it took me a few minutes to realize he was joking.
“Very funny. Seriously though, what kind of party is this?” Before I kissed Ozi, I never would have questioned it. Now I was as nervous as I was on my first day.
“Just more of the same. Don’t worry, girl. It will be fun. He has a guest house that we all crash in and we usually get the leftover caviar and champagne. We have our own party after the suits go to sleep.” The excitement in his voice was palpable.
“Okay…I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
Max made an exaggerated kissy noise into the phone that made me lurch back. “Sorry, I’ve been drinking. All right, girl, sweet dreams. And we are still doing brunch on Sunday. It’s my favorite meal of the day. Byeee.” He hung up laughing.
The cab driver cleared his throat. “Pardon me, Miss, but I couldn’t help but overhear you. A word of advice. If you are working one of Ozi’s parties…keep your head down and be discreet. Some of the most high profile people in the city will be there doing things that they aren’t going to want anyone else to know about.”
I swallowed hard. I nodded and looked out the window, avoiding the driver’s inquisitive eyes on me in the mirror. What in the hell have I gotten myself into?
The answering machine was blinking like a beacon in the dark. I locked the door behind me, kicked off my shoes and went straight for the wine cabinet. After pouring a large glass of Bordeaux and slicing up a few of the artisan cheeses that were in the fridge, I leaned up against the wall and hit the message button. I still couldn’t believe that Piper had an actual answering machine. And I was from Maplewood, the smallest town on the planet. Even we had moved on from those.
“You have two messages,” the automated voice stated.
“Piper, it’s Harley. I have that info you asked for. You’re probably half way to someplace crazy like the Bermuda triangle by now, so I’ll try you on your burner. If you’re checking remotely, delete this message.”
So that was weird. Piper has a burner phone? And who the heck is Harley?
Next message.
“Hey, Raven! I hope you are settling in and you have everything you need. Sorry again about running off on you but I’m swamped with work. Give me a call when you get a chance. I left a different number in the junk drawer. Talk to ya soon!”
That must be the burner phone number. Maybe I’ve watched too many spy movies, but I thought only secret agents and criminals needed one of those. I was seriously starting to question my life choices as I guzzled my wine like it was water. Even though Piper was from Maplewood, I really knew nothing about her. Now she was getting cryptic messages and asking me to call her on a burner phone? Then there was the fact that I worked for one of the most powerful men in New York City who threw spur of the moment parties and expected his staff to be at his beck and call. For fuck’s sake, even the cab driver knew who he was.
I poured another glass of wine and rifled through the kitchen drawers, looking for the one that Piper considered junk. It wasn’t hard to find. All the other drawers were empty except the one with the plastic ware. For as much money as she’d put into this place, I was getting the impression that she didn’t spend much time here. The number was on a yellow sticky note that I had to peel off a buy one get one free pizza coupon.
I dialed the number hesitantly and Piper picked up on the third ring. “Hi, Raven! Thanks for calling me back. How’s everything going?”
“Uh, how did you know it was me?” I chuckled.
“Oh, you’re the only one who has this number. Everything okay?” She sounded concerned.
“Yeah everything is fine. You had a message from someone named Harley. She said something about calling you on a burner? Are you okay?”
Piper let out a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry about me, Raven. I have multiple phones for work. Harley just likes to be dramatic. So tell me everything! Did you find a job? Are you settling into the apartment all right?”
Where do I even begin? I didn’t know Piper well enough to open up, but I was staying at her place. “I’m working