Stripping down to my underwear, I slip the dress over my head and tug it over my curves, wincing slightly when the material flattens my boobs against my ribcage. I stand in front of the mirror and adjust them so they’re slightly less confined — an unfortunate side effect of which is cleavage so deep, it makes the Mariana Trench look insignificant.
“Damn, I have a good eye! That dress is killer on you. Your boobs look humungous!” Harper wolf-whistles. “Seriously. Super hot. You’re onfire, Firestone.”
I roll my eyes. “Never heard that one before.”
Smoothing my hands over my still-flat stomach, I can’t help feeling bloated and paranoid. My body hasn’t changed much, though my jeans are fitting a bit snugger. If I’m honest, though, that’s more likely due to the entire bag of pita chips I consumed while powering through Season 2 ofVampire Highat three in the morning.
Harper zips herself into a super-short, devilishly sexy magenta dress the exact shade of her hair. It’s a stunning combination — she looks like some ethereal anime character who’s wandered off the pages of a comic book. When our heels are on and our makeup is applied, we head downstairs, ready to hit the town…
…and find Masters leaning against my kitchen island, arms folded over his chest, regarding us sternly. I don’t ask how he got in — the man designed my security system from the ground up.
“Please tell me you two weren’t planning on going out dressed like that without me.” His eyes narrow. “Because, if that’s the plan, we’re going to have issues.”
Harper scoffs. “Kent, did we or did we not have a discussion about you being an overbearing caveman?”
“We did.”
“And?” Harper plants her hands on her hips. “Do you recall the conclusion of said discussion?”
He shrugs. “You huffed and puffed about me taking care of you. I heard you out, because I think you’re kinda cute when you’re yelling your head off. Then, I decided to keep doing exactly what I’m paid to do, which is protect Miss Firestone and you, by proxy, whenever you’re with her, which is most days because the two of you are a package deal. Though, since you and me are sleeping together every night and I’m practically living at your apartment, from now on I’ll be protecting you wherever you go, regardless of your friends.” He looks at me briefly. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
He swivels his head back to Harper. “Point is, you’re my girl, and I protect what’s mine.”
She actually whimpers a little.
He leans forward. “Was that the conclusion you were talking about? Cause it’s the only one I’ll be reaching anytime soon.”
Harper makes a big show of glowering at him, but we all know she’s not actually mad. “You’re annoying,” she mutters unconvincingly.
He shrugs again, wholly unconcerned by her opinion, and grabs his keys off the counter top. “Where are we going?”
She’s already beaming again. “Wherever the wind takes us.”
Both Masters and I stare blankly at her until the grin falls off her face.
“Oh,fine, apparently being spontaneous is against the law.” She sighs. “We have a table reserved at theLimbosupper club, then we’ll hit their dance floor downstairs. A popular DJ is headlining — they all sound identical to me, if we’re being honest, but supposedly he’s a big deal because tickets have been sold out for weeks. Normally, we’d never get in, but now…” She trails off, staring at me.
“I’m Kat Firestone,” I murmur regretfully.
“Exactly.” Harper’s grin returns. “I’ve been dying to get in there since I first moved to LA, and I finally know someone famous enough to get me through those red velvet ropes without waiting on the curb for six hours in hooker heels and a body-con dress, begging some brutish bouncer to notice me.”
Masters’ eyebrows lift, but he says nothing.
Harper pulls on her jacket. “My point is, we’re obligated to at least test out the power of your new celeb status. It would be a waste, not to. So… I made a call.”
“Shamelessly exploiting me?” I tap my hip against hers.
“Of course.” She taps me back.
“Good. I’d hate to think this friendship was based on anything real, like mutual respect or love.”
“Heaven forbid!”
We both dissolve into laughter.
Harper recovers first. “Did I tell you they actuallybumped someone from one of their tables for us? How insane is that?”