Page 10 of Sweet as Sin (Bad Habit 1)
“Well, don’t thank me yet, lovey. I’ve still got to get you into this thing, which is going to take a miracle. Even Avery would’ve had to suck it in, and she’s a size zero long.”
“Zero long?” I was astonished. “That’s not a size, that’s an oxymoron! Please tell me she has to puke three times a day to keep herself that thin.”
With a tsk, Kenji sent me a pointed look. “Green isn’t your color, honey. And you didn’t hear it from me but . . . well, let’s just say girlfriend has to do a lot of things to keep her figure.”
I felt a twinge of regret at being petty. Avery obviously had a substance abuse problem. Who knew what other horrors of self-abuse she underwent to keep looking perfect. Today excepted, of course.
“Well, I wish I knew her trick for getting booze to dampen the appetite. After two margaritas, I eat everything in sight.”
Kenji looked startled. “Booze? What makes you think she was drunk?”
It was my turn to be startled. I’d had enough hangovers in my life to know what a really bad one looked—and smelled—like. “It was kind of obvious, Kenji.”
He shook his head sadly. “No, honey. What Avery’s into isn’t obvious.” He turned away, muttering under his breath. “Unless you
know where to look.”
It wasn’t my business. Only it sort of was, because I was going to stand in for her, possibly making a colossal ass of myself in public in the process. I just had to ask. “What do you mean?”
He turned back to me, reluctant to answer. After a moment of lip-chewing, he sighed. “She’s a good girl, but she’s fucked up, and she’s got good reason to be. So I don’t judge. I just keep my fingers crossed that Nico can figure out how to help her before it’s too late. It’s not for lack of trying, that’s for sure. That man has put his heart and soul into . . . ”
His expression clouded. He seemed lost in a memory. Then he shook his head and waved an imperious hand, a gesture I was beginning to recognize as his trademark. “Anyway! Loose lips sink ships, lovey, so please don’t repeat a word I’ve said.”
He hadn’t said much of anything, not exactly. But one thing stood out in screaming neon like a Vegas marquee: “His heart and soul.”
Avery was Nico’s heart and soul.
If I was going to get through today, I’d better remember that.
When I stepped into the chaos of the master bedroom exactly twenty minutes later, it took mere seconds for the hubbub of voices and activity to die down, and for everyone to turn and stare.
Standing inside the doorway with Kenji beside me, I fought the urge to turn and run.
The sense of critical inspection was suffocating. Dozens of pairs of judging eyes raked over me, no doubt finding me a pathetic substitute for the woman who was supposed to be standing in this spot. I’d done my best with my hair and makeup, curling my long dark hair so it hung around my shoulders in loose waves, and using a pale palette on my skin and lips, with a contrasting dramatic, smoky eye. A pair of cream Louboutins with Swarovski crystal appliqué on the heel completed the look, adding six inches to my height.
I thought I looked pretty good. For me anyway. But I was no supermodel. Or any kind of model.
Which, judging by the looks on their faces, everyone in the room knew.
I swallowed hard and took a step back. A firm hand settled on my shoulder.
“Chin up and smile, sister,” murmured Kenji. “It’ll be worse if they think you’re afraid. Sharks can smell fear, you know.”
Since fear was leaking through my pores like giant, sweaty gumdrops, I assumed I was about to become chum.
Kenji gently shoved me forward, and I took another step into the room. A mincing step, because the dress was so tight I couldn’t walk normally. I squared my shoulders, careful not to breathe too deeply so I didn’t split any seams. On my lips I plastered a big, fake, shit-eating grin.
But when I saw Nico, sans shirt and shoes, lying atop a huge four-poster bed across the room with his hands behind his head, the shit-eating grin died a quick death.
Tattoos.
Muscles.
Burning eyes.
Bronzed skin.
The impressions came quick and fast. Blinking, I had to look away so I didn’t just stand there and gape like an idiot.
