“What?” She burst out laughing. “You’re kidding. That woman was epic.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But she left me a huge mess and she knew it. She wanted to haunt me, I swear.”
“Just like Maribel.” We were both quiet for a moment. “I’m still sorry you lost your best friend, Mo. I’ll be your second, not very present one always, okay?”
I smirked as I added some shadow to my eyes. It was the night of the gala and I was almost ready.
“Anyway, I’m going to a gala for Tropical Oil tonight.”
“Oh my God,” Linny squealed. “Because of that stallion you’re dating? Who knew my dare would have gotten you here?”
She didn’t know the real story but she thought she did.
“Have you been approached by the media yet? They freaking love you guys. I see your face on fucking magazines, Morina.”
She was much more excited about it than I was.
“It is what it is,” I mumbled as I finished my look off with some lip gloss.
“Oh, my God. Seriously, though, can you even walk? You must be banging the shit out of that man.”
“What? No,” I screeched. But most people thought this was for real. “I mean, we’re just taking things slow.”
“Slow? You moved in with him, Mo! It says it in a magazine.”
“The magazines are wrong. I’m just staying here a few nights a week.” The news would explode with our engagement soon but I was going with Bradley tonight and that was our story.
“You better be fucking that man every day. Don’t get all weird on him. You’re committing. He committed by getting that penthouse. Maribel is probably dancing in her grave right now.”
I wanted to tell her all the details but now wasn’t the time. Maybe next year when it was all said and done. “That’s not commitment, Linny. He already had this place.” I scoffed and cracked my door open.
“No. What? I read the tabloids. Girl, I know how much your place costs. He’s got it bad.”
I cleared my throat. I needed to do a google search but I wasn’t going to admit that, since his fiance should’ve known the cost and when he bought it. The tabloids lied about that stuff, though. Bastian surely had this place before me.
This conversation was painful but good practice for me, I guess. Even if I felt a little bad for lying to my friend, she’d forgive me one day when I got to tell her the whole truth after my divorce.
Divorce.I sighed at the thought of that word.
“Is something wrong in the bedroom or something?” Linny took my sigh for something it totally wasn’t.
Nothing was happening in the bedroom. That was the real problem.
“We just want to keep things slow.”
“Is he holding out now or something?” She mumbled something to someone. “I’m about to jump on my connecting flight. I have just the thing though. I’ll send it to you. I have your address, just need the penthouse number. Text me, chica. Love you! Bye.”
She hung up before I could even protest. I wasn’t going to, anyway. She’d find a way to get my address if I didn’t text it, so why fight it?
Bastian tapped on my door before pushing it all the way open. “Will you be ready in an hour?”
“I could have been naked.”
“That’s what I was hoping for.” Bastian Armanelli stood there clean shaven, in shoes that must have been shined and a suit that cut around his physique like a skilled sculptor. The man looked devastatingly hot.
I rolled my eyes and stood to twirl in the silk midnight blue dress I’d ordered online for the event. “Not naked. Actually, I’m just about ready.”
He’d been smirking but as his eyes trailed down my body, he leaned on the doorframe and his smile disappeared.