Page 11 of Embrace
I think I will always love you, no matter what,I replied.
He responded right awaywith a thumbs-up andHeading in. Save me a seat beside you.
Okay,I wrote.
Then he sentme another thumbs-up.
I stood very stillwith the phone in my hands, hoping, praying, and praying some more that Jake was right. I looked like that Julia Valentine person. Then it dawned on me that the woman might be my sister. Only I was the result of a monstrous act committed by her father toward my mother.
A sick feeling began to spark in the pit of my stomach. I was beginning to wonder if I could truly have a good time at the party with all the shit that was still up in the air.But Jake said he’d be there.I certainly didn’t want him showing up at the party with me at home and leaving him as fresh meat for all the groupies that swarmed Rich and his friends like flies did shit. That was when I got a new burst of energy and traipsed to the bathroom to shower.
* * *
I hadon a royal blue A-line dress that made my cleavage look like two succulent apples. Rich used to go crazy with lust whenever I wore the dress. Once, he sucked my tits all night and was so turned on by gorging on breasts that he actually came. Not only was that the power of that particular dress, but it was also the closest he’d ever come to doing me in the raw.
Of course, I wasn’t wearing the dress for Rich. I’d put it on for Jake. For a moment, I thought it would be sort of cruel to seduce him, but then, at a party like the one I was attending, I had to bring my A game or shrink amongst all the tits, ass, and camel toe that the groupies were willing to put out there for Jake to salivate over.
“Shit,” I muttered. I hated that I was suddenly worrying about insecure and vain shit like that.
I applied more dramatic makeup than normal and took time to curl my long hair. All of my layers had grown out, which meant as soon as I had the time, I would make an appointment at Barbara’s Beauty Salon, which was across the street from my building, to get them back. Before leaving, I went to my calendar to make a note that I should check my schedule and contact Barbara for an appointment.
The letter from the DNA company captured my attention. I wondered why Jake hadn’t wanted me to simply follow the instructions and make the call. I almost thought it had something to do with not giving his brother control. I sensed some sibling rivalry. Then I remembered him mentioning that his ex-girlfriend was in love with his brother. Perhaps that was it. Maybe that was why he’d run away from his ultra-rich family.
I liked Jake an awful lot and loved him too, but I would not let that get in the way of doing what was best for myself. The letter said that the line was open twenty-four hours a day. So I cast all of my trepidation to the wind and dialed the number.
I could feel my insides shudder as I waited for someone to pick up the phone. I went rigid when the ringing stopped and a voice came on the line.
“You have been identified as having a first-degree DNA connection with subjects of a special fund set up for victims and the family members of victims who have suffered sexual assault by one Randolph Christmas and/or Arthur Valentine. A restitution fund has been set up on your and many others’ behalf. At the sound of the beep, please speak your identification number and verify your phone number, and we will be able to release your parentage results once your credentials are verified and entered into our system. This will take between twenty-four and forty-eight hours. Also, be aware that you have the right to decline monetary or any sort of restitution paid from this fund, but we encourage you to accept compensation. And finally, your indemnity fund agent will send you an email to schedule your initial call. Thank you for taking the time to call us.”
Then came the beep that officially ended the recording.
I struggled with whether or not I should speak my number. The prerecorded voice told me where I could find the number on my letter and to speak it then press pound when I was finished.
Finally, I thought,What the hell.
I said, “One-five-three-three-six-zero,” then I pressed the pound key and left my phone number. The recorded voice thanked me and informed me that I could end the call.
Chapter Five
Penina Ross
There was a knock on my door as I raced around the condo, looking for my keys and wallet. I couldn’t find either in my purse. As usual, I was a basket case.
“Who is it?” I shouted, searching my purse again.
“It’s me, Kit Kat,” Zara sang.
“Reese’s Pieces!” I exclaimed as my hand landed on my keys.
I shuffled to the door and opened it.
We hugged, then I stood back to get a complete picture of her. She was wearing a strappy and slinky black cocktail dress, which made her three times as much the ravishing beauty as she already was.
“You look positively gorgeous,” I said.
“No, but look at you,” she said. “And I mean in every way. You know I was the one who let Dr. Sparrow into your apartment,” she said.
I recognized her tone. Zara was about to pry. “I know,” I said as I spotted my wallet on the sofa, wondering when the hell I had put it there. Then I thought that it might have fallen out of my purse when I tossed it onto the sofa earlier when Jake was with me.
