back into its place. “You couldn’t even do that right.”
“Look, that’s none of your fucking business.”
“What is going on with you two?” Lark asked.
“Do you want to tell them, Lewis?”
Lewis glared at me. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Well, I’m intrigued,” Katherine said. “Did you two get into a little spat?”
I was prepared to spill his secret. But as I looked at his pleading eyes, at my very best friend, the guy that I’d grown up with my entire life, I couldn’t do that to him. Even if he could do it to me.
“No,” I yielded. “He just gave me some good advice that I didn’t take. He’s right to be pissed at me.”
Lewis’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe I hadn’t ratted out his feelings for Natalie. But even I wasn’t cruel enough to spill that to the likes of Katherine.
“Truthfully, I’m a little disappointed in you, Penn,” Katherine said. She glided unhurriedly in my direction. “I was expecting a harder challenge. I thought you’d show me the dark Upper East Side of your nature. That bad boy underneath that you keep trying to push away with stuffy lectures about right and wrong.”
“That Penn is dead,” I told her.
“Everyone in this room knows that’s a lie. You’re still there. Hiding down deep. I’ll claw it out of you.” She trailed her finger down my chest. “All night tonight.”
I swatted her hand away. “Enough.”
“You guys,” Lark said, glancing anxiously between us. “Maybe we should drop the whole thing. It was stupid anyway.”
“It didn’t happen how either of you expected,” Lewis chimed in. “And all it does is hurt the group.”
Everyone jumped in at once to argue their point of all of this. If only we had been this thoughtful two months ago in the pool.
“The bet was set,” Katherine yelled over everyone. “If you’d won, I would have married Camden. No complaints from me.”
“Yeah, right,” I spat.
“I won, so I get to fuck you.” Katherine shrugged. “That’s the bet. That’s what I get for going darker than you, Penn. Maybe, next time, you’ll really play.”
“You bitch…”
“Enough!” Rowe roared, shocking us all into silence. “The bet happened. We all agreed on it that night. You can’t argue your way out of this, so stop trying. I’m fucking tired of it. Natalie isn’t here, so we can’t judge if she fell for you. So, by the rules, Katherine won. Can we all shut up now and move on?”
Natalie
39
The cab ride took forever and cost a fortune.
But I didn’t even care as I bounded up the stairs and into the mayor’s party. It was packed full of politicians and their friends. All dressed the same, as if they were going to a funeral. And here I was in a white dress and sandals with my hair in a topknot. No makeup. And nothing but my one bag and purse to my name. I probably looked like a hobo who had wandered into their midst.
Luckily, the mayor was nowhere around. I excused myself at the door and hurried through the living room. It was really beautiful, the way the interior decorator had finished everything. Not that that was my mission here.
I needed to find Penn. I had to tell him the truth.
I stumbled into the kitchen, keeping my eye out for him. I saw a man I recognized. I took a deep breath and then pushed forward.
“Court?” I asked.
He glanced over at me and frowned. “Are you lost, love?”
“I’m Natalie. We met briefly on Halloween. Have you seen Penn?”
“Oh right. Penn’s little girlfriend. And here I thought, he’d ditched you.”
“Uh, no. But have you seen him?”
“He was harassing me earlier.”
I nearly rolled my eyes but held it back. “Do you know where he went?”
“Think he ran toward the library. But don’t hold me to it. When he ditches you later, feel free to look me up.” He winked.
I shook my head in disgust and pushed past him. He seemed every bit as dastardly as Penn had described him. Especially since I was pretty sure that his own girlfriend had been standing only a few feet away when he hit on me. Charming.
The library was around the corner and down closer to the master bedroom. I knew the layout by heart and rushed to open the door. My hand was on it when I heard raised voices from the other side.
I froze for a second. Who was yelling? And what about? Maybe Penn wasn’t in there at all, and Court was sending me into some kind of