Sweet Pleasures ✔︎

[6] 𝑻𝒉𝒆 '𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆'

"I can't believe it," Freya squealed, zipping Jupiter into a black sheath dress. "I mean, you horked all over the guy!"

"Thanks for reminding me," Jupiter said dryly.

"As if you could forget."

"True."

"And still he asked you out and sent you both flowers and candy."

Also true. Jupiter glanced at the bouquet of two dozen perfect red roses interspersed with Swirl Pops, Rock 'n' Roll candy sticks, Rainbow lollipops, and several boxes of Nibblers and Honeybee Toffee. It would have been a delightful gift no matter what, but the fact that it included her favorite candies made her feel especially warm inside.

Even so, her head was still spinning from the kaleidoscope she'd just fallen through-the one that had taken her from a basement with a green shag carpet to the back corridor of the Troll's House to a dinner invitation from the hot, insanely wealthy CEO of a major candy company.

"Hair, perfect." Freya walked around Jupiter, looking her over assessingly. "Makeup, perfect. Dress, awesome. Shows off your boobs to excellent advantage. Wear the two-inch pumps, though. The three-inch ones are sexier, but if you trip and twist your ankle, the whole effect will be ruined. And I'm sorry to say, my dear, but you can't afford to ruin another effect."

"Tell me about it." Jupiter smoothed the dress over her hips. "You're sure this dress isn't too short?"

"Jups, it comes halfway down your thighs." Freya fluffed Jupiter's hair around her shoulders. "God, you are such an old lady sometimes."

And she was so tired of being an old lady at twenty-five years of age.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Still the same Jupiter Rhoades, just all dressed up and beautified. Except that this Jupiter Rhoades was about to have dinner with the astonishingly handsome, if arrogant, CEO and heir of The Candy King Company.

Panic fluttered in her belly, and she stumbled back.

Freya grabbed her arm. "What's wrong?"

"He's...um, he's really rich."

"I know, right?" Freya patted her shoulder and went over to examine the bouquet of flowers and candy. "You can order lobster and champagne without blinking an eye. Heck, he probably had the lobster flown in from the Arctic Circle. Can I have this?"

She held up a box of multi-flavored Licorice Twirls.

"Go ahead." Jupiter studied her reflection again and yanked at her skirt. "I don't know anything about rich people."

"Oh, for Pete's sake." Her friend groaned. "What happened to we are the world? It's dinner, Jupiter. Rich people eat like the rest of us, just better food. Enjoy it. Or if you don't want to, I'll go in your place."

"No!"

"See? You really do want to go." Freya smiled with satisfaction as she opened the candy box. "So have fun. Kiss him again, but this time please be sober. Maybe do more. In fact, definitely do more."

"He's totally out of my league."

"Oh no, girlfriend." Freya shook her head so hard her long blond hair whipped around her shoulders. "We don't do that shit. No man, not even Mr. Richie Rich Hottie Pants, is out of your league. If anything, he should be lining up to play on your field. Though I would suggest you do a bit of mowing before he goes up to bat."

Jupiter laughed. "What do you know about my landscape?"

"Jups, I've known you since we were ten." Freya wagged a purple Licorice Twirl at her. "You didn't let me pluck your eyebrows until we were in college, and when I told you about the Brazilian wax, you gave me a lecture about the anthropological history of hair removal."