| Isabella |

I rolled my eyes.

"Rachael, I just came so that you wouldn't be alone at this stupid thing." I say in earnest, to which my best friend responds with a giggle. She had theory that I only ever came with her to her parent's fancy dinner parties to land a hot, rich, bachelor.

"Are you sure about that? Last time I saw you chatting it up with several excellent candidates." She points out and I sigh, smiling ruefully.

"What's so wrong with casual conversation?" I ask and she shakes her head, like she knew something I didn't.

"But this time I have Hunter with me." She tells me matter-of-factly, as if to prove that the appearance of her long-time boyfriend at this party suddenly made my presence pointless. And so, I must only be tagging along to score a hot business man.

"Yes but you still begged me to come with you." I retort and we both laugh as she seems to give up on proving her ridiculous point. The reality of it was, she always made me to come with her and her parents always invited me.

We had been best friends for so long, she might as well be my sister, and her parents basically treated me like their second child. Rachael was their beloved daughter, after all, and anyone she loved, they instantly loved. It also helped that when we were young, I spent so much time with her at their house, I think they became fond of having me around.

"Well, maybe it will happen without you realizing it." She says, raising an eyebrow and I sigh.

"Can we drop this already? I don't need a boyfriend to be happy." I insist and she looks at me almost like she pities my solidarity. After the fiasco I had with boys in college, I decided I needed time to focus on me. She disagreed, she thought I needed to get laid.

"In that dress though, I'm just saying things may workout in your favor." She says and I run my hands down the front of the rose colored material she forced on me, it came from her closet so it made sense that it was probably the sexiest thing I had ever worn. It was the kind of thing you ogled on Pinterest and thought to yourself how hot you would look in it, but that you'd never have an occasion to wear it out. Luckily for me, tonight had been one of those rare occasions that called for a dazzling, and revealing, dress.

"I still don't know if I should have worn this. It's so . . . stuffy." I say and she smiles knowingly.

First, don't pretend you don't love the way you look in that. And second, with that much skin showing you couldn't possibly be stuffy." She says, giggling at me again. I look down at the dress again, which was held up by a gold band at the top, and ribbons that tied around my neck. This dress in particular, drew the attention from my face, to my completely exposed back, except for where it came to rest just above the top of my ass, and if one looked particularly close, the under-curve of my boob.

"I'm just scared I'll flash someone my nipple." I confess and we burst out laughing.

"Honey, I offered to let you borrow some of my breast petals." She says through her laughter and I shake my head.

"No, it was like a bandaid and you told me it hurts to take off, you know I couldn't have handled that." I insist and her eyes light up with realization.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. You have sensitive nipples." I gasp at that, attempting to hush as she continues laughing. I try not to think of the time when I discovered just how bad chaffing can be if you forget to wear a bra under your t-shirt. Mainly I felt terrible for our driver, who had to over hear our conversation.

Soon, we pulled up to the venue, which was in the South Hamptons, where her parents were living for now. I climbed out of the limo, curtesy of her parents, and waited for her while she climbed out too. She was dressed in a stunning red dress, that I knew would have Hunter drooling the second he saw her.

Normally, she would have towered above me, because while she pulled off an impressive 5 feet, 7 inches; I only came to stand at about 5 feet, 3 inches.

I was proud of my height, usually when anyone told me how short I was to tease me, I retorted by saying it had its benefits. Which, among other things, included having a shoe collection entirely made of high heals, and being able to duck through crowds easily. But in general, I had come to embrace my predicament whole heartedly, despite what people said.

Tonight I had dawned my most impressive pair of heels, that I was honestly shocked I could even walk in, but I had had many years of practice so, I managed. And it evened Rachael and I out height wise. Beauty is pain after all.

"Come on Izzy." She says, calling me by the shortened version of my name and looping her arm through my own. I smiled, rolling my eyes again, but I was nonetheless happy to be here with her.

We walked through the arch that had entrances to the country club on either side, but we kept going.

The venue was beautiful. The weather was perfect. Summer was the best time for these outdoor events after all, seeing as the night air was never cold.

The party was being held on the extensive patio facing the water, sounds of the ocean mixing in with the melodies of a live jazz band in full swing. A buffet full of gourmet delicacies, dessert included. Since the sky was dark by now, twinkling fairy lights were strung across the whole place. There were tables scattered about with pristine white table clothes and detailed floral arrangements sitting at the center. Beautiful people floated about, all talking about their cushy lives, allowed to be stuck up because that was the norm around here.

"Wow." I breathed out.

"I know, my mom never ceases to amaze me." She says.

"I want to try all that food." I say gazing at the long table not too far from us.

"Me too." She gushes and we take a moment to stare at the extensive meal that had been laid out. "But we have to say 'hi' first." She tells me and I just laugh lightly. She was the one always being polite and following the rules of society. Which surprises me every time because she also had a habit of saying random, shocking things that she should keep inside her head. Her bluntness was all part of her charm though, and one of the many reasons we got along so well.

She leads me, her arm still looped through my own, towards the table where her parents were sitting together.

