CHAPTER 16
Peter walks past the hostess, and says we're meeting someone. She offers to walk us back, but Peter is already cutting across the incredible room. I'm not sure where he's going until Peter slows as he comes to a table. Peter cuts through the restaurant from the side and approaches a man with his back to us. Peter must have circled the perimeter until he caught sight of his brother. I can't see Sean, and I'm nervous. I can't imagine what this must be like for Peter, but he seems unfazed.
There's a woman seated across from Sean. I can see her perfectly. She's leaning forward, with her dark hair spilling over her shoulders, saying something to Sean when she glances up. She stops speaking and stares at Peter as we approach. Peter is in front of me as we step up to their table.
The grip on my hand tightens a little bit and then releases. I stay a step back as Peter greets his brother. I wonder what they were like as children, if they knew how tragic their lives were going to be. No child thinks that anything like that will happen. The future is always bright; it isn't until you get there that you realize it isn't.
Sean introduces his brother to the woman at the table. "This is Pete Ferro."
Peter corrects, "Actually, I dropped the Ferro part. It's Dr. Peter Granz."
Sean's voice is deeper and more jaded sounding. "You took her name?"
Peter nods. "It felt right after everything that happened." Peter changed his name to hers after she died. That's so tragic and beautiful that I have to fight the awwwhhh that wants to crawl up my throat. I wonder what it does to him. Hearing her name every day must remind Peter of the life that slipped between his fingers.
They say a few more things before Peter looks over at me and pulls me forward. I've been hanging back like a wallflower. The woman across from Sean has been watching me, but she doesn't say anything to me. She's polite and asks if the men are twins. She looks like a model. Her hair has no frizz and her makeup looks like it was painted on by da Vinci. "This is Sidney Colleli."
Sean stands and turns to look at me. At that moment I see the striking similarities between the Ferro men. They look like photocopies, but Sean's eyes are different, harder. He inclines his head to me. "Good evening, Miss Colleli."
"Please, call me Sidney."
"Very well, Sidney." Peter pulls out the chair next to Sean and my heart flip-flops. Even if Peter doesn't think Sean is nuts, I'm not ready to breathe easy around him. I lower myself in the chair and then Sean sits back down. Peter takes the seat across from me and smiles. It's a look that says don't worry.
Sean glimpses over at me and says, "This is Avery Stanz, my…" I wonder why he hesitates. I look at the woman and an amused smile sparks at the corners of her mouth.
"Your, what?" she says, as she leans forward and bats her eyelashes at him. Sean narrows his gaze. I can't tell if they're teasing each other or if they have a relationship that's in the weird middle spot where no one wants to be the first person to call it what it is—dating.
Sean continues to gaze at her without speaking. I shift in my seat and look over at Peter. He gives me a look that says he has no idea.
Avery smirks and makes the introduction for him. "I'm Avery Stanz, his favorite call girl." She winks at Sean at the same time my face flames red. For a second I think she's teasing him, but the look on his face says otherwise.
Sean leans back in his chair, and he shakes his head. He's smiling, but I can't tell if he wants to strangle her or hug her. "I spoke too slowly. Now you both know how fucked up things have gotten and why I haven't left New York yet. I'm sure you noticed the pattern shift, Pete. Everyone else has." Sean's eyes shift back toward Avery as he's speaking. The look he gives her is so intense that I can't look.
Peter watches Sean but doesn't say anything. The silence drives me nuts, so I blurt it out. "For real? Like you sleep with men for money?"
Avery's perfectly pink lips switch from a coy, sexy grin to a big fat smile. She laughs and looks over at me like she didn't notice me before. "Ah, here we go. Sidney's my kind of girl—"
"I don't do girls," I squeak, which makes Avery start laughing. She lifts her napkin to her mouth to muffle the sound because it's way too loud for the restaurant. People look over at us. I'm pretty sure my face caught fire because there's no way blushing could possibly make it sting this bad, this long.
"Oh my God, she blushes, too!" Avery drops the napkin and grins at me.
Sean translates, "Avery blushes an abnormal amount for someone in her profession and has a tendency to say whatever random thought flies through her mind. She thinks you're her long-lost sister from the look on her face." Sean grimaces after I hear a scuffle under the table. I think she kicked Sean.
"Shut up! You'll scare her off," Avery teases.
I lean forward and raise my hand, like I'm in school. "Can we stop talking about me like I'm not here?"
Peter tries not to laugh and flashes his baby blues at me as he covers his mouth with his hand to hide the growing smile on his lips.
"Oh my God. I love her." Avery stands and smooths her dress before walking over to me. "You guys talk about boring man stuff. We're going to the bar to get better acquainted." Avery touches me lightly, but when I don't get up, she threads her arm through mine and pulls me.
"Um, I don't do girls."
"Yeah, I got that, sweetie." She's still laughing at me. "Come on. Let's leave the boys alone so they can talk."
Oh. Now I feel stupid—well, stupider. Avery holds on to me as we cross the room, arm in arm, toward the bar. An old guy nods at her, and I wonder if they know each other. A few male heads turn as we walk by. My dress is much more conservative than hers, so I assume they're looking at her. I'd die to have her body. It's all curves in all the right places.
She leans in, and says, "Walking like this puts ideas in people's minds. Those looks we're getting are for both of us. Wait until we sit down. Some hot guy will ask for your number within five minutes." She winks at me right when we get to the bar.
I'm insanely uncomfortable, but I try to relax. This chick is just a person with a weird job. She seems nice, really. I would have never thought she was a hooker if she didn't tell me. I press my lips together. I have no idea what to talk about. Avery chooses for me. "So you guys drove up from Texas?" The bartender hurries over and Avery orders two shots.
