"So I hear that you've got a lunch date with Jane tomorrow."
I look over at Fredrick who downs the remainder of his drink. I nod. "I do."
"Lunch with the wicked witch," he smiles. "Rather you than me."
"Hey, less of that." Luca defends.
"Come on, dude. Your mother is a scary woman," Fredrick responds.
"She's still my mother."
"Still a scary witch."
"She's been nothing but nice to you."
"Only because I'm your business partner."
"Because you're my friend."
"Business partner."
"Best friend."
"Business-"
"Boys!" Jade shouts over the two males.
Luca and Fredrick stop their petty arguing and just stare at each other.
"How many times have the two of you had that stupid argument over the years?" Neither male responds. "Fredrick, take back what you said. Now."
"I apologise for what I said," Fredrick says lowly.
"Luca, I hate to admit this but your mother is a scary woman to those who don't know her. That's what makes her good at her job."
"You need to admit that, Luca." Allison chimes in.
Luca hesitates for a moment, a singer finger running over the rim of his glass. "She can be at times."
"And you're going to lunch with her on your own?" Allison shouts while hitting me in the arm. "Are you fucking nuts?"
I grasp my arm where she hit it. "Okay, first, that was sore. Secondly, I'm only going to hear her out and there will be someone sitting close by to intervene if need be."
"You're nuts."
"Says the one whose boyfriend's best friend tried to spike my drink!"
"What?" Jade and Fredrick say in unison.
"Is she being serious?" Fredrick adds.
Luca nods.
"Fucking hell."
"And I still hate the guy for it but it doesn't mean I'm going to have lunch or that with him to hear why he did it!"
"Allison, she's Luca's mum." I remind. "I can't hold a grudge towards her if I want to be with him. If I did that, there'd be no point in continuing the relationship."
Allison blinks at me but doesn't retaliate. Her eyes begin scanning my face, looking for a sign to see if I'm going to say something else which I'm not. I don't have anything else to say and I want this conversation regarding Luca's mum to end sooner rather than later.
"Fine," Allison finally says. She looks past me to Luca. "You better have more than one person keeping watch on them and recording their entire conversation."
Luca sits up straight and looks at her. "My mother has been well and truly warned that one step out of line and the meeting will be ended."
"Good."
"Alright, then." Jade happily says, getting everyone's attention on her. "Now everything about Luca's mother has been resolved, do you want to order another drink or call it a night?"
Fredrick looks down at his watch and gets to his feet. "I think we should call it a night. We've got an important business meeting tomorrow morning we can't be going to hungover."
"That's true," Luca agrees. He gets to his feet. "I'll go and settle the bill."
"Nonsense." Fredrick shakes his head and steps to the exit. "I'll get the bill."
"I invited you tonight for my girlfriend's birthday, I'll pay for it."
"No, I insist."
"It's my girlfriend's birthday. I'll pay."
"Nope. Call it our gift to her."
"Don't think so."
They exit the room while continuing their argument as to who will be paying for dinner.
"Do they always do that?" I ask Jade, getting to my feet.
"Be lucky it's only over who's paying for dinner," she replies.
"They do that all the time?" Allison queries.
Jade slips her black coat on. "The last time it was about whose private jet they were going to be taking for a business trip to Los Angeles. The time before that was about where they were going to build a new hotel. The time before that was what the new uniforms were going to be for the airline company they own."
"Must be great to have other problems other than what you should or shouldn't buy to save money."
Jade walks to the exit and we follow her closely while putting our coats on. "I stay out of all of that unless it involves my cafés."
"I don't know how you put up with it," I comment.
"You just get a glass of wine and down it as soon as they start talking business during dinner."
"What if it's morning or lunch?"
"It's dinner time somewhere in the world, right?" Jade looks over her shoulder at us and smiles. "I'm kidding. I just walk away and leave them to it."
We come to a stop at the entrance of the restaurant as Luca and Fredrick talk away to Carlo and Jones who are both nodding as they get their orders. Outside, two black cars sit parked up ready to take us all home, and photographers are lined up at either side of the barriers that have been placed out so we can leave.
"Did the two of you finally decide who was going to pay?" Jade inquires. She steps to Fredrick who puts an arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head.
"Luca did," Fredrick says with a smile. "He owes me one, anyway, after I let him borrow the yacht."
"He's good for it, anyway," Allison mumbles.
Luca rolls his eyes and steps to me. His hand slips into mine and with a swift nod of the head to Carlo and Jones, we're exiting the restaurant and the white flashing camera lights start. Fredrick and Jade are the first to leave, then Allison, and Luca and I at the back. Things are shouted but none of us take notice as we split up and get into the cars.
I slide across the back seats until I'm sitting on the middle seat with Allison to my left and Luca to my right. The car door closes quickly and Carlo slips into the driver's seat.
"The hotel, Carlo."
"Yes, Mr. Madden."
The car pulls away from the pavement and merges into traffic.
"Jones will be picking you up tomorrow morning," Luca informs. He takes my hand back in his and I look at him. "He should be there for about eleven thirty."
"Is it a formal or informal lunch with your mum?"
"You can dress however you wish."
"You say that the now but as soon as I show up in jeans, she's going to turn her nose up at me."
