Sometimes we keep the ones we love from knowing the truth about us, who we are, what we’ve done, because we don’t want to hurt them. In the long run, are we only making it worse?
I didn’t have any answers…
Two Wigs & A Donut
Morningside Heights
The line for Starbucks was out the door and around the building. I swear, New Yorkers can’t get their day started without caffeine.
Vive, Lex, and I went to the second-best place a few blocks down, Brad’s Brew. Which was fine by me because the girls were wearing black wigs, oversized shades covering their eyes, and scarves. They resembled a pair of mob wives who’d gone into protective custody.
Totally silly. Especially with poor Hedda on Vive’s arm. Even the dog sported mini-sunglasses with the big double ‘C’ Chanel logo... cute. But it drew attention to them, not detracted.
Regardless, I was all too familiar with the routine. Every time one of our names ended up in the tabloids, the girls put on disguises. As if different clothing could shield them from the world.
Speechless, arms at my side, we walked into the coffee shop as a tingling feeling of embarrassment swept up the back of my neck and across my face. Oh, God. Everyone stared at us.
After we got our order, we picked a table in the far corner, away from the window. The place had grey cement walls and other than the group of students chatting at the espresso machine, it wasn’t that crowded.
“I like it here better anyway. I hear the beans come from Puerto Rico. The coffee tastes sweeter and creamier.” Lex removed her coat and took a sip from her cup. She’d ordered the largest size.
“That’s because you put a gallon of sugar in it,” Vive scolded, untying the scarf from around her neck. The girl had been on a sugar-free, low-calorie, no-carb diet for as long as I’d known her. It drove us all (including herself) nuts.
“Shut up, Viveca. I’m stressed as it is. Ever since last night, my stomach has been in knots. I didn’t sleep a wink and I think a migraine is coming on. Shit. The stress of all this is causing me to see white spots. So! I don’t need you monitoring my caloric intake, like I’m at some Weight Watchers meeting. Sugar is my Xanax. Sugar makes me feel better. Sugar gives me peace. So let me eat my frickin’ s-u-g-a-r.” She munched on a chocolate éclair.
“What the flip ever.” Vive adjusted Hedda on her lap.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I then glanced down at my watch. It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet and those two were already at each other’s throats. I will say their matching bobbed hair, probably from India, looks pretty darn fabulous. Not synthetic or Halloweenish in the least. But the wigs’ dark blue undertones didn’t seem natural against their fair complexions. “Everyone uptown knows it’s us. We’re practically on campus. Don’t you two think the whole disguise thing is getting old?”
“Chill, bitch. Meeting you this morning has nothing to do with being on that stinking Poppy White Show. And I will be giving her a piece of my mind later today, don’t you worry about that.”
“Then what the frick does it have to do with? Taddy’s wedding?”
“Nope. We’ll get to the why of all this in just a minute. First, we gotta scope out the room and see if he’s here,” Lex replied, seeming a bit jumpier than usual.
“He…who?” I gritted my teeth, pressing my lips tight, and rolled my eyes dramatically in their direction. They were probably stalking some boy…again. Vive had done just that in the past. I tried not to pay them any attention, so I asked, “How’s Taddy?”
Scratching her wig, Vive replied, “She’s forgotten all about her miscarriage and is totally focused on her wedding. I think she’s forcing herself not to mourn the loss of the baby and is totally drinking the bride-to-be Kool-Aid.”
“If that works for her, let her be.” I sat back in my chair, glancing at Hedda.
The dog was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
“You don’t seem to care much whether Taddy moves to Europe and gets married or not,” Vive snapped.
“I do care. But let’s face the facts. Taddy has a Playboy spread coming out in a few months. She’s going to get endorsement deals. Mark my words, she’s going to be famous.”
“Yeah. So.” Lex wiped her lips with a napkin. As daughter to rock-n-roll royalty, she wasn’t impressed with fame or money.
“I anticipate that Taddy will be engaged a dozen or so times—too many different men—before eventually walking down the aisle.”
My mother had been set to wed three different times before she’d married my dad. She’d once said, “When a woman has a brain, a nice body, and a pretty face, she must keep all of her options open to securing the best man possible.”
Mom was hardcore.
“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Lex muttered as she picked up a second, much larger pastry and took a bite.
“Leon hasn’t set a date or anything…” Vive bit her manicured nail.
“We all love Taddy. Let’s be supportive. Lord knows she doesn’t have her parents to lean on right now,” I reminded them.
“Fine.” Vive removed her sunglasses, revealing dilated pupils. “We can do that. Right, Lex?”
“Yup.”
“So, what’s with this getup?”
Lex pushed her shades up into her wig, opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, shoved a piece of donut into it, and shook her head as if she couldn’t possibly bring herself to say what the heck was really going on.
Vive nudged her and encouraged, “Go on. Tell him. You must.”
Taking one more glance over her shoulder, Lex lowered her voice and said shakily, “Although Ford has officially dumped me—and we’re not getting back together—he did call late last night, giving us some information about the roofie incident.”
