Page 92 of Broken Princess

If I continue to say no, she’ll push for answers and probably ask Noel about it. I can’t let him be the one explaining it to her. “Fine, babe, you owe me big time for this.”

“Owe you? I’m the catalyst for feeding you.”

“Showing up with me is going to be the catalyst for Noel, flipping his shit. I’m going against my better judgement and joining you for lunch, but when we get back to the studio, you’re gonna feed me your pussy. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Thirty-Five

Jordanna

When Logan and I walk into the foyer, I’m struck again by the opulence of Noel’s home. Since coming to Vandi U, I’ve been inside more mansions and condos than I ever dreamed I’d see in my lifetime and it’s painfully obvious that if you come from one of the founding families, your wealth is just.Extra.

I hold up the bottle of wine I brought. “I know you don’t need it, but my mother says it’s rude to show up without a gift for the host. Is there somewhere I can put it?”

Noel motions for me to follow him into the dining room on our left. “You know, Jordanna, when I suggested lunch, I thought you’d come alone. Why’d you bring him?”

I glance behind me, knowing Logan can probably still hear us. “Because he’s my boyfriend, and if you and I are going to be friends, you have to accept that.”

He blinks twice at the term boyfriend and sighs. “There’s a lot of history between us Jordanna.”

“I know. Maybe today the two of you can put some of that aside.” Reaching up to adjust his collar, I say, “Come on, friend. Do this for me. Puleeze.”

Noel chuckles, pulling me into a hug. “You’re lucky I like you so much. I’ll try to be on my best behavior through lunch. He needs to do the same.”

I don’t know what the real reason behind their animosity towards each other is, and nobody at school has ever mentioned it so it must be big. I should probably look into it, in case it’s one more thing I can use to win. “He will. I promise.”

Noel’s dad is just as surprised to see Logan as his son was, but he pretends spending time with a McKay is an every day occurrence. He asks me about my artwork and asks Logan about the school paper. He’s nodding politely, but I can tell he’s filing every little detail away.

Noel said lunch, but it’s actually a garden party. I break away from Logan mingling with the guests, saying hello to people I’ve met before. Noel catches up to me and escorts me over to a woman who needs no introduction.

I’m grinning from ear to ear when I say, “Professor Grace. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You too, Jordanna. Tell, me, how is this semester going for you?”

“I’m struggling with my art, but Noel has been helping me through it. I think I finally made a breakthrough last week.”

“He told me he’s been mentoring you, and there’s no better person for the job. I don’t just say that because he’s my TA either. At one point he also struggled with his art and when he pushed through that block, his work was phenomenal. That’s when I hired him.”

“So whenever he tells me he understands…”

“He means it.” Squeezing my arm, says, “Come, there’s someone I think you should meet.”

We cross the lawn and stop near the bar. She taps someone on the shoulder and my breath catches as I come face to face with Tony Parker. This man owns one of the hottest galleries in SoHo.

“Tony, this is Jordanna Felding, the student I was telling you about.”

“Jordanna, I hear you’re applying for summer internships and that if I interview anyone, you should be at the top of the list.”

He’s heard of me and he’s interested in interviewing me? Holy shit.

Logan

Lunch at Noel’s wasn’t as big of a disaster as I thought it would be, but I still felt out of place on his turf so I had to do what I do best. Make connections and find opportunities I can exploit later on.

I saw Grace introduce Jordy to Tony Parker. That had to be a dream come true for her. Noel was standing off to the side, smiling like a dipshit, as if he can take credit for her talent. He might be tutoring and mentoring her, but she’s an amazing painter without his help. Last semester, I helped her push through a wall, but something tells me she would have gotten there eventually on her own.

As for this semester, she’s doing decent work, but I’m worried she’s spreading herself too thin. Her focus has been on the paper, working in Dean Allen’s office, and I still haven’t figured out where she runs off to all the time. Spring break is coming up, we’ll get some down time then.

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