"If you don't want temptation to follow you, don't act as if you're interested"
A/N: If you follow me on Twitter, you've already seen a sneak peek of this chapter & you probably already know that I wanted this to be up on Ash Wednesday - but I suck. So here we go!
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*Gia*
"Did your invitation get lost in the mail too?" I asked Jesse as we stepped out of the car.
He held his arm out and I laced mine through it. "No, mine came on time." He smirked, looking smug. "With the warning not to dare tell the evil temptress that has lead my brother down the path of sin!"
I snorted. "Some friends we have here."
We made our way up to London and Lukas' house, the place already buzzing with the sound of music as lights danced in the sky above it. I wasn't sure if the neighbors on the street were oblivious, invited or simply did not have the common sense to dare defy their rockstar neighbor, but no one called the cops in this part of town. Back in my old, silent college apartment complex though... I swallowed the thought bitterly. There was no use reminiscing now.
"For someone who had to get herself together last minute, you cleaned up nice!" Jesse complimented, chasing away the bitter thoughts of the past I could not change.
I glanced down at my long-sleeved, black dress and black ankle boots. My new clothes - courtesy of Callie from back in my birthday - were stylish, yet simple. The boots, although high heeled, were fairly comfortable, and the dress was made of a stretchy material that didn't suffocate me. I found a slim, golden belt to accessorize, straightened my wavy, red hair and called it a night.
I was hardly as fabulous or fashionable as the rest of the party crowd was going to be, but compared to my everyday attire, I did put in an effort.
"I think you should save your compliments for your special lady friend," I teased, referring to the crush Jesse had been harboring. "She's coming tonight, isn't she?"
For a moment, he looked nervous as he glanced from side to side, scanning the crowd that gathered before the front door. "I have no idea, Ging!"
I grinned. "Liar, liar!" I whispered to him as we passed the people standing around the front door and entered the house.
"The party is in the back garden! Please migrate out this way!" A bored-looking man in a suit greeted us, ushering the crowd toward said garden in a flat tone. "Refreshments and appetizers are being served by our first-class waitresses-"
His voice cut off as we headed further away and walked right next to a giant pile of wrapped boxes. "Were we supposed to bring a gift?!" I wondered out loud, shocked that I wouldn't have thought of such a thing. This was Lukas LaBelle's birthday party after all!
But then again, what does one give to a legendary guitarist, who probably had more zeroes in his bank account than pi decimals I could name off the top of my head?! "Sweetheart, you in that dress is all the gift you needed to bring to this party!" Jesse flirted, making me roll my eyes in exaggeration. "Besides, I doubt he is going to look through and compare the number of presents he got to the list of attendees."
Knowing what I did about Lukas LaBelle, I wouldn't have put doing that very thing below him, but I didn't feel like bursting Jesse's bubble. "Are you giving him anything?"
"Already did. He took it out for a ride this morning. It's probably standing in his garage now, under a million locks."
I lifted a brow at him. "You got him a car for his birthday?!"
Jesse took one look at my expression, then laughed. "No, of course not! That would be an overkill, wouldn't you think?! The man already has more cars than he can fit in this garage. Did you know he rents another garage close to our studio to help store his rides?!" He chuckled. "I got him a motorcycle. A vintage Harley from '56."
"Yes, because a car would've been an overkill..." I murmured sarcastically. I decided then that if Lukas LaBelle ever questioned me about his lack of presents from me, I was going to throw the late invitation right back into his face. Not that he probably cared a whole lot. I was fairly certain the only reason why I was invited in the first place was our talk with London yesterday.
"So, what are we hitting up first? The bar or the dance floor?" We stepped out into the back garden, which was lit up by a million golden fairy lights. In the middle of the yard, the grass was covered by a giant wooden dance floor. Whoever did the setup spared no details. A DJ table stood over the crowd, with one of the highest-paid record spinners hyping the crowd on from it. There were spinning lights and even a disco ball that illuminated the ravers, making the place look like an outdoor pool club from Las Vegas, rather than a suburban backyard.
I knew how this place looked when there wasn't a party, and whoever planned this did an incredible job.
"Look! A photo booth!" Jesse cheered, pointing to a black backdrop and a photographer stood next to it, with a giant instant printer.
Judging by Jesse's description, I doubted that he has ever seen a photo booth, but once more, I didn't feel like dumping on his luxurious world. "I'm sure we'll visit that later." I lied instead.
"The bar it is, then!" He started walking us toward the snaking line in front of the giant bar located in the furthest corner of the yard, my arm still in his. "Do you recognize anyone?"
I glanced around, hardly looking at any of the attendees, scanning the crowd for the very limited number of people I could've possibly known from here. "I think you're asking the worst person. Now if Callie was here..." I trailed off. She would've been able to name everyone and known some mouthwatering gossip about them. "There's London and Lukas!" I pointed to the middle of the crowd, where my best friend and her dream man were burning up that dance floor. "I'm definitely going to need a couple of stiff ones to get on their level..."
