Page 70 of Ravished By Her

“They go all out for this, huh?” Lacey said when we walked into the bookstore. Joy hadn’t skimped on decorations for this meeting. She’d gone for opulence, to match the mansion that was one of the settings of the book. Mini chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and she’d draped the tables with velvet.

“Hello, welcome,” Joy said, coming over to greet us. She hugged Kai, since they worked together, and said hello to my sister before turning to me and Lacey.

“Gwen, wonderful to see that Sterling finally wore you down,” Joy said, grinning. She was such a warm and inviting presence that I felt instantly at ease. Lacey let go of my hand to shake Joy’s and introduce herself.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Lacey. Thank you for coming. Since this is your first meeting, please know that this is a no-pressure zone. You’re not required to do anything but enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you,” Lacey said, glancing down at me, her face a little tight.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” I said, taking her hand again and dragging her to the food and drinks tables.

Sterling and Kai stayed to talk with Joy, whose tattooed girlfriend Ezra joined them. Safe to say that Sterling and Ezra had a lot in common when it came to their love of body art.

I handed Lacey a plate and she started taking things.

“Try the dips. Everly’s moms make them, and Sterling has raved about them,” I said. Even though I hadn’t been to one of these before, Sterling had painted such a vivid picture that I felt like I had.

Tenley and Mia arrived just after we did, followed by some more of the local Arrowbridge sapphic squad.

Lacey did her best as people came over to say hello to me and introduce themselves.

“This is bigger than I thought it would be,” she said, looking around the room as we found chairs.

“It seems like the place to be,” I said as we ate and I enjoyed one of the mixed drinks.

“Are you doing okay?” I asked in a low voice so only she could hear me.

Lacey gave me a smile and turned in her chair to face me.

“I’m fine, you can stop worrying, princess. You didn’t drag me here under duress. I’m not totally socially inept. Just rusty.” She took my hand and kissed it. “I’m having a good time, promise.”

That was a relief. She did seem to have relaxed a little since we’d sat down, and she was conversing with Sydney, who sat on her other side.

Joy called everyone to order and laid out how the night was going to go before opening things up for introductions. Lacey declined, but I figured it would be weird to not confirm to everyone that I was, in fact, Sterling’s identical twin.

The general discussion was lively, and my sister seemed to get a kick out of sharing her opinions, which wasn’t a surprise to me. She’d always liked things like this.

Lacey didn’t speak, but I caught her nodding and agreeing with a few points people made. Since I was so busy watching her, I didn’t even think about participating myself. Joy had said it was no pressure, and tonight I just wanted to think about Lacey.

We took a break to get more snacks and drinks and then finished up with our final thoughts and selected the choices for the next book club selection, which we would vote for via email.

“Well?” I asked Lacey as everyone started putting the chairs away and packing up the food.

“I can understand why your sister likes it,” she said, nodding at Sterling who was, once again, talking to Ezra.

“But what about you?” I asked.

“It’s nice to be around people who are so passionate about books. Makes me feel less alone when I read something that affects me so much. And you were right about the food. It’s worth coming here for that alone.” Her face relaxed into a smile and I felt a huge sense of relief. She hadn’t hated it.

“And what about you, princess? What did you think?” She rested her arm on the back of my chair and I leaned toward her.

“I think I’d definitely come again, even if there wasn’t food and excellent drinks.”

We were the only two people still sitting, so I got up so we could put the chairs away.

“Ready for your first van night?” Sterling asked Lacey as she came over to us.

“I’ve been camping a time or two, so I think I’m up for it,” Lacey said, glancing at me with a smile in her eyes.

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