24. Charleigh
TWENTY-FOUR
CHARLEIGH
“Now, how am I supposed to get through the night with you dressed like that?”
I sit on the plush velvety bench in Asher’s walk-in closet and finish clasping my silver, sparkled stiletto around my ankle.
I say walk-in closet, but it’s more like a bedroom. Asher’s closet is the size of a fucking bedroom.
I giggle as he looks at me through his reflection in the full-size mirror he’s standing in front of. He’s finishing tying his black tie around his neck. My heart swells seeing him wear it over a dark, cobalt-blue shirt, deviating from his usual stark white business attire.
“It’s just a gown, Mr. Egan,” I tease, walking over to stand behind him but off to the side. Even in heels, his tall frame still eclipses mine. I breathe in his deep, woody scent. The gold flecks in his eyes sparkle, but they narrow when he twists to pull me in front of him in the mirror.
I fall back against his chest as he runs his hand up the length of my thigh, then through the center of my chest. My black dress is covered in silver, turquoise, and yellow sequins in the shape of flowers. He slips his fingers under the tiny spaghetti strap over my shoulder that wraps down to the small of my back. Heat pools between my thighs.
His eyes dance across my reflection as if he’s trying to decide which part of me he wants to devour first. “This isn’t just a gown, Little Flower.”
I quirk a brow. “Do you like it?”
He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. His hands slide all over me, landing on my hips. He jerks me back, and my ass hits his erection behind his black slacks.
Bringing his mouth to the hollow of my ear, he breathes into it, “What do you think?”
I moan, biting down on my bright red-painted lip. Thankfully, my hair is tied back in a row of low-pinned braids, exposing my neck. My skin prickles with goosebumps, and I shiver.
“We need to get going or Julianna will kill us for being late to her birthday party.”
“No kidding.” He smiles against my skin. “Holt’s been texting me endlessly, begging me to get there before he kills her himself.”
I laugh and cover my mouth to stifle it.
Asher’s eyes fall to my feet in the mirror. “Are you going to be able to make it all night in those heels?” They dart up to mine. “I’m not going to have to carry you all the way back home, am I?”
I love when Asher talks to me like this. There’s something primal in his voice, as if I’m his and no one else’s. I love feeling like he can’t get enough of me, and the fact that he’s talking about his apartment as if it were our home, not just his.
I roll my hips back. “If you do, are you going to punish me for it?”
The corner of his mouth curls, and I fight to keep my composure. Julianna seriously will kill me and Asher if we’re late.
Asher brings his mouth back up to mine, his voice hits my core, and I’m convinced I’m going to come on the spot from it. “You can count on it, Little Flower.”
I exhale and leave him in front of the mirror before I get myself into too much trouble. With Julianna, at least.
Asher keeps his hand on the small of my back when we step out onto the rooftop. Golden string lights hang from one end of the building to the other like a thousand tiny stars against the black sky. The city sits below us, continuing on for miles. Music pumps through the speakers, vibrating the concrete at the balls of my feet. Hundreds of people mingle and move about. I don’t recognize a single one of them. Julianna really does know a shit ton of people. I guess that’s what it’s like when your last name is Capuleti.
I focus on Asher’s hand resting on the small of my back as we make our way into the party. It’s been nearly two months since he showed up soaking wet at my apartment. And the night he took me to his apartment, telling me about his dad, has brought us even closer.
We haven’t talked about the future, and I think, right now, we don’t need to. Other than him helping me find a bigger storefront. The first place Asher showed me went quickly off the market, but we’re still looking. I haven’t responded to any of Cyrus’s continued emails, even after I sent him one after the last phone call I had with him, declining to work with him. Thankfully, his emails stopped two days ago. But Asher and I are taking our renewed relationship day by day.
I feel a bit of peace knowing the only ones standing in our way this time is us. Though Asher’s hand on my back tells me he wouldn’t want me anywhere else than with him here at my best friend’s thirtieth birthday party.
“About fucking time!” Julianna shouts over the music. She lifts her arm in the air from the other side of the roof and waves us over.
“Yeah.” Asher leans down, speaking into my ear so I can hear him over the music. “She definitely would have tracked us down and turned us into a crime scene for being late.”
I giggle and elbow him playfully in the side. The smile that blooms on his face is enough to melt my panties… if I were wearing any.
When we reach Julianna, she’s standing with Selene, her sister London, and a man I’ve never seen before.
“Happy Birthday.” I smile, wrapping her up in a hug. I hold her out at arm’s length, taking in her silver-sequined mini dress and the diamonds scattered in her hair. She looks like a disco ball. “You’re stunning.”