Nodding, I say, "Yeah, but I don't do shots."
She laughs. "Neither do I. I'll claw my tongue like a cat in a second. Watch and see."
I can't read this woman. I can't tell if she's pulling my leg or if she's for real. The bartender sets down two tiny cups of amber liquid. She plucks one from the bar. Just as I lift mine, she clinks them together and says, "Mazel tov. Here's to the fucked-up Ferro brothers." She knocks back the shot before I can speak, and then makes the funniest expressions I've ever seen. Apparently she wasn't lying about the not doing hard liquor thing.
I can't help but laugh. She's got her mouth hanging open and is fanning it frantically. Just as I'm about to do the shot, a man sits down next to me. "Hey, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?" I turn and look at him. Holy shit, he's hot. The guy looks like a GQ ad, complete with amazing eyes and sun-kissed skin.
I blink in shock and fail to respond. He looks over at Avery. "I'm sorry. Are you two together?"
Avery gives him a look with those dark eyes and leans into me as she places her hand on my arm. "Yes, and I'm buying her drinks tonight. Scat."
The man smiles at us with a look of sheer appreciation laced with lust. "My apologies. Enjoy your evening." He slips off the stool and takes the walk of shame out of the bar.
I gape at her. "Why'd you say that?"
"Because you think you're a fucking wallflower and you're not. Now you know. Hot guys want you, even in that frocky thing you're wearing." She taps the bar and nods at the bartender. He brings Avery another shot, but she doesn't drink it just yet.
"It's not a frock! I thought I looked cute." I look down at my dress. Is it that bad?
"You look like a schoolmarm. It's the classic don't-look-at-me long black dress. In Latin, it's called guyus replantunus." She grabs my long skirt and waves it back and forth. "What is this? A broomstick skirt? Don't they show off knees in Texas, or is that illegal?"
I glance at her skirt. It's not tight but it's much shorter. I can see her shapely thighs and so can every other person in the room. She notices me looking and smirks. "I don't do women, in case you're still nervous about that. Actually, I haven't been doing this very long, and Sean Ferro was my first client."
"No way, really?" My fingers tap the lip of the shot glass as we talk.
Avery nods. "How'd you land the brother?" She looks behind us. We can see the two of them from here. They're speaking with mirrored expressions. It's a little insane how much they look alike.
I smirk because it was so unlike me. "I walked up to him in a parking lot and offered to sleep with him. It was kind of random. I was trying something new." I can't look at her.
"Looks like it worked out."
"Actually, he threw me out that first night." Screw this. I'm doing the shot. I lift the glass to my lips and let the liquid flood my mouth, but it's too slow. It starts to burn before I manage to empty the glass.
Avery laughs. "Holy fuck, you're crazier than I am. Swallow it before it burns a hole in your face!" She's too loud. Everyone turns to look at us.
I feel too many eyes on the side of my face and panic. I can't swallow the liquor. It was too much and my eyes are burning like my brains are on fire. I start to squeal and fan my face, like that'll help. Avery yells at me to swallow it, but now I can't. I have too much liquid in my mouth and I'm pretty sure my tongue has flames shooting out the end.
I frantically look around, trying to figure out how to spit it out, but there is nowhere. Way to be classy. There's a couple of guys sitting a few stools over drinking. The one closest to her has a tall glass. Avery reaches for it, tosses the contents in the drain on the other side of the bar, and slams it down in front of me. I spit it out into the cup as fast as humanly possible while Avery laughs hysterically.
"Oh my God, you're just like me!"
I'm not sure about that, but I can't talk. I fan my open mouth as people stare at me with knowing expressions on their faces. Avery leans into me, laughing, and tells me not to scrape my tongue, since that will only make it worse. My eyes water and tears streak down my face. The bartender shoots Avery a look and puts down a glass of water in front of me. Avery reaches into her purse and slips him a big bill. All is forgiven, and he actually smiles at her.
"That was the funniest thing I've seen in an insanely long time." She hangs on my shoulder and then looks at me. Her little fingers dab away my tears without messing up my makeup. "There you go. Good as new."
"That was so disgusting. I can't believe I spewed." I start giggling and can't stop. Avery chortles with me. It feels like I've known her forever. It's really weird and not lost on me. I don't get along well with many people. I tap her arm a few times and manage to say, totally straight-faced, "That was evil. Really. Frock you."
Avery honks out a huge laugh and slaps her hands over her mouth. Frantic giggles burst forth from both of us and fill up the bar. I can't breathe, and I'm pretty close to falling off my stool. A guy tries to hit on us, but neither of us can stop laughing long enough to look at him. A second later, I feel his hand on my shoulder. The smile is torn off my face as I round on the person, ready to punch. I've already formed a fist when Avery touches my hand.
It's not a random guy. Sean is standing there looking much too serious. His deep blue eyes shift between Avery and me. "Ladies." He arches a dark brow at me like he disapproves. "Dinner is on the table." He extends his elbow to me. I hesitate because I don't want to take it. My skin is still covered in goose bumps from the first time he touched me.
Avery leans forward and pushes his arm away. "We'll be right there. Give us a sec." Sean looks annoyed, but walks away. His posture is so perfect. He carries himself differently than Peter, but their confident stride is the same. Avery pulls me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I'm not. I'm too jumpy for a normal person and she noticed.
Avery gives me a knowing look. "If you ever need somebody to talk to, I've been through hell and back. I know stuff, even if I seem like an idiot most of the time."
I appreciate the gesture, and smile at her. The look she gives me says she knows what happened on some level. I see it in her eyes.
I nod and tuck my hair behind my ear, breaking her gaze. "I might have a question or two for you, actually." I tell her what I'm thinking, and she answers my inquiries without judgment.