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“Destiny?” Levi sneers. “More like Miss Right Now.”
He tries to fist bump me, but I reach out and ruffle his hair because there’s nothing that Levi hates more than people messing with his perfectly coiffed strands.
“Dude.”
He ducks to look at the mirror in his cubby, putting everything meticulously back into place. I wipe my hand on his towel, trying to remove whatever thick goo-like product he put in it.
“Who is this girl anyway?” Reid asks.
I wave my finger at them. “Not yet. I’m not jinxing anything. You’re all bad luck.”
“Bad luck?” Levi complains. “We’re killing it this year.”
“Just your presence is killing my mood, newb.”
The rest of the guys laugh. I’ve been calling Levi newb since the day I couldn’t call him a rookie anymore. He has that air of immaturity. Hell of a player, but the man still lives in a bachelor pad apartment complete with stacks of pizza boxes in the corner.
“Oh, come on. Your mom wasn’t calling me newb last night.”
His intended dig doesn’t do anything to me, and the guys don’t even deem it worthy of a chorus ofOhhhs.
“My mother would eat you alive. Plus, only gold diggers and party animals love you, Levi. There’s a difference between them and what I got in store for me. You’re too precious to understand.”
“Fucking ouch.”
Davis cuts in. “He’s right. You have a certain…aura about you. Let me see… What’s it called?” He pretends to think. “Personality repellant.”
Levi slips a pair of aviators on, keeping his cocky smile. “I’m a goddamn diamond in the rough. Haters.” He gives us a peace sign and swaggers toward the exit. “Have fun wifin’ up. I’m about to get these pregame nerves fucked right out of me. Porn style.”
He leaves, and the rest of us stare at each other. “Porn style?” Cade questions. “What does that even mean?”
“It means Levi thinks all real relationships are boring and prude.” The smirk Reid gives is one that hits me deep in my soul.
It’s a glimpse into my future.
I take that high with me on the ride to the venue. Excitement outshines any nerves. I picture Raeann’s perfect lips falling into anOwhen she sees me. Her anxious eyes widening. I love how I make her heartbeat skyrocket. The rapid movement of her pulse. The way she can barely think to talk when I’m present.
The valet at the swanky downtown venue takes my vehicle, and I walk inside, fastening the top button of my coat. A woman with a nametag approaches. Peggy. The name sounds vaguely familiar, and when she introduces herself as the president of The Pet Coalition, I realize she’s Joey’s contact. “It’s so nice of you to be here, Mr. Freeman. I bet we’re going to have a great big donation because of you. Your idea was spectacular.”
I hide my knowing smile. “Thank you, Peggy. I’m honored to do it.”
“Enjoy yourself tonight.”
“Oh, I will,” I promise while I take her hand and shake it.
Events like this can be a bit of a chore, usually, but I take a cursory survey of the room with ease before grabbing a glass of champagne off a waiter’s tray. It doesn’t take long before I’m surrounded by well-meaning, high-society couples who always show up at these things. I can barely remember their names even though I’ve had to make conversation with them on numerous occasions.
Small talk is the absolute bane of my existence. I don’t care how the weather is, I want to understand what makes each person tick. I want to know what the looks shared between couples mean. When the blonde looks at her husband without blinking when he decides to take a sip of champagne, isshe pissed because he said he wouldn’t drink tonight? Is she applauding him for letting loose? Or is she just wondering when she can get back to fuck the pool boy?
With these types of people, you never quite know.
Raeann and I are different. We didn’t always have money. We understand the value of a dollar, and right about now, I can guess that Raeann has probably never had as much money before in her life, and she’s probably ecstatic…and a bit scared. I get how that is.
“Aww,” the same blonde I was speculating about sighs. “Wait, isn’t that the girl from that heinous video?” She peers at me with a huge smile. “Run, Micah, before she sees you.”
The whole group laughs, and my hackles rise. “It’s Mr. Freeman, actually.”
I swallow the last sip of champagne and hold my glass out to her. She takes it, only because she’s caught off guard. Then I leave the glass and the rest of the society crowd while I watch Raeann enter the building, Athena by her side, like always.