The Price of Gold | Fortune's Fool #1

22 | patissiere shop antics

• [ p a t i s s i e r e s h o p a n t i c s ] •

♥ gabriel ♥

THE SCENT OF Hennessy, cigarettes and Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino Forte aftershave lingered on my suit, ruthlessly exposing my earlier attempts of masking the odour of my reckless early morning. Sleep had never been my best friend and last night, I was far too weak to face it and thus avoided it completely.

My Oxford shoes pounded against the concrete street as I walked down King's Road, eyeing the numerous shops lining the old street. It was a cloudy Sunday morning, nevertheless, the streets were ironically busier than usual with younger children being brought up to the capital for a day out with their parents. Maitre Choux, the coffeehouse where I was meeting with Louisa was only a five-minute walk down the street from here.

I had a lot to talk about with Lou and hopefully, she was going to comply and not throw a bitchy Queen Bee tantrum that hardly answered any of my questions. Like how the hell did she know I was even at the hospital? It was beyond me. My mind was still in overdrive after all the information I had found out at the hospital and I was still kicking myself for not looking at the name of the girl whose photo I'd seen.

The impending hangover hollering over my skull certainly didn't help.

You also need to thank her for saving your ass. Don't be an asshole.

I was torn from my thoughts when I felt something suddenly tighten around my throat. The force of it caused me to stumble backwards ridiculously in a bit of a leap, as I spluttered waving my hands around like a fucking toad who'd been blindfolded. Strands from my gelled up hair fell flat on my forehead at the impact whilst I cursed, actually spluttered, under my breath. Somehow I'd managed to spin around on the street.

Meet Gabriel Reid, the new addition to the British fucking circus. What happened to classy sophistication?

"That was so much funnier than I imagined it. I should do that to people more often," a familiar relaxed voice said casually. My tie, that had I had knotted precisely around my neck in the morning in an attempt to gain some control over my current life, was now pulled super tight. I followed the length of the tie with my eyes and found a manicured hand clutching the end of the navy material.

Talisa Lisin.

I tilted my head to the side in confusing before processing that she's just yanked the end of the tie. "Funny? More like damn traumatising. I never knew you were one for suffocating people." Snatching the tie end from her hand, I loosened it quickly to allow myself to breath properly.

She shook the brown tresses that fell in curled waves down her back. "Shut up, you drama queen. It was a light tug, okay?" Talisa rolled her eyes. A smile flickered on her lips yet she replaced it with a scowl. She was clad in a black blouse, a tartan miniskirt, knee-high black socks and black loafers that made her look like a preppy girl from a film. "Besides why are you wearing a tie? It's the weekend. You know, the two days at the end of the week when you don't need to go to school."

Folding my arms, I gazed at her golden-brown face and bit back a grin. "Oh really? Must have slipped my mind. Some of us have better things to do than drugs." Sarcasm leeched into my voice. Talisa shrugged her shoulders in a touche fashion.

"Fair enough, smartass." Dangling from her hands were a bunch of shopping bags which she attempted to hide. Dior, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Bershka.

I asked, arching a dark eyebrow as she exhaled, making a motor noise with her lips. "Hang on a minute. What's this? Shopping bags? From what I've heard you're not the type to ever step foot in a shopping mall. That's Ashlei, right?"