Chapter 07

APOV

Kate, Mia, and I are rushing around excitedly trying to get ready for dinner. "I can't believe we're going to Spago's!" Kate says as she is straightening her hair. She is going all out and wearing a beige and silver embellished wrap dress from Missguided. The neckline is a deep V and shows off her ample chest. All eyes will definitely be on her tonight. Paired with her silver Jimmy Choo Tetrus looped crystal cage sandals, she looks like she could be a movie star in her own right.

Mia is wearing a black Saint Laurent strapless sweetheart velvet mini dress with a plunging neckline. She's already pretty tall but with her black Christian Louboutin Lady Peep patent red sole pumps that are 6 inches high, she is heart-stopping.

I'm being a little more daring than usual. I'm wearing a pair of short gold lamé shorts with a white, v-neck, sleeveless blouse and black high heels. I have a black blazer to wear on top. I feel a little self-conscience since I normally don't wear clothes like this. "Ana, you look so hot!"

"Are you sure, Kate? I feel so exposed." As I say that, I am looking down at my legs.

"Oh, yeah. If you got it, flaunt it!" Kate laughs as she says our favorite line from The Producers. We go out to the living area and find Elliot, Ethan, and Christian. The guys look good themselves. Elliot is wearing a black polo with dark rinse jeans, Ethan has on a blue button-up shirt and dark jeans, and Christian has on a white button-up shirt and black jeans. One of them is wearing cologne that smells so good I'm tempted to sniff each to see who it is.

"Mia, there is no way in hell you are wearing that out!" Christian castigates her.

"Christian! I'm an adult! You can't tell me what I can and can't wear!" Mia shouts back at him.

"You are my baby sister. I definitely can." He looks back at her not budging.

"Elliot! Help me out here." Mia is no longer yelling but is whining.

"Sis, you know I love you and I would do almost anything to piss Christian off, but I can't let you go out wearing that. Just go get changed. For me? Please?"

"Mia, would you like me to help you pick something out?" I offer, hoping it diffuses everything. "Do you have anything pink? It's your color."

"I think I do. Will you and Kate help me?"

"Of course." Kate and I head to the bedroom to help Mia. I feel bad for her. It must be hard to have them as older brothers. We are looking through the closet stuffed with Mia's clothes. I think she packed enough for a couple of weeks. We find a pink and blue Lilly Pulitzer two-piece dress. With it, she wears a pair of pink patent leather Christian Louboutin heels.

"You look great in pink. Mia, I thought Kate's shoe closet was something but I think you can beat her hands down."

"Hey!" Kate gives us a ridiculous pout before laughing with us.

"Ana, you should wear the heels I was going to wear. They would look so sexy with your long legs."

"I don't know, Mia. They are awfully high and I would never forgive myself if I ruined a pair of your Louboutins."

"I'm serious, Ana. You look hot in them."

CPOV

I don't know how much longer it takes to change an outfit - especially when there are two other people helping you. But, that's Mia. The three women come back into the living room and Mia looks much better. Then, I notice Ana. How did I not see her before? She's wearing gold short-shorts, with a white top, and sky-high Christian Louboutins. Fuck me. I push those thoughts out of my head and take control. "Is everyone finally ready? Any longer and we'll lose our table."

"Oh, Christian. Don't be so dramatic." Kate has the nerve admonish me. I hold open the door to the limo letting everyone in before me. I may not like everyone here but I still have manners.

We arrive at Spago where the limo drops us off and we are quickly led to our private dining room. The sommelier quickly comes to our table to greet us. I order a bottle of the Alphonse Mellot –Génération Dix-Neuf, Sancerre, Loire Valley 2013. It's one of my favorites. We place our order with the waiter and our food comes relatively quickly. If you pay for a private dining room they make sure you are happy. I ordered the osetra caviar to start and then the Wagyu beef steak. As I am eating, I notice Ana is very quiet and is only eating an endive salad and the couscous with spring vegetables. If she's going to be drinking, she should really eat something more substantial. It seems like she is a little overwhelmed.

During dinner, we enjoy a couple more bottles of wine and the girls are already getting tipsy. This is either going to be a very long night or a very short one. We have finished dinner and gather in the limo to head to the next stop - The Playhouse. We skip the line and head to the front where I give the bouncer my name. He lets us in where a scantily clad blonde with obvious implants shows us to our VIP table. If we're going to go clubbing, then we are doing it right. Plus, there's less of a chance of someone touching me this way. I order a bottle of the Ace of Spades rosé magnum.

Immediately, the girls put their stuff down on the table and head to the dance floor with Ethan following close behind. Elliot comes up to me, "Bro, are you going to dance?"

"No, it's not my thing and I can check some emails here."

"Yeah, I'll sit with you." Elliot moves into the booth to sit with me.

"Go ahead, Elliot. Go dance with your fiance. I can assure you I am perfectly fine."

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you out after all you've done for us tonight."

"I am. Go." Elliot then gets up and joins Kate and the others on the dance floor. I check my email and luckily nothing is going on. I sit back and sip the rosé. The next song the DJ plays is Britney Spears' Slave 4 U. I can tell the more Ana drinks the fewer inhibitions she has and now she is dancing very sensually. Ethan comes up behind her and starts grinding her, his hands on her hips. Whether or not they are anything, he wants her. And, I'm starting to see her appeal; maybe she isn't the quiet bookish girl I thought she was. After the song, Ana, Mia, and Kate come back to the table for water with Elliot and Ethan. Ana is standing at the edge of the booth next to where I am sitting. Suddenly, someone from the party next to us slams into Ana hard, knocking her over. Before she can fall to the ground I reach up and catch her in my arms. She is pushed so forcefully she lands on my lap in the seat.

For a few seconds, she is sitting on my lap, in my arms, looking into my eyes. It's like she is looking into my soul. Feelings I have never felt before come rushing to the surface. Breaking the connection, Ana apologizes, "I'm sorry, Christian." She quickly gets up. What the hell just happened? What the hell is happening to me? Why do I feel this strange attraction to her? OK, so she isn't as plain looking as I thought, but we have nothing in common and I'm 99.9% sure she isn't into what's in my playroom. We decide to leave the club and head to the next spot.