She flips her pin-straight brown hair over her shoulder, eyeing me up and down. “As are you, babe.”
She turns her eyes to Asher and points to me. “You better keep your hands off my girl until you get home. She’s mine while you’re both here.”
Asher scoffs, laughing. “Now, that’s an unfair request. You’re setting me up for failure.”
Julianna narrows her eyes, then smiles. “Let’s see if you pass the test, then, Mr. Egan.”
“No guarantees,” Asher offers up with the smile that makes my heart jolt.
Selene laughs, passing Julianna to give me a hug. “Don’t scare Asher away just yet, Julianna. They just got here and haven’t even had a drink by the looks of it.”
Selene wraps her arms around me. “You look beautiful,” she says into my ear. “I love this dress. It’s very you.” She loosens her hold on me. Her blonde locks are pulled into a low, side mermaid braid. It drapes over her bare shoulder—a sharp contrast to her black, off-the-shoulder mini dress.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “So do you, as always.”
Selene steps back and holds her arm out to London. “Remember my sister, London?”
“I do.” I grin, pulling her in for a hug.
London’s pink lips spread into a soft smile. She returns my hug and tucks her long, raven hair behind her ear. Her and her sister are truly night and day. The thin gold rings on each of her fingers glint in the lights.
“It’s good to see you, Charleigh.” She tilts her head to the side. “I’m sorry we’ve only met the once.”
Selene links arms with London. “Hopefully, you’ll be able to see her more often. Still trying to convince her to move here.”
London rolls her gray eyes, her glittery eyeshadow sparkling as much as her rings. “She won’t let up. But I’m still not sure.”
“I run a large corporation in Boston,” the man beside London chimes in. I’d almost forgot he was standing in our group. He curls his lip. “Makes it difficult to move.”
“Oh,” London says, placing her hand to her forehead before placing it on the man’s shoulder. “This is my husband, Heath.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smile, taking in his sharp, clean appearance. He’s taller than Asher, and his brown eyes darken.
“You, too.” His mouth twitches with barely a smile in return.
“What corporation do you run?” Asher asks, and I release a breath. I look at London, and she gives me a small smile before tucking herself under Heath’s arm.
“My family owns and runs RealLine.”
Asher’s eyebrows shoot up. “The pharmaceutical company? ”
“Yes.” He nods, scratching at his freshly-shaven jawline with a blank expression. “That’s the one.”
“It’s my birthday,” Julianna chimes in, rolling her eyes. “This conversation is boring, and we’re here to celebrate.” She looks at Asher and me. “You both need a drink.”
“I agree,” Asher says, pulling me closer, resting his hand on my hip.
“Should we go over to the bar?” I ask.
“You can,” Julianna says, glancing over her shoulder. “But there are servers walking around with trays of champagne and cocktails, so whichever you reach first.”
Asher looks over our group, searching the crowd. “Is Holt here?”
Julianna waves her hand flippantly. “I think he’s over by the bar talking with some of his coworkers from the magazine.”
“Oh,” Selene says, looking at Julianna. “Didn’t you say Lottie Anderson was here?” She eyes the group. “She’s one of the top columnists at Holt’s magazine. I love reading her articles.”
“I think so,” Julianna says.
“I’ll see if I can flag her down later,” Selene mutters.
The music grows louder and switches to a more upbeat tune. A server happens to pass by us, and Julianna swipes two glasses before she hands one to me, then Selene. London grabs one too, slinging it back before the three of us get the chance.
“That’s the spirit, London,” Julianna cheers, raising her glass in the air. She hoots and hollers, clearly enjoying how her massive birthday party is playing out.
“Didn’t realize this is where everyone was gathered.” Holt suddenly appears beside Asher. He shakes his hand, then Selene introduces London and Heath.
Holt takes a sip of the brown cocktail perched in his hand .
“Selene was just telling us about one of your columnists, Lottie Anderson,” Julianna blurts out.
Selene shoots Julianna a glare. Her cheeks flame red as she lifts her glass to her mouth and downs the fizzy drink in one gulp.
Holt eyes Selene, then grins deviously. “Oh yeah?”
“I like her articles,” Selene mutters, not meeting Holt’s eye.
“Huh.” Holt clicks his tongue. “You’re not a bad writer yourself. At least that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never read your work.”
“I’ve been working on a novel, so I don’t have much to show right now.”
Holt winks at Selene. “I doubt that.”
I’m stifling my laugh when Asher leans down and brings his mouth to my ear. “I see West by the bar, so I’m going to go grab a drink. I’ll be back later.”
