Page 78 of The Faking Game

“But aren’t you, West?” she asks with a small chuckle. “How could you watch that and notcare? Not be curious?”

“They’re exhibitionists.”

Heaven upstairs has soft blue lighting, and there’s fake ivy draped along all of the walls. Some of the Whitman family’s paintings are still up but torn in places. Most of their once ornate furniture is gone, too.

The place I once visited as a boy is now a wreck.

Sold and repossessed in a lengthy court battle and scandal that consumed the city. The boy who was once heir to it all hasn’t shown up. I hope he stayed far, far away, whatever Vivienne might say.

I haven’t seen Hadrian in years. Not since that night at Belmont, not since everything unraveled like the threads in a tapestry, spinning out of control. We’re four now, but we were once five.

Nora dances a little in front of me in the large hallway by the front door. Other people look at her, smiling.

She doesn’t seem to realize.

She holds my hand and lifts it up. Twirls under my arm. A smile spreads across her face. It’s so unlike the way she’s been with me so far that it makes something tighten in my chest.

It’s not a mask, either. It’s a real smile, and it lights up her face like a sunrise. “I like this party,” she tells me.

I brush a tendril of her hair back. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’ve had a few shots.”

“From upstairs or downstairs?” I ask.

“Both, I think.”

Vivienne’s parties are known to break every legal rule there is. Lord knows what was in the shots. “We’re going home,” I order.

She pouts a little, but dances backward toward the front door all the same. Her hips sway in a way that speaks of hours spent perfecting her movements. “Fine.”

I push open the door for her. “You’re in a good mood.”

“Yes, I guess I am. I’m also a tiny bit drunk.”

“You don’t say?”

“Tonight was very educational.”

I scoff. “That’s what we’re calling it?”

She laughs again. “It was! I’ve never seen anything like…thatbefore. It was fascinating.”

“I’m corrupting you.”

She waves a hand, like that’s neither here nor there. “No you’re not. But I’m surprised by you, actually.”

We walk down the long, candlelit driveway. I’ve already texted Arthur that it’s time. “Surprised how?”

“I used to think you went wild. You and the guys, like on your trips.”

I shove my hands into my pockets. “You shouldn’t know anything about those.”

“I’ve heard enough from Rafe. Including stories aboutyou.” She walks to the large gate that guards the old Whitman property and peers out through the iron. “You flipped a water scooter once.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on.”

“And you cliff jumped in Ibiza. At midnight!”

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