Peering over the top of their heads, I lock eyes with the bouncer and nod. He nods in return, his deference clear. Which means Luis got the job done and the staff has already been informed about the change up.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us,” I say, “we’ve got a reunion to attend.”
Keeping my arm secure around my ravishing, starshine date, I stride past them and say in her ear, “Forget about them, babe. They’ll be staying outside anyway.”
A dozen questions swirl in the blue eyes she turns on me, but she places her trust in me so easily. Right then and there, I vow to do whatever it takes to always deserve it.
“He’s cutting,” Jade yells, reverting to elementary school tactics. “You think you can just walk in like you own the place? You’re going to have to get in line behind me.”
If she wasn’t such a bitch, I’d have myself a chuckle over that owning the place line.
The bouncer, who introduces himself as Alex, opens the previously blocked pathway to us. “Right this way, sir, ma’am.”
Over my shoulder, I say in a bored tone, “My beloved was just trying to be nice, and you all were horrifically rude to her. Since I’m also the owner of this night club…”
I let that hang in the air for a couple of extra seconds. Then, not sparing the people at my backs another glance, I direct my next remarks to the bouncer. “Put them on the blacklist. Make sure they don’t get in.”
“Yes, sir,” he says, and anticipation zings as I wait for it.
Three…
Two…
“What?” Jade wails, never knowing when to quit. “You’re a penniless nobody. Why would the bouncer let you boss him around?”
Victoria whips around, unexpectedly spinning out of my embrace and jabbing a finger at her cousin. “Stop calling him a nobody. You act like having money makes you better than everyone else, but it doesn’t. Sometimes people struggle and fall on hard times, but that doesn’t mean they’re worthless.
Fear flickers through Jade’s eyes, and Victoria leans closer, a fierce goddess in navy blue. “Simon’s a good man, and I’m lucky to have found him. He has more empathy and integrity in his pinky finger than you ever will.”
With that, Victoria pivots around on her tall, skinny heels. She slips her hand back into mine, her self assurance returning to where it was earlier when she stepped into the living room to show off her hair, makeup, and dress. She’s not the teenage girl they used to belittle, and I won’t let them drag her back to that place.
Behind us, Jade’s still yapping. “Why do they get to skip the line? Did you take a bribe? Carl, don’t just stand there. Do something!”
“Where’s the owner?” Carl bellows. “Get him out here, I’m filing a complaint.”
“Owner?” Alex-the-bouncer echoes sternly. “That’s him, walking in right now. He’s the new owner, just like he said.”
Ah, sweet victory.
“Wait, what about us?” a male voice calls, the man next to the woman who’d given a weak offer of congrats. “Can we come with you?”
“Yes, please.” The female half of the duo joins in sucking up to us. “It’s been years since we last saw Victoria. We’ve got so much to catch up on.”
It’s not my show, so I look to Victoria. Silently, I ask her what she wants me to do with the raise of an eyebrow.
A poetic sort of satisfaction alights her features, and I’m picking up where she’s going. Letting in Carl and Jade’s friends while blocking their entrance makes our victory even sweeter.
“Of course,” Victoria says brightly, waving them over. “Cecilia, John. Let’s catch up like old times. It’s a reunion, after all.”
For years, these people thought they got to define Victoria’s worth.
Tonight, she’s the one holding all the power, and damn if it isn’t beautiful to watch.
Despite our win, Jade’s recovered enough to yell threats at our backs. About how “this isn’t over,” and “you’ll regret this, I’ll see that you do.”
Which is why I incline my head to Alex before we disappear inside the nightclub and bar and say, “Get rid of them. Don’t let them ruin the night for everyone else.”
Victoria
The nightclub pulses with life, amber lighting reflecting off the polished hardwood floor.
A massive chandelier made of intertwined lariats hangs above the mahogany bar, which is lined with high-backed leather barstools, the drinks served in handled Mason jars.
A glass display case behind the bar showcases rare whiskeys and aged tequilas. Liquor bottles of every shape and color line the shelves, gleaming like booze-filled jewels. Neon signs cast an alluring glow, the biggest of which reads: Where Boots Meet Bourbon.
Off in the corner, a band plays live music, the guitar and the singer’s voice extra twangy. It’s how I know I’m definitely in Texas.
Simon, of course, looks like a million bucks. His navy suit complements the color of my dress perfectly. You’d think he’d seem out of place in a cowboy bar, but in his tailored suit that calls to mind high-powered lawyers on TV, all I can think is yum.
“Drink?” he asks, and I bob my head.
I practically skip as he leads me to the bar, pinched-toe shoes notwithstanding. “I’ll have a whiskey,” I say, slapping my open palm on the bar, feeling like a bit of a badass.
Jade and Carl can’t touch me while I’m inside, and I’m riding that exhilarating wave as long as I can. For once, I wasn’t the girl left scrambling words, but a woman who stood up for herself, finding great pleasure in watching their smug expressions crumble.
Serves them right.
Especially after hurtling insults at Simon like he should be embarrassed about his past living situation.
They seriously made me so mad sometimes.
Most of the time, honestly.
Then there was Simon.
God, he made it feel so effortless, heroically swooping in and getting me inside with ease. When he’d referred to me as his beloved, my heart nearly burst. He was always taking care of me in the most important ways, and I’ll never be able to properly thank him.
Now he’s perched on a high-backed bar stool next to me. Everything suddenly feels right in the world with him by my side.
Our drinks arrive and I take a sip, the amber liquid burning on its way down my throat. “So? How’d you get the bouncer to play along?”
Gripping the rim, Simon lifts his glass to his lips, taking a slow, measured sip. “What if…?”
Something in his eyes tells me he’s struggling with knowing what to say, and while I don’t think it’s going to be bad, it leaves me fighting off a pinch of panic. “Yeah?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.