“Thanks, Iain.” She opens the door. “Let’s spend money. Do you have Brett’s credit card?”
“No.” My cheeks flush with horror as I step out.
“Don’t worry, I’ll buy whatever you want and have Brett pay me back.” She snickers, like that makes her happy. I won’t tell her there’s no way I’d do that when she seems genuinely excited. So I merely smile and let the full magnitude of Beverly Hills hit me as she loops her arm with mine, and we walk toward the gold letters that spell JIMMY CHOO.
There’s something great about Raven. Her self-confidence and sassy attitude have to be what attracted Jett. They fit. With some people, you wonder what they see in each other, but not them.
“Oh wow, these are so pretty.” My hands almost itch to touch the sparkling stilettos up front and center as we walk into the shop. The white walls, silver carpet, and giant gold chandelier slam home the glamour, telling me that I have indeed entered a fairy tale. That, and dammit, these wedge sandals are so freaking cute, but they’re $750.
“I’m just here to look and help you shop,” I say because my dad would literally have a heart attack if he saw a charge that high on my credit card for a pair of sandals.
“Stop it, you have to try some on. What fun is just looking?” Raven winks as a woman approaches us.
“How many do I need to bring out?” She smiles as Raven starts pointing. “What size are you?” she demands.
I sigh. “A 37, but again, I’m just looking,” I say to the saleswoman who has unnaturally white teeth.
“Shh.” Raven looks at me, then back at the woman. “I’m a 36, so we need all of this row, and then, Oh my God, look at these!” She holds up a pair of pink wedge sandals with Jimmy Choo embroidered on the top in gold. “And they wrap up the ankles. These have your name all over them, Alex.”
I can’t help but laugh. Raven is fun, and with the champagne making me feel warm and suddenly happy—or else it’s the beautiful shoes—I’m going to have fun. You only live once. Sitting on one of the velvet couches, I wait for the boxes to appear. We kind of have the whole front of the store to ourselves. There’s an older woman with her dog in the back, and a couple of dark-suited men in the corner. Not sure if they are shopping or store security.
“Here we go.” The woman comes out, followed by a slender man in stylish glasses, both of them carrying at least six boxes each.
Raven turns to me. “Shall we?”
I smile as I kick off my flats and slip into a pair of stilettos that have dangling rhinestones on the ankle.
“Those are hot.” She stands, wearing a pair of heeled black boots as we look into the mirror. Box after box, we try all of them on.
“You need to get those.” She points at the pink wedge sandals I’m wearing. Not gonna lie, my legs look amazing in them. Sitting back down, I wait for her to decide which pair she wants before I take them off.
“I can’t decide between this one or this one.” Raven has one of each shoe on her feet and goes back and forth, looking in the mirror.
My phone vibrates.
“I think the boots? Although, those heels are amazing.” I laugh as I grab my phone.
BRETT: Are you behaving?
I look up at Raven who is distracted looking at herself, and catch a glimpse of my own flushed face in the mirror. As usual, adrenaline pumps through my body, and I take a breath before texting him back.
ME: Do you want me to be bad?
Nibbling at my bottom lip, I wait, already regretting that I sent it. Knowing Brett, he’ll say something filthy… and my phone vibrates.
BRETT: Do you still hate me? I want you to sit on my face.
“Who’re you texting with that big smile?” Raven’s voice makes me jump.
I stash my phone away, my eyes taking in the store. No one is looking… I stand, grab my bag, and move over to her.
She cocks her head questioningly at me. “Everything okay?”
“You ever steal anything?” My voice cracks. Excitement pounds through me with each beat of my heart.
“No.” She looks horrified at me as I pick up her purse and walk to the door.
“Meet you in the car.” Then I run, well, as fast as I can in five-inch heeled sandals, my heart beating so hard I’m breathless as I hear Raven squeal.
“Oh my God, I can’t get the door open,” I scream, frantically feeling around, trying to open the stupid door on the Tesla.
And then the world explodes. Or maybe it’s just the alarm because everything is happening in slow motion.
Raven’s driver is holding up his hands at the guys in black suits, keeping them away from us.
Screaming. Is that coming from me or Raven? Run. I need to run…
Oh fuck!
BRETT
“All I’m saying is you need to–” Jett’s phone starts ringing, thankfully interrupting his nonstop bitching about what I need to do and not do. I’m hungover as fuck, and my brother acting like he’s so superior makes me want to leave, but I’m stuck here until Alex comes back.
I bring my Bloody Mary to my lips and down the last of it. That’s my second. I roll my neck, closing my eyes as the sun beats down on my face. Christ, I’m actually starting to feel human.
“What did you say?” Jett stands with so much force the table moves forward. “An incident? Are they in jail?”
My eyes bolt open, and my pulse spikes. “What is it?”
“I’m on my way.” His voice sounds dead calm, which makes the hairs on my neck stand. I grab my phone to call Alex, but Jett is already walking to his Ferrari.
“Jesus Christ, what?” I demand, swinging the door open. Fear. It’s an emotion I usually chase, and at the moment, it’s bringing me to my knees. I collapse into the seat.
“Your girlfriend shoplifted at Jimmy Choo and got Raven involved,” he hisses.
I barely hear him above the loud pounding of my heart.
Pull it together, Brett.
“There has to be a mistake.” I push on her number, listening to it ring as Jett swerves around a car.
“Mistake? The mistake was letting Raven go with her. I mean, what the fuck?” He grips the steering wheel like he might snap it as I hear Alex’s phone message come on.
“Just relax. They haven’t been arrested, right? I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.” I grab his oh-shit handle, wishing he’d let me drive.
“She’s clearly insane. Shoplifting? Why would she even think she could get away…”
I tune him out as the pounding of my heart goes straight to my temples.
“Jesus.” I scrub my hands up and down my face. She wouldn’t… Christ, she did.
“What?” Jett snarls.
“It’s my fault.” I lean my head back on his buttery headrest.
“The fuck are you talking about? What did you get my wife involved in?” Jett is now yelling and laying on his horn for people with the right-of-way to get off the crosswalk.
“A while ago, I had Alex think she was shoplifting a bikini, only I had paid for it.” He looks over at me, almost as if I have horns growing out of my head.
“The fuck is wrong with you?”