Unleash Me, Vol. 2 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series) (26 page)

I placed my hand on her arm.
 
“
Thank you for all that you
’
ve
done.
”

“
It
’
s my pleasure, Lisa.
 
You
’
re a good girl.
 
You
’
ve worked hard for this.
 
So, enjoy tonight.
 
Be with Tank.
 
Be with Jennifer, Alex, and me.
 
And with all of your present and future
admirers.
 
Just please don
’
t
get sloppy drunk at the bar because of your nerves.
 
That I can
’
t have.
”

“
I
’
m on a one martini
maximum.
”

“
Well, don
’
t be that cruel to
yourself.
 
We
’
ll be here for at least three hours, so if you decide
that you want another cocktail, just make sure that two hours have passed
between drinks.
 
Hors d
’
oeuvres will be passed
around.
 
Be smart and make sure you
indulge in a few of them.
 
If you do
that, there won
’
t be
any potential for a booze-fueled faux pas landing you on Page Six tomorrow
morning.
”

Jennifer came up beside me.
 
“
I can
’
t believe this,
”
she said, looking across
the room at my photograph.
 
“
And yet I can.
 
I
’
m so proud of you, Lisa.
”

I gave her a lingering hug that was filled with so much love and
appreciation that I knew she could feel it pass between us.
 
“
Only
you know what this moment really means to me,
”
I said.
 
“
Only you can fully
understand what I
’
m
feeling right now.
 
My God.
 
How long have I dreamed of this?
”

“
Since you
were writing about your father
’
s
affair when you were six.
”

“
She was
writing about her father
’
s
what at what?
”
Blackwell
said.

“
My father
’
s affair.
 
I wrote about it when I was six.
 
It was epic, and let
’
s just say that it got the
juices flowing, even though I didn
’
t
really know what I had witnessed.
 
I
think I wrote about their arms and legs kicking and thrashing in the afternoon
light
—
you know,
before my mother got home and caught them in the bed she shared with my father.
 
And then there was my father
’
s naked butt
—”

“
Enough!
”

“
Well, you
asked.
”

Blackwell blinked at us.
 
“
Who are you girls?
 
Do I know you?
 
Where am I?
 
Why do I feel deceived?
”

“
We
’
re your surrogate
daughters,
”
Jennifer
said.

“
Then act like
it.
”

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Alex, whom I quickly
hugged.
 
“
I
’
ve
said it before, and I
’
ll
keep saying it,
”
I
said in his ear.
 
“
Thank you.
 
None of this would be possible without
you.
 
Don
’
t say differently.
 
We both know better.
 
Just
please accept my heart-felt thanks for all that you
’
ve done.
”

Typical of Alex, who was nothing if not a gentleman, he kissed me on the
cheek and said,
“
Tonight
is your night.
 
Your friends just
get to celebrate it with you.
 
Remember, Wenn didn
’
t
write your book
—
you
did.
 
We just saw its potential and
acquired it.
”

At that moment, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, and
by the masculine scent of his subtle cologne alone, I knew it was my man before
he said a word to me.
 
“
Those are some lips you
’
ve got there, babe.
”

“
Be happy I
don
’
t have those lips
on me tonight
—
if
I did, I
’
d probably
cut you with them if I kissed you.
”

“
But you don
’
t have them on now
…
.
”

“
So, I don
’
t.
”
 
I turned
to Tank, held his face in my palms, and met his eyes with mine.
 
He smiled down at me when my lips
pressed against his.
 
We were in
public, so I kept it brief.
 
Still,
I whispered in his ear,
“
If
we were alone, who knows where my lips would be?
”

“
Maybe we can
figure that out later.
”

“
Maybe we can.
”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When all of us got to the bar, which was located just beneath my
photograph, Alex asked all of us what we wanted and then leaned in toward the
bartenders.
 
He was recognized on
sight, and within moments, we had our cocktails.

“
You
’
re the man,
”
Jennifer said, lifting
her martini to his so their glasses touched.

“
Soon, you
’
ll be the woman,
”
he responded.

“
Where is
Iris?
”
I asked.
 
