Page 104 of Vicious Arrangement
“What,” Katie says, sliding back into her chair, “did I miss? Because you’re blushing.”
I slap a hand to my cheek. “Noah’s taking me out on a date, a real first date, and I told him it’s a little late for that.”
Katie squeals, practically jumping up and down in her seat. “Oh my god, let’s eat quickly and go shopping! I’ve been looking for an excuse to annoy Dave today, and this is it.”
“I have nice things.”
“No, you have a wedding dress, the black dress, and the red dress you hooked him in. Time to get some more. Can we go shopping after lunch? Please?”
I cave. “Okay.”
I’mexhausted when four comes around. Katie, with bags of clothes for herself, has to go back to work for an actual meeting, so she gets a cab and jets.
Our last stop was SoHo, so I don’t have that far to go. Lucky, too, since she forced me to spend about three month’s worth of nursing wages on clothes, bags, lingerie, and shoes. I’m loaded down.
But the violet, romantically sexy dress I got with pretty silver strappy sandals will be perfect for wherever we go. It’s on the dressy side, but now that I know that Noah owns a thousand suits plus the mysterious velvet one, I don’t think we’re going to a diner.
When I’m a block from the penthouse, I suddenly feel faint and I stop at a coffee shop for a matcha smoothie and a croissant.
I get it to go. Just something to have to keep me going while I put things away before I shower and get ready.
As I wait for my name to be called, my back starts to burn, as if someone’s staring at me. It’s so disconcerting that I actually look around. But there are just people in here waiting, looking at their phones or chatting, and outside, no one suspicious or watching me.
“Aria?” the barista shouts.
I give myself a mental shake, take my goodies, and head home.
When I’m there, I manage to get the key in to open the door and struggle into the foyer with my bags.
“Let me.”
The neighbor with the baseball cap.
He picks up my bags and puts them in the elevator. “There’s room,” I say.
With a smile, he gets in and pushes three. “Do you need help getting the shopping into your place.”
I blush, the heat rising fast. “I can do it, but thanks.”
After he gets out, I drag everything out and sit with Angus on the terrace, sharing the croissant. Then I feed him and put fresh water in his bowl and lay out my outfit.
I shower, put on some make up, the lingerie and then pull on the dress. It’s perfect and it shows off my cleavage and my curves, such as they are.
I slip on the shoes, and head downstairs with my phone and lipstick to where I left some of the bags, including the one with the handbag that matches my shoes. I’m almost at the bottom when Angus flies by me, barking up a storm.
“Angus!”
He stops mid-bark and I get down and hurry down the hall, turning into the kitchen.
My world wobbles. “Angus!”
He’s lying on the kitchen floor, not moving, and there’s a man over him.
In a baseball cap.
“Now calm down, Mrs. Templeton,” he says. “He’s sleeping, though he took the knockout juice meant for you.”
“Who are you?” What am I doing? I start to run to the elevator, pressing the button. I can see beyond the elevator down the open hall to the right, there’s a door I’ve never noticed, propped open. I start to run toward it, when something grabs my hair and smashes my head into the wall.
