“Great party,” she said, in a monotone voice that was clearly meant to convey that she had been to better parties than this.
“Just a small get-together of friends, nothing more,” Don replied.
“Isn’t that what all parties are?” Tanya chuckled as if she had made a very smart comeback. She barely held eye contact with Don and constantly looked around, as if things around her were more interesting than the person that she was speaking to. Rory, she didn’t even acknowledge.
“This is Rory. Rory, meet Tanya Cox.” Don introduced them.
“Hello,” Rory said politely and offered Tanya her hand. The blonde heiress slowly turned, looked Rory up and down, and slightly nodded her head in acknowledgment. No shaking of hands, no words of hello. Tanya Cox had no time for mere mortals.
“Have you seen Arsen around?” Tanya turned back to Don.
“Arsen? Arsen Ford?” Don feigned ignorance, playing with Tanya. “I don’t think he’s even here. He doesn’t like parties.”
“Don,” she said in a cold tone and narrowed her eyes. “Where is Arsen?”
“No idea. Have you seen him, dear?” He turned to Rory, who shook her head. Though where is Arsen? Missing his own party? she wondered.
“I’m telling you Tanya, he’s not even here.” Don chuckled this time, much to the annoyance of the heiress who was clearly used to having everyone at her beck and call. Tanya let out a small grunt but quickly composed herself, put that rehearsed smile back on her face, and turned around to walk away.
“One of the small joys of my life. Messing with Tanya Cox.” Don laughed out loud, clearly pleased with his work. “Are you okay by yourself, sweetheart? You mind if I go and check up on our guests?”
“Of course, Don. It is your party after all,” Rory replied. “It was nice talking to you.”
“Likewise, my dear. Feel free to explore around.” With that, Don was off.
Rory lounged around for what seemed like an hour. Her eyes searched for Lizzy, but she was too busy mingling with people and Rory didn’t want to interrupt her. Afraid that if she hid by the bar any longer she would end up drinking too much, Rory decided to give herself a tour of the house.
If she thought that the house looked incredible from the outside, she was in for a shock as she walked into the main hall. It was the kind of place that she had seen on MTV Cribs. Rory had to tilt her head fully back to see the chandelier that hung from a high ceiling. The place was done up with a lot of taste, and she was surprised that a rock band had chosen to live here. This was a place meant for royalty.
A hallway led to an inner garden that had immaculate landscaping. Beds of flowers formed the periphery of the area and there was a very earthy feel to it. A canopy, terraced with glass frames and bound by sheer curtains around its pillars, housed the sitting area. To the side, the presence of a tall fountain cooled the air. Rory instantly fell in love with the place and wondered what it would be like to have breakfast in there every morning.
The pathway from the garden led into a huge dining hall that was perfect for throwing parties. A grand piano sat in one corner, and there was a strong classical British feel to the decor. Reminds me of Downton Abbey, she thought.
A wide opening led to another hallway that ended up in a library. Cozy was the first word that came to Rory’s mind as she stepped through. Even for a bookstore owner, it was overwhelming to see so many books lined up along the walls. Someone had really put a lot of work in setting up this collection here. Or maybe they are all just pulp fiction in fancy bindings, she chuckled to herself.
Rory’s drink was done and she wondered if she should get herself another one. Before anything else, I gotta go pee. She didn’t recall seeing a restroom on her way so far and decided to wander around to see if she could find one.
The vacant room on the other side of the dining hall didn’t have one, and the decor of the dining room itself was such that she couldn’t distinguish whether they were all wall panels or if there was a door hidden in there somewhere. Deciding that she would look like a fool were she to try and pry it out, she chose to explore further instead.
As she looked through one more door, she finally saw what seemed like a sitting room. It had a great window to one side that looked out at the party that was taking place. On the other side was a door that Rory was sure would be the one she was looking for. Thankfully for her it was.
Rory smiled to herself as she looked in the mirror after relieving herself. She thought she looked pretty, or at least better than she usually did. Maybe I won’t look so bad in that bridesmaid’s dress that Tara sent over.
As Rory walked out of the bathroom she saw that at one end of the room, by a huge sofa, lay about ten guitars next to sheets of paper that had some scribbling on them. Rory got curious, but felt guilty at wanting to snoop around like this. She was making her way to the door when it opened by itself with a thud.
Tingles went down her spine as her eyes feasted upon the charming face of Arsen Ford, standing there in his usual rockstar clothes that partially hid, partially showed off that rock hard body underneath. He seemed to be taken aback as he saw her standing there, but maintained his composure and didn’t show any signs of a shock. How rude, Rory thought.
Chapter 14
“I know you,” he smiled. That smile could start wars, Rory thought. Something inside of her leapt at standing so close to him. The sheer strength of his body overwhelmed her as he towered over her.
“Do you?” Rory’s hand instinctively went to straighten her hair.
“Didn’t expect to find you here,” Arsen said as he shut the door to the room behind him.
“I can say the same for you,” Rory smiled. “I’d think that you’d be out there, partying away.” She nodded toward the window, through which muted noises from the festivities filtered in.
“Why would I do that?” Arsen asked her, with a deathly serious look.