“Hey, Chris!” he beams.
“Just agree to everything I say,” I whisper from the corner of my mouth. “I’ll explain later, okay?” His eyebrows narrow and he nods. “Here’s the man himself!”
A wave of gasps ripples through the crowd when I spin my phone.
A lovestruck girl in an orange dress shakes off her boyfriend and steps closer. “Is that reallyhim?”
Billy laughs. “It’s really me, guys!”
More stunned groans. Christina’s mouth falls open and it’s soon followed by Becca’s.
“These guys don’t believe you were out on a date with Harper Reeves last night. I said I’d call you to confirm.”
“Of course I was,” Billy says, and you could hear a pin drop in here.
Perfect. “It was fucking awesome! She rocks!”
Harper’s bloodshot eyes stare at me in disbelief.
“He’s lying!” Christina yells. “I know what I read and he’s a liar!”
The crowd suddenly turns.
“Don’t call Billy McVane a liar!” the girl in the orange dress says.
“Yeah!” a tall guy near the door agrees. “That’s lame, Chrissie. Really lame.”
Christina folds her arms and glares at me. “Okay, Billy. Where is she in this room?”
Fuck. That wasn’t part of the plan.
I shake my head. “She’s already proved?-“
“The blonde in the green dress. Sexiest girl in the room,” Billy says.
What the hell?
“Hey, Harper.” When I spin the phone to her, she lifts her hand and waves her fingers. “Hope we can do it again soon. Call me.”
“Oh my God!” a girl screams, running at Harper.
“They’re all lying!” Christina yells.
“This can’t be true!” Becca shouts. “Look at her! Billy McVane wouldn’t?-“
“You’re both just jealous!” someone shouts, and within seconds Harper is swamped with hugs.
I step back a pace and lift my phone. “How did you know who she was?”
Billy winks at me. “Your business partner had a photograph of her in his office. I never forget a face. It’s his daughter, right? How long do I have left to live?”
“I’d say…a week.” I laugh when I spot Becca consoling a teary Christina. “Thanks, pal. I owe you one. Call you later.”
I step closer to the two sorority girls.
“Looks like your nasty little plan backfired, huh?”
“I know you’re lying!” Christina screams.
“You’re so lame, Chrissie!” someone yells at her.
I snicker. “Oh dear. It also looks like you lost your credibility tonight too.”
Snatching the Macallan whiskey from her purse, I lean between the two girls and lower my voice.
“If either of you pull another stunt like this again, you’ll have a lot more than being embarrassed to worry about. Because if there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s bitchy bullies like you two airheads picking on innocent young women.”
I stand tall and pat their heads like they did to Harper earlier.
“I’ll ruin your pathetic little lives,” I whisper.
Christina’s lips quiver. “You’d reallyhurt us?”
“Not physically.” I glance over at my best friend’s daughter. I can barely see her under the swamp of excited kids. “But I guarantee you’ll lose a lot more than your reputation if you hurt her again.”
“Who are you?” Becca stammers.
“Who, me?” I wink. “I’m Mr. Invisible. Now, with the greatest respect, fuck off out of here and don’t come back.”
As I turn to walk away, Becca grabs my forearm. “Can we at least have the Macallan?”
I can’t help but laugh at the nerve of these entitled brats.
“Sure.” Grabbing the cork, I pull it open and lift the bottle above their heads. “Say cheers…”
ELEVEN
Harper
“Oh my God!” someone yells. “Chrissie got doused!”
Freeing myself from the two girls hugging me, I stand on tiptoes just in time to see Chris Collins tipping the hundred-dollar bottle of whiskey over Becca’s head.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Becca screams.
Christina wipes the alcohol from her red eyes, smudging her mascara. She’s turned from a sorority queen to a sadistic clown in the space of half an hour.
“You’re so going to regret that, you freak!” she screams. “My dad knows people!”
Chris laughs. “I probably employ the people your dad knows.” He reaches into his pocket and hands her a business card. “Details are on there. I’ll look forward to a visit.”
He then turns to the crowd and raises his voice. “Party’s over, guys! Time to leave!”
Boos and groans echo throughout the house, but no one argues. A girl in an orange dress, who I’d never even seen before tonight, kisses my cheek.
“Any girl who goes on a date with Billy McVane is welcome to hang out with us,” she whispers.
I think I’m having some weird out-of-body experience because nothing makes sense.
“Umm…okay?” I mumble.
“This isn’t over!” Christina Fawkes yells at me before storming through the lounge.
“High five!” some guy says, lifting my right hand. I just leave it there and everyone who walks past me slaps my palm. Two minutes later, the last guest closes the front door and I gaze around the dining room. It looks like a bomb went off in here.
Chris lifts the Macallan whiskey bottle to his lips. He then gasps, swiping his blood-soaked shirt across his mouth. “You okay, kiddo?”
Where do I even start? I never expected anyone to show up to my party, least of all Christina Fawkes and Becca King. Now they’re drenched in whiskey and they hate me. And the whole college thinks I’m dating Billy McVane.
“I don’t even like Fire Life,” I mumble.
Chris frowns. “Huh?”
“What the hell just happened?” I ask, shaking my head.
He lowers the bottle to the table. “I’d say you just put those two snooty bitches in their place.”
“More likeyou did,” I say.
Chris shrugs and turns to me. He really needs to stop wearing tank top because I can’t take my eyes off his arms. He must have had that tattoo when he was younger, I think, noticing how the scorpion’s warped back is stretched across his bicep.
“You’re welcome,” he says.
“What?” I lift my gaze to his dark, penetrating eyes. “You want me to thank you? For all…that?”
“Jesus, Harper.” His heavy sigh forces out his broad chest. “There’s no pleasing you. I was digging you out of a hole. Again.”
“By lying,” I mumble.
“Yeah. By lying.”
At least he admits it, which is more than my dad ever does.
“So what happened to not having to impress anyone to make friends?” I say.
Chris bends down to pick up an empty can of beer and winces when he squeezes his injured hand. I want to help him, but my shock is giving way to anger.
“Because that’s what you said, isn’t it? Out there in the street last night. You told me that the daughter of Alice Reeves doesn’t need to go out of her way to impress anyone.”
“Yeah,” he says.
“So what was with all that bullshit about Billy McVane? How did he even know who I was?” Chris peels his shirt from his hand and grimaces. “Wait there.”
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.