Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Audrey
Emeline had a long list of things for us to do during the day to keep us busy and pampered until the party. Facials, then mani/pedis, and then our hair done. I’d never felt so taken care of in my entire life. Seriously, how was I supposed to go back to normal after this? The only thing I didn’t care for was the traffic but if I lived here, would I ever have to drive again? What a silly thought. It wasn’t like I was rich. I wouldn’t get to live this way if I had to work here.
My dress was hanging up and pressed for the party. Ace left to do some last-minute things for his father and would see us when we got there. A white dress covered in pearls and tulle was laid out on the couch for Carina. A pair of baby pink heels were placed right below it. She jumped up and down when she saw it. She was going to look like a princess.
My light brown hair was curled softly and fell down to about mid back. My makeup was a bit darker than I usually liked but it made me feel like someone else and for tonight, I didn’t mind that one bit. My eyeshadow was smokey with a thick cat eye and my lips were painted a deep red. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was something Brian would hate which made me like it even more. A treacherous thought entered my mind wondering if Alexei would like it before I mentally slapped myself. Who cares if Alexei liked it or not? He liked strippers, cheap fun, and probably copious amounts of alcohol. He probably also liked to live off of Daddy’s money and didn’t do anything besides sleep his life away after partying all night. I couldn’t worry myself over what he thought. I needed to get him out of my head.
Carina’s makeup was soft and natural to accentuate her already bold features. Her blue eyes practically glowed and I was right when I thought she would look like a princess. Her legs looked miles long in her heels and her outfit screamed old money. Pride swelled within my chest. She was getting everything she deserved and the sadness I felt before for myself was leaving little by little. This was all I wanted for her and I knew I would get my happily ever after too, it just wasn’t right now and I would and could be okay with that.
She twirled in front of me with a megawatt smile on her face. “What do you think?” Her black hair was board straight around her shoulders and she looked like the perfect mix between Cinderella and Snow White.
“You look like a princess,” I grinned back.
“So do you!”
The black dress I wore had a plunging neckline that was almost risqué paired with dark red pumps to match my lipstick. It hugged my figure in an almost indecent way as well, but Emeline was the one who picked it out for me. She said a baby blue number just wouldn’t do for the Maid of Honor and I deserved to feel sexy instead of the frumpy step-sister. She sent this once she collected my measurements earlier in the morning before all of our pampering. She had a great eye for these things. This wasn’t something I would have ever picked for myself. Emeline insisted I deserved to feel like never before, especially so I could send sexy pictures to my boy back home. I gaped at her like a fish while Carina cackled. Could this woman be my mother-in-law too?
“I wouldn’t say I look like a princess, more like a seductress.” I ran my hands down the front of the dress and breathed as deeply as the material would allow. I didn’t even want to know how much this dress cost and I would treasure it forever.
She looped her arm through mine. “I’m on Emeline’s side. You should go in the bathroom and send Brian a few pictures before we leave!”
I untangled myself from her and did exactly that. Maybe he would like the makeup and the dress. I quickly sent the pictures and slid my phone into the clutch paired with the dress. I would check my phone later, right now I needed to get the trembling out of my fingers and focus on walking in these sky-high heels.
The drive was a good few hours north and I already knew what to expect from all of my Google searching. But nothing prepared me for the estate stretched out in front of us. The driver grabbed our bags from the trunk before he opened our door. Carina’s jaw was on the floor. I elbowed her in the ribs and she blinked a few times.
“You’re gonna have to get used to this life, this is gonna be your home someday,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth as the doorman took our coats and bags from the driver. There was no telling how long this party would go and Emeline said there was no way she was gonna put us back in the car after all of the drinks and fun.
People spilled out on the front lawn and mingled in the foyer. Ace leaned against one of the massive white posts holding the front of the mansion up. He wore a suit and was buttoning up his sleeves when we approached the stairs to the front door. He held his hands out for the both of us and I was grateful for his presence as it grounded me. I was sure it did that and more for Carina. As soon as we were up the steps, he released my hand and leaned forward to kiss the pulse at Carina’s neck and I found myself feeling jealous. I looked away and tried to focus on all the strangers milling about.
“You look gorgeous, as well, Audrey.” Ace leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to my cheek and I couldn’t help but smile. There was the gentleman I was so used to back home. He looked back at his fiancé with adoration. “We have a suite upstairs, Audrey will be in the one across the hall from us.”
Carina grinned up at him and I watched the world fade away through her eyes. What was that like? Would I know that feeling when I got home and things were different between me and Brian?
“I need a drink,” I announced a little too loudly and Carina blinked right out of whatever fantasy she was having. I almost felt bad but I knew I needed to get away. I couldn’t handle any more lovey-dovey stuff for the next five minutes. The next five minutes were about getting the edge off and stopping me from thinking of all the things wrong with my relationship.
