Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
LIVIANNA/LILY
Then
Sneaky Ventures & Cocaine Charms
Even comfort feels counterfeit when the air itself wants to strangle you pretty.
“Isaid no, Lily.” Callum fiddles with the ring I gave him, twisting it in circles around his finger.
He’s at his house in the kitchen. I’m in my room sitting on my bed, and we’re FaceTiming. It’s Friday night and Mayhem’s kickoff party is tonight.
“I’ll stay out of your way and I promise not to fight with you.” I glance at the clock. “There’s still time for me to change and be ready to leave soon. So give me one good reason why I can’t go?”
“I already told you Leon will be there. You might like him, but I don’t and you’re not going anywhere near him. I’m gonna show up, do my required media interviews, and get the fuck out of there.”
“Just let me come for a little while.”
“I can’t be at your side every minute, so it’s a hard no. You’re not gonna get left behind where you’re put in a bad situation.”
Yeah, and that means this isn’t about Leon. Callum saying no to taking me with him is about two other people.
“Callum, are you sure this isn’t because Zara and Sebastian will be there together?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if they’ll be there.” He slams his hand down on the counter. “But now that I know he’s gonna be there too, I really don’t want you to go. No way am I letting you near those two men.”
“I get why you feel that way about Sebastian, but why is Leon a problem? You told me the other day your issue with him is about creative differences, but you’re acting like he would hurt me somehow.”
Callum squeezes his eyes shut and growls. He takes a second to breathe, then stares at me through the screen.
“Lily, will you please trust me on this?” His voice is much calmer than before. “I’ll go, fulfill my obligations, and come over to see you after. Now let’s drop it.”
I move a pillow over my lap. “But—”
“No. If you show up, I’m gonna be pissed off. We’ll fight and the night will end horribly. Is that how you wanna spend one of the last nights we have together before I leave?”
“It doesn’t have to go down like that. We can make the best of it. Let me be there to show my support and be a part of the excitement.”
“Fucking hell, Livianna.” His head drops forward, exasperated. He glares up at the screen. “If you go tonight after I’ve told you a million times no, don’t expect to speak to me.”
“Callum…”
“Seriously, I’ll avoid you like the plague and leave without saying goodbye. And I don’t mean from the party. You can consider us over if you do.”
I jerk back and my mouth falls open. “Wow, Callum. That’s just cruel.”
“Call it what you want. At this point, you know where I stand. How far you take this is up to you, but I’m begging you not to test me.”
“Fine.” My cheeks flame and my chin quivers. “Have it your way, but since you think you’re running everything, you might need to consider something else. If you come over to see me tonight don’t expect a warm welcome.”
“Come on, Lily, don’t be like that.”
“I’m so sick of how you treat me. Figure yourself out and when you’re ready to apologize, you can do it to my face.” I hang up, boiling inside.
I should go to the event and see if he’s bluffing, but what if he’s not? My heart cracks just thinking about it.
If we break up before he goes out on tour, he’s free to be with other people. I know what he was like on the road before I was in the picture.
There’s no way he wouldn’t go back to living that way. Especially when he’s using drugs and stressed like he is.
I throw my phone across the room. Why is it so awful that I want to support him? Maybe he’d feel too responsible for me if I go and wouldn’t focus on what he needs to do. Am I being selfish about this?
I spend the next two hours waiting for a text from him, but it never comes. My parents are having a party, so I decide to venture downstairs and enjoy a glass of champagne with everyone.
I go down the front circular staircase because the kitchen will be full of people mingling as they graze on food my mom has out on the kitchen island. I get to the main floor and I’m about to step into the living room when a woman with brown hair and hypnotizing green eyes rushes up to me.
She grabs my arm. “Oh, awesome! There’s someone else here my age. These people are nice, but I need to let loose a little, if you know what I mean.”
“Sure.” Wide-eyed and confused about who she is, I point toward the hallway where the library is. “There’s a bathroom that way. Do you… Um… How are you needing to let loose?”
“The bathroom is perfect.” She takes my hand and pulls me along with her. “Girl, I’m telling you, the stuff I’ve got will have you thanking me that I was the first person you saw when you entered the party.”
I run a gaze over myself. I’m dressed up because my mom likes us to look nice when we mingle at their parties, so I can see where this woman thinks I’m a guest. She must not have seen me come down the stairs.
