4. Party On You #2
I frowned. “Seriously?”
“Dead serious.”
That was the thing about older men. They could cut you off the minute they’re done with you. Once they’re done, that’s it. He looked me over once, almost apologetic, then shook his head.
“I’m so sorry, Rabbit. You were fun and an amazing fuck. But this whole thing has become too messy for my liking. It doesn’t make sense for us to continue.”
He didn’t say it with cruelty and that made it worse.
“You’re really gonna turn me down?”
“Looks that way. Now if you don’t mind, I gotta get some sleep. I have a meeting in the morning followed by a flight back home. I’m sure this will be the last time we see each other face to face and I’m eager to put this messy situation behind me.”
And just like that, he turned to leave.
“Have a good night, Ms. Rodriguez.” He didn’t even look back. “Goodbye.”
I watched him disappear out the coat closet while I stood there baffled.
The worst part?
He’d probably forget me by morning.
By the time I got back to the main room, my chest was tight. My pulse still hadn’t calmed down from that little conversation.
Orim spotted me immediately, her eyes scanning my face when we regrouped.
“Well? How did it go?” she asked, sipping her drink.
I blinked at her, still half in shock. “He—he blew me the fuck off.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Huh?”
“Girl,” I hissed, stepping closer. “He said he’s good off me. Like, he’s not interested in us fucking again. At all.”
“Yikes.”
“Yikes?” I repeated. “Yikes?! Orim, I have never been turned down in my life. I’ve never been told no. Not once. Who the fuck does he think he is? Does he know who I am? Everyone wants to be me or be in me. Asshole!”
Orim caught my arm, eyes wide. “Rory, calm down. It’s okay.”
“Nah,” I snapped, shaking her off. “Nah, I can’t let that slide.”
“Oh God,” she groaned, rubbing her temple. “What are you gonna do, then?”
I didn’t answer right away but my mind was already turning fast into doing something messy and vindictive.
Orim knows that about me. I can get real petty. Real fast. Like scary fast. It could be a self destructive attack if left unchecked. Which is why my brain is screaming at me to go tell my dad everything even though I’ll get the same amount of backlash.
Just like with Jason.
So, for once, I thought it through. My eyes wandered around the room for ideas, my favorite being tonguing down his brother.
But Marcus would never go for it. And again, my father would kill me.
Then I looked up at the grand chandelier, the crowd, the laughter, and smiled. “Hey, quick question.”
Orim looked suspicious. “What?”
“Could you really hear us from our room last night?”
She blinked. “I mean… it was faint, but yeah. Why?”
I smirked, the beginnings of a reckless idea forming. “All right. I got an idea.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Rory…”
“Tell everyone,” I said, straightening my posture, confidence sliding back into place like a second skin. “After party in our room.”
Orim gawked. “Girl! Are you crazy? Do you know how bad that could turn out? My dads would kill me.”
“Spread the word,” I said simply, already walking toward the bar, for another glass of the new wine. “Drinks on me!”
Now…
When I planned this revenge party, I did not expect it to go down like this.
I especially didn’t think about the amount of people that would end up in my fucking bedroom.
See, this is what I mean by self destructive behavior.
“Who even are these people?” Orim shouted over the music, trying to salvage her sanity. “I only told the people that were at the launch!”
I shrugged, taking a long sip from my cup. “I sent out a message blast to everyone I knew in town.”
“You what?!”
“Relax… It’s not that much people. Plus these are probably just guests of guests of guests. Who cares? The point is, it worked.”
“Worked?” She gestured around at the chaos. “Girl, who are you punishing? Me or him!”
I grinned, satisfied. “It’s loud right? I bet his ass can hear all of it from his perfect, penthouse suite. Ugh! Now I’m mad he stole my penthouse suite too.”
Orim groaned, dragging her hand over her face. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m petty,” I corrected her. “There’s a very big difference.”
She just rolled her eyes.
The truth was, it was ridiculous. But I couldn’t help myself. Every time I thought about how cold Marlon had been and how easy it seemed for him to just shut me down, the annoyance burned hotter.
Someone cranked the volume even higher, and the beat carried through the air like thunder. I laughed and not because it was funny, but because if I didn’t laugh, I’d start thinking.
“Aurora, if Mr. Rodriguez even dreams you did this. Or worse, what if he finds out and tells my dads! I swear if my dads find out—”
“They won’t.” I cut her off, snatching a bottle off the counter. “Not your dads or mine. My dad is on the first floor. Way too far to hear anything. And this’ll all be cleaned up before sunrise.”
“Swear?”
I rolled my eyes.
Look.
I get it.
I have a complicated relationship with my father too. And I only imagine that stress times two. But Orim’s dads are way cooler than mine. The most she’ll get from this is a “We’re not mad, just disappointed.”
Still I smiled reassuringly. “Swear. Now. Let’s dance!”
She gave me a look that said you’re lying and you know it.
Maybe I was.
But right now? I didn’t care.
I just wanted to dance.
So I kicked off my heels, let my curls fall over my shoulders, and threw my hands up when the beat dropped.
For a minute, it worked.
The music pulsed through the room and the bass shaking the walls with the bodies moving made the suite feel like it had turned into its own little club.
Then, over the noise, I spotted someone familiar slipping toward the door.
“Wait—Carmen?”
The woman turned, her glossy bob catching the light. “Rory? Oh my God! Hi!”
We both squealed and hugged like long-lost cousins at a wedding. Orim joined in too, and for a second, the night felt soft again.
“So this is your party? I should’ve known,” Carmen shook her head.
“Yeah! You should’ve! Where’s Marcus? Is he here?”
“Nahh, his kid’s sick so he went home early.”
“I see. Welp. At least you’re here.”
I love Carmen.
Carmen looked exactly like the kind of woman who had her life together with a tailored blazer, diamond studs and calm energy money couldn’t buy.
She’s the type of girl me and Orim loved.
I wondered if she’d let us taste…
“So,” Carmen grinned, scanning the chaos. “What made you decide to have this party? In your own room?”
Orim and I looked at each other.
“Pettiness,” we said in unison.
She threw her head back and laughed, a deep, easy laugh that made you want to join in. “You two remind me of myself in college. God help whoever pisses y’all off.”
“You have no idea,” Orim sighed.
“Well,” she said, straightening her bag on her shoulder, “before this turns into a crime scene and I have to testify in court, I’m gonna head out. I’ve got someone to meet, anyway. Y’all have fun and maybe don’t burn the hotel down.”
“Can’t promise that,” I teased.
She blew us a kiss and disappeared into the hallway.
The second the door shut, Orim turned to me, voice raised over the music. “She’s gorgeous.”
“Extremely.”
“She’ll make a good lawyer one day.”
“I’m aware.”
“And as much as I’d love to have her pretty ass represent me one day, today is not that day. It’s getting too wild in here. Time to shut it down.”
Damn. I walked into that one.
I looked around. All the old heads my father had at the launch were gone. Just the wild folks I invited over.
Plus their friends.
Someone was standing on the couch with a bottle in their hand. Someone else had spilled red wine on the white rug.
I think Orim was right.
“Alright, alright. Let’s just—”
Before I could finish, the opening beat of Back That Azz Up by Juvenile thundered through the speakers.
I froze. Then grinned.
“Bitch…” Orim dragged.
“I know.”
“Okay,” she already started bending over. “After this song!”
I stood behind her. “Turn that shit up!”
The crowd cheered.
To be honest, I forgot about Marlon. I forgot about a lot actually. In fact the last thing I remembered was dancing on the table with my dress hitched up while Orim poured liquor all over me.
Fuck I love my life.