Page 10 of The Wicked

“I heard she’s wearing three pairs of Spanx,” I told him. “It’s a miracle she can breathe at all.”

Batman snorted. “Spanx? Those giant underwear things?”

“If you’re planning a three-way in the bathroom, allow plenty of time.”

“Thanks for the advice.” He looked me up and down, this time with more interest. I didn’t miss the way his gaze hovered on my cleavage—cleavage that came thanks to the fancy padded bra Romi had sourced. “Hey, Cinderella. You want a three-way in the bathroom?”

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. He was joking, right?

But then a weird thing happened. Batman and Deadpool both backed away in a hurry without waiting for their drinks. Batman gave a little wave of…apology? Regret? What had I done? Did my breath smell? I’d brushed my teeth right before I left home.

“Can I buy you a drink, Cinderella?”

I swivelled to find Prince Charming leaning against the bar. He grinned.

“Are my teeth still okay?” he asked.

Instinct got the better of me, and I pushed him away. Or at least, I tried to. He didn’t move an inch, probably because his chest was made of granite.

“Stop it,” I told him.

“You wound me. About that drink?”

“This is a free bar. I can get my own drink.”

“And there I was trying to be a gentleman.”

I recognised his type. I’d come across a hundred Prince Charmings at the events I coordinated—although most of them didn’t wear gaudy gold epaulettes—and he was no gentleman. A more appropriate noun would be “player” or “womaniser” or “manwhore.” Pheromones oozed from his pores along with expensive cologne, and if Kayleigh and Lillian hadn’t been running around after Hadley Carpenter, they’d have been basking in his aura, fluttering their eyelashes and knocking back his free drinks.

Instead of replying, I turned to the bartender. “Could I get a glass of water, please?”

“Certainly, ma’am.”

“Water? We’re at the party of the year, and you’re drinking water?”

“This is hardly the party of the year.”

“Really? But it said so on the invite.”

No lie; it had. The word “humble” wasn’t in Hadley Carpenter’s vocabulary.

“Hadley is prone to exaggeration.”

He barked out a laugh. “That much is true. I mean, there isn’t even any food.”

“The food will be served right after the speeches.”

“Speeches?” Prince Charming groaned. “Who makes a speech at a birthday party?”

“The man holding the purse strings.”

Or maybe not.

Kayleigh and Lillian stepped onto the stage, beaming now that they were in their favourite place—the limelight. Kayleigh tapped the mic, and everyone winced at the screech of feedback.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight to help us celebrate Hadley’s twenty-fifth birthday. Hadley and I—and Lillian—have been friends since we met on Pierre’s yacht, which was a night to remember, I’m sure you’ll agree, but at least this evening, there’s no risk of anyone falling overboard.” Hadley’s cronies laughed. Her father didn’t. “Over the past four years, we’ve watched Hadley grow from a newbie make-up influencer into a travel blogger with over two million followers, and what a journey that’s been. It hasn’t been an easy path—who can forget the lost luggage in Tanzania or the thing with the monkey in Marrakesh?—but Hadley has come out the other side stronger and more beautiful than before. Please join me in raising your glasses to wish our lovely friend the best birthday ever!”

Applause erupted as Kayleigh drank her entire cocktail in one go. Did she think her job was over now? Because it was just beginning. Clean-up after an event like this one was no easy task, and I wasn’t only talking about the trash. By midnight, at least one woman would have lost her shoes, someone would be on the verge of alcohol poisoning, and there wouldn’t be enough cabs available.

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