“And what’s that?” Not expecting to hear that, I leaned forward.
Tilting her head from side to side as if weighing how to word it, she continued, “Ford says that Glamorama doesn’t stock the kind of wine we got served.”
“The cheap shit,” Vive added.
“Exactly.” Lex put a powdered-sugared pointer finger up in the air. “He also said the waiter they got on video serving us the drinks was not a Glamorama employee.”
“Who was he then?”
“They…don’t know.” Lex shrugged, swallowing so hard I could hear her from across the table. “The image was distorted. They couldn’t get a close-up of his face.
“How does Glamorama know it’s not one of their servers?”
“Well…apparently…the club only staffs females.”
“Ohhh. Shit.”
Clasping her hands together, Vive asked, “Do you remember anything about him?”
“Tall. Cute. Resembled one of those Abercrombie models you see in the ads. You sure he didn’t work at the club?”
Lex nodded.
“To be honest, he could be sitting here, watching us, right now, and I wouldn’t notice him.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t even joke like that,” Lex voiced in a shrill tone.
“Seriously, that roofie stuff not only made me sick but sorta made my memory a bit wonky.” All I could remember was my bath and a few choice words Diego’d had with Miguel.
“Me, too, honey,” Vive agreed. “I don’t remember a damn thing about that night. Hell, that man could walk up and kiss me, right here, right now, and I still wouldn’t recognize him.”
Lex started to jiggle her left leg, causing the small circular table between us to vibrate. I didn’t know if the sugar was kicking in to her bloodstream or if she was just on edge because she was nervous. Then she asked, “Don’t you think it’s odd that those drinks were targeted at us?”
Eyes narrowing, I rubbed my temples. “Let’s not get dramatic. I know we’re the talk of the town, but I seriously doubt anyone was targeting us specifically for anything. Many other people got sick that night. It wasn’t just us.”
This was preposterous.
?
??Ford mentioned that there were many instances seen on the video where the server is circling, standing near, and watching us.”
Trying to calm her down, I reached for her hand. “How could he not? We’re good eye candy.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Vive muttered and started to pick at her nails.
“Between Vive being dressed up as a ballerina, Taddy and her infamous, soon-to-be-featured-in-Playboy breasts sticking out, and you coming from rock-n-roll royalty, how could anyone not circle, stare, and watch?” I reasoned.
There was no arguing that.
We all took a sip of our coffee and glanced around the coffee shop. Students were studying. Some were reading books while others were writing on their laptops. Lex’s left leg kept on bouncing. Vive’s picking of her nails had increased to full-on finger gnawing.
Jesus, you two are wound up tighter than a rubber band.
“Listen,” Vive broke the silence between us. “Don’t you think it’s odd that ever since we got to Manhattan, all this bad shit has been happening to us?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “We need to reset our karma.”
“How?” Lex asked.
“Let’s do some charity work. A fundraiser for HIV or something.” My mind went to Thor.
“Yawn. Screw pro-bono,” Vive sassed. “Let’s go see a voodoo priestess or one of those ladies with the crystals and have our souls cleansed.”
“Oh, brother.” Lex sighed.
“Count me out. I don’t believe in that kinda stuff.” Mysticism and witchcraft weren’t my cup of tea.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Vive shifted Hedda from one part of her lap to the other.
“Get what?” I asked.
“Someone is out to kill us.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I let out a sarcastic laugh.
Lex wiped the frosting from her lips. “Over the summer, Mom’s penthouse blows up. I’ve thought about it over and over again. There’s no way that blast was an accident. Sure, the fire department said it was my fault, because I’d burned the dress and Mom’s oxygen facial tanks were lying around. But come on! You saw the explosion. Someone had to have rigged those tanks to go off like that.”
Although Lex had been cleared of all charges, I could admit the whole thing was a freaky-deaky fluke of major odd sauce.
She leaned forward and added, “Then we’re flying over the Caribbean with Taddy, on our way to her next modeling assignment, and the plane just happens to fall apart in mid-air.”
“Don’t remind me.” I turned my cheek, flashing them my scar.
Vive slammed her fist on the table, causing Hedda to stand on her hind legs. “I’ve researched our plane crash. The jet wasn’t old. Someone had to have tampered with the aircraft before we even took off. What else would cause a tear in the ceiling like that?”
“Air pressure,” I suggested, putting my palms in the air.
The Federal Aviation Administration hadn’t released an official statement as to why our plane fell apart. It was still under investigation. But clearly the plane fell apart.
“Bull-fucking-shit, Blake Morgan.” Vive crossed her arms.
“Did Officer Ford come to this conclusion, too?” I asked.
They both nodded simultaneously.
“No. Way.”
“Yes waaay,” Vive snapped back.
“It’s a bit out of Ford’s jurisdiction, but he’s looking into it. He’s advised me to tell all of you to stay put. No traveling. No clubbing. We go to class. We come home. That’s it.”
“Looks like Taddy won’t be going to France anytime soon, then.” Vive pushed her seat back.
