Attraction - temporarily available

Chapter 4

I reached out with my hand and clasped hers. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I can see what the fuss is about," she replied, letting one corner of her mouth slip into a smile.

"Fuss?" For a second I wondered if Tom had said something, but that was wishful thinking.

"Chris may have mentioned that you make people smile."

"Sweet cheeks, are you telling tales about me?"

Dante let out a soft chuckle when Chris rolled his eyes. Before anyone had time to respond, Lara snatched my arm. Steering me toward the bar and away from Tom, she walked with a kind of certainty that made me like her even more. Not that I liked the fact that she took me away, but I had to play along to get into her good graces. A means to an end, but hopefully a pleasant one.

"It's wonderful that you came along." She leaned closer to my ear. "No one will bother me for a while if we have a little chat. Besides, I'm curious about you." She began to speak louder. "So, tell me. You're from Sweden?"

"Yes, Stockholm."

"Wonderful city. Fantastic archipelago. We visited last summer while on tour. You must miss it."

"Not especially."

A few people moved out of our way, glancing at Lara and me with apparent curiosity. Perhaps I was reaching fame after all. I chuckled at the thought. Reaching fame through acquaintance was a shallow type of fame—one that never lasted. And, who knew, perhaps Lara was infamous rather than famous. I tried to imagine in what ways she could be infamous. Perhaps she was secretly a bitch, but I very much doubted that. A tough cookie, surely, but not a menace. You simply have to pet a cat along its fur, not against it.

"You've also been good for Chris. I think he was on the right track before, but you've definitely made him open up even more. He was quite withdrawn when I first met him."

I had a hard time seeing that. "Really?"

"Yes. I believe so. He's had a tough year behind him, and I think you arrived like a breath of fresh air." She smiled.

Chris had said Lara was like a mother to Dante, but perhaps she had also adopted Chris in a way. It was sweet.

"It's been good for me, too. I never want to leave this place."

She smiled again, wider this time. "Let's hope you never will."

The bar was crowded, not night club crowded but country club crowded. There was a difference. Here, people stood amicably at the length of the bar, never too close to one another, and no one would dream of waving money in the air to catch the bartender's attention. These were people of class, hiding all their skeletons deep inside their closets.

"What do you prefer?" Lara asked, eying the list of drinks from a menu.

"I'll have a Sex on the beach." It was a joke, and she noticed.

She placed the menu back on the bar. "Boy, you don't need to overdo it. You're projecting your inner queen perfectly well without accessories."

I could have been offended, but wasn't. She said it with warmth, and besides, she was right. I never did learn to tone myself down unless someone gave me a good reason to hide.

"I'll have a whiskey then." Not that I actually preferred whiskey, but I wanted to understand the appeal. Chris had mentioned that it was Tom's favorite.

Lara placed the order and after that, I had enough liquid courage in front of me to last the rest of the night. Drink after drink burned down my throat in quick succession while people floated around us. People came and went despite Lara's intentions of keeping them away. They showered us with attention for a few minutes before they moved on to the next target. I gave them pleasantries and smiles to make up for my somewhat aggravated thoughts. It really was quite unpleasant of me, but I had too much fun to stop. I would have no trouble acting out a rich, insolent youth after this.