I lean into him, feeling his breath feathering my neck. “Okay.” I remember him saying he’s meant to meet with West tonight to discuss the expansion of his bar chain.
Asher gives me a soft kiss on the forehead before leaving the group.
Another waiter stops by, offering more champagne. I still haven’t finished the glass in my hand, but I grab another one anyway. I quickly finish my first and place it back down on the silver tray.
“Hell, yeah,” Julianna says. “Let’s go dance.”
Julianna grabs my and Selene’s arms, already pulling us away. “London, let’s go.”
London finishes her new glass of champagne and follows us, leaving her husband standing with Holt. The four of us move out onto the dance floor set in the middle of the rooftop. It glows brightly beneath us, the tiles changing from bright blue to red to green with the music. We dance in a circle, and I lift my hands in the air, feeling free and content. I’m swaying my hips when Selene leans in, shouting over the music.
“You look happy.”
“I am happy!” I shout back. “It’s Jules’s birthday.”
“No.” She grins, nodding in the direction of the bar, where Asher disappeared to. “With him.”
Warmth radiates my body, and I know it isn’t just from the two glasses of champagne. “I am happy.”
“It’s about freaking time!” Julianna yells, holding onto London’s hand as they both sway to the music. London’s caught up in the beat, closing her eyes, swaying her head back and forth.
I’m losing myself to the beat, too, allowing the alcohol to hit my blood stream while keeping my attention on where Asher is standing at the bar. He’s leaning against the wooden counter, his eye on me. We’re at least a hundred feet apart, but there’s an invisible thread tying me to him.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Julianna’s jaw practically drops to the floor. Her cheeks flame red, and fire burns in her eyes.
“What?” I ask, looking over my shoulder.
“Rome Montgomery.” She spits his name out with disgust, curling her lip and scrunching her nose.
“Who’s Rome?” Selene asks, her eyebrows pulling together.
“Only the biggest, and I mean the biggest asshole in the entire world.”
“Why?” London asks her. “What did he do?”
Julianna gives a mock laugh, tilting her head back. “He’s only terrorized me since we were kids. When we were ten, he put gum in my hair and walked around our private school telling everyone to call me Bubblehead. Our family and his have been at odds since before we were even born. He’s been taught to hate us his entire life and continues to make horrible statements about us publicly. One year, he accused Holt of publishing an article he claims to have published in his own magazine. Of course, it was all a lie.”
“Wait,” Selene cuts in. She closes her eyes and shakes her head before opening them again. “He owns a magazine, too?”
“Among other things,” she mutters.
“Which one is he?” London asks, standing on her toes, attempting to look over the bobbing heads of the dancers surrounding us.
Julianna crosses her arms defiantly. Her boobs push out and her cleavage deepens above the cut of her disco ball dress. “The arrogant asshole headed our way.”
I search the crowd for anyone headed in our direction and quickly catch sight of who Julianna is talking about. Tall, dark hair, and a sharp jaw. His dark hair is slicked back perfectly, and he runs a hand over the top as he zig zags his way through the crowd.
“Oh, my God.” Selene gapes. “He’s gorgeous, like dangerously gorgeous.”
“No, he isn’t.” Julianna huffs. “Trust me, if you knew his personality and who he is deep down, you wouldn’t be saying that.”
Selene quirks her eyebrow. “I don’t know about that.”
“He’s just another corporate billionaire prick living off his family’s wealth and fucking any woman who even bothers to glance in his direction,” Julianna mutters, then scoffs. “I need another drink.”
I keep my comments to myself about her being a billionaire who inherited her family’s wealth, too. Instead, I keep things light.
“Didn’t you say you hoped we’d meet a few hot billionaires at your party?” I ask, stifling myself from laughing too loud. I point to Rome. “Well, there’s one right there.”
She groans and rolls her eyes. My best friend isn’t amused. She delivers me a glare, then she leaves the three of us on the dance floor, meeting Rome before he has the chance to meet us.
“Julianna!” I shout. “What are you going to say to him?”
She yells over her shoulder. “I’m going to find out who invited him here, then kick his ass out!”
“Shit,” Selene hisses, and the three of us rush to follow but keep a decent space behind.
Despite her anger, Julianna gently pushes her way through her party guests, careful not to take it out on them, stopping every now and then to smile, promising to catch up later. But her face falls the second she’s standing toe to toe with Rome. Her usual full lips press tightly together, and her nostrils flare.
Selene, London, and I watch the exchange between them as if we’re flies on the wall when, in reality, we have front row seats.
