saying yes was sometimes I wound up regretting how indiscriminate I was.
Those regrets usually didn’t last, though. I almost always found a bright side, even in the most boring, tedious, and uncomfortable situations.
I didn’t regret tonight’s “yes” yet, and I doubted I would. Spending my evening in a penthouse unlike any I’d ever seen was worth it for the experience alone.
Kara pressed into my side as we made our first round through the spacious living room, with its twenty-foot ceilings and unobstructed views from every angle. Even the curved staircase leading to the second floor had Lucite rails to not block the light streaming in from the double-decker windows.
I made a mental note to venture onto the balcony later once Kara found the man who’d invited her here tonight.
This wasn’t his home, but according to Kara, he’d been given permission by the owner—his cousin twice removed or something like that—to hold a party here.
I hoped that was true. And if it wasn’t, I hoped I had enough time to explore before we were all kicked out or arrested for trespassing.
“Where is he?” Nudging Kara with my elbow, I took stock of the fairly plentiful crowd. Everyone was beautiful, fitting in well with the magnificent space. Women dripping in jewels and designer dresses amid couches shaped for style rather than comfort. Men in bespoke suits, power emanating from their stances, standing around sculptures made of marble and steel, probably worth millions.
Kara, who was more of an acquaintance than a close friend, was shaking. Since we weren’t close, it was hard to tell if it was from excitement or nerves. Although why she would be nervous, I didn’t know. With her hourglass frame, soft ebony waves, and cherry-red dress that molded to her every curve, she fit in with this crowd to a T.
“I don’t see him.” She hooked her arm with mine. “Don’t leave me. I’ll die before I walk around this party alone.”
“I have no plans of leaving you until you find your Vincent.”
“But you can’t leave even when I find him. If you do, he’ll know I only came for him.”
I tugged her to a mirrored bar set against one of the few walls in the wide-open space. There, I poured us both a generous glass of Pinot Gris and handed her one. She took a long pull, swallowing almost half the wine in the glass.
“How many rooms do you think are in this place?” I asked under my breath.
“Five bedrooms, six baths, eight-thousand square feet,” she answered far too quickly and with entirely too much precision.
“Have you been here before?”
“No.” Her shoulder lifted. “I looked it up online when Vincent gave me the address.”
“Whose place is it again?”
She shrugged again. “He just said a relative he’s staying with while he’s in the US.”
It was beginning to look more and more like this evening would conclude with me dashing for the exits to avoid another trespassing arrest.
Just when I’d resigned myself to the fact that Vincent either wasn’t real or he wasn’t here at all, a grinning man with a boisterous Italian accent in a suit that fit his body like a second skin strode toward us, his arms outstretched.
“Kara, you have come. I was getting worried, bella.” He clasped her shoulders and leaned in, kissing both her cheeks.
Her arm unhooked from mine the moment she’d spotted him. She went a step further to distance herself from me now that her dream guy had arrived by moving in front of me. At that point, I was shocked I hadn’t received a shove to top it all off.
Too bad Kara was a smidge over five feet tall and I was a hairsbreadth under six. Blocking me from view was impossible. But her message had been received loud and clear. I turned toward the bar again, refilling my mostly full glass.
“And who is this you brought with you?”
My shoulders stiffened at the rowdy voice drawing near. I was here for the vibes, not to poach Kara’s man. But I couldn’t exactly stare at the wall all evening.
I slowly turned around, making eye contact with Kara first. Hers flared, and her head tipped subtly to the side. I nodded once in understanding.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” I started to hold out my hand, then accidentally on purpose jerked my other hand, sloshing wine onto the bodice of my dress. Luckily, it was black and the wine was white. My sacrifice wouldn’t do long-lasting damage. “Oh no. I made a mess of myself.”
Vincent pulled a silky handkerchief from his pocket. “A dreadful shame, bella. To ruin such a lovely dress.” He came close, his intent to blot the wet spots on my chest and stomach clear. Kara latched on to his elbow.
“I think Saoirse should take care of that herself, Vinny. Is there a restroom nearby?” she cooed.
His lids lowered, and some of the puff in his chest deflated. I supposed he’d been looking forward to patting me down. He would have been severely disappointed since my tits were primarily made of a really good push-up bra and hopes and dreams.
I scrambled in the direction Vincent pointed, not escaping soon enough, judging by the pointed glare Kara shot me. I remembered then why we weren’t close. I considered myself to be a girl’s girl, while Kara was more every man for himself. One on one, she could be fun, but toss a guy into the mix, even one I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in, and the claws came out.
Throwing wine on myself had been half an excuse to leave. The other half had been self-preservation.
Unfortunately for me and my sodden dress, the bathroom off the living room had a line of people waiting to use it. The woman at the front rolled her eyes when I peered at the closed door.
“Someone’s fucking in there,” she deadpanned.
A laugh burst out of me. When she didn’t laugh with me, I realized she wasn’t joking. Then I heard the moans and skin slapping and continued on my merry way, following the hallway deeper into the condo. Surely, with six bathrooms, there wouldn’t be a line at all of them. The wet spots on my dress were getting cold, and my skin was starting to feel sticky.
The first room I came upon seemed to be a den. The couches actually looked cozy and plush. My attention caught on a throw blanket hanging over one of the windows. Someone had haphazardly tacked it up there. Compared to what I’d seen of the rest of the condo, this touch stuck out like a sore thumb, which intrigued me about its owner.
Before I could check out the rest of the room, I had to dry myself off a little. I locked myself in the attached bathroom and found a towel I used to soak up as much wine as I could.
Once that problem was mostly solved, I looked around the spacious bathroom. I’d been inside many nice homes in my life. My best friend and roommate, Elise’s boyfriend, Weston, lived in the penthouse of our building. This kind of place wasn’t brand new to me, but there was something about it that was a notch above everything else I had ever seen. The art, the modernity, the nod to luxury in the more public spaces and comfort in the private spaces like the den. I really longed to explore the rest of the place.
The bathtub was freestanding in front of a wall of windows. For a moment, I imagined myself having a bubble bath and watching the sunset.
Then I moved on.
The party seemed to have filled in more. I wove through the mingling crowd, wondering if the fucking couple had vacated the bathroom yet. Kara and Vincent were in a small group near the windows. She’d tucked herself to his side, but when her eyes flickered to me, she tried to merge herself with his ribs.
Unoffended, I gave her a smile and strode directly to the bar to fill my wineglass. Then I found some cheese and crackers, which I folded inside a paper napkin, and carried my loot back to the cozy den.
As much as I would have liked to nose about this glorious condo, I had manners, so I would refrain. Though some might say eating crackers on a stranger’s couch in a room I hadn’t been invited into was rude in and of itself, and I wouldn’t argue that point.
But no one was around to tell me I wasn’t allowed in here, so I kicked off my heels, sank down on the cushions, and relaxed.
