THALIA

58. Invitation

• RICHARD FORD •

I stare down at the invitation.

"We're not going. We're busy." I tell my spins, finality lacing my tone.

Bennu perches on the sofas armrest, "Dad, c'mon, he's your best mate. Your friend for god knows how long. We go every year. Plus, what would the media say if Thomas Ricos best friend didn't show up to his annual charity gala? I can already see the headlines."

"He's right, Dad." Axel chimes in.

"We're busy. We haven't found her yet." I tell them all.

"Dad you haven't slept a full nights sleep in forever. Im sure you can spare one night of looking for you friend."

"We can't...stop."

"We're not stopping. Just taking a four hour break."

I go to protest but all my sons give me the exact same look. They're all in agreement, I think for the first time... ever.

I scratch my beard, "...fine." They got their persuasiveness off of me.

"Good. Now go have a shower, you stink." Dom deadpans, making all the boys snicker.

"Alright, alright, wind your neck in." I stand up off of the sofa and head towards my bedroom. Once I'm out of the lounge I lift my arm up and sniff my armpit. They're right, I do need a shower.

I practically inhaled those pancakes. "Oh my god, those were so good."

They were way too good not to be complemented.

"You can say that again," Warren smiles, looking extremely pleased with himself. Fair enough, I almost came at the taste.

Warren takes a swig of his Diet Coke and then angle his body so that he's facing me completely.

"Oh god..." his Cheshire Cat smile means he's up to no good.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope. He puts it on the counter and slides it to me as if we're in the middle of some top secret business deal.

"What is it...."

The only response I get from Warren is a wide grin.

I pick up the white envelope with gold ingrains on it and unseal it. I take the card, with the same theme as the envelope: white and gold, and read it in my head.

This is an invitation to the Rico Bardots annual charity gala

I look up to be met with sandy brown eyes boring into mine. "I'm guessing this is big..."

He laughs, "you could say that."

I sigh, I'm gonna disappoint him and I hate that because he looks like a kid at Christmas right now. "Warren... this is sweet... and I'd love to..."

"But?"

"But I don't think I'd fit in. I'm just... not."

"So what? Fitting in is boring as fuck, who wants that?"

I sigh again, "but..."

Warren puts a finger to my lips, sealing them shut. "No buts. You're coming." He takes his pointer finger away from my lips.

"Warren, I have like... no money. I can't pay for a dress."

"That doesn't matter."

"Warren!" I stress.

"What?"

"I'm not taking anymore of your handouts."

"They're not handouts, they're gifts." He doesn't exactly look like he's regretting the offer, but if I accepted then that's mean I owe him, and I don't want to owe anybody. It feels like a lingering weight on my shoulders.

He pushes the invite into my chest, "you're coming."

He puts both his hands on my chest, holding the invitation there.

I look down to his hands, then back to him. Back down to his hands, then into his eyes.

He's touching my breasts.

"You want me to move them?" He asks a little breathlessly.

My breathing becomes slightly unsteady, I go to tell him "yeah" but my heart won't let me. The pulse in between my legs won't let me. So I just
sit there, staring into his sandy eyes.

He's silent.

I think Warren Rico is finally lost for words. I don't know if that's a good thing. I don't think he is. It makes me unsteady.

"Brother what are you doing?" The unknown voice says with disgust and his hands retreat from my breasts.

Warren rolls his eyes before swivelling around in his chair to meet the man's eyes. They look scarily alike, but the guy in the doorway is older than Warren.

"Nothing, Hilton." Warren says in a quipped tone, visibly annoyed.

"Of course. Well give her what she wants and then get ready. We're going out for dinner with one of Fathers business partners."

I almost choke on air.

Give her what she wants?

Who is this geezer?

Warren clenches his jaw and walks towards the man in the doorway. "Don't talk about her like that."

"You've never had a problem with it before." His brother states bluntly, he pulls out a cigarette and lights it with a lighter, he brings it up to his lips and blows it into Warrens face. Warren doesn't flinch.

"She's... different. Ilikeher, man."

"You what?" His brother taunts with a smirk.

"I like her," Warren mumbles quietly to his brother but I just about hear his words.

Warrens brother holds his palm to his ear, "Sorry, brother, I didn't quite catch that."

"I like her! Okay? Is that cool with you?"

His brother shrugs aimlessly, "sure, it's not a forever thing anyway." Then he turns on his heel and he leaves.

Warren walks back over towards me. "Ignore him, he's an entitled douchebag?"

"And you're not?" I taunt trying to bite back a smile.

Warren offers a small smile, "okay, I might be. But I'm not on Hilton's level. He's king douche."

"King Douche?"

"Yeah, he struts around like he's king of the world and he's a massive douchebag."

I laugh at the nickname.

Warrens expression goes from lighthearted to a tad more serious. "But hey, don't worry about what he said. I would say he doesn't mean it, but he kind of does. He's just like that, though. Don't deep it."

"Already forgotten." I seat my hand in the air.

Truth is, it stung a little. I'm starting to like the boy and I only met the guy yesterday, and I guess it sucks if his family didn't approve but I'm not gonna live my life trying to impress the impossible.