Chapter 11
Ari
Abi insisted we arrive at the Masquerade ball in style and has none other than Sebastian as our glorified chauffeur. Not that it seems to be much of a hardship, seeing as he gets to drive an exclusive Mercedes-Maybach, and I’m sure he’s being compensated for his time one way or another.
I notice how she purposely keeps the partition lowered so she can throw jabs his way as he glares back at her in the rear-view mirror. But I also didn’t miss the way he looked at her like he wanted to devour her whole when we got into the car either.
Sebastian pulls up to the VIP entrance, bringing the car to a stop, but does nothing else and remains seated behind the wheel.
“Well?” Abi says, glaring at him in the rear-view mirror.
He grunts something under his breath, unclips his seatbelt, and exits the car.
A few seconds later, he’s opening Abi’s door and just as she steps out, her heel gets caught on the hem of her dress, causing her to squeal.
I gasp as she tilts forward, then scramble towards her.
But Sebastian has wicked reflexes and reaches out to stop her descent.
I do not doubt that if he hadn’t intervened, she would have face-planted.
And if that wasn’t enough of a shock, it’s what happens next that renders Abi speechless, which is so unlike her. She can usually fire off an insult like the crack of a whip.
Seb kneels, and Abi’s hands land on his shoulders to keep herself steady as he carefully frees her heel from the fabric of her dress. He lingers for a beat, looking up at her, before rising and stepping aside.
A few seconds pass, then she squares her shoulders and steps forward.
I slide out of the car next, and he holds out his hand for me. I take it gratefully.
“Thank you,” I say with a smile.
“You’re more than welcome, Ari. You too, Ice Princess,” he calls out to Abi’s retreating back.
She freezes at his choice of words but ignores the jab and waits for me to step up beside her.
Even though she’s wearing her masquerade mask, it’s clear she’s blushing.
“You okay?” I whisper.
Reaching up, she pulls a curl over her cheek, her hands shaking slightly.
“Yeah, you just can’t find good staff these days,” she says loud enough for him to hear as he’s getting back into the car.
He mutters something under his breath and pulls the door closed before driving away.
Abi’s statement is a crock of shit. Firstly, technically he isn’t employed by her, his mum is, and I’m pretty sure whatever that exchange was, him driving us was a way for her to do something nice to help him without him feeling like it’s a handout.
But around him, she acts like she’s swallowed a wasp.
“I don’t get it. You love his mum, she’s always looked out for you, so what is it with you and Seb?” I ask. They used to be friends, but she never talked about what changed between them, and after a while, I stopped asking.
She turns to me, her smoky eyes on mine, the mask making her azure irises pop even more.
“I do love her, but unfortunately, her son likes to get on my last nerve.”
“If you say so.”
She elbows me. “Don’t you start. Come on.” She hooks her arm through mine, and we make our way up the steps. The door opens, and I take a breath as we walk in.
My heart races a mile a minute, and there’s a real possibility I could actually have a panic attack right here in the foyer. It’s stunning, but I’m struggling to take in my surroundings or any of the intricate details as my anxiety heightens.
Abi says something, but I’m struggling to hear her over the hammering in my chest.
And then she’s in front of me, her hazel eyes on mine.
She nods. “Right, ladies it is,” Abi says loudly, guiding me in the direction of the toilets.
Once inside, she quickly checks that the cubicles aren’t occupied, locks the main door, and turns to face me.
“Ariana, breathe with me, okay?”
She takes my hands in hers and takes a deep breath before exhaling, coaxing me to do the same. A few minutes later, my breathing is back under control.
“Are you okay?”
I shake my head and then nod, because fuck, I don’t know.
“I might have fooled around with Hunter and Harrison,” I admit, the words flying out of my mouth.
“What?”
“Something happened the other day.”
She pulls me over to one of the chaise longues and urges me to sit as she does.
“And you’re only telling me this now?” she asks incredulously.
