended, and the wall began. A long countertop covered the back wall, lined with four small mirrors framed by bright Hollywood-style lights.
“Quickly, the other girls will be here any minute.” I stepped behind a three-quarter wall into the shower stall. “Put that on.” She pointed to the robe hanging on a hook.
I shrugged out of my clothes and turned on the shower. The steam from the hot water billowed out of the stall. I stepped into the spray and sighed. The heavy water pressure helped ease the tension and anxiety building in my gut. Being in this strange place with strange people would take some getting use to.
“You done yet?” The woman yells. At least she had the common courtesy to yell from the other side of the closed window.
“Almost,” I yelled back, quickly soaping, rinsing, and drying off. I slipped on the robe, and a pair of plastic slippers sitting outside the shower stall. I glanced around, wondering what to do next. I gathered my clothes and walked to the door. “I’m done.”
The door swung open. “I’ll take those,” she said, snatching my clothes. I clutched my purse to my chest. “That too,” she added.
“No, I’ll hold on to it, thank you.”
She shrugged. “Wait out here while they get set up.”
Two other ladies and a man were standing outside the door. The man peeked in my direction, rolled his eyes, and went back to scrolling on his phone.
They must not have heard Helga’s command.
“Go!” she yelled. One of the women gasped and jumped. They scurried around, pulling hair and makeup products out of bags. By the time Helga got back, they were all set up.
“Rayna.” I jumped. Thank God Natalie was back. “I come bearing gifts. Here, drink this.”
She had on a similar robe. She handed me one of two glasses of champagne. In the other hand, she was holding a box. She walked into the bathroom and sat down in a chair in front of the man and put the box on the counter.
“Mario,” she cooed. “It’s so good to see you.” Mario kissed both of Natalie’s cheeks.
“Ciao, bella.” She lifted a strand of Natalie’s hair. “Who has been doing your hair?
“Some guy in New York.”
“Psst. New York.” Mario rolled his eyes again and went to work on the aforementioned hair.
“Rayna, come sit,” she said, patting the chair next to her. “This is Mindy. She’s amazing with makeup. She’ll have you looking like Sabrina Carpenter in no time.”
Mindy didn’t speak, just went straight to work on my face. She chatted in Italian to Mario and Natalie. She tested three different foundations shades on my pale skin. It was the dark freckles on my nose that made it hard to find the perfect match. I didn’t usually wear much makeup. I’d throw on some mascara and lip gloss, and I was good to go.
“Finally.” Mindy announced with a condescending tone of triumph and continued with the rest of my makeup.
“Aww, what do you think?” Mindy stepped aside, gesturing toward the mirror. “Beautiful, no?”
I stared at my reflection and blinked a few times to make sure it was me looking back at me. My eyes were smaller and lined in a dramatic fashion. The dark eyelashes made my eyeballs itch. I couldn’t stop blinking. The angles (on my face) were contoured to create a sunken cheek look and my lips were painted brilliant bright red. They went with the Sabrina Carpenter on ketamine.
“I think the lip sticks is too much.”
Mindy’s face dropped. “No, you look fabulous.”
Natalie’s hair was slicked back and put in a high ponytail. With some gel, she could have done it herself. She gushed to Mario and hopped up.
“Mario will do your hair now.” She turned to Mario. “Make her look sophisticated. No more teenage girl.”
I frowned and climbed into the chair.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Mario pulled out my pig tails and brushed out my hair. He used a flat iron to make ringlet curls. I sipped my champagne and watched. Once he was done with the curls, he proceeded to pin each one in an intricate up do. He left a spiral curl hanging in the front at an awkward spot. I would be pushing it out of my face all night.
I took another sip of my drink. Hoping it would soften the bright red lip color. It didn’t budge and didn’t leave a stain. I touched my lips. The lip stick didn’t come off on my fingers. I held in a groan. I would have to live with blood-stained lips for the rest of my life.
My heart was racing as Natalie once again grabbed my arm and pulled me into another room. It was lined with dresses and other girls in different stages of dress.
Some of them squealed when they saw Natalie and rushed to hug her. Other stood quietly to the side. They were all so thin and painted up, much like me. Dramatic, but off. I kind of trended towards a younger look, but tonight, I was going to look like a grownup.
I hoped I did a good job of acting like one.