Society Girls: Neveah (9 page)

“Soon. We’ll go public soon, I promise.”

“Okay.”

It’s not okay, though. I can’t help but feel
hurt that he won’t be seen with me. At the same time, I know I
should feel relieved. I’m not supposed to be splashed all over the
news and tabloids. I had to go and fall for a basketball player,
and not just a bench riding rookie. Oh no, I fell for the current
league MVP, the bad boy of the NBA. Now I just have to figure out
how to make this work.

* * *

Dylan

“Why was she here all weekend?” I get asked
the moment I step into the pool house.

Nev left a few minutes ago, and I’m feeling
grumpy, so I choose to bait my keeper instead of just giving a
simple answer. “Why do you think?”

“You slept with her? She is not yours!”

“Actually, yeah, she is mine. All mine.”

“Until you give her to me. Once she and I
are on the plane, you will never see her again.”

“There has to be another way.”

“We’ve been over this.”

“That was before we fell in love. I can’t
let you take her.”

“Let me? You vowed to do this for me.”

“I was a teenager. I didn’t know what it
would be like. I didn’t know what she’d be like.”

“So you’re breaking your vow?”

“I’ll bring her to you. I’ll let you plead
your case. But I’ll do everything I can to convince her to stay
with me. I’m sorry, but I can’t force her, or tell her going is
right.”

“You’re choosing her over me.”

It’s not a question, but it deserves an
answer. “I am. I never thought I would choose anyone over you, and
I am truly sorry, but she’s my priority now.”

“You wish for me to leave?”

“No. Not at all. I meant what I said. I will
bring her to you. You are still the best friend I have ever
had.”

“And you Dylan, are mine. This disagreement
will not change that. No matter what my daughter decides, you will
always be my friend.”

Sadiq Ayoub reaches out to embrace me, and I
hug him back. As a teenager, he was the mysterious neighbor who
defended me and taught me how to fight my tormentors on both the
physical and mental playing fields. As a man, he has been my
confidant, and yes, my best friend.

Now, though, he is also the father of the
woman I love. The woman I swore to bring to him so he could
convince her to run away and hide with the father she thinks is
dead. The woman who may never forgive me once all is revealed. The
woman I cannot live without.

I bid him goodbye and walk back to the main
house so I can pack. Now more than ever, I really wish this trip
could be canceled. Nev and I are on borrowed time, and I feel like
missing even a second with her is a mistake. I can hope and pray
that she’ll understand, but in my heart, I know she won’t.

Her father’s death has shaped the woman she
is, and also nearly destroyed her good friend, Matt Corrigan, who
thinks he killed Sadiq. Not to mention what it’s done to her mother
and brother. We’ve had talks about them, and how her mother never
moved on. I tried to convince Sadiq to reach out to Aqeelah or
Sully instead of Nev, but he thinks his daughter is better equipped
to handle life on the run.

He may be right about that, and about the
fact that revealing himself publicly will put them all in danger,
but I’ve always thought the way he wanted to go about everything
was wrong. I’ve gone along with it because I owe him, but I can’t
say I’ve agreed with the choices he made for both of us, including
the part where I’d probably be arrested if his convoluted plan had
worked.

And now that I’ve fallen in love with Nev, I
fear that we are both about to lose more than we bargained for. I
know she’s committed to the Society, even if she hasn’t told me
what it is. I’m almost positive she won’t leave with him, but I’m
equally positive that she’s going to leave me. I chose the
honorable path as far as my friendship was concerned, but it’s
going to cost me the love of my life, and there’s nothing I can do
about it now but watch the world fall around me.

Dylan

This photo shoot is turning
out to be an even bigger nightmare than I’d imagined it would be. I
don’t mind walking around in my boxer briefs, but I
do
mind having my junk
touched by the actress who’s shooting with me. There’s no reason
for her hand to keep brushing my junk, or for her to be trying to
rub her hands over my abs between shots.

“Back off,” I finally growl at her when she
grabs my ass.

“What’s the matter, doesn’t Little Dylan
want to play?”