"Mama!" she says happily, releasing me as we neared the table and her mother glances up, a wide smile spreading across her face at the sight of us.

"Darlings!" she answers, standing swiftly and embracing us both in warm hugs. Her father smiles welcomingly and nods quickly, too enveloped in the conversation he was having with two business men, to greet us.

"It's so good of you to come with her." Says her mom to me and I just nod.

"It's really no problem, I was glad to." I say honestly.

"Well, that makes me so happy to hear. You both should be interested to know your father is meeting with some very important people tonight." She says. Racheal immediately takes interest, while I simply listen.

"What kind-of people Mama?" she asks, she glances to me, a slightly mischievous look on her face. I prayed that she didn't plan on following through with her plan.

"Very rich, very powerful people. One significantly more so than the other." Her mother says, smiling proudly, as though their appearance here was a great accomplishment in and of itself.

"Mama who are they?" asks Racheal.

"Nathan Price and Eric Creswell." She says. Racheal exchanges another look with me, as though I should know who these two men were.

"Oh I know who Nathan Price is." Says Racheal smiling smugly, biting her lip in thought. I say another prayer in my head.

"They should be arriving soon, but seeing as we've never had the good fortune of inviting them before, they may be a bit late." Her mother says, disregarding what we had just said. I furrowed my brow, not quite sure what she meant.

"Why?" asks Racheal slowly, clearly as confused as I was.

"They're coming all the way from Manhattan my dear." She says, humored by our doubtful looks. And I shake my head, of course they were.

"Babe!" someone exclaims behind me and I immediately knew it was Hunter. Racheal squeaks and rushes past me to her lover. Seeing as he too lived in the city, and they hardly got to see each other, I wasn't surprised when her mother made a face at whatever she was watching happen behind me.

"Racheal May! Not here!" protests her mother, and I turn to see that sure enough she was kissing him generously, but she breaks away soon, bringing him over to where we were standing.

"Isabella, you look good." He says acknowledging and smirking at me. I roll my eyes. Hunter and I hadn't ever really gotten along, I personally thought he was a waste of time, and he thought that I really didn't deserve a friend like Racheal.

"I agree." Says her mother. "Simply beautiful, I wouldn't be surprised if you caught someone's eye tonight."

"I doubt it." I mutter and Rachael elbows me harshly, I wince in pain.

"Nonsense! You really need to learn that beauty, especially when you yourself stand out as particularly beautiful, is nothing to be ashamed of!" proclaims her mom, before gliding off to greet other guests with a quick wave.

"Eh, you have had better days." Says Hunter as after-thought when her mother was gone.

"So have you." I say, giving him a look and Racheal lets out a short gasp.

"Take that back, both of you." She demands, glaring at him disapprovingly.

"You know I'm joking babe." He tells her and they proceed to kiss again. I stand there awkwardly, not really sure what I was supposed to do. I try desperately to ignore the things they are whispering to each other, that I am sadly close enough to hear.

"Ah, look who just arrived!" exclaims her father suddenly. He springs from his seat, with an energy that only he could possess. And then I notice a commotion at the entrance, but I can't see who is here. "Girls, let's go." He says, striding off towards the crowd of people greeting the new comers.

"Wait me too?" I ask, confused as to why he would want me to come with him.

"Yes of course, you are Racheal's best friend." He says. Racheal breaks away from Hunter and walks with me behind her father.

"See, my plan is falling into place." She says and I sigh shortly.

"You have got to let this go." I say, giggling a little and she laughs too.

"Also, I'm sorry Hunter was so rude." She says. "I guess some stuff on the team went down, and he was in a bad mood." She tells me referring to the lacrosse team that he was on at NYU.

"Sure." I agree, and she rolls her eyes at my sarcasm. We both know that had been a lie, he just didn't like me. I think I threatened him because he wanted to be the only one who was close with Rachael. Unfortunately for him, that was never going to happen.

"Mr. Creswell! Mr. Price! So good to have you here with us." Booms her father's voice and we catch up with him to see who he is greeting.

Two men stood near the entrance, from where they had just come, both shaking her dad's hand.

The first had a head of curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. He was built and still a bit lanky, slightly taller than the other, but his companion trumped his looks with one glance.

He had sandy blond hair, combed upward, neatly styled. He seemed significantly younger than the other, with sharp features and striking blue eyes. He held himself in a commanding, and yet slightly enticing way, with a stalky, tall build. Over-all he was possibly one of the most handsome men I had ever laid eyes on.

"Thank you for having us." He says to her father, smiling politely.

"These young ladies." He motions us forward. "Will be happy to show you around for the evening."

"Excellent." Says the first one, flashing us a dimpled smile.

"This is Miss. Isabella Smith, and this is my daughter, Miss. Racheal Marino." He says, gesturing to each of us in turn. We both smile brightly.

"Ladies this is Mr. Eric Creswell." He says motioning to the curly haired one. "And this is Mr. Nathan Price." He says motioning to the blond one.

