The Pact

FRANCESCA

“Leo said that you are an actress. That is like so amazing!” Beth gushes as the limo takes us toward what is bound to be the most extravagant bridal store in London.

What did I do to deserve this?

“Uh, aspiring actress,” I correct her. “I haven’t been in anything like on TV or anything.”

“Which means you aren’t actually anything. I’d be surprised if you can actually act at all,” Evelyn says without even looking up from her phone.

Seriously? What fresh hell is this?

When I had been leaning up against the bay window in my room this morning with the third Harry Potter book in my hands, I thought my day was going to be relaxing.

Even when Leo made his presence known, I still was excited at the prospect of hanging out with my best friend. Instead, Leo went to work and left me in the friendly but ever-pushy hands of his fiancée.

Beth immediately decided that wedding dress shopping was on the cards and piled me, her sister, and her snobby best friend, Jacklyn, into the waiting limo.

“Which part of New York do you live in?” Jacklyn asks, and I can already guess their reactions to this answer.

“Brooklyn,” I say, holding Evelyn’s eye contact. She smirks.

“Figures.”

“I think that would be such an amazing place to visit,” Beth says with her ever-cheery smile plastered on her face. She seems almost immune to her sister’s attitude.

“It is derelict, Elizabeth. Filthy and full of poor people.”

“There is nothing wrong with poor people, Evie.”

“That is a matter of opinion, Beth.”

I tune out the rest of the drive. I probably look rude to poor Beth, who is honestly the nicest person I have ever met, but I can’t do it anymore.

Does Evelyn not realize that Leo wasn’t born rich?

God, Mr. and Mrs. Chambers are going to have a hell of a time with Evelyn Walker judging their every move.

And Lily!

Leo’s sister would definitely give Evelyn a piece of her mind when she arrived for the upcoming wedding.

I haven’t been back to Mississippi in a while, six years actually, but I know Leo’s older sister Lily married a dairy farmer and has two beautiful little boys.

Both of the Chambers children have worked hard for their livelihoods. Mr. Chambers is a general practitioner in the town of Jackson, and Mrs. Chambers is a schoolteacher at the local high school that both Leo and I attended.

Leo’s position now as the youngest billionaire in the world and CEO of QB Enterprises is nothing to be laughed at.

I’m so proud of what he has achieved, although I did laugh when he named his business after his high school nickname.

“We are here!” Beth’s voice breaks me from my thoughts.

Beth excitedly jumps from the car, and Jacklyn is quick to follow after her. I’m about to step out when a hand grabs my wrist.

“Try not to embarrass us,” Evelyn sneers. “I’d hate for poor Leo to have to send you packing back to smelly old Brooklyn.”

Without giving me a chance to respond, she is gone. Lucky for her, otherwise her incredibly plastic nose would have met my pretty decent right hook.

I was right about the bridal store, or should I say boutique, as the owner and designer continues to point out.

Every dress in here is at least my rent…for the next ten years. Beth’s wedding dress is custom-made and just stunning, she looks like a complete princess, and I can’t help the stab of jealousy that surfaces.

“Where is the female groomsman?” the owner asks and cringes at the same time; clearly she is also against the modern wedding.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jacklyn snickers, and I roll my eyes.

“Here!” Beth says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward. “This is Francesca.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, extending my hand.

The woman looks at my hand, then back at my face, and cringes. Again.

“Charmed. Well, bridesmaids, try your dresses while I check the bride agrees with my choices.”

She hands over two pale-pink taffeta numbers, and I mentally cheer that I don’t have to wear that.

She looks back at me. “Stay.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I mutter, and Beth laughs.

“Thank you for coming along,” Beth says after a few beats of silence.

“You didn’t give me much choice,” I state honestly while trying to lighten the mood.

“No, I guess I didn’t. But thank you. I know Leo didn’t tell you, so this must be very strange.”

I sigh. God, this girl is hard to hate.

“I was surprised, but you seem nice, and Leo seems happy, so it isn’t my place to interfere.”

“Why can’t my own sister be this understanding?”

“I think it might have something to do with the stick she has stuck up her ass.”

Beth fights a giggle.

“That or the fact her fiancé dumped her a month ago,” she offers with a slight smirk.

Finally, some evil in her!

“Well, that might do it. What happened? Did he see the green skin underneath all her makeup?”

“More like found his best friend in her bed.”

“Oh!”

“Yup.”

“Here!” The owner of the boutique steps back into the main room, holding a figure-hugging navy dress.

There are diamantes covering the front of the dress, almost giving it the illusion of a night sky. The back looks like it is low and held together with spaghetti straps.

“It is beautiful,” I gasp, and the designer rolls her eyes.

“I know.”

“It is the same color as the boys’ suits. We thought it might be a nice way for you to tie in without wearing a tux,” Beth explains. “You just need to try it on.”

