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Prologue

Erin

It took a while, but I eventually convinced my sister that I was going to have an early night and that she didn’t have to change her plans. I blew a sigh of relief as she finally hung up the phone. God, it’s not like I’m a kid anymore and I need her to take care of me. Just because I got my shifts cut at work today doesn’t mean I’m about to jump out of the nearest window. What it does mean is that I want to go out have a good time before the money in my bank account runs low. I never wanted to use the trust fund money that dad had left me. What little was left would have to last.

Mae waited impatiently in silence as I finally got Lauren of the phone, blasting the hair drier onto her wet blonde bob as soon as I hung up. “Fuck, I thought she’d never stop talking. I even thought she was going to come over.” Mae’s steely blue contact lenses almost pierced through me, her gaze watching me keenly. We’d become best friends at college – even before I knew she worked as a dancer in Fitzy’s, but that relationship changed the night she introduced me Denver. Mae took me in, had fed and protected me when I had needed couldn’t go to Lauren, so I was stuck with her for the foreseeable.

I groaned as I threw myself back on my bed. “You know that she wouldn’t, she’s going to that charity dinner that Karl is hosting tonight. I give them six months and Lauren will have another engagement ring.” Sometimes I was glad of the distraction Karl gave her, but mostly that was just so I could get on with my own life without her micromanagement. “I just hope she doesn’t expect me to give her away again. That was truly tragic.” My older sister had already married twice, and her taste in bridesmaid dresses was as bad as her taste in men.

“Yeah, I felt for ya. That pink dress did not do you any favours.” Mae laughed, and I caught a glimpse of the bruises on insides of her arms as she stretched in her dress.

Putting the memories to the back of my head I grabbed my glass of Jack and Coke, I threw the last mouthful down and I headed for the kitchen. When I came back with the two bottles I handed both to Mae and smiled hopefully. I perched on the chair in front out of my mirror, pulled my makeup bag over and was dabbing foundation over my face when I got a refilled glass set beside me.

Poking me in the arm Mae warned, “You’d better hurry up, we’re meeting everyone in twenty minutes.” Sometimes I just wanted to poke her right back when she did that… hard… in the face. But I didn’t, I liked having my fingers attached to my hands.

I breathed deeply, “Alright. But don’t say anything about what actually happened at work earlier, ok?” I pleaded.

“Depends… if you hurry up I might just keep it schtum.” She laughed, “I mean, how much do you want to keep it quiet that you got caught earning some extra cash from a client?” she wrapped the word earning with some finger quotes. The way she said it made it sound dirtier than it was, he was a photographer and wanted a couple of shots, he offered some cash and I couldn’t afford to refuse.

“Can’t talk, doing my lippy.” I replied. I thought it was the safest reply.

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