***
Since it wasn’t an average frat party, Mollie insisted we dress like we were going to an upscale club. At my half-hearted attempt, she’d insisted that she’d pick my outfit. Despite how I felt about myself at that moment, I looked like fire. The front ofthe black dress was cut to my navel. I’d had to use tape to keep my boobs from bursting out. The glittery material barely covered my ass.
“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” I questioned when we exited the Uber.
“With the body you have, you should totally flaunt it.” After giving me another look, her lips turned down in a pout. “As long as I’m at your side tonight, no man is going to be looking at me.”
“That is totally not true.”
“It is! I swear, I need to find the son of a plastic surgeon to date, so I can get my tits done.”
“Oh God,” I snorted.
Although she giggled, I knew she wasn’t joking. She would’ve really fit in well with the mafia wives I grew up with. Maybe I should try fixing her up with some of the men from my world.
When we walked up to the gate of an enormous mansion, I gasped. “This isn’t exclusive–it’s elite.”
“I know, right?”
As I watched valets grabbing keys and a line of heavy security, it felt more like being at one of the parties from my world. Turning to Mollie, I said, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto,” I mused.
After Mollie gave the code to a man with a headset and a clipboard, we were ushered through the gate and into the courtyard. As we entered the main house, we took a flute of champagne from the waiters lined up.
One sip and Mollie rolled her eyes in exaggerated bliss. “This seriously beats the hell out of cheap keg beer in solo cups.”
With a laugh, I replied, “I suppose it does.”
As we made our way through the crowd, I knew I was going to have to ask Mollie where she had scored this invite. While there might’ve been college football players here, the crowd was morelate twenties and early thirties with the occasional sprinkle of salt and pepper mid forties.
We didn’t waste time draining our champagne and then exchanging our empty flutes for fresh ones. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck prickled. Like someone I knew was close by. With a groan, I hoped it wasn’t someone from my real life.
Turning slowly, my gaze started flickering around the crowd. Thankfully, there weren’t any Made Men that I recognized, especially from my family.
“What’s wrong?” Mollie called over the music.
“I just had a weird feeling that someone I knew was here.”
She waggled her brows. “Maybe your hookup for the night?”
“Not exactly,” I mused.
Just as I was about to laugh off my feeling, the crowd parted, revealing a riser about ten feet away. It made a bridge over the river that flowed from the indoor fountain. Couples were dancing on it to the live band.
And among the couples was Leo.
I blinked my eyes furiously to make sure I wasn’t just hallucinating him. After all, I’d been so desperate to see him again, maybe I was projecting his image on someone else.
But when he spun a tall blonde around, I knew it was him. And he was with Harper.
After following my line of sight, Mollie asked, “Who is that?”
“Uh, just somebody I saw in the society papers.”
She gasped. “Oh my God, that’s Harper Newport.”
“You know her?”
Rolling her eyes, Mollie countered, “Yeah, like we totally run in the same crowd.”