"Well? Is anyone going to say how incredible she looks? Or are you all going to sit there, catching flies in your mouths?" Annalisa asks the guys, who are all still staring at me.
I look over at her, annoyed that she wants them to say something about how I look and shift uncomfortably under their stares.
"You look amazing, Charmaine. The darker hair color makes your eyes stand out."
I turn towards a smiling Vince. "Thank you, Vince." The heat is rising in my face as his eyes roam over my face.
Annalisa smiles, winking at me, as she walks past to her room. I quickly follow behind her, not wanting to stand there any longer, while everyone continues to stare at me.
Once I walk into my room, I head to the closet to put some of the clothes I got away. I pull the red, wrap midi dress I bought yesterday for tonight's dinner and lay it out on the bed.
I don't have to do much to get ready; the salon did all the work for me. I make my way back out to the living room after I'm dressed; I sit on the couch and wait while everyone gets ready.
"Hey, birthday girl. You doin' okay?" I look up and see Vince standing behind the couch, looking down at me. "I know we haven't talked since we...since yesterday. But I don't want things to be weird between us." He says as he walks around the couch.
"I'm fine, but if I'm honest, I'm embarrassed that I had to hear from Annalisa that we kissed—or made out, and I don't even remember it." I look down, not able to face him.
I feel him sit down next to me, and he angles his body towards me. "You don't need to worry, Charmaine...but, if I'm honest, I was just trying to get a reaction out of JP at first by asking you to dance, and then the rest of the night is a blur..." He chuckles, running a hand through his hair as he leans back on the couch.
"What? Why were you trying to get a reaction out of JP?" I ask him, completely surprised by his confession.
"I know you said there's nothing between you two, but there is. JP's crazy about you. And I think you are too, about him, but don't want to admit it, or maybe you don't even know it..." My heart is starting to pound in my chest.
No. No, JP said he values our friendship more than anything, and the kiss didn't mean anything. But do I like him? More than a friend? Vince continues with his speech, not allowing me to continue to freak out.
"What I didn't plan on was that crazy amazon bitch, with her two minions showing up, then her wanting to start something with my sister or you. Or the fact that Annalisa would keep buying shots after shots." Vince sighs. "Anyway, we are both adults, and we were just caught up in the night, having fun, with way too much drinking involved."
"You can say that again!" Annalisa chimes in, chuckling.
We both look up as she walks into the room in her body-hugging cream-colored dress and sits across from us. "You know, big brother, you're not setting a good example for me to follow." She continues teasing him.
Vince scoffs at her. "Please, Anna, don't give me that shit. You have never listened to anything I have ever told you. So don't act as you would start now."
"You're right, bro. I wouldn't!" She agrees and laughs.
As we get up to head out, I notice Elena isn't with us. "Where is Elena?"
"She isn't feeling well. She thinks she ate something bad from breakfast this morning or thought it could be the crab cakes she had at lunch, too. So she told me to tell you sorry, but I got the present she got for you and will give it to you at dinner."
YOU ARE READING
For the Empire - Inganno
General Fiction[Book 1] Stella and her father had no choice but to move in with her Uncle Timo, in New York, in refuge, after witnessing her mom's murder, as a child. She feels a connection to her Uncle, but his responsibilities as the leader for one of the large...