What was it my mother always said? Comparison is the thief of joy. Maybe that was all it was. The grass was always greener or some shit. Maybe if I got a little space from them I would be able to think clearer.
Ace swept his hand to the side. “There is an open bar in the courtyard, right through the double doors and under the staircase. You should be able to find it easily enough.”
I saluted him in the most cheesy manner and marched my way through the foyer which was the grandest thing I’d ever seen. Growing up we’d toured plantations and mansions in the South, this almost reminded me of that. The ceilings were massive with murals of angels and clouds. In the center of the room was the biggest chandelier I’d ever seen, I wondered how they’d even gotten up there. On either side of the room were two grand staircases that met up at the top and right below them was another set of double doors that led to the courtyard. String lights were strung about above the immaculate lawn and there was soft music playing. This was supposed to be the engagement party for the Cristof family but it seemed to be much more than that. At least two hundred people were milling about. In the center of the entryway was a marble table covered in gift bags and I wondered what the other side gave for wedding gifts. Did they give appliances and dishrags like the middle class?
My heels clicked on the polished white floors as I made my way through the massive throng of people. The outdoor kitchen was something from a fantasy. It couldn’t even be considered in the same ballpark as a Better Homes and Garden magazine. There were several people running around with white coats and silver trays to serve all the guests.
Not too far from the outdoor kitchen was a massive fountain in the center of the direct backyard to the mansion. It was too hard to tell with the sun already setting on the other side of the house, but the estate seemed to go on for miles. The immediate backyard was the only way to describe this space and it was still much bigger than anything I’d played in growing up.
When my eyes were done devouring everything and everyone, I found the bar tucked next to the stage on the other side of the yard . It was, thankfully, empty and I rushed over immediately.
The bartender looked like he belonged to the family with slicked-back blond hair and dark blue eyes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was a distant cousin or something like that. He grinned at me as he watched my cleavage. One of the problems with big boobs? It was all anyone wanted to focus on. I cleared my throat and he blinked out of his happy thoughts.
“What can I get you?”
I eyed the bottles behind the counter. Some of the bottles I’d never seen before and it didn’t take long for me to feel intimidated. What was an open bar like with the rich?
“I would really just love a bourbon, on the rocks, though I don’t recognize any of these brands.” Heat flushed my cheeks as I really realized how much I didn’t belong here. No wonder Carina’s mom made up some excuse about missing her flight and whoops, I guess she couldn’t make it now. She would be to all the other events that mattered but this party was supposed to be about the Cristofs, it didn’t matter as much that Mrs. Phipps wasn’t here. The only person it bothered was Carina.
The bartender smiled softly like he completely understood, he probably did. He wasn’t related to these elites. Why would they have relatives working for them? How silly. He poured an expensive-looking bottle of amber liquid over a massive cube of ice and slid it across the bar. My mouth practically began salivating. Since Brian told me it wasn’t ladylike to drink bourbon or whiskey, it had been a little over a year since I’d even taken a sip. Fruity drinks had nothing on a good bourbon.
The first sip was like heaven. It didn’t even burn going down and was so terribly smooth. I closed my eyes and inhaled the woodsy scent of it. The notes of vanilla and honey seemed to heal everything wrong with my soul.
“That’s a three-thousand dollar bottle of Blanton’s,” A rough voice said behind me and I felt myself pale. I could have choked on the stuff if he’d spoken just a few seconds earlier. I turned slowly to the intruder praying it wasn’t Sinclair. He hadn’t spoken enough at dinner the other night for me to be able to recognize his voice. Instead, I found myself staring into the eyes of one of the other Cristof brothers and thanked my lucky stars it wasn’t Alexei. “You have good taste.”
“Thank you,” I wracked my brain for his name but came up short. He was the quiet, bored one from the previous night. My eyes flicked back to the bar and I wondered if I should stay away from it.
As if reading my thoughts, the brother laughed. “It’s an open bar, you’re only going to find the best of the best back there. In fact, that’s probably the cheapest bourbon we even have.”
I felt myself relax a bit at his teasing tone. “No Crown back there?”
He chuckled and it warmed my worried heart. “No chance, but if you want,” His light blue eyes bounced around before he leaned in to whisper and I immediately regretted thinking he was the quiet, bored one. He was the flirt. Griffin. “I have a pretty decent stash of alcohol up in my room.”
A snort escaped me. I couldn’t help it, he seemed so boyish in that moment that I wondered just how old he was. His light blue eyes darkened with the sound and I wondered how on earth he could enjoy this. I felt like a hot mess. “I’m sure you do.”
He raked his fingers through his dirty blond hair and leaned against the bar. “I would be more than willing to show it to you whenever you’d like.”
“Does this usually work for you?”
His grin was wicked. “All the time.”