Cruel Money (Cruel 1)

I stared at him in surprise. I hadn’t thought Lewis was really paying that close of attention. It was like he’d stepped into her brain and read her thoughts.

“Yes, that’s true. I’m not used to this for sure.”

“Well, people who are trying to use you for your money aren’t normally uncomfortable when people spend money on them,” he said with a nod.

“That’s just how I was raised.”

“It’s endearing,” he said with his signature smile that lit up his face.

“I’m glad. Sometimes, I’m not sure if I really fit in with you all.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it. I love that you keep everyone on their toes.”

“Just what I want to be known for.”

He nudged me with his shoulder. “It was a compliment.”

Then his eyes gazed past me, and he groaned. “Don’t look behind you.”

So, of course, the first thing that I did was whirl around to see what he was talking about. All I saw were two beautiful black girls. One was tall and thin with pin-straight black hair to the middle of her back. She had on a gorgeous black designer dress. The other girl was shorter than me with a sharp bob and an edgy leather dress that hugged her curvy figure.

“Friends of yours?” I asked conspiratorially.

“Yeah…my sisters.”

“Oh!” I gasped. “Penn told me about them. Charlotte and Etta, right?”

“That’s right. I knew they’d be here, but I thought that they had a box.”

“I thought you were close with them. Penn said that they’re basically family to him.”

“We are close. But, if they see me at this show, I’ll never live it down.”

I laughed and then stood up, waving. “Charlotte! Etta!”

The girls turned to face me with quizzical looks. Then they saw who I was seated with and broke into laughter. They strode over to our seats with a drink in one hand and phone in the other.

“Brother, you are at a Chloe Avana show,” the tallest girl said. “How embarrassing!”

Lewis vaulted to his feet, towering over his little sisters. “Charlotte, Etta, this is my friend Natalie.”

“Natalie, this is Charlie,” he said, pointing out the taller of the two, “and my youngest sister, Etta.”

Charlotte shook my hand. “Any girl who can get my brother to a concert like this is a girl we like, right, Et?”

“Hell yes. Please take a picture with us, so we can put this on Crew later,” Etta said.

We snapped a few shots. Most of the time, Lewis looked miserable.

“Okay, get out of here, you hellions,” Lewis said, ushering them away.

“Message us later, Natalie,” Charlie said. “We’d love to do brunch sometime.”

“We can fit you into our social calendar,” Etta agreed.

“Yes. Sure,” Lewis said. “Bye now.”

“We love you, too,” Charlie said.

“Make sure to sing every word,” Etta teased. “We know you know them all.”

They left with a trail of laughter, and I decided that I loved them on the spot. It was the most normal familial relationship I’d encountered since being on the Upper East Side.

“They’re amazing!” I cried.

“They are. Though they’re also the worst,” he said with a shake of his head that said he loved them fiercely.

“How old are they? They can’t be that much younger than you. They look like supermodels.”

Lewis chuckled. “Uh, Charlie is twenty, and Etta is seventeen.”

“Oh my god!” I gasped. “Do girls on the Upper East Side just come from a different planet? Etta is Melanie’s age, and she seems so much more grown up.”

“You have to grow up fast to live here. Be glad that Melanie is still so young and innocent.”

I still couldn’t believe it. If Melanie dressed and acted like Etta, my dad wouldn’t let her leave the house. What a different world.

“Also, that’s quite an age difference,” I noted. “Mel and I are seven years apart, but you guys are, what? Nine and twelve years apart?”

“Yeah. My mom and dad fell in love young. When my mom had me at eighteen, everyone said she’d never amount to anything. That they’d only gotten married because he’d knocked her up. Thirty years later, and she’s the ambassador to the United Nations and the most incredible person I know. She waited to have Charlie and Etta until after her career took off, just to prove everyone wrong. She’s pretty much goals for everything in life.”

“Wow! She sounds amazing. Like someone you’d read about in a textbook.”

He grinned, clearly proud of his mother and all she’d accomplished.

The lights flickered, announcing that the opening show was about to start, and the crowd erupted in applause.

“How long have Penn and Katherine been gone for to get that drink?” I asked. “They’re going to miss the opener if they don’t hurry.”

Lewis leaned back again. “I’d get comfortable. They’ll likely be gone forever.”

I arched an eyebrow in question. “Why?”

“Katherine hates waiting before the show. Usually, she shows up right as it starts or waits backstage or in a lounge or something. I’d be shocked if we saw her again before Chloe comes on.”