"Gianna Walsh!" Someone said my name, making me turn around to face a familiar beauty.
"Arielle Mikhailov," I smiled at her. "That explains the spectacular set up!"
I've only had the pleasure of meeting one of the city's most talked-about and successful woman a handful of times, but the genuine charm radiating off her always managed to put me at ease. "Oh, you know. Just doing what I do!" She said modestly. "And as are you, from what I've seen in the news these days."
I tried hard not to let my expression mirror my disappointment. Was she here to hackle me about Ash too? "I don't have to tell you how the paparazzi could be," I said politely.
Arielle's first introduction to the general public went much like London's. She was shamed for her open sexual relationship with one infamous underground fighter, while she was recently engaged to another one. Despite the ex not being faithful himself, it was Arielle who took the heat in the eye of the public, and as far as I knew, it nearly cost her her event planning business.
Looking at her today, though, one would've never guessed the grueling times this woman had endured. She was radiant, fabulous, and dressed to the nines with a man so smitten with her, he was usually just a couple steps behind.
"Of course," She pulled me into a small embrace. "But the way you're handling it is in a class of its own. You are so brave, Gia! I don't know many people who could handle all this attention as gracefully as you do."
For a moment, I was speechless. The last thing I expected from Arielle was a compliment, but I had to admit - it did warm me from the inside. "Thank you!" I whispered, clutching her hand for a moment longer before she stepped back.
"Now, I have to get back to it to make sure the wait staff doesn't get harassed by any of these pompous guests!" And with a final smile my way, she vanished from view.
"That was awfully nice of her," Jesse whispered in my ear. "See, I'm not the only one with compliments for you tonight!"
By this point, the line in front of the bar migrated behind us and we were up next. "Two martinis, please! And what do you want?" I turned to Jesse who lifted a brow at me. "Maybe two shots of tequila as well."
"And a beer." He added, finally. "I kinda like this daring Ginger in front of me. Perhaps you should say yes to things more often."
I huffed. "Perhaps you should try telling the truth more often, instead of flirting your way out of everything!"
"I'll make a pact with you," He leaned in, whispering into my ear in a conspiracy. "You say yes to everything for tonight - not just from me, but from everyone! And I will speak nothing but the honest truth. No flirting or charming my way out of giving a real answer."
"I'm listening." I leaned closer.
"One night only - and see where it takes us. It'll be fun!"
I considered it. The bartender slid our orders in front of us, then turned to the next group, not giving us any more attention. Jesse and I reached for our respective shot glasses and threw it back. As the burning sensation slid down my throat and warmed my belly, I spoke. "I have a few conditions to this."
Jesse rolled his eyes but laughed. "Naturally! Let's hear them, then."
"One, I will not say yes to anything sexual, from you or anyone, that I normally wouldn't agree to." I waited a moment for him to nod, then continued. "Two, anything that puts me, you or others in physical danger is a no as well." Once more, Jesse nodded.
"And third?"
"You can't tell anyone about this! As soon as people find out, they're going to spam me with embarrassing requests, and I think that would take away the real learning experience behind this exercise."
He laughed out loud and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a raspy voice interrupted from behind me.
"Way to take the fun out of it, red," He chided me, and the warmness from my stomach turned into a full-blown fire. I shot him a murderous look over my shoulder, but my glare mellowed as I took in those impossibly black eyes, dark skin, freshly trimmed scruff, and long, jet black locks. "Don't back out now on my accord. I think 'this exercise' could really build character."
I turned back to Jesse with a vengeance. "It won't work now since he knows."
"Technically, Jesse didn't tell me - that was your rule, wasn't it? You did."
I didn't have to look over my shoulder to picture the smug look on Ash's face, but I did put my hand out in front of me. "I'm ready if you are."
"You know he's going to push your buttons and torture you with this all night, don't you?" Jesse frowned, with a touch of sympathy in his voice.
I nodded. If there was one person I knew inside and out, it was Ash Wolfhart. And this time, I wasn't going to let him walk all over me. This time, I was much stronger. Wiser. A powerful woman, that others looked up to.
"It's on." I seethed, as Jesse shook my hand.
"You know-" The raspy, deep voice was so close now, his breath tickled my neck with every word he spoke. "-this really reminds me of that one night you and I made a bet. Do you remember what happened next?"
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was about to come.
***
A/N: The entire idea for Ginger's bet came from the 'Year of Yes' a book by Shonda Rhimes, the legendary producer, writer, powerhouse, who brought you shows like Scandal, How to get away with murder, Grey's anatomy, etc. etc. She is INCREDIBLE and I've only heard amazing things about this book, so I do have it on my to-read list for this year.
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