"She's been warned not to do so," he repeats from what he said back in the hotel.
"Whether or not she takes that warning on board is another matter," I add.
"If you don't like anything she says to you, you just get up and walk away. Jones will be sitting close by with a few other bodyguards to drive you away when you need it." He lifts my hand he's holding to his mouth and kisses the back of it. "I've still got your birthday present to give you."
I frown. "I thought your gift to me was the bank card to go shopping."
He shakes his head. "That was only part of it. I still have something to get you."
"I don't need anything else, Luca."
"I shouldn't think you would after spending nearly fifty thousand dollars in the space of nearly three hours."
I point to Allison who is oblivious to what we're saying.
"I know who did it," he nods. "I knew you wouldn't have done it."
"I-"
"Don't feel guilty for what was bought for you, Kaylee. Use them whoever you wish. Heck, wear some of it to lunch with my mother tomorrow and see how she reacts."
"And give her the upper hand so she can say I'm only with you for your money? No thanks!"
He laughs and pulls me closer to his side. "You'll just need to wear them if you go out anywhere with me, then."
"I may need to."
What can you wear to meet your boyfriend's mother who hates you? What can you wear that will make you feel and seem unfazed by the nasty woman who has no boundaries when it comes to speaking her mind? What can you wear that says you've made an effort but not an immense effort to impress her?
Jeans are out of the question. They scream out that I haven't made much of an effort which is what Jane will be expecting from me. I can't wear anything business like because then I'm making too much of an effort. I don't want to wear any of the designer items that were bought yesterday because then she'd come right out and tell me that I'm only using Luca for his money.
I'm in a catch twenty-two.
I don't know what to do for the best.
"You're overthinking this," Allison tells me. She passes me a pair of skinny black jeans and a long-sleeved grey t-shirt. "You can wear the Louboutin boots I picked out for you and that leather jacket I picked from Barneys, too."
"You picked everything out that was bought, yesterday."
I didn't pick a single thing while out shopping yesterday, come to think of it. Everything that was bought was all Allison's doing. It was sort of like my belated birthday present to her – shop until her heart's content for the first and only time in her life.
She stands in front of me and places her hands on my shoulders. "That's because I know you and your style so well." Her eyes move to my hair and she picks a strand up with her fingers. "Are you leaving it straightened or are you adding waves to it?"
"I was going to add some waves to it but I'm not too sure."
"Keep it straight," she advises.
"Don't want to be too fancy," I add on a grin.
"Exactly."
She lets me go and walks out the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"Your make-up's fine," she shouts to me.
"Thank you."
I get ready at my normal pace. I pull the jeans on and slip the t-shirt on over my head, pulling at the sleeves so they sit right at my wrists. I keep my necklace under the t-shirt instead of pulling it out to sit on top of it at the neckline. If I'm going to be wearing items of clothing that cost more than my entire wardrobe combined, I don't need Jane seeing the necklace Luca gave me as an early birthday present along with all the other luxury items I'm wearing.
I slip my feet into the Louboutin boots Allison left sitting out for me and fix them at my knees. I pick up the leather jacket that's on my bed and walk down the stairs to Allison who is standing with my bag in one hand and a hairbrush in the other. When I step off the last step, I pull on the leather jacket and take my bag from Allison.
"Remember, don't let that bitch get in your head." She pulls my hair out from under the jacket and runs the brush through it a couple of times. "Like Luca said, you can leave anytime you wish."
"I know I can."
"You're only doing her the favour of hearing her out. She's not doing you the favour."
"I know."
"If she starts being a nasty bitch-"
"Allison!" I turn and look at her. "I get it. I can leave whenever I wish."
A loud knock on the suite door breaks through our conversation. I close the gap between Allison and myself and hug her tightly.
"I'll phone you when I'm on my way back."
"I'll make sure to have the drinks and junk food ready," she smiles.
I smile and walk away. "Love you."
"Love you, too, baby girl."
I can't help but take a deep breath as Jones leads the way into the Gabriel Kreuther restaurant just after twelve o'clock. People are already sitting to their lunches and in deep conversation with each other to even take notice of us. My heeled boots are making steady work on the tiled floor before it changes to carpet which has my steps slowing.
It's not until Jones mentions to a table to my right that I see Jane sitting with her back to me.
She isn't hard to miss with the way she's sitting up straight and unmoving, most likely cursing at me in her head for not being here for a specific time. I can sense her smugness a mile off from where I've stopped.
She's no doubt seen me coming in with Jones and is making a judgement on me for wearing high heels to lunch like I have seniority over her.
I don't.
Neither of us do.
I smile at Jones who leaves to sit at a table not too far from the one Jane is at. He sits with three other males dressed similarly to himself in suits and ties. There's no food on their table, only glasses of water and cups of what can either be tea or coffee. They don't look in my direction and begin a quiet conversation with each other.
I can do this.
My chest rises and falls as I breathe deeply while walking to where Jane is sitting patiently waiting for me. I place my bag down on the light coloured plush banquette seat, slip my jacket off, and place it over my bag. Not once does Jane look up at me until I take a seat and clasp my hands together on the white-clothed table.
"Jane," I acknowledge with a courteous tilt of the head.
"Kaylee," she responds coldly. "Thank you for coming."