“I have never called my dick ‘Little Dylan’
but no, neither one of us are interested in what you’re offering.”
Maybe I’m being harsh, but she’s coming on strong, so I don’t feel
bad about being an asshole.

“Eric, your client is making it hard to act
like I’m interested in him,” she yells to my agent, who then
proceeds to glare at me.

The photographer has apparently run out of
patience for her too, since he calls for a break. I disentangle
myself from her and stalk across the room to hang out with the
make-up and wardrobe group. They’re better company than the blonde,
and my agent isn’t winning any congeniality prizes right now
either.

“Can you try and look like you’re into her?”
the photographer asks, coming over to me. “Maybe pretend she’s
someone else who you actually like?”

“Maybe I can fake it, but I’m not pretending
she’s the girl I wish was with me. That’s a guaranteed boner, and
I’m not willing to chance her believing she caused it.”

“Gotcha. I’ll try to get a good shot as fast
as I can. Good luck, though. She seems to be plotting with your
agent.”

I look over, and notice he’s right. They’re
looking at me, and the blonde is smirking. She’s currently
“America’s Sweetheart” but there’s not much that’s sweet about her.
It’s all a persona she plays very well, making the world fall in
love with her. It’s all fake, and one thing I hate about what I do.
Celebrity gives me an inside look at how people really are. Don’t
get me wrong, there are some great celebrities, but sadly, they’re
overshadowed by the assholes—like the blonde.

“Let’s get back to work everyone,” the
photographer says.

The make-up people come over and touch up
our faces as we get into place. Our hair is still in place, so
we’re good to go. Except for her damn wandering hands. I pry her
hand off my ass again, and glare down at her.

“Keep your hands off my ass, or anywhere
else casual acquaintances shouldn’t be touching.”

“Well that’s everywhere for you, isn’t it?
Casual is your middle name.”

Not anymore. “Listen to me closely, because
this is the last time I’m going to say it. I’m not interested in
anything with you. Not casual, formal, nothing. So keep your
fucking hands to yourself.”

She starts to protest, but the head of the
cologne company speaks up. “I expect you both to behave
professionally, and get the shots we need in the next few
minutes.”

I flash him a smile of thanks, and he nods
before rolling his eyes. She’s definitely gotten the message,
though. I’m pretty sure she’s trying to launch her own perfume, and
she’s not stupid enough to risk that by copping a feel on an
unwilling guy in front of the person who has the power to make that
happen.

We get some usable shots pretty quickly once
she leaves me alone, and then it’s time for my solo pics. The crew
takes their time getting me ready, waiting until she’s gone to put
me back in front of the camera.

“She’s gone now, so I want you to think
about the girl you want. The one who makes you horny,” the
photographer says.

“I’m not popping wood for your pictures,” I
tell him with a laugh.

“You have final photo approval. I promise,”
the owner tells me. “I would like to see what Dylan Gallagher looks
like when he’s thinking of a special woman. That’s what we’re
talking about, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, she’s special,” I say, and I can’t
help but smile. A real smile, and not just my usual “camera ready”
one.

I hear the camera clicking as I stare out
the window, turning my body so that my crotch is partially
shadowed. I know sex sells, so I’ll give them some. Just some,
though, not all. Only one women gets all of me. She’s the only one
who’s ever had all of me, and thoughts of her bring out my best.
Both at this photo shoot and in life.

The shoot ends, and we all gather around to
look at the pictures. There’s no doubt they got what they needed
from the solo shots, and there are a couple of me and the blonde
that work out as well. I choose the solo ones carefully, balancing
my package with my loyalty to Nev. We finally all agree on a
handful, but I hang back when everyone else moves away.

“You want that one for her, don’t you?” the
photographer asks, pointing to my favorite picture. I didn’t choose
it on purpose because it was too much for me to share with the
world.

“Can I have it?”

“Yeah. The boss said I could have any unused
ones. This one belongs to you—and her, whoever she is.”

“She’s everything.”

“I think we all got that. Would you like me
to make a print and send it to her?”

