Cruel Fortune (Cruel 2)

“You’re sure the rest of the crew won’t be here?” I asked. Because I had my doubts.

“Positive,” Lewis reassured me with a hand on my lower back. “Harmony and Katherine hate each other. Always have. Lark doesn’t come out. Rowe is an introvert unless he has to be in society, or someone forces him. And Penn…well, even if I’d seen him out in the last couple of months, he wouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?” I asked.

Lewis arched an eyebrow. “He and Harmony have a history.”

Of course they did. No wonder he’d been at that party in Paris. Maybe he’d been there for Harmony all along, and I’d just stumbled into his orbit.

“Well, that’s good at least.”

I shook my hands out and tried to channel my inner Jane Devney.

Fake it till you make it. Fake it till you just don’t give a fuck.

I could do it. I’d done it before. How different was it all really?

Harmony’s apartment was exquisite. It was very obvious that her mother was a designer from the second I stepped in her place. Everything was soft, feminine, and cultured. It reminded me so much of the Cunningham flat in Paris that I’d been in.

“Lewis, you made it!” A tall blonde crushed herself to him.

He patted on her back and then released her. “Hey, Harm. This is Natalie.”

Harmony leaned forward and brushed kisses to each of my cheeks. “Welcome! I’ve heard so much about you from Jane, but we’ve never gotten a chance to meet.”

I flushed. “We actually met three summers ago in Paris. I was there at the flat near yours. That’s where I met Jane first too.”

“Oh Lord, those parties are such a blur. Forgive me.”

“Nothing to forgive,” I said with a wave of my hand.

I had been vacation home watching the flat for Amy’s parents. There was no reason for Harmony to have recognized me. It was a fluke that I’d ended up there.

“Well, come in. Come in. I’m thrilled to meet the woman who caught Lewis Warren’s eye,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “And look at you. My mother would simply die over you. Do you model?”