Chapter 47

“Please tell me that you’re not wearing that,” Lily said as soon as I entered her bedroom on the yacht.

I rolled my eyes and waved my dress bag at her.

“Yes, it is. I just brought this incredible dress that my best friend bought me as a backup in case I got my modest wear filthy.”

Lily stuck her tongue out at me.

“What were you even doing that required such morbid attire?”

“None of your business.” My voice cracked, but I hoped Lily wouldn’t notice.

“Really? Something that’s none of my business?”

Lily’s eyes widened in mock surprise.

“Well, that’s a first. What could be so important, so top-secret, that even I am not allowed to know about it?”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll learn about it eventually,” I said as I set down my makeup and dress, my back to Lily.

I took a moment to collect myself before I turned around and exclaimed, “Well, let’s get started!”

By the time I finished, Lily and I were goddesses.

Lily wore a blue halter top dress with a low-scoop back and slits up both legs. Her blue six-inch heels accented her silhouette beautifully. I had painted her eyelids blue and her lips gold and brushed gold blush across her cheeks.

I opted for a strapless red dress that ended a couple inches above my knees and fit me like a glove. My red heels were only four high, but they boasted my behind plenty. My lips were red, while my cheeks and eyeshadow shone gold.

“We look damn hot tonight,” Lily said as we put the finishing touches on our hair. She went with a high bun with a diamond scrunchy, while I let my hair fall in loose curls with glitter sprinkled throughout.

“Yeah, I suppose we do,” I agreed, blushing.

“Now, let’s go show off how hot we are.”

Lily offered her arm, and I accepted it. We walked, arm-in-arm, toward the center of the ship—a 60-meter superyacht with more features than I could count off—where a staircase awaited us. At the bottom of the stairs was a sea of rowdy partiers; at the head stood a man dressed like a 19(th)-century butler.

“What theme is this party, exactly?” I whispered to Lily.

“Whatever the Hell I want.”

Lily laughed heartily and waved to the crowd, who all cheered. After taking Lily’s elbow to my ribs, I waved timidly as well.

The old-fashioned butler cleared his throat and spoke into a microphone.

“Introducing the birthday girl, Lily Cogsworth, and her stylist and best friend, Anna Leonard!”

More cheers erupted. Lily and I, still entwined, glided down the staircase. As soon as we descended, we were surrounded by Lily’s loved ones and fans.

I found myself struggling to breathe as they closed in on us.

“I’m going to go get something to drink,” I shouted over the now-blaring music.

Lily flashed me the OK sign.

I wriggled myself free and made my way over to the bar, glad to be free of that mess.

“Rum and coke, please,” I told the bartender.

“Coming up.”

I faced the dance floor as I waited, keeping an eye out for Lily. By the look of the mob that had surrounded her, it would be a while.

“Rum and coke,” the bartender said and handed me the drink.

“Thank you.”

I was taking a sip when I noticed a handsome, if slightly disheveled, man saunter up to the bar next to me.

“Hey,” he said as he pulled his tie loose.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but something about this man didn’t sit right with me. He reeked to high heaven, and his eyes were bloodshot. I wanted to leave, but I knew that Lily would be looking for me there.

“Hi,” was all I could manage to say. I glanced back at the bartender, but he was busy with other customers.

“Having a good time?”

He shifted closer to me. I tried to move away, and he just moved closer again.

I nodded.

“Cat got yer tongue?”

He draped his arm around my shoulder, his hand landing a little too close to my breast.

“Yer pretty, ya know that?”

I blushed and shrugged his arm off of me.

“Please don’t touch me,” I said loudly enough to be heard over the music.

The man held his hands up in a defensive manner.

“Woah, woah, okay. Just trying to have some fun.”

A part of me felt embarrassed for rebuking him, and the other part of me chastised that part for even thinking that way.

“It’s a party, ya know? Ya gotta loosen up.”

He reached forward and tucked my hair behind my ear. Chills ran down my spine. My creep alert was ringing off the hook.

“Barkeep, some chips and a couple of whatever the lady’s having!” the man exclaimed. The bartender waved his acknowledgement.

“You really don’t have to. I just got my drink—”

“I insist.”

He touched my forearm. His eyelids drooped slightly, but I knew he wasn’t tired. He more reminded me of a lion lazily stalking some prey that he knows will make for an easy kill.

“I said, please don’t touch me,” I said, louder and more firmly. I grabbed his hand and tried to pull it off me, but his grip on my arm tightened.

“She told you not to touch her, Ted,” I heard Lily’s voice say from behind me. She was pissed.

Ted released my arm and took a couple steps back from me.

“I was just flirting a little, Lils,” he said.

“Don’t call me that,” Lily said as she stepped up beside me. “And if I see you bothering Anna again, I’ll have your pot-loving ass thrown out on your hookah.”

Ted raised his hands defensively again.

“Geez, just having some fun…”

Lily huffed at Ted as he walked away. She turned to me.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Sorry about that. Ted’s normally okay, but he gets a bit handsy when he’s high.”

A grin suddenly stretched across her face.

“Speaking of which, do you wish to partake?”

She held up a cannabis vape pen and offered it to me.

I shook my head.

“No, thanks. I’ll stick to good old-fashioned party spirits,” I said, raising my rum and coke.

“Suit yourself.”

She took a hit off the vape and grabbed one of the glasses Ted had ordered.

“Let’s party!”

Barnett watched from a far corner as the man Lily had once introduced to him as Ted hit on Anna. Not even 5:30 and the guy was already high. Barnett’s jaw clenched, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped his drink.

He didn’t want to approach them, not yet. With Anna having moved so far from the apartment complex, he figured that she wanted space from everything—from him. That probably hadn’t changed in the past few weeks since they last saw each other.

Then Ted grabbed Anna and wouldn’t let go of her.

Barnett slammed his drink on his table and charged toward the bar. Before he could make it across the dance floor to the pair, Lily interfered.

Barnett stopped himself from going to check on Anna. She and Lily seemed to be taking care of themselves fine. Instead, his attention shifted to Ted.

He stormed after the man, determined to have a talk with him.