I step toward the dress before taking a step back.

“Beth, I don’t think I can afford this.”

“Don’t worry, Francesca, it has been taken care of—”

“No. I’ll kill Leo. You both have enough to worry about without—”

“Not Leo.” Beth cuts me off.

“What?”

“Christian handed me his credit card before we left this morning. Told me to charge whatever you want or need for the wedding.”

***

“Jerk-face, asshole, fuckwit!”

Finally, back in my room after my bridal shopping adventure, I let loose.

Gorgeous designer dress, shoes, and clutch now in my wardrobe because Beth refused to take no for an answer.

Christian bought me. He basically bought me.

I haven’t experienced this feeling outside of work. I can’t believe he would do this, and god, Beth just went along with it.

Such a goody-goody. She and Leo belong together. It is like the time I tried to convince Leo to drink alcohol for the first time, such a fucking goody-goody.

I can’t believe Christian is this entitled. I mean, I don’t know him well, but how could Leo be friends with someone like that?

What came over him that he felt the need to pay for me?

One minute he is flirting with me, then he is ignoring me, next he is calling me a slut, and now he is saving me from wearing a potato sack to my best friend’s wedding.

Potato sack might have been better.

After the clutch, Beth agreed to hand over the credit card and not charge anything else against Christian’s name. For a girl who apparently hates shopping, she had a ball spending someone else’s money.

Evelyn and Jacklyn didn’t have much to say on the way back to the mansion. I’m not sure whether seeing my gorgeous dress versus their marshmallows mellowed their moods or what.

Black card in hand, I stalk out of my room and across the hall, knocking my knuckles against Christian’s closed door.

I knock twice, waiting somewhat patiently for him to answer. After a minute, I knock again, still with no response. I groan before turning my back on the door and start back toward my room.

“Si, gattina?” His deep voice causes my feet to pause and my breath to hitch.

Jerk-face, asshole, fuckwit! I repeat my inner monologue.

“Gattina?” he repeats the Italian, and I spin on my heel.

He stands before me with sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his chest wet and glistening. He must have been in the shower; that would explain why he didn’t answer the first time.

Focus, Francesca!

“What?”

“What, what?”

“What does that mean?”

“Gattina?”

I nod, and he continues. “It is Italian for kitten,” he explains with a smirk.

His smirk is enough for me to realize my true purpose.

“I came to return this.” I thrust the credit card toward him. He looks down at the card in my hand and then back up to my face.

“Keep it.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I hate owing people, Christian. Whilst I appreciate the gesture, I don’t understand why you bothered when you obviously hate Leo’s slutty childhood best friend, but I will pay you back.

“When I get back to New York, I will set up some sort of payment plan. Maybe I could clean your apartment or—”

Christian cuts me off, pressing his thumb against my lips.

“Hush, kitten,” he whispers. “I do not hate you. You intrigue and frustrate me at the same time. I do not want you to pay me back. It would not matter if you spent one million dollars using my card.”

“I hate owing people.”

“You said. Take the card.”

“No, Christian.”

“Kitten.”

“How could I possibly frustrate you? You flirt with me, then you belittle me and call me a slut, then you call out my crush on Leo, telling me I can do better. Where the fuck do you get off?”

“Language, kitten,” he growls, and I roll my eyes.

“You know what, Christian?” I step back, holding the card between my thumb and forefinger.

He raises his eyebrow in question, and I flick the card at his head like a ninja star. “Fuck you!”

I leave the mansion after my confrontation with Christian, and with nowhere to go, I take to walking the property.

I’m pissed off I didn’t grab my book before storming out, but I’m far too proud to go back and get it now.

“I heard you went dress shopping.” Leo’s voice makes me jump, and he laughs at my reaction.

“You suck.” I stick my tongue out at him, and he does the same back. “Yes, I went dress shopping. It was thrilling.”

“I know it's totally not your thing, but thanks for going with Beth. I know her sister and Jackie aren't always the best company for her.”

“No! Really?”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Cheer.” Leo laughs.

Leo walks beside me for a while, the two of us maintaining a comfortable silence.

“Would you have gone through with it?” I ask.

“With what?”

“Our pact. Would you have gone through with it?”

“You mean if we hit thirty and still weren't married?”

“Yeah.”

“Absolutely,” Leo says with a grin. He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me tight.

I breathe in his scent and snuggle into him. “You would have been stuck with me, Cheer.”

“Beth is a lucky girl,” I whisper, and he pulls back, his brow furrowed.

“Mr. Chambers.” A maid appears behind him, and Leo sighs.

“Yes?” he asks without turning.

“There is a phone call from your office, sir.”

“Thank you. That’s my cue, Cheer. What do you say we spend the day together tomorrow?”

“You got a deal, QB.”