The actress in me decides to go along with her. It could prove to be a lot of fun and I could forget Callum for a while.
We get inside the restroom and she locks the door. I point to a small area off to the side with a vanity set up for a quick primp if needed. She struts over to it.
“This Charlie is potent, so you might not need much.” She digs into her purse and brings out a little bag of white powder. “You have done coke, right?”
“Of course, but can I ask who you are?” I follow her and lean against the wall. “How did you know about this party?”
“Sorry. “She laughs as she portions out four lines of blow on a small hand mirror that’s lying on the table. “I’m here with Jaxon Crowne. My name is Cindy. My parents named me after Cindy Crawford.”
“Hi, I’m Livianna. And I can see why they named you after her. You’re gorgeous.”
“Aren’t you the sweetest? Such a relief. Women our age and in positions like us usually have their cat claws out, ready to take us down. Anyway, let’s do this and then grab some bubbly. The kind they’re serving is delicious.”
Cindy here seems to think she knows a lot about me. Maybe she knows who I am, but she’s got to be close to thirty and she thinks I’m her age, so that’s not likely.
And what position does she think I’m in? I’ll get to the bottom of this soon enough.
I study Cindy to see if I can figure her out. “I’ll be sure to let the owners know you like their choice of champagne.”
“Oh, do you know them?”
“You could say that, but that’s not important. Tell me about you and Jaxon. I’m sure that’s a better story than how I know the Hemingses.”
“Jaxon and me…hmm. How do I explain this?” She takes a clear tube out of her purse and snorts two lines. “We’re both members of an exclusive club. We met there, and you know. Now we’re here.”
She moves over and has me do my share of the blow. It’s strong, like the stuff Callum gave me.
I shake off the intensity of it. “Tell me about this place where you met Jaxon.”
She grips my forearm like she’s preparing me for a big secret to be exposed. “You know how hard it is to meet someone when you’re an influential business owner. Even at our age.”
“How old do you think I am? And while we’re at it, what is it you think I do for a living?”
“Well, I’m assuming since this is a networking party for high-powered income earners, you own a company of some kind.” She looks me up and down. “I’m guessing you’re about twenty-six.”
“So close,” I lie but decide to expand on it to make it more acceptable. “I’m an actress and I don’t own my own business yet, but I want to start a fashion design line. There’s so much to know about it. I don’t know where to begin.”
“Oh, that’s why you’re here. You’re looking for investors.” She puts her stash back in her purse. “You need to talk to Jaxon. That’s what he does. He already has a few fashion companies he’s backed. Since he’s a billionaire, I’d say he knows what he’s doing.”
My eyes round. “Jaxon Crowne? That guy who’s like what…thirty, is a billionaire?”
“Yes. That’s why he only dates people from the club. Everybody there has money, so he doesn’t have to worry about that part of the equation.” She peeks up at the ceiling for a brief moment as if she’s considering something.
What is this place she keeps alluding to?
She brings her glossy gaze back to mine. “Although I’m not sure that’s his reason. I think he goes to the clubs because he doesn’t want a relationship and it’s easy to hook up with someone with no ties.”
“Maybe I should get the name of where you two met. It sounds interesting.”
“Are you open-minded?”
“Absolutely.”
“It’s one of The Beckett Brands exclusive sex clubs. They have different levels of membership.”
“Tell me more.”
“The one Jaxon and I are a part of is called Elite-Sinsations.” She checks herself out in the mirror. “It’s the most expensive one, so if you’re looking to land a billionaire, you better get your business going. Otherwise, you won’t be able to afford it.”
A sex club? It would be so much fun to go to one of those with Callum and see all the exciting things we could try. A thrill runs through me.
He’s a great lover, but we’re pretty vanilla from what I hear people at the studio talk about. My body heats and I try to pretend that I’m unfazed.
“Maybe I should join.” It’s my turn to make sure I look presentable, so I take her spot. “I have money now.”
“A couple million a year?”
“What?” I spin to her. “That place costs two million a year to be a part of?”
“Unless you know Ryan or Mateo Beckett, yes. You could always try one of the less expensive spots like Sinsations or Grand-Sinsations. Lux-Sinsations and Elite-Sinsations are the best, most private, and the most costly, but that’s my recommendation.”
Whoa, I’m on a whole other level of shock. Two million dollars a year to join a club that’s based around sex.
I’m dumbfounded. “For that kind of money, they better be made of gold and diamonds.”