Page 30 of Hold Me
“Sure. I’ll come and pick you up. The location is kind of a secret, so I’ll escort you there personally. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
“What about the dress code? Do I have to wear something specific?”
“No. Wear whatever you want, but make sure it’s something elegant. You don’t want to be mistaken for one of the workers.” She smiles.
“Right.” I’m not even sure what she means, but something must have shown on my face because Allie reaches out for me and places her hand over mine.
“I was just joking. No one could ever mistaken you for one of the workers,” she says. “But you can dress as you usually do when you go to a party. I’m sure the host will appreciate it.”
“Can I know who the host is?”
“In time.” She winks. “He’ll be there. You’ll probably like him. He’s a man with a vision and he knows what people want. A very charismatic man, actually.”
“Okay.” I assume she’s talking about Raphael, because who else could be hosting the party? “Will Caleb be there?”
“Yeah, I believe he will. Why?” She narrows her eyes at me. “Will that be a problem? I assure you no one will know what happened between you and him. He won’t mention it to anyone.”
“I was just wondering.” I wave my hand in dismissal. “Watching him could be fun.”
“Oh, trust me. It is.” She closes her eyes for a moment, smacking her lips together. “He has the most beautiful eyes, doesn’t he?”
“I guess he does, but I prefer blue eyes,” I lie. I don’t want her to know that I actually like Caleb. “Still, Caleb knows what he’s doing, so...”
“Blue, huh? There’s a guy with blue eyes who’ll be there, but he... he’s into some really crazy stuff. You might like that.”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.” I raise my glass and clink it against Alessandra’s, and she smiles at me.
“I know you’ll have a great time. Just remember that you don’t have to be shy or embarrassed about anything. The party is where all your dreams and fantasies should come true and be celebrated.”
My stomach twists because there’s something about the way Alessandra talks about the party that unnerves me. But what do I know about people’s fantasies? Maybe it’s something totally harmless and consensual. Katherine’s kidnapper could be an exception, and yet I have a hard time believing that.
My hands are unsteady as I apply another layer of my pinkish lip gloss. Alessandra called me unexpectedly an hour ago and told me to get ready, which caught me completely off guard because it is Wednesday, and I’m not sure why I didn’t expect the party to be anytime other than during the weekend. Still, as I slip into my black high heels and pat down my cream cocktail dress adorned with shiny sequins, I wonder what will happen and what I’ll see at the party.
Chances are that I won’t see anything out of the ordinary, just get completely uncomfortable because people will be having sex in front of my eyes. I don’t know if Caleb will be there, and I wonder if he’d recognize me. What would he think if he saw me? Would he even want me to be there? The intercom buzzes and I see Allie waving at me on the screen. I grab my purse and hurry to the door.
Alessandra’s driver takes us to the other end of the city, and I try to memorize the way, but I feel like we’re circling around. I’ve rarely been in this area, and I’m not sure I can recognize the street. Alessandra keeps chatting about nonsense and distracting me, and I can’t stare out the window all the time, so I focus on her.
“I love your dress,” I say, surprised that my voice doesn’t come out forced. The dress is nice actually. It’s dark blue with a black piece in the middle, and it clings to her curves perfectly.
“Thanks. You look lovely too.” She opens her purse and searches for something. When she finds it, her face looks triumphant. Revealing a white pill in her hand, she immediately gulps it down. I just stare at her. She then offers me a small bag, and I gingerly take the pills, inspecting them. I don’t know what those round white things are, but they look just like Caleb’s. Maybe they’re the same thing, and Caleb and Allie just have different ways of earning the money to buy them.
“What are these?” I lift the bag up. I can’t exactly steal and hide one when she’s sitting right next to me.
“Oh, just a little something to help you relax. You can take one. I promise it’s not dangerous.” Her smile is wide.
“No, thanks.” I return the pills to her and watch her shrug and stuff them into her purse.
“Suit yourself. If you change your mind, just ask.”
If I can get the opportunity, maybe I can snatch the pills from her at the party when she’s too busy to notice. Then I could take one and get it analyzed somewhere. Actually, if Raphael’s dealing them, then it might be easier to get him arrested. Then again, maybe it’s not Raphael. Maybe it’s one of his friends. They could be all working together for mutual benefit.
The car suddenly stops, and I realize we’re in front of a brightly lit building. It’s a casino and a hotel of some kind, not some creepy abandoned house that I might have expected. It is apart from all the other buildings though, and surrounded by a fence. I can see people in expensive clothes milling around. “Wait, how big is this party?”
“Oh, most of the people here aren’t invited and don’t know what they’re missing.” Alessandra laughs. “The party is just being hosted here, you know, for better discretion. If someone sees you around here, they’re going to assume you came to the casino or to the hotel.”
I let out a long sigh. Of course. Katherine told me Raphael and his men weren’t stupid. I can see multiple guards standing at the door, and no one is paying any special attention to them since people expect them to be here to protect the important guests and all the expensive cars in the parking lot.
“What? You don’t like it?” Alessandra raises an eyebrow at me.