This was insanity. I was used to the girls and their over-the-top drama, so I wasn’t fazed by what they’d said. Not at all. I was more annoyed that they were giving this any consideration and putting energy into it. I’d had enough drama for one week. Wanting to change the subject, I asked, “What did Ford say about having sex? Are we at least allowed to fuck?”
“Oh, brother.” Lex sighed and turned into Vive. “See, I knew we shouldn’t have told Blake. I told you he wouldn’t believe us. He’s not taking us seriously.”
“Who exactly do you plan on fucking?” Vive asked.
“Diego.”
Clapping her sticky hands together, Lex’s shaking leg stopped. “Finally, some good news around here!”
“Not so fast. What about Miguel?” Vive’s painted right eyebrow arched.
“I think he and I will just be friends.”
“Shoot. I liked him better for you,” she admitted, finally removing her fingers from her mouth.
“Why’s that?”
“Call it women’s intuition.” She shrugged. “He just seems like a better fit. Honey, don’t get me wrong. I like Diego. He’s very easy on the eyes. But based on my interactions with them in class, there just seems to be a layer of depth to Miguel that has yet to be explored.”
“Not up for that challenge,” I admitted. Don’t get me wrong. Miguel Santana was beautiful. But if he’d wanted me in that way, he would’ve come for me. I was sure of it.
They both laughed.
“Listen, Officer Ford wants us to lay low. I get that. So this weekend, let’s all go to my parents’ house.” Omitting the part about Thor’s HIV, I filled them in on the conversation with my mom about seeing us on TV.
“Sounds good to me.” Lex smiled.
“Me, too!” Vive scooped Hedda up in her arm. “Leon heads back to France tomorrow. Maybe your mom can talk some sense into Taddy about staying in school and postponing her marriage.”
“Four years would be a long-ass engagement.” Lex laughed.
“Three and half,” Vive corrected.
“Maybe…” I said, realizing we’d barely gotten through one semester of school and already had so much happen in our lives.
But if anyone could talk Taddy out of something, it was my mother.
A few days later, at home in Fairfield, I laid on my bed, pulled out my gratitude journal, and wrote…
Dear Greace,
I’m grateful for…
Diego coming into my life. I’m falling for hmi. I’m glad he came with me this weekend to meet my family.
My new friendship with Miguel. He’s growing on me.
Thor’s mom coming to visit him tadoy. He’s going to be just fine. And that makes me happy.
Taddy agreeing to wait to get married until after she’s graduated from college.
Vive and Lex for calming themselves dwon about the supposed man who’s out to kill us.
Most of all, I’m grateful for my family. I love my perants and am looking forward to the next semester at college.
XO,
Blake
Join the XO, Blake buddy read on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2257963-xo-blake-buddy-read and get the dialogue going by asking the following questions:
How would you have handled Thor’s situation?
Would you ever tell a lie to keep your mom from worrying?
What’s your fantasy? Is it getting tied up in bed?
Be sure to leave your review at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20567999-xo-blake
Aren’t you dying to know who Blake Morgan got his happily ever after with ten years later? Gurl, I thought so. *wink* I’ll give you three clues. He’s Mexican, one of the most famous artists in New York, and back when they were in college, he never got to tell Blake how he really felt about him. Find out how Blake fell in love for the second time with Unsaid (The Manhattanites #3): http://averyaster.com/unsaid/
To Shane, the knucklebones king of our class who I told every secret to in the first grade. You are my nearest and dearest. Thank you for always making me smile when I wanted to cry, for standing by my side when no one else wanted to be my friend, and for giving me a place to call home when I first came to New York City. Here’s to many more steak au poivre dinners. Love, Avery
Huge hugs to my family George, Pauline, and Adam for loving me. Thank you to m
y friends Shane, Julie, Sara, Kelly, Shari, Edward, Manuel, Brenda, Holly, Pat, Michele, John, Ron, Nicole, Nackie, Bailee, Hector, and Lynn for not taking it personally when I’m locked up in my cave writing.
Author love to my beta-readers Nicole and Miss Diamond. Much praise to Kristin and Becky at Hot Tree for editing this novel. And Arijana K. @ Cover It! Designs for such a perfect cover.
New York Times bestselling author Avery Aster pens The Manhattanites, a contemporary erotic romance series of full-length, stand-alone novels, and the naughty new adult prequel companion series The Undergrad Years.
As a resident of New York City and a graduate from New York University, Avery gives readers an inside look at the city’s glitzy nightlife, socialite sexcapades and tall tales of the über-rich and ultra-famous.
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You must read the next installment in The Undergrad Years featuring Vive Farnworth in Always & Forever, Vive or I’ll never speak to you again *wink*. Add it to your Goodreads TBR shelf https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20568008-always-forever-vive and join Vive Farnworth on her New Adult adventure.
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in The Undergrad Years series
Love, Lex #1
Yours Truly, Taddy #2
XO, Blake #3
Always & Forever, Vive #4
in The Manhattanites series
Undressed #1
Unscrupulous #2
Unsaid #3
Unconventional #4