♦ ♦ ♦
That night, after I get ready, I wait in the lobby, fidgeting with the dress, too nervous to sit. The top is so revealing that I couldn’t wear a bra, and instead had to find tape to secure it to my breasts so I don’t have a nip slip during the night, though I’m sure that’s probably part of Andrej’s plan. I borrowed some nude heels from Evangeline, who fully approved of this date, and wore some golden hoop earrings that I found buried in my jewelry box. My hair is pulled up in a long ponytail, showing off the lace detail on the back of the dress. I look and feel sexier than I ever have.
The blacked-out Town Car pulls up at nine o’clock on the dot, and the chauffeur already has the door open for me by the time I step out onto the sidewalk. The dress fits like a glove, so I slide into the car carefully. As the door closes, I look sideways and see Andrej assessing me, a drink in his hand. He’s wearing a dark gray suit with a white undershirt unbuttoned at the top. His dark blond hair is brushed back off his face, and his beard is neatly trimmed. It amuses me to think of him getting ready for a date, so I smile to myself.
“I wondered if you would wear it,” he says by way of greeting, handing me a glass of white wine.
I take it from him. “I told you, I trust you. If this is what you need in some twisted way, I’m here for you.”
He leans forward, putting a hand on my knee just below the dress. “But did you follow all the directions?”
Subtly, I remove his hand from my knee and cross my legs at the ankle, leaning away from him as I take a long sip of wine. “I thought you wanted to talk,” I remind him.
He laughs and backs away, draining his own glass.
As the car cuts through town, I take the opportunity to study him. The streetlights illuminate his face in regular intervals, highlighting the strong jaw and cheekbones, the deep-set eyes, the broad shoulders. He’s a man now, not a boy anymore, but I know he’s hurting. And even though I don’t know why, I know that a part of him wants me to suffer with him, like if he can bring me down to his level, he’ll be proving something to himself.
So even in the face of his misplaced anger, I will stay strong. I will prove to him that the world isn’t dark and cruel. That when people support each other and lift each other up, they can overcome anything. That he doesn’t have to fight the storm, he can shelter from it. And that if he lets me, I’ll be right there with him.
Somewhere inside, he’s still that same little boy that held me up and taught me how to float. That saved a bird’s nest when we accidentally knocked it from a tree. That planted a lemon tree with me so that I could have fresh-squeezed lemonade every day. I just have to help him remember.
Unlike when I came during the day, there’s a line to get into the Oakwood Club. It wraps around the block. But the Town Car drops us off right at the door, and instead of getting in line, Andrej bypasses it completely. The bouncer doesn’t even ask him anything, just unhooks the velvet rope and lets us in.
“How did you do that?” I ask him.
He presses the elevator button—up, I’m relieved to see—and turns to me. “There are benefits to being a king.”
I almost laugh but then I remember that’s how the members are classified based on their membership level—kings, queens (thanks to Evangeline), princes, knights. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Andrej is a member of the highest order.
The elevator takes us to the rooftop bar. I immediately go to the edge. There’s a glass barrier separating me from a thousand-foot plunge to the concrete, but I barely notice it, because beyond the glass is a sea of lights.
I look back at Andrej, who’s looking at me with a small smile that he immediately wipes from his face when our eyes meet. “It’s beautiful,” I tell him.
He joins me by the glass. “It’s just a city.”
“Every light is a life,” I say. “How can it be ‘just’ a city?”
Instead of answering, he pulls me by my elbow to the bar, where he orders two drinks, handing me one. Sipping it, I spin and take in the rest of the bar. People lounge in groups around couches and chairs, while others stand at tables along the glass railing. The air is warm but not uncomfortable, and the music is loud but not so loud that it impedes conversation.
“This is nice,” I say to Andrej.
He rolls his eyes. “It stands to reason that you would be excited by the most boring level.”
“Well, I can’t wait to see the rest.”
To my surprise, someone calls my name. Turning, I find Evangeline strutting toward me. She looks magnificent in a pink cocktail dress, her golden-brown hair falling in waves around her shoulders. Even though she’s pregnant, I envy the way she carries herself with a regal confidence, a queen among men.
She kisses my cheeks and gives a small finger-wave to Andrej. “Losev is just over there. Why don’t you go say hello?”
Andrej rolls his eyes again but pushes off of the bar and stalks away to a group of men on the other side of the bar.
Evangeline turns back to me. “You look magnificent.”
I feel my cheeks heat. “Thank you. It’s not too much?”
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I never thought Andrej would settle down.”
I snort laugh into my drink. “Oh, he hasn’t. I’m not—”
She cuts me off with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t see what I see, then. Andrej has never brought anyone around here.”
Interesting. I contemplate that fact while I sip my drink. A gin and tonic, I think, the lime wedge on the rim giving it away.
“Have you considered applying for membership here?” Evangeline asks, sliding onto a recently vacated barstool beside me.
“Me?” I shake my head. “No.”
“Why not? You’re a local business owner. We need more women like you. Strong. Smart. Level-headed.”
“I never honestly considered it,” I admit. To me, the Oakwood Club has never been in the cards. It’s expensive and elitist.
“Imagine the connections you would make. You could grow your business, expand into other markets. I bet Andrej would sponsor you. I would, but he would carry more weight.”
My eyes find Andrej across the room, standing beside a man I recognize as Losev and a couple other Oakwood Boys. His hands are tucked in his pockets and though he seems to be listening, he’s not smiling or engaging in conversation. As if he feels me staring, he turns his head slightly, catching my eyes. I look away quickly.
“I doubt that.”
“Talk to him about it,” Evangeline urges. “You might be surprised.”
Someone else catches Evangeline’s attention and she slips away. Almost as soon as she’s gone, a man takes her place. He orders a scotch and while he’s waiting, turns to me. I smile at him to be nice, and he smiles back. He’s handsome, with brown hair and a full beard, wearing a nice suit but a little disheveled, like he doesn’t really care how he looks. Beside him, I feel wildly overdressed.
“Valya, right?” he says.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Yes.”
“Theo Latsis. I went to Samwell Prep, a year behind you and Andrej.”
Immediately, my guard goes up. But his smile is kind, and I don’t remember him ever being a part of the bullying.