Page 40 of Crush

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I worked the rest of that week and didn’t see Max as he was away at a conference. During the evenings, I managed to put the finishing touches together for Daddy’s big night. The house had been thoroughly cleaned ready for the events company I had engaged to commence their set up.

On Friday evening, a huge marquee was delivered by two trucks in pieces and it had taken almost a day to erect it in one of the back gardens. It came witheverything, flooring, windows, chandeliers. It was all super grand.

The caterers included two top chefs who were on loan from The Ivy in central London. They had spent a couple of hours familiarising themselves with our large kitchen which was well-equipped with everything they would need.

I had chosen a three-course meal for the sit-down dinner. There was a prawn cocktail or soup for the starter, pan-fried chicken breast or spinach and ricotta gnocchi for the main options. These were then to be followed by an array of mouthwatering desserts. Wine and water had been arranged for the tables butthere were also two fully stocked bars; one inside the marquee and the other set up on the patio by the house.

In total, there would be just over one hundred and sixty guests. We also had a few family members who had been invited to stop over in some of the guest rooms. I only found out last minute that my father had invited Max (and that plus one of his) to stay the night. After much thought, I’d purposely put them in separate rooms. The thought of him having sex in my house made my blood boil. I told myself it wasn’t jealousy.

It was now the afternoon of Saturday and Mia hadjustfinished showering. Lotty, my stylist, had come over earlier that morning for a hair and makeup rehearsal.

As far as I was concerned, Mia was my plus-one that night. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t get any action. The security package I had chosen via Hannah had included a contractor we had used before and I wondered if Thatcher would be working the door. He was a security man who I had slept with a couple of times and he was major-league hot. A bit too much of a gentleman in the bedroom for my usual tastes but he was sweet and made me laugh and there wasneverany pressure. It was a good thing that Mia was in one of the guestrooms, which she’d requested in caseshegot any action. It meant I had the opportunity to sneak Thatcher into my room once he'd finished his shift later that night.

Daddy had popped his head in earlier to check we were OK. He’d been overwhelmed by the fuss I had gone to. The house had been busy with people in and out all day. Hannah had been brilliant and a pro with the megaphonebarkingout orders to everyone who wasn’t where they should have been.

Lotty piled my long hair up with pins, allowing some curled tendrils to kiss the back of my neck and my face. The make-up she had used was subtle but not so much that it wasn’t there. It highlighted my cheekbones and the deep red lipstick made my mouth look slightly larger, and pouty.

As I looked at myself in the full-length mirror in my bedroom I was satisfied with my appearance. Mia came to stand before me wearing a killer black lace dress, her tanned skin so dark against my own. She was so beautiful with her unique bronze colouring, that people would think she was foreign with her gorgeous dark looks.

Her legs went on forever. I had bought a new pair of Jimmy Choo sandals that were an inch higher than I usually wore to try and give myself some extra height. I was touchy about my small size as it made me feel insignificant. Small dog syndrome and all that.

My dress was satin and clung tightly to my curves. It was sleeveless with a high neck as I didn’t do cleavage, but it was backless. My spine was exposed from my neck to the top of my backside. The material at the base of my backjustcovered the two silvery scars which Zander had given me (pause that thought). I choseagainsta walk downthatmemory lane, as it would only spoil my mood.

Spinning in the mirror, I watched as the skirt section fell to my small ankles and there was a slit to my thigh. I was braless so I hoped it wasn’t chilly, the only underwear on my body was a tiny black lace thong to ensure there was no visible panty line.

With one last look at my reflection, I smiled at the girl in the glass. She looked so grown up, polished and ready for a party. But there it was, that sadness, that always sat just behind my eyes.

Before I allowed myself to indulge in thoughts of self-pity, I made my excuses to Mia who was just having her hair redone, having snagged it whilst pulling on her dress. I said that I would see her downstairs as I wanted to check everything was set before the first guests arrived.

My heels clicked against the marble of the corridor as I walked from the wing of my house and past several doors which led to the guest rooms. Rooms fourand five were where I had put Max and party and I purposely didn’t look there as I passed.

What Mia had said about him was still on my mind and I couldn’t allow myself to think about it. I had too much riding on Daddy’s party. Tonighthadto be perfect and I would be damned if I’d allow one infuriatingly sexy but annoying man to mess with that.

Max

“Fuck! I imagined she’d be wealthy what with the title, but this isabsurd,” Luca snorted as he peered through the blacked-out glass of the limousine.

I blew a plume of smoke into the air, feeling as relaxed as fuck.

Amber’s chauffeur,Dextor, as he’d introduced himself, had collected Luca and me from my apartment around an hour ago. We were both stoned and on our fourth glass of whisky, lounging against the buttery leather seats of the car. The luxurious ride came with a flat-screen TV, a monster sound system, and a fully stocked minibar. It was the first time I hadevertravelled in a limo and something I could easily get used to.

I stubbed out the joint we had shared in the crystal ashtray and rolled down the window to allow the tell-tale smoke to escape. Dexter was clearly a good sport and hadn’t batted an eyelid when we’d lit up, he’d just kept his eyes on the road and had driven like a pro.

I wondered what type of things Amber had gotten up to in the car that he’d also drawn a blind eye to. I now knew there was a privacy screen that slid up over the partition that separated the front from the back, as I had been playing with it for the past ten minutes. What could I say, weed puts me in a juvenile mood.

Thoughts of having sex with Amber on that backseat swam back into my intoxicated brain. I smiled wickedly at the image of me bending her over the seating.

Luca nudged me in the ribs as he shifted back in his seat, “Stop daydreaming princess, it’s showtime,” he said with a toothy look. I needed to sober the hell up.

Dexter steered the car slowly up towards the front of Lord Swift’s house behind several black SUVs. The driveway was long with a wrap-around section to allow vehicles to drive in and then out again. There was also a string of Ubers making their way out of the estate having dropped off their fares closer to the main house.

As well as the guests filtering into Jonny’s mansion, there were several members of staff outside, some dressed as valets and in the process of parking cars down one side of the driveway.

I released a slow exaggerated breath. The whole scene was like organised chaos and oozed glamour and money. Both Luca and I were wealthy men but this place made me feel like we lived on the shittier side of the city.

To say the Swift family were well off would be the understatement of the century. The terms affluent, opulent, and rich also didn’t quite cut it.Fucking loadedwould be closer to the mark.

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