have plenty of time to be classy later,” she’d reasoned.
I went with it. Though she’d urged me to buy something short and nude with a plunging neckline, I vetoed it for a long black halter dress with a high neck and mid-thigh slit up one side. Sexy but elegant and classy – perfect for my first experience with upper crust Manhattan society.
“Does Abram have any friends for me?” Rhode asked, dusting the apples of her cheekbones with a shimmery peach blush.
“He has a decently handsome asshole friend,” I offered.
“Well, that poor asshole probably just needs a good woman in his life. That’s how it goes with most assholes. Want me to transform him for you?”
“Please and good luck.”
She laughed. “So, what’s exactly going on with you and Mr. Six-Pack? Are you exclusive? ” Rhode rifled through her makeup bag for lipstick, wiggling her perfect eyebrows at me through the mirror.
“We haven’t really had that talk.” I sat on the edge of my bed as I waited for her to finish her makeup. “And he’s in the middle of something big and stressful right now so I don’t really think that talk is going to be a priority anytime soon.”
“Are either of you seeing anyone else?”
I paused. “No.”
“Then I guess you’re as close to exclusive as you’re gonna get without having the conversation. Besides, Abram Lenox is known for having like, a cycle of models and actresses that he runs through till he’s tired and replaces them. The fact that you’ve been the only girl he’s fucked for even a week is impressive.”
“Dream big,” I snorted.
“Hey man, I’m just stating the facts. I don’t know all the ins and outs of whatever romance you guys are having but I can already tell that he likes you. This is an important event for him tonight and he asked you not only to come but to be his date. I spent every year under his employment Googling everything I possibly could about him – not to sound stalkerish – and while he does sometimes get photographed with a girl, he never shows up to events with a date , so… yeah. Don’t argue me on this.”
“I wasn’t,” I laughed.
“Oh, so you know he’s obsessed with you,” she cackled before shutting up to apply lipstick.
Silent, I sat on my bed, taking it all in. She wasn’t totally wrong – Abram and I were a thing. Of some sort. I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of thing we were or if we could call ourselves any official name, but I knew it wasn’t something just ordinary. I remembered the sweet words he had breathed into my ear on his couch, as we caught our breaths chest to chest. “ I just want this forever .” They gave me chills to think about again because they sounded almost bigger than the words “ I love you .” I had loved Evan but I’d never used the word “forever” with him. Not once. It was a strong word and even stronger coming from the lips of someone like Abram.
But at the same, a voice at the back of my head had been nagging me of late. It told me that our affair was no product of true chemistry. Just adrenaline. Fast-pumping blood and nonstop drama. Abram had been protecting me from day one, of course he’d develop some sort of feeling for me. But I wondered what would happen once the Stefan Toro saga was over. What would happen when the mission that had been fueling Abram for over a year was completed and I was no longer a part of the story? Settled back in his day-to-day life, I wondered if he would still be enthralled by me or if he’d be bored, ready to start a new chapter. Perhaps he’d want to celebrate his victory with his usual partying – the club, the champagne, the bed full of beautiful women. I knew we had something and that it was good but I wasn’t sure if it was real – the type of real that lasted past the heat of the moment. After all, every minute I spent with Abram still felt like a dream. Who was to say that it
I went with it. Though she’d urged me to buy something short and nude with a plunging neckline, I vetoed it for a long black halter dress with a high neck and mid-thigh slit up one side. Sexy but elegant and classy – perfect for my first experience with upper crust Manhattan society.
“Does Abram have any friends for me?” Rhode asked, dusting the apples of her cheekbones with a shimmery peach blush.
“He has a decently handsome asshole friend,” I offered.
“Well, that poor asshole probably just needs a good woman in his life. That’s how it goes with most assholes. Want me to transform him for you?”
“Please and good luck.”
She laughed. “So, what’s exactly going on with you and Mr. Six-Pack? Are you exclusive? ” Rhode rifled through her makeup bag for lipstick, wiggling her perfect eyebrows at me through the mirror.
“We haven’t really had that talk.” I sat on the edge of my bed as I waited for her to finish her makeup. “And he’s in the middle of something big and stressful right now so I don’t really think that talk is going to be a priority anytime soon.”
“Are either of you seeing anyone else?”
I paused. “No.”
“Then I guess you’re as close to exclusive as you’re gonna get without having the conversation. Besides, Abram Lenox is known for having like, a cycle of models and actresses that he runs through till he’s tired and replaces them. The fact that you’ve been the only girl he’s fucked for even a week is impressive.”
“Dream big,” I snorted.
“Hey man, I’m just stating the facts. I don’t know all the ins and outs of whatever romance you guys are having but I can already tell that he likes you. This is an important event for him tonight and he asked you not only to come but to be his date. I spent every year under his employment Googling everything I possibly could about him – not to sound stalkerish – and while he does sometimes get photographed with a girl, he never shows up to events with a date , so… yeah. Don’t argue me on this.”
“I wasn’t,” I laughed.
“Oh, so you know he’s obsessed with you,” she cackled before shutting up to apply lipstick.
Silent, I sat on my bed, taking it all in. She wasn’t totally wrong – Abram and I were a thing. Of some sort. I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of thing we were or if we could call ourselves any official name, but I knew it wasn’t something just ordinary. I remembered the sweet words he had breathed into my ear on his couch, as we caught our breaths chest to chest. “ I just want this forever .” They gave me chills to think about again because they sounded almost bigger than the words “ I love you .” I had loved Evan but I’d never used the word “forever” with him. Not once. It was a strong word and even stronger coming from the lips of someone like Abram.
But at the same, a voice at the back of my head had been nagging me of late. It told me that our affair was no product of true chemistry. Just adrenaline. Fast-pumping blood and nonstop drama. Abram had been protecting me from day one, of course he’d develop some sort of feeling for me. But I wondered what would happen once the Stefan Toro saga was over. What would happen when the mission that had been fueling Abram for over a year was completed and I was no longer a part of the story? Settled back in his day-to-day life, I wondered if he would still be enthralled by me or if he’d be bored, ready to start a new chapter. Perhaps he’d want to celebrate his victory with his usual partying – the club, the champagne, the bed full of beautiful women. I knew we had something and that it was good but I wasn’t sure if it was real – the type of real that lasted past the heat of the moment. After all, every minute I spent with Abram still felt like a dream. Who was to say that it
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