Rome’s mouth lifts in to a grin, and there’s a look of satisfaction in his eye. He simply stares at Julianna as he shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out a small black box tied with red ribbon. Julianna doesn’t even move to acknowledge it, keeping her daggers pinned on the man in front of her.
“Happy Birthday, Lark.” He narrows his gaze as Selene jerks her head in my direction.
“Lark?” she mouths, and I simply shrug. I have no clue.
“What are you doing here, Montgomery?” Julianna asks, crossing her arms over her chest. Her entire body is stiff and rigid. She’s full of rage, and I can only guess her vision has turned red at this point. As red as the blood-red tie Rome is wearing.
“It’s your birthday,” Rome flatly says. “How old are you turning today? Forty, is it?”
Julianna grinds her teeth, her muscles in her jaw tightening. “Thirty, asshole. ”
“Oh, right.” Rome looks down at the box before stuffing it back into his black pants. He taps his finger on his forehead and fake winces. “Sorry.”
“You can save your fake apology,” Julianna grinds out, not backing off. “Why are you here?”
“You know, you sure are acting like a brat for someone who’s turning thirty.” His eyes darken.
“Why are you here?” she repeats.
“I was invited.”
“By who?”
With his hands in his pockets, he bends slightly, bringing his eyes in line with Julianna’s. “Who do you think invited me, brat? I’ll give you one guess.”
“I’m not playing your game, Rome.”
“Oh, come on, Lark,” he teases, scrunching his nose. “Games are fun. Just like birthday parties. They make things interesting.”
Julianna’s gorgeous eyes thin into two slits laced with poison, directed squarely at Rome. “Have I ever told you how much I hate you?”
“Only about a million times since we first learned to speak.”
“Right.” She huffs, pointing at the elevators. “Well, I still hate you, and it’s my party, so I want you to leave.”
“Not just a brat, then.” He scoffs. “Still a firecracker, as always, I see.”
Julianna stands her ground and stays silent, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m not leaving.” Rome straightens his back. “It would be rude of me, considering your brother invited me. Don’t you think?”
“Holt would never invite you,” Julianna barks back. “He doesn’t hate you nearly as much as I do, because a level of hatred that high would be impossible to compete with, but his venom for you is still there.”
“Obviously not enough to keep me away from celebrating the day you graced this earth with your glorious presence, though, now, is it?”
“ Leave. ”
Rome ignores her, searching the crowd with a look of pleasure on his face. I can tell he’s enjoying this game. “Is your boyfriend here? What’s his name again?” He looks down at Julianna. “Honestly, you go through so many, I can’t keep up.”
“I want you to leave.” Her chest has stilled, and her body has hardened.
Rome opens his mouth, but is stopped when Holt moves in between them. He doesn’t have a chance to speak, either, before Julianna aims her piercing stare on her brother, ready to throw more daggers.
“You invited him to my party?” She points an angry finger at Rome.
Holt trades innocent glances between them before his shoulders drop in defeat. “Hear me out.”
“No.” Julianna’s eyes line with tears, and suddenly, it’s as if her anger has dissolved into hurt. “I don’t need to hear you out when it comes to the Montgomerys.”
“You told me you wanted to invite everyone.” Holt tries to defend himself.
Julianna scoffs in disbelief. “Not Rome!” she yells. “I didn’t mean for you to invite Rome Montgomery. He’s our family’s enemy and all they do is ruin everything they touch.”
“Rome is…” Holt starts.
Julianna immediately shuts him down. “I don’t care what he is. I don’t want him here.”
She turns to Rome, her anger fueling her once again. “I want you to leave. Now.” She turns to her brother. “Both of you.”
Julianna leaves Rome and Holt where they are, disappearing into the crowd gathered around them. Holt holds up his hand, calling after her, but he gives up quickly, knowing it’s no use. When you’ve made Julianna upset, it’s best to give her space.
“I’ll go after her and make sure she’s okay,” Selene says to London and me.
“I’ll go with you,” London offers.
I search the crowd. This party is massive. I never thought the rooftop of a building could hold so many people. “I’m going to find Asher and see if he can talk to Holt and let him know what’s going on,” I tell the sisters. “I’ll find you after.”
“Okay.” Selene gives me a kiss on the cheek before walking away.
Rome and Holt are still standing where Julianna left them. I don’t pay too much attention to them before searching for Asher. Holt is deep in conversation with Rome, so I don’t bother asking him if he knows where Asher is, either.
I push through the crowd, wanting to find him as quickly as possible so I can get back to my best friend. I decide to start with the last place I saw him, at the bar.