AllFreeNovel
Share Us
15
I liked a good party, but not these types of parties. Not the stuffy, black tie, room full of pretentious assholes parties. But my mom did, and after all she’d been through in her life, one of my main objectives was to make sure she got to do everything she enjoyed doing, and she enjoyed being around these people, drinking expensive champagne, eating expensive food, bidding on stupid silent auction items. Plus, she deserved a night away from home. She was shouldering too much of the responsibility where Loren was concerned, but that was just my mother. She gave too much, loved too hard, sacrificed to a fault. So, if she wanted me to buy a table, buy her an expensive beaded gown, put on a tux, and bring her to this thing, I was going to do it without hesitation.
Our table was near the center of the room and was full of Ma’s friends. I was the youngest thing at the table besides Veda. Yeah, I brought her crazy ass with me after making her promise to act like a normal human being. I figured I owed her that since I wasn’t holding up my end of our little arrangement, because my dumb ass was still sitting around waiting on Renee Strickland, and I didn’t even know why.
I sighed at the wonderment in Veda’s eyes as she took in her surroundings. It was a shame her ass was so crazy, otherwise maybe I would’ve felt like taking her out more instead of just screwing her behind closed doors. But it was what it was.
She leaned in close, resting a hand on my thigh. “Thanks for bringing me, Zo, and buying me this dress. Everything is so…nice!” She lowered her voice. “I’ma give you all this pussy when you take me home tonight. Or am I spending the night with you?”
Shit.
I still wasn’t trying to screw her loco ass, but knew better than to say it right then, so I just smiled at her, leaned in close, and whispered, “Your place, V.”
She grinned and let her eyes sweep over the room again. I glanced at my mom, saw the look of disdain on her face, and let my eyes meander away from her. She hated Veda.
My eyes wandered back to my mom, who was now staring at Veda in disgust, and I closed them for a second. When I opened them, they landed across the room, on a pretty brown face and a gorgeous pair of round eyes.
Doc.
She was staring at me with a look I couldn’t quite place on her face. Longing? Desire? I stared back, tried to match her gaze. And then Veda leaned against me, whispered something in my ear, and kissed my cheek, using her finger to wipe her lipstick off my skin. Doc frowned and looked away, but I kept my eyes glued to her. She shifted her eyes back at me, this time rolling them and flashing me a scowl. She looked beautiful. Angry, but beautiful, and I had to bite back a smile when her eyes found me a third time. I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head to the side. In response, she turned her back to me.
I was so angry, I could scream. Not at Lorenzo, but at myself for rejecting him to remain true to vows I’d taken with a damn sub-human piece of pond scum who had done nothing in return but make my very existence a living hell. I huffed and sighed and snatched my sweaty glass of iced tea up to my mouth, almost spilling it on my nice, expensive, peach-ass gown.
“The hell is wrong with you?” Angie asked. Then her eyes widened. “Robert’s ass isn’t here, is he? Do you see him somewhere?”
“No. Not Robert.”
“Well, who or what has you snatching up tea and throwing it back like it’s whiskey?”
“Middle of the room. White tux.” What was with this man and the color white?
“Huh?”
I sighed. “White tux. Big. Handsome with some chica rubbing all up on him.”
“Okay, I see him. Who is—ohhhhhh. Giiiiirl, that’s Lorenzo?”
“Yep.”
“Wow.”
“I know. I tried to tell you.”
“Yeah, but I mean…wow.”
“I. Know.”
“Nay, he’s fine as hell.”
“I know!”
“Shit, where is Nicky? Still at her man’s table? She needs to see this man!”
Ryan leaned in close to Angela and whispered something. She slapped his hand and giggled then for some reason, pulled a small package of wet wipes out of her purse and showed it to him. A second or two later, she turned back to me and said something, but my eyes and attention had both found their way back to Lorenzo. His date or whatever she was, was leaning in close again, whispering something in his ear, and my stomach lurched when he moved his eyes from me to her and smiled.
I stood from the table, afraid I was about to hurl all over myself.
“Hey, you okay? Where you going?” Angie asked. “They’re dimming the lights. I think Chaka Khan’s about to hit the stage.”