“I think I was in denial. Or shock.”
A knock at the door has her sighing before she shouts, “Out of service. Go use the one on the first floor.”
I look at the door and back at her.
“We are not leaving here until you spill the tea, and pronto.”
A drink about now wouldn’t go amiss. The glass of champagne we had on our way here didn’t even touch the sides. And I wonder if that’s where my mum’s addiction began. I hate how my mind jumps from one thing to another and back again. I swear, I give myself whiplash.
“Here.” She pulls up her dress and tucked into her garter is a small hip flask.
She shrugs at my expression, but I shouldn’t even be surprised. She’s always prepared. You’d be amazed at how much stuff she can fit into a small clutch.
“It’s my just-in-case.”
Unscrewing the lid, she takes a swig before passing it to me.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Bourbon.” She wiggles it in front of me, so I take it, sniff it, then take a swig.
It goes down smoothly, sweet like caramel with a spicy aftertaste of cinnamon.
I lick my lips as I pass it back to her, watching as she screws the lid on and slips it back under her garter, smoothing out her dress.
“Now, what happened with you and the Devil’s spawn?”
I can’t help but laugh at that.
“They may have both got me off. More than once.”
Her lips curve into a wide smile.
“What, at the same time?”
She fans her hand in front of her face.
“No, not at the same time.”
Her lips part on a gasp. “But you wanted it to be, didn’t you?”
“I honestly don’t know what came over me,” I admit, glancing down at my lap.
“Well, I’d say you came all over them.”
My eyes shoot to hers, and then we both burst out laughing because, yeah, she isn’t wrong.
She reaches for my hand once we both grow serious again.
“Do you like them? Is that what it is?”
I shrug, because honestly, I have no idea.
“I liked the way they brought me pleasure,” I admit, my cheeks heating with my admission. “But I’m honestly confused. It came out of nowhere.”
Her lips curve again, and I think she’s about to make another joke about coming, but she holds back, even though it’s clearly against her nature.
“Did it though? You’re stunning, kind, sexy as fuck. Why does it surprise you they’d be sexually attracted to you?”
I chew on my bottom lip. “I feel like it’s some kind of joke and I’m the punchline. What if they have some kind of fucked-up bet going on?”
Abi moves to her feet. She’s never been able to keep still for long.
“No, they might be arseholes, but they are always the first ones to have your back.”
I look up at her in disbelief. “Are we talking about the same two people here?” Maybe that Bourbon has gone straight to her head.
“Come on, Ari. How many times have they scared away unwanted attention?”
Okay, now I’m arching a brow, not that she can see with the masquerade mask I’m wearing.
“Are you forgetting about the amount of wanted attention they’ve also scared away, threatening to tell my stepdad? Like I should be walking around in a chastity belt or some shit.”
Abi pulls out her lipstick just as someone jiggles the door handle again. She lets out a sigh, probably about to demand they go to one on the first floor again, but I walk over and unlock the door.
It’s pushed open by a girl with bright pink hair as she comes rushing in.
“Thank fuck, I was about to piss myself.”
She runs into one of the cubicles, letting out a heavy sigh right as the sound of her trickling pee hits the bowl.
“Sorry, I’m Rainbow, by the way. But my friends call me Rain or Bow.”
I glance at Abi, who mouths her name back to me, then shrugs and calls out, “We’re Abi and Ari.”
“Cool,” Rainbow replies.
“Listen, forget about the devil’s spawn. Let’s go enjoy ourselves until it’s time to meet your mystery man.”
Rainbow comes out, eyes flicking between the two of us.
“Devil’s spawn, mystery man… How about we go get a drink and you can tell me all about them?” she says, washing her hands and shaking off the excess water as Ari passes her a hand towel.
“Sorry, I’ve been told I sometimes have boundary issues, and I’m new to Mayfair. Feel free to tell me to piss off.”
Abi laughs, and I smile. We like her instantly.