The Freshman (College Years 1)

And I don’t need any trouble.

“Every single one of the women in this room is a calculating bitch, including me.” She takes another step closer, the skirt of her dress brushing against my legs. I’m trapped, the wall directly behind me. I can’t move, and I’m pretty sure she knows it. “Besides, I’d rather try and get to know you better. I still can’t believe we’ve never met until today.”

“This is what happens when your husband abandons his oldest child,” I tell her, taking another fortifying gulp of beer.

She scowls. “He didn’t abandon you. Your mother kept you from him.”

“Keep believing that.” My tone is cryptic. We watch each other, yet she doesn’t say a word. Neither do I.

Seems like Helena uses silence as a weapon, just like me.

After a couple sips of wine, her scowl slowly eases away. “You look exactly like your father, you know that?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

She moves so her upper arm rubs against mine, the light glinting off the many sequins on the front of her dress nearly blinding me. She’s like a walking pink disco ball. “You don’t say much, do you?”

I slowly shake my head. Most of the time I keep quiet so I don’t say anything stupid that could come back to haunt me. With this woman, I’m guessing she has a mind like a trap and would use my own words against me someday, if they worked in her favor.

Fuck that. I’d rather keep quiet and pretend she doesn’t exist.

Her contemplative gaze locks with mine, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips. “I like you. Maybe someday we could—”

“Helena! There you are!” A platinum blonde woman rushes toward us in a cloud of sky blue ruffles, taking hold of Helena’s arm before she turns her attention toward me. Her perfectly arched brows shoot up practically to her hairline. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Already trading Anthony in for a younger model?”

I tense up, hating how this woman is regarding me like I’m a piece of meat.

Helena laughs, sounding uncomfortable. “Of course not, Lauri. This is my stepson, Tony.”

“Your stepson? Oh my goodness.” Lauri rests her hand against her chest, batting her eyelashes at me. “I’m so sorry. I totally put my foot in my mouth just now.”

“It’s cool. Nice to meet you.” I raise my beer bottle in her direction, like I’m toasting her, just before I take a swig.

“We probably shouldn’t be seen with each other,” Helena says to Lauri, which makes me frown. What the hell is she talking about?

“You’re right. So silly. Their rivalry is completely over the top.” The women air kiss before Lauri returns her attention to me, wagging her fingers at me. “Nice meeting you, Tony. Call me next week and let’s do lunch, love!” she says to Helena before she disappears as fast as she came.

“What was that all about?” I ask Helena once Lauri’s gone.

“Oh, your father is making enemies as usual, including Lauri’s fiancé.” Helena’s smile is mischievous. “Lauri and I have remained friends through it all thankfully, despite their hatred toward each other.”

Huh. I know my dad has had some dirty dealings in the past. When I was younger, everyone figured we were mob, only because we’re Italian. I always thought that was bullshit. But as I’ve gotten older and started to understand the way the world works, I’ve long suspected dear old dad has made some less than legal business transactions. He’s in real estate—he buys large businesses for cheap and breaks them up, selling each individual piece of the business for far more than what he originally purchased it for.

In his type of business, he pisses people off. He underbids. Overbids. He’s sneaky. I’ve done some research recently. Google is my friend, and there is all sorts of information out there in regards to my father. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Should I even contemplate working with him at all?

I don’t know.

Helena goes on about her friendships with the various women in this place, and how my father has messed them up thanks to pissing off all their husbands. I’m only half listening to her, my gaze searching the crowd. Does it make me a shit human that I don’t care about Helena’s problems? They feel really trivial compared to the kind of lifestyle she leads. She doesn’t have to worry about a thing. My dad is taking care of her financially, and she’s locked him down for a while, thanks to having his children.

I’m sure she’s pissed she didn’t give him a boy.

A blonde girl in white suddenly enters the room, and she’s swept up in someone’s arms, her face averted, though I can hear her tinkling laugh from where I’m standing. Awareness settles over me, prickling my skin. She moves in a way that’s familiar. I shift to the right, trying to catch sight of her face, and when she pulls away from the woman hugging her, I realize who it is.

Hayden from the Range Rover dealership.

Well, holy shit. Tonight just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

“I’ll see you later,” I tell Helena absently as I push past her, ignoring her when she calls after me.