Fiftysix - Seven Rue Page 0,28

the corner of the screen, then watching her reaction as she looked up from her book.

She frowned at first, then tilted her head and pulled the corners of her mouth down. “Even though that skirt is fairly short…you don’t look slutty at all.”

I looked down at myself, thinking slutty wasn’t what I was going for anyway.

“You look like you’re going to a business meeting, but will end up at a bar with every rich guy in this town,” she added.

Good.

“And I love that sweater. Turtlenecks look great on you.”

I smiled and adjusted my skirt on my waist. “Thanks. What about my shoes?” I asked, lifting my right foot to show her another pair of white sneakers with a little bit of a platform underneath.

“I like the whole school girl look. I’m sure Riggs will too.”

I sighed, suddenly feeling unsure about everything.

“Is that confidence lacking?” Kennedy asked with a raised brow and smug grin on her face. “Come on, Valley. He’s blocked you already, and that should actually be a good sign. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

“Him strangling me but not in an act of breath play,” I muttered.

“You really think he’s that mad at you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know him that well to know what he’s thinking. I just know how rough he can be. He didn’t hold back that night, but I do think he was taken aback a little by my own behavior.”

“Well, he won’t kill you, that I know. At least not with your parents around,” she joked.

I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed, then grabbed the phone to hold it up in front of my face.

“I gotta go. I’ll let you know how it all went.”

“Okay, enjoy your night,” she said, smiling.

We said goodbye and hung up, then I quickly put on a little bit of mascara and blush to complete my school girl look, as Kennedy called it.

I looked good, there’s no denying it.

But I was starting to feel a little nervous which wasn’t usual for me.

I took a few deep breaths before heading downstairs where Dad was already sitting on the couch, dressed and ready to leave.

“You look handsome tonight,” I told him, sitting down on the recliner next to the couch.

He looked up from his iPad, eyeing me carefully before looking back at the screen. “Aren’t you gonna be cold in that skirt?” he asked, noticing my once again exposed legs.

“We’re inside anyway, right?” I pointed out.

He shrugged, tapping the screen a few times before setting the iPad down next to him. “His brother will be there. Please, don’t make any remarks about him.”

I raised a brow at him. “Huh?”

“Just don’t…say anything offensive or anything. You’ve said a few things in Riggs’s presence that I didn’t find very fitting at the dinner table.”

I lifted my hand to my lips and gestured to lock my mouth and then throw away the key.

I could stay quiet for once. Maybe tease Riggs with just my eyes, and my outfit was enough to get his attention anyway.

“I’m ready. Sorry I took so long but this dress just didn’t wanna fit right,” Della said, sighing and tugging at her dark-red dress.

“You look beautiful,” I told her with a smile.

“Oh, thank you, sweetie. Are we ready to go?”

“Yes. Let me get the champagne bottle,” Dad said, getting up from the couch and walking back into the kitchen while Della and I headed to the front door.

“Aren’t you going to be c—”

“No, I won’t,” I replied without her having to finish that sentence.

If there was one more human asking me if I was cold, I would lose it.

“Is that a new skirt?” she asked, changing the subject but still sounding a little judgmental.

“Yes. It’s pretty, hm?”

“Very.”

We got into the car once Dad was back with the champagne bottle, and after handing it to me, we drove off to get to Riggs’s house.

I could still contain my excitement, whereas my nervousness was rising like never before.

It wasn’t the way I was dressed that made me feel this way, but more so his reaction, and seeing me after blocking me.

Sure, I was upset about that, but if he thought that would make me stop, he was wrong.

I would only play harder, dirtier.

Ready or not, Riggs…here I fucking come.

We arrived after a few minutes at Riggs’s house which was located a short drive away from the town’s center on a small hill.

This part of town was a little quieter, with many families living close by but all of