“
I
’
ve been looking around for
her everywhere, but I haven
’
t
seen her.
”

“
She might
still be stuck out in the cold,
”
Blackwell said.
 
“
Pity about that
…
.
”

“
Really,
Barbara?
 
Really?
 
You
’
d do that to her?
”

“
I
’
m just saying that it
’
s a possibility.
 
I told her to come early to beat the
lines.
 
It
’
s not my fault if she can
’
t follow a simple directive.
”

“
We could have
picked her up and driven together.
”

“
So why didn
’
t you mention that
earlier?
”

Oh, that woman!
 
“
Probably because I have a lot on
my mind.
”

“
Perhaps.
 
As for poor, dear, shivering Iris?
 
Don
’
t worry about her.
 
She
’
ll
survive.
 
I
’
ll just tell her that you were so anxious to get here,
we didn
’
t have time
to pick her up.
”

“
Don
’
t you dare make me out to
be a monster.
”

“
Actually, my
dear, I think one is coming our way now.
”

“
What does
that mean?
”

“
Tootie
Staunton-Miller and her gay husband, Addy, just caught sight of us.
 
Patrons of the arts.
 
Philanthropists.
 
Big money.
 
And they
’
re in the book.
 
We all love Addy, who is a sweetheart, but Tootie?
 
She
’
s a miserable snob.
 
If I were a shrink, I
’
d say that she was a
sociopath.
 
Something isn
’
t right about her.
 
Her eyes look dead to me.
 
Unseeing.
”

“
I
’
d agree with you,
”
Jennifer said.
 
“
I
’
ve gone toe-to-toe with
her a few times.
”

“
Did you win?
”

“
They
’
re coming this way,
”
I interrupted.

“
What do you
think, Alex?
”
Jennifer
said.
 
“
Did I hold my ground against her?
”

“
I think you
pulled it out from under her.
”

“
Who are they?
”
I asked.

“
Old
money,
”
Blackwell
said.
 
“
At
least Addy
’
s side of the family is.
 
Addy
’
s
family
’
s money began in New York before it pushed its roots down
deep into Philadelphia
—
and then everything exploded.
 
Everyone here knows that Tootie is Addy
’
s
well-compensated beard.
 
Their sham
of a marriage began decades ago in a mutually beneficial celebration that had
nothing to do with love and everything to do with concealment.
 
Tootie would marry into one of the
country
’
s most prominent families and enjoy all that offered,
including secretive affairs on the side with a host of Italians
—
her
favorite
—
while Addy would save face for his
family by tucking his true sexuality into Tootie
’
s
ever-loving arms.
”

“
They
’
re
halfway here,
”
Alex said.

“
So
they are.
”

“
I
want to write a book about them now,
”
I said.
 

“
You
haven
’
t
even heard the half of it,
”
Blackwell said.
 
“
The men Addy has gone through is legendary, but nobody says
anything about his dalliances because every major family has their Addy, that
one person who has brought them shame and humiliation and had to be
‘
dealt
’
with, so nothing
spoiled the family name or the illusion that the family itself was nothing less
than perfect.
 
For that reason, few
dare to throw the first stone at the Miller family lest a stone be thrown at
one of their own.
 
But I love Addy,
”
she said.
 
“
You will too.
”

“
OK,
”
Alex said.
 
“
That
’
s
enough.
 
All smiles.
 
They
’
re
fifteen feet away and closing.
 
Here
we go.
 
And we
’
re
smiling.
 
Right?
 
Everyone?
 
Smile, Barbara.
 
Come on.
 
Help me out here.
”

“
Oh,
all right.
”

“
Hello, Tootie,
”
he said when the couple arrived.
 
He bent down and gave her a peck on each
cheek.
 
“
It
’
s
good to see you.
”
 
He straightened and shook Addy
’
s
hand.
 
“
You
know I
’
m always happy to see you, Addy.
”

“
My goodness,
”
Tootie said.
 
“
I
hope we aren
’
t
interrupting anything.
 
All of you
looked so candid a moment ago.
 
So
in cahoots.
 
Now, it
’
s as if rigor mortis has
settled in.
 
I hope we didn
’
t interrupt any kind of
scandalous conversation
…
.
”