Page 53 of Sinner

At this point, I couldn’t even think aboutthatjob. Well, I had a couple of times since no new invitation had arrived in the mail. That meant I was likely out of the competition. I wasn’t certain how to feel about it since all I’d really wanted was revenge. Somehow, it paled now to everything else.

“You know my dad is a huge contributor to various arts programs. Right?” Stephanie rattled on.

“You mean your father, one of the richest men in Chicago?”

She giggled as if I was teasing her. Her father was rich as sin and made no bones about spouting the details regarding his goodfortune either. “Okay, I know. But sometimes his connections work to our benefit.”

“What does that mean?” I studied my notes then the computer screen. Shit. I’d typed a few numbers incorrectly. I just couldn’t concentrate at this point.

“That means he was invited to the huge event but can’t go. So… I asked if I could use them. He said yes!”

“Good for you. Have fun.” I dropped the phone and quickly retyped the numbers, holding my breath before hitting the testing button. A huge sigh of relief floated from deep in my chest. It worked.

“Are you there?” Stephanie shouted.

Exhaling, I grabbed the phone, trying to put a smile on my face so I didn’t sound as aggravated as I felt. Why was my life crumbling around me? I needed to get control over myself. “I’m here. I hope you have a great time. Are you going with your boyfriend?”

“Oh, please. I kicked that two-timer to the curb.”

“Ouch.”

“He’s the one who should be saying that right about now since I punched him in the eye.”

I had to laugh. “You’re a tough girl. I love that about you. So who are you going with?”

“Duh. Had any coffee today? You, silly. I thought if you went, then maybe you’d make an incredible impression and they’d feel compelled to hire you.”

Oh, hell, no.

“I am not going to some swanky event. Over my dead body. You know how I feel about dressing up.” I glanced down at the faded jeans and older shirt I’d chosen that morning. I was lucky I’d managed to crawl out of bed and pick something clean to wear. After the sleepless night, I felt raw and mostly unstable.

Mostly because my behavior had been so out of the ordinary. All I’d been able to determine was that the vile game had somehow managed to alter my brain waves.

“Oh, come on. When you dress up, you look amazing,” she chided.

“Oh, thanks. That means I look like shit the rest of the time. I feel so adored.”

Stephanie snorted in that cute way of hers. “I’m serious. This could be the break you’re looking for.”

“Do you really think I have anything to wear?”

“Well, no… But we can go shopping ahead of time.”

“For a long dress and heels?”

“Yep. And I know the perfect store you’re going to love.”

“I didn’t say I was going with you,” I told her, smiling from the results of the test.

“Yes, you are. What do you have to lose?”

Maybe the rest of my sanity if I got the job and was forced to work on insane games like the one I played. And it was releasing today of all days. I couldn’t imagine the feeding frenzy the stores would have. I imagined there were lines leading around the block.

“I’m not good at formal events. Just ask my dad.” It was true. I’d gone with my father to one of his fancy events at a posh and upper class location near the Baltimore Harbor and had fallen into the fountain outside after tripping on my own two feet. My father had been so embarrassed he’d never asked me to be his plus one again.

“You’ll do fine. We’ll just mingle, have a couple drinks and see if we can catch the eye of the board of directors.”

“What about Xander?”

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