"Oh! You're the seventh richest man in America!" exclaims Racheal, addressing Nathan and glancing at me pointedly. I roll my eyes. "And the youngest too."

"Yes." He says, his expression still polite but generally uninterested, which was quite different from his friend's grinning, cheeky one. But his stoic silence made him all that more intriguing, which is probably why all the other woman at the party where standing around and whispering.

I guess his success, good-looks and wealth were no-secret among the rich community.

Suddenly I realized I had seen him before. He was recently in the news because he had supported some kind-of charity in Africa. I narrowed my eyes, last I remembered he was only 25, just three years older than me, which I suppose made him some kind-of legend in the business.

Her father had used us before to talk with some business partners, but none of them had been as young or as handsome as these two. And I suddenly noticed that Nathan wouldn't stop gazing at me intently. To make matters worse he hadn't so much as genuinely smiled since I had been standing here.

I honestly felt a little intimidated.

"So, ladies, where to?" Asks Eric charmingly and Rachael glances to me, smiling slyly.

"Well, just before, we were talking about how good all the food looked." She says slowly. "Maybe we should go try some."

I perk up at that idea. "Oh yes, good thinking." I say and she smiles. Eric watches us for a moment before holding his arm out, Rachael takes it quickly, gives me a look over her shoulder as though to say that I needed to walk with Nathan in such a manner. I resist the urge to flip her off. She knew exactly what she was doing.

I turn to Nathan and smile.

"You hungry?" I ask, trying to start conversation. I mentally wince at myself, was that really the best I had?

"I guess I could eat." He says, looking amused.

"Oh, well the food is really the only reason I come to these things if I'm being honest." I tell him and I am relieved when he smiles. He holds out his arm, just like Eric did, and I take it. I try to ignore how strong his bicep feels.

"I guess there's no better reason for attending a party." He says and I nod.

"Yes, that and good wine." I add.

"Or scotch."

Thank god he seemed to be going along with this banter. Part of me had been scared he was going to be difficult to talk to. As we walk to catch up Rachael and Eric, who have gathered around the dessert table, a man calls out to Nathan, greeting him loudly.

He looked to be in his early sixties, sporting a white beard. He holds a cigar and a glass of alcohol in one hand, a woman stands next to him, clutching his free hand. She had the kind of face that made you never want to get plastic surgery. Her eyebrows were pulled up high on her forehead, her lips way too large and the skin on her cheeks was pulled way too tight. I was surprised she was able to muster the tight lipped smile that she gave us.

"Mr. Sheppard." Says Nathan. Shaking hands with the him. "Mrs. Sheppard." He adds, nodding his head to the woman. I smile too, noticing just how orange her skin is, and I wonder how many trips she's made to the tanning bed.

"Who is this lovely young lady?" Asks Mr. Sheppard, eyeing me and I stand a little straighter.

"This is Isabella Smith." Says Nathan, glancing down to me and offering me an apologetic smile. I reach out and shake then his hand too, saying a quick 'hello'. Mr. Sheppard then continues on about a few business things, how nice the party is and how delightful the scotch their serving here is. And then, luckily, Nathan was able to end the conversation, waving as we walked away.

"Sorry about that." He mutters and I smile.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." I say.

"I always feel bad for him." He adds and I look up at him as we walk. "His wife spends all his money on plastic surgery." I laugh at that, and he looks surprised, but smiles too.

We reach Rachael and Eric, who are talking easily, and eating cake. I release Nathan's arm and go to stand by Rachael.

"Izzy!" She cries. "Try this cake it's amazing." I grab an extra fork and try her cake. It was amazing. I glance over to Eric, who is stuffing his face and Nathan, who is looking around at the desserts.

"So." I jump at how close Rachael had suddenly gotten. "How is he? Charming? Hot? Totally the kind of guy I was talking about on the ride over here?"

"Oh my god." I groan."Will you ever give this whole thing up? I mean really."

"Just saying." She insists, shrugging, like she knows she's right. Then she turns her attention back to the men in front of us. "So, boys, whose up for a walk on the beach?"

Eric's eyes light up.

"I definitely am." He says and he looks to Nathan who looks unamused.

"To be completely honest these kind of parties bore me sometimes, Iz and I are often the youngest ones here, but now that you two are with us we can have some fun."

I cough a little clearing my throat and trying not too laugh at her.

"I think a walk sounds fine, come on Rachael." I tug her arm, trying to get this conversation to end before it's even started. We walk towards the edge of the patio, where the deck ends and a sidewalk lit by small lanterns begins. There are less people from the party over here, a few couples who have snuck away are walking up and down the side walk. I can still here the jazz band and light chatter behind us as we start off down this path.

Soon Rachael is begging me to go down to the water with her. But, before I can even actually agree, she's already removed her heels, hiked up her dress and ran off to the ocean. I sigh a little, glancing back to where Nathan and Eric where walking to catch up with us.

Nathan's eyes were still on me, watching me intently. I wanted to watch him too . . . something about him intrigued me. I guess I'd have to find out what that was.

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