“That would be great.”

I jot down her work address, and then throw
on my clothes after thanking everyone for their hard work. Eric
falls into step with me as I head for the elevator. He smiling, and
right now I think he has a reason to. Unfortunately, our reasons
don’t coincide.

“Good news, Dyl,” he says, using the
nickname only my siblings call me. I wince, but he ignores it.

We’ve had this conversation too many times
already. He knows I don’t like it, but he doesn’t care. He lucked
out by charming me into a contract with him when I was a rookie,
but once I was signed, the charm fell away and his jackassery has
prevailed since then. He’s got me stuck in that contract for
another six months, and then I’m gone. Until then, I have to play
nice so he doesn’t sabotage me from the inside, because I wouldn’t
put it past him.

“The shoot went well.”

He waves his hand like it was nothing.
“Yeah, but I’ve got something better.”

“Okay.”

“Your co-model has agreed to be your date
for the gala.”

“Not okay. I told you already that I wasn’t
taking a date.”

“She’s the hottest thing Hollywood has seen
in years.”

“She couldn’t keep her hands to herself at
the photo shoot.”

“Since when has that ever bothered you?”

“Since now. No. I’m not going with her.”

“You have to. We’ve already leaked it to the
press.”

“You what? When?”

“About an hour ago.”

Oh fuck, this is not good. I pull my phone
out of my bag, and see the missed texts. Some are from my
teammates, alternately ribbing me and congratulating me on my date.
My mom texts that the blonde seems like a nice girl, my brothers
send me a range of emoticons, and Ellie sends a Snapchat of her
gagging, with the tagline “I heard she’s a bitch.” And then there
it is. One line that sends my heart plummeting.

My Heaven: Is it true?

There’s nothing more from her after that
message came in just under an hour ago. I have to call her. Damn
it, I need to do more than that. I need to go to her.

“I’ve got to get back to Vegas. The gala
will have to go on without me.”

“You can’t do that!”

“The hell I can’t.”

“What about the kids? You do remember you
have mini-camp every afternoon starting tomorrow, right?”

Damn it. I can’t let the kids down, and he
knows it. “I’ll do camp, but not the gala. At least not if you
insist on me having a date.”

“You will do what I tell you to do, or I’ll
ruin you. I know you’re planning to drop me when your contract is
up, but until then I own you. I can keep making you look good, or I
can leak pictures of you.”

“What pictures?”

“The ones I took at my place when you stayed
there during your rookie year. Remember that party where you took
four girls back to your room with you?”

“You had hidden cameras?”

“I like to have insurance. You’re not the
only one I photographed.”

“No one will be shocked, or care, if you
release those pictures. It’s a well-known fact that I’ve gotten
around.”

“Your parents wouldn’t care? It wouldn’t
embarrass your mother?”

I start to say no, but then I stop. My
parents run bars, so nothing much can faze them, and my mom can get
pretty wild. But those pictures would shock and probably disgust
the women at church who already look down on my mom. I told Eric
all about my family when I thought he was my friend, so he knows.
He knows everything. Well, almost everything. There are things I’ll
never let him know. People who he can never know about. Nev and
Sadiq top that list, and I’ll do anything to protect them,
including going to a gala with some vapid bitch.

“I’ll go to the damn gala, but I will not
say we are together, and if her hands wander, they’re getting
smacked away. I don’t hit women, but I also don’t believe in being
molested. I swear to you that there will be a scene if she steps
out of line.”

“I’ll make sure she behaves. This has been a
wonderful chat, but I’ve got a meeting to get to. So glad we see
eye to eye. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The elevator opens before I
can throttle him. My fists are clenched, and I want to hit
something. Correction—I want to hit
him
. Since I can’t do that, I paste
on a fake smile, grab my car from the garage, and drive home. I
need to call Nev, but I want to be home when I do that.

* * *

Neveah

I started out the day missing Dylan, but now
I just want to hit him. I can’t believe I was so stupid. I actually
believed he loved me, and was going to be satisfied with just
me.