How he hadn't noticed the girl before was a mystery, but now he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. She was leaning against the far wall of the club, a drink in her hand and pure boredom plastered across her face, the only other person besides him who seemed to hate being there. She practically towered over the other guests in her almost-too-high heels, and her dress looked like it might as well have been painted on her. Something about her was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why.
It wasn't until she met his gaze that Sebastian realized how long he'd been staring, still attempting to place her. Part of him was tempted to look away and pretend he'd never seen her, but she glanced away before he could try. He watched as she rolled her eyes and passed her empty drink off to a nearby partygoer, and he wondered if it was him she'd even been looking at. But those doubts faded when she began moving in his direction.
He took a step forward, determined to meet her halfway, but even that small shift caused him to lose her in the crowd. It didn't help that a new group of girls had surrounded him, each wishing him a happy birthday and pressing themselves against him in half-assed hugs. He barely avoided being snagged by one of the girls' black talons as he turned in the opposite direction, praying he'd be able to escape them unscathed. Unfortunately, the move caused him to bump straight into a pissed-off Zak Huntington.
"Watch where you're going, asshole," Zak snarled, that hideous lip-piercing glinting under the lights.
Sebastian's slowly improving mood plummeted again, all because this sorry excuse for a human had opened his mouth. Though he knew Senator Patterson would be upset if he kicked her nephew out of the club, her wrath seemed much more appealing than having to deal with this dumbass all night.
So instead of letting him pass, Sebastian squared his shoulders and stood his ground. "I think you should leave," he said, nodding toward the club's exit.
Zak's lips twitched into a sneer. "I'm not leaving," he replied, hitching his chin up in defiance. "Not until-"
"Just get the fuck out, Huntington," Sebastian snapped, all patience fleeing. "Either you walk out that door right now and keep your dignity, or I call security and have them throw you out. Your choice."
Zak's eyes flitted to something over Sebastian's shoulder, but he didn't take the bait to turn and see. Instead, he waited until the other boy scowled and turned sharply on his heel, stalking toward the exit.
Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he'd put so much effort into planning this damn party only to end up not wanting to even be there himself. Groaning, he turned away in preparation to go back upstairs and wait it out, but a flash of something glinting under the lights caught his eye before he could get far.
A glance to his left revealed the girl he'd been staring at earlier, dancing with her arms high above her head as she swayed to the beat. A few steps brought him up behind her, and he settled a hand on her waist, letting the other drift down to her hip. The icy-blue-eyed girl glanced over her shoulder, offering Sebastian a slow, unsurprised smile that made his stomach twist into knots.
"Thanks for getting rid of him," she said, obviously referring to Zak, her head falling back onto his shoulder. "That guy's an asshole."
He could smell the alcohol on her breath, and her softly drawled words brought a smile to his lips. "Happy to help," he murmured, pulling her closer.
Her response caused him to flirt with the notion that Zak had been possibly trying to harass this girl-just another reason to hate him-but the fact that her hips were now pressed dangerously against his own made any other thoughts disappear.
Sebastian lost track of time while they were dancing, stopping only to get more drinks for them both. Finally, he was enjoying himself, the liquor and the good company going straight to his head. But when she turned to him and brushed her lips across his jaw, he knew just being there wasn't going to cut it for much longer.
His arm wrapped possessively around her waist as her hips pressed hard against his. "You want to get out of here?" he whispered against her ear.
The girl leaned back just enough to meet his eye. "I thought you'd never ask." She grabbed his hand and smiled, taking a shaky step backward as she tugged on his arm. "Let's go."
Hand in hand, they stumbled out of the club and onto the sidewalk, her giggles echoing down the busy street. When she realized she had no idea where she was going, Sebastian took the lead and guided her another block down the street to the hotel where he'd booked suites for himself and his friends. The concierge shot them a sharp look as they breezed inside and into an awaiting elevator, keeping them in his sights until the doors had closed, but Sebastian didn't care what the old man thought.
Her hand slipped out of his once they were alone, but before he even thought to question it, her mouth was on his and there was no more time for words. A shiver rolled down his spine as she pressed herself against him, hands roaming and fingers grasping at whatever was in reach.
With her hands tangled in his hair, his tongue tracing her bottom lip, and her legs wrapped around his waist, he was having a hard time figuring out where he stopped and she began. Not that he honestly cared-but he wanted more.
The elevator dinged not a moment too soon, and they tumbled out, gasping for breath as they moved down the hallway, somehow still getting in a few impatient kisses as they continued on. Sebastian swore it took forever to reach the door, but it took longer to get it unlocked. With the way this girl was currently kissing his neck, he could hardly concentrate enough to get the damn keycard in the slot. After a few seconds of fumbling, the door finally gave way, and he pulled her inside with him.
It slammed shut with enough force to shake the room as they staggered toward the bed. His fingers finally snagged the zipper of her dress and yanked it down, though much to his chagrin, the fabric didn't instantly pool at her feet.
He bristled when she laughed, but before he could even think to voice his displeasure, her lips were on his, and they were crashing onto the bed, soft pillows absorbing the shock of their weight.
But even though the actual impact hadn't hurt, something sharp had scraped his cheek, and he turned his head to break the kiss.It wasn't until she met his gaze that Sebastian realized how long he'd been staring, still attempting to place her. Part of him was tempted to look away and pretend he'd never seen her, but she glanced away before he could try. He watched as she rolled her eyes and passed her empty drink off to a nearby partygoer, and he wondered if it was him she'd even been looking at. But those doubts faded when she began moving in his direction.
He took a step forward, determined to meet her halfway, but even that small shift caused him to lose her in the crowd. It didn't help that a new group of girls had surrounded him, each wishing him a happy birthday and pressing themselves against him in half-assed hugs. He barely avoided being snagged by one of the girls' black talons as he turned in the opposite direction, praying he'd be able to escape them unscathed. Unfortunately, the move caused him to bump straight into a pissed-off Zak Huntington.
"Watch where you're going, asshole," Zak snarled, that hideous lip-piercing glinting under the lights.
Sebastian's slowly improving mood plummeted again, all because this sorry excuse for a human had opened his mouth. Though he knew Senator Patterson would be upset if he kicked her nephew out of the club, her wrath seemed much more appealing than having to deal with this dumbass all night.
So instead of letting him pass, Sebastian squared his shoulders and stood his ground. "I think you should leave," he said, nodding toward the club's exit.
Zak's lips twitched into a sneer. "I'm not leaving," he replied, hitching his chin up in defiance. "Not until-"
"Just get the fuck out, Huntington," Sebastian snapped, all patience fleeing. "Either you walk out that door right now and keep your dignity, or I call security and have them throw you out. Your choice."
Zak's eyes flitted to something over Sebastian's shoulder, but he didn't take the bait to turn and see. Instead, he waited until the other boy scowled and turned sharply on his heel, stalking toward the exit.
Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he'd put so much effort into planning this damn party only to end up not wanting to even be there himself. Groaning, he turned away in preparation to go back upstairs and wait it out, but a flash of something glinting under the lights caught his eye before he could get far.
A glance to his left revealed the girl he'd been staring at earlier, dancing with her arms high above her head as she swayed to the beat. A few steps brought him up behind her, and he settled a hand on her waist, letting the other drift down to her hip. The icy-blue-eyed girl glanced over her shoulder, offering Sebastian a slow, unsurprised smile that made his stomach twist into knots.
"Thanks for getting rid of him," she said, obviously referring to Zak, her head falling back onto his shoulder. "That guy's an asshole."
He could smell the alcohol on her breath, and her softly drawled words brought a smile to his lips. "Happy to help," he murmured, pulling her closer.
Her response caused him to flirt with the notion that Zak had been possibly trying to harass this girl-just another reason to hate him-but the fact that her hips were now pressed dangerously against his own made any other thoughts disappear.
Sebastian lost track of time while they were dancing, stopping only to get more drinks for them both. Finally, he was enjoying himself, the liquor and the good company going straight to his head. But when she turned to him and brushed her lips across his jaw, he knew just being there wasn't going to cut it for much longer.
His arm wrapped possessively around her waist as her hips pressed hard against his. "You want to get out of here?" he whispered against her ear.
The girl leaned back just enough to meet his eye. "I thought you'd never ask." She grabbed his hand and smiled, taking a shaky step backward as she tugged on his arm. "Let's go."
Hand in hand, they stumbled out of the club and onto the sidewalk, her giggles echoing down the busy street. When she realized she had no idea where she was going, Sebastian took the lead and guided her another block down the street to the hotel where he'd booked suites for himself and his friends. The concierge shot them a sharp look as they breezed inside and into an awaiting elevator, keeping them in his sights until the doors had closed, but Sebastian didn't care what the old man thought.
Her hand slipped out of his once they were alone, but before he even thought to question it, her mouth was on his and there was no more time for words. A shiver rolled down his spine as she pressed herself against him, hands roaming and fingers grasping at whatever was in reach.
With her hands tangled in his hair, his tongue tracing her bottom lip, and her legs wrapped around his waist, he was having a hard time figuring out where he stopped and she began. Not that he honestly cared-but he wanted more.
The elevator dinged not a moment too soon, and they tumbled out, gasping for breath as they moved down the hallway, somehow still getting in a few impatient kisses as they continued on. Sebastian swore it took forever to reach the door, but it took longer to get it unlocked. With the way this girl was currently kissing his neck, he could hardly concentrate enough to get the damn keycard in the slot. After a few seconds of fumbling, the door finally gave way, and he pulled her inside with him.
It slammed shut with enough force to shake the room as they staggered toward the bed. His fingers finally snagged the zipper of her dress and yanked it down, though much to his chagrin, the fabric didn't instantly pool at her feet.
He bristled when she laughed, but before he could even think to voice his displeasure, her lips were on his, and they were crashing onto the bed, soft pillows absorbing the shock of their weight.
But even though the actual impact hadn't hurt, something sharp had scraped his cheek, and he turned his head to break the kiss.
Swatting her hands away, he reached up to touch his face, startled when he drew back to find blood on his fingers. His eyes darted up to the girl straddling him, but her gaze was trained on the red-specked diamond ring on her middle finger. It took her a moment to put two and two together, but a sheepish grin spread over her face when she realized her jewelry had been the culprit.
"Sorry," she murmured insincerely, slipping the ring off her finger and tossing it to the side as if it were a mere toy. "Let me make it up to you."
With that, she slid a hand behind his neck and brought his lips back to hers.
"Hold still, Taliana! You're gonna make me mess this up!"
Taliana bit back a scream and slapped Marissa's hand away from her face. The tweezers that had been grasped in her fingers a moment earlier went flying across the room, landing softly on the bed where Taliana hoped they'd stay. When she'd agreed to let the twins help her get ready for Sebastian's party, she never thought it would involve this kind of torture.
Vanessa, who'd moved quickly to avoid losing an eye to said tweezers, threw up her hands. "Stop being such a baby," she chided, shooting Taliana a glare as she snatched them up again. "Plucking your eyebrows doesn't hurt."
"It does when she's doing it," Taliana whined, rubbing one of her throbbing brows.
"Oh, just hold still."
Taliana winced but obeyed, inhaling sharply as Vanessa ripped out another hair. If it hadn't been for the fact that the twins didn't want her showing up to the party with them looking like a slob, they probably wouldn't have bothered with any of this. Part of her wished she had just refused to go, but it was too late now.
She'd already gone through the pain of having her hair combed and straightened; her nails clipped, filed, and painted blood-red; and her skin exfoliated and buffed so many times that she wondered if she actually had any left. Taliana would be damned if she didn't go to this party, even if was in honor of her sworn enemy's birthday.
Plus, if she had anything to do with it, he wouldn't be celebrating many more.
What seemed like an eternity later, Vanessa put down the tweezers, and Marissa held up a mirror so Taliana could see what they'd done.
"Thanks," she grudgingly admitted as she took in her reflection. "You did a good job."
"Don't thank us yet," Vanessa said. "We're not anywhere close to being done."
Taliana's eyes made their way to the clock on the dresser, the display flashing the current time of eight fifty-five. "You do know we're going to be late, right?"
"We know," Marissa said patiently as she grabbed a tube of lipstick and proceeded to assault Taliana with it. "We'll be fashionably late."
Taliana waited until she moved the dangerous red substance away from her face before speaking again. "Yeah, well, it's kind of seeming like we're going to fashionably miss the party."
"Oh, relax." Vanessa glanced at Taliana before handing her twin something that looked suspiciously like a pencil. "For a girl who supposedly doesn't want to go to this party, you seem pretty eager to get there."
"I'm just ready to get out of this dress," Taliana grumbled, tugging at the indecently high hemline of her tight black dress as Marissa came close to stabbing her eye with that pencil. "And don't get me started on these shoes."
Taliana tried to glance down at the pumps, but she was slapped not-so-gently before she could do it. "Look up," Marissa snapped. "Don't make me mess this up or you're going to look like a raccoon."
That was enough to get Taliana to comply.
Another twenty minutes and a bit of squirming later, Taliana was looking a lot like that girl in the Colton Couture ad, though she still refused to admit it was her.
"Wow," she mumbled, at a loss for words as she stared at herself in the mirror. "This is...wow."
"I know, right?" Vanessa grinned and reached up to brush a stray lock of hair out of Taliana's eyes. "You look amazing."
She tried hard not to blush but failed miserably. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded looking like this all the time if it didn't take so much effort.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Marissa snatched something off the dresser. "Put this on."
Taliana's eyes dropped to her outstretched hand, newly tamed brows shooting up when she saw her mother's diamond ring in Marissa's palm.
"Where'd you find that?" Taliana questioned, frowning as she slid it onto the middle finger of her right hand. The stone was so big it almost felt like she was wearing a weapon.
"I saw it when you were unpacking earlier," she answered, picking up her peachy pink lip gloss and applying a coat. "Where'd you get it from?"
"It's a Colton family heirloom," Taliana explained as she ran her fingers over its many facets. "The women in my family have been passing this thing down for generations. Now it's my turn to have it."
"I love that," Vanessa said. "And it's the perfect finishing touch for your outfit."
She was right. The massive diamond glittered under the lights, and Taliana couldn't deny she felt glamorous as hell wearing it. If the twins wanted her to go all out, this was certainly the way to do it.
There was a flurry of action after Taliana slipped on the diamond, and somehow, she ended up downstairs with the twins ushering her toward the front door.
"Mom! Dad! We're leaving!" Marissa shouted over her shoulder as she wrenched open the door.
"See you later, girls!" Katherine called from the living room. "Have fun!"
"Be home by midnight!" Charles added.
They shouted their goodbyes and stepped out of the house, once again piling into Vanessa's car. The drive to the club was short, but the line to get in went down the block and wrapped around the corner. The twins didn't even seem to notice though, and if they had, they were choosing to ignore it. Taliana followed like a lost puppy as they went up to the velvet ropes, flashed a smile at the bouncers, and strolled right inside. There were a few cries of protest as they entered since they'd skipped the line completely, but Taliana put her head down and hustled in behind them.
