Thirty-Two
The wedding pre-drinks were in full swing around Ari, the grandeur of the manor house making the whole thing feel like a scene from some period drama. However, instead of lingering glances and whispered love affairs, she and Nancy were planning to rob her ex-girlfriend.
It sounded a bit stupid when she thought of it like that. So she changed the genre. She was in a spy movie at a swank political reception. The necklace was the thingamabob that they needed to stop the terrorists from blowing up whatdoyoucallit.
Put like that, was it sexy? No. Still felt dumb. Better to just ground herself in reality.
She imagined the moment—the stolen necklace back in her mother’s hands. ‘There, see? I got something right,’ she’d say. And for once, her mother might actually be surprised. Maybe even shocked enough to shed a single, stunned tear.
That was what she wanted. To catch her off guard, to see the briefest glimpse of something real. A crack in the usual annoyed indifference. Just a flicker of recognition that Ari wasn’t a total disappointment. That, for once, she’d done something her mother couldn’t ignore.
Once Ari had that? Well, she didn’t know what she’d do with it. But she’d have it.
Nancy, standing beside her, was watching the room with quiet calculation, her cool gaze scanning the staff. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed Ari’s mad jealous moment. Things were weird enough as it was.
‘There,’ Nancy murmured, chin tilting ever so slightly toward a young woman in a waistcoat and tie, a ring of keys fastened to her belt. ‘Permanent staff.’
Ari nodded. ‘Nice catch. How do we do this?’
Nancy’s gaze lingered on the woman. ‘Subtlety. We create a diversion, slip the keys away unnoticed, and return them before she realises. No fuss, no theatrics.’
Ari grinned, already stepping away. ‘On it.’
Nancy grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. ‘Ari.’
‘Relax,’ Ari drawled. ‘I’ve got this.’
Nancy released her reluctantly.
Ari slunk up behind the woman with the keys, moving with confidence. She was gonna do this so slickly Nancy would be stunned. But the timing was everything.
She bumped into her lightly from behind, murmuring, ‘So sorry,’ as she reached, fingers poised to unhook the keys before anyone even noticed they were gone.
But before she could close her grip around them, the keyholder—who had, unbeknownst to Ari, been in the middle of handing someone a glass of champagne—jerked in surprise. The flute tilted sharply, and in a perfect arc of disaster, the entire glass of chilled champagne poured straight down the front of Paris’s Great-Aunt Margot.
Ari barely had time to register the shock before a shriek split the air. Margot recoiled, clutching at her drenched silk gown, eyes wide with fury. The keyholder gasped, fumbling an apology. Around them, heads turned, conversation stalling as the scene unfolded.
Ari’s stomach clenched. Not ideal. Not ideal at all.
Ari flushed with panic as she stammered, ‘Oh my god, I am so sorry! That’s on me! Here, let me—’ She tried to help, but the older woman was already dabbing at her soaked bodice. ‘Don’t touch me!’ she said heatedly.
Ari retreated quickly, slinking back to Nancy’s side, her shoulders hunched in embarrassment.
‘What was that?’ Nancy asked.
‘I was trying to distract her while I grabbed the keys.’
‘It was definitely distracting,’ Nancy said, her voice dripping with mock exasperation.
Ari looked at her with a sheepish grin. ‘OK. Plan B.’
Nancy scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘There was no Plan A, let alone a Plan B.’ She watched as Ari, unfazed, began brainstorming her next move.
Ari collected herself. ‘Right,’ she said to Nancy with determination and casually drifted back toward the woman with the keys.
This time, she attempted an over-the-top stumble, aiming to bump into her and snag the keys mid-trip. Instead, she crashed into a passing waiter, sending an entire platter of hors d’oeuvres flying.
A prawn landed in her hair.
‘Ari,’ Nancy hissed, rubbing her temple as though she could physically will herself out of this situation. ‘Stop.’
‘OK,’ Ari muttered as an irate wedding planner marched past, barking at staff to clean up the mess.
Ari sighed, pulling out the prawn and watching as the woman with the keys laughed at something another staff member said.
‘Your turn,’ Ari relented. ‘If you think you can do better.’
Nancy gave her a pointed look. ‘I couldn’t do worse.’ She approached the woman while Ari stayed within earshot. ‘Excuse me,’ Nancy said, stopping near the woman. ‘I think I might have left something in the library earlier, an earring. Would you happen to have a key so I can check?’
The woman turned to her, a little amused. ‘I’m afraid we don’t let guests into rooms unsupervised. But I’d be happy to check for you.’
Nancy sighed. ‘That’s very kind. I just hate to be a bother. It’s sentimental, you see. A gift. I’d feel terrible if I lost it here.’
The woman hesitated. Then she smiled and shook her head. ‘Rules are rules. I can go look now if you’d like?’
Nancy’s eye twitched the tiniest bit. ‘That’s alright. I’ll check later.’
She returned to Ari, and Ari had to physically bite her lip to keep from laughing. ‘That was some excellent key-stealing. You really showed me.’
‘Shut up.’
Ari grinned. ‘I think we’re both forgetting the obvious solution.’
Nancy exhaled through her nose as though bracing for nonsense. ‘Which is?’
Ari beamed. ‘Flirting.’
Nancy gave her a slow, measured look. ‘Ari.’
‘I’ll be charming,’ Ari said, checking her hair for further prawns. ‘I’ll be effortless. I’ll be—’
‘What if she’s not interested in women?’ Nancy asked.
Ari smiled. ‘Oh, a heterosexual, you mean? I’ve slept with tons of those.’
Nancy sighed. ‘OK, let’s say this is the way. Let’s think this through. How far are you willing to take it? I mean, if it goes well. Are you actually going to…’
Ari’s eyebrows raised expectantly.
Nancy frowned. ‘You do know what the end of that sentence is, don’t you?’
‘Obviously. I just wanted to see how you were going to put it,’ Ari said with a grin.
‘I was doing a fade out,’ Nancy said irritably. ‘You were simply supposed to infer what I meant and nod your understanding.’
‘Have we met?’ Ari asked dryly.
Nancy cleared her throat. ‘So. How far are you going to take this?’
‘Why does that matter?’ Ari asked.
Nancy paused. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps it doesn’t.’ She turned away.
‘You must have asked for a reason,’ Ari insisted.
Nancy cleared her throat. ‘Yes. The reason is that I need the plan. Details matter. We agreed with that.’
‘You need to know if I’m going to try and bang a staff member for access to the keys?’ Ari asked. She glanced back over at the woman in question, weighing it up.
It wasn’t out of the question in terms of attractiveness. But she’d never slept with someone for reasons of strategy before. She was a simple creature in that regard. Do I want to? Then I will. She wasn’t sure if she had this in her. To have sex for gain? Could she do it? Did she have to? She might. To truly get the woman’s attention off that bloody bunch of keys could require a full seduction.
‘I’m not sure,’ Ari said honestly.
Nancy nodded. ‘OK.’
‘What? Disappointed in me?’ Ari asked.
‘No. Nothing. Do whatever.’
That made Ari feel hurt in a way she didn’t understand. Not that she was letting it show. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘See you on the other side.’