Bad Things(9)

I was staring at my closet full of clothes for a good five minutes when Bev found me. It was a well-stocked closet, thanks to Bev’s frequent hand-me downs. Thank God we wore the same size, and I couldn’t complain, but I just wasn’t sure how to dress. The Vegas nightlife was pretty diverse; I could get away with wearing jeans, or go fully decked out, but I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to look like a slob, but I really didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard.

Bev gave a brief knock on my door before she came in—her usual routine. She had a black silk halter dress draped over her arm. I recognized it as one she’d worn several times before. It was one of her favorites. It bloused out, and banded at the hips. I’d tried it on for fun once, and I knew it was flattering, in fact, it was gorgeous, but maybe too dressy for a club night out with a guy I barely knew.

Still, I coveted that dress.

I bit my lip, and she gave me a ‘look’.

“If you wear this, I’ll give you a free pass at anything you want in my closet at a future date of your choosing,” she told me.

Just like that, she had me. Her closet was mind-boggling, and way above my pay scale.

“Thank you,” I told her.

She smiled and winked at me, clearly pleased with my agreement.

I showered and did my hair and makeup first, letting the steam from the shower smooth out any small wrinkles in the dress. The top was pure silk, held at the neck with Swarovski crystals. The fitted skirt was a silky looking material, but it had elastic, so it had stretch, and I could still dance in it, which was a must. I didn’t love to go clubbing, but I did love to dance.

I eyed the way out of my price range dress as I blew out my hair, letting it fall straight—a black waterfall down my back. Black was always a good bet for me. It brought out my ivory skin and pale gray eyes. My mother was half-Russian, half-Japanese, and I supposed my features were a mix of both. That was only a guessing game, though, really, since I’d never known what the other side of that equation consisted of.

I lined my eyes carefully in black, and smudged a smoky dark gray shadow onto my eyelids. I was liberal with the mascara, and used a dark maroon lip stain, but that was all. My skin tone didn’t need, and couldn’t handle foundation.

I was still wearing just a towel when Bev breezed into the bathroom with me. She and I hadn’t had privacy boundaries for years, and I only smiled at her as she barged in on me after a cursory knock.

I started shaking my head as soon as I saw the jewelry box in her hand. She didn’t own any cheap, costume jewelry, and I would be terrified if I borrowed something expensive and then lost it. The sad fact was I could never afford to replace even her cheapest piece of bling.

She completely disregarded the headshake, opening the box to show me a pair of earrings. They were huge, pear shaped, diamond studs, two carats at least. “They latch on tight, Danika. There’s no way you’d lose one, and that dress begs for diamonds.”

“I can’t, Bev. I just can’t. And I think I might already be overdressed. Tristan is probably just going to wear a T-shirt and jeans, anyway.”

“You’re wrong there. I saw him. He’s already ready, and he’s looking sharp.”

I smirked. I loved it when she went all old school on me. “Sharp? Like a pencil?”

“Sharp, like dressed up, you smart ass.”

“What’s he wearing?”

“Black slacks and a blazer over a black T-shirt.”

“Sounds a little Vegas douchy. The T-shirt with a suit, I mean. And isn’t it a little hot for that?”

She shrugged. “Wait until you see him. Call it whatever you want, but he looks edible.”

I laughed. “I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to go out with him. Lucy will have a field day, harassing you about it. Hell, she’ll harass us both.”

Bev pursed her lips, and I grinned, knowing that she was going to go into Lucy mode. She did a spot-on impression of our psychiatrist friend, Lucy.

“Jumping from one relationship and straight into another is a symptom of your love addiction, Danika,” she said, her voice pitched low.

I sighed. “He really is just a friend, no funny business at all, but I doubt she’d believe that if she got a look at him.”

Bev nodded. “I believe you, but I have a feeling she’ll have something to say about it.”

I started getting dressed, completely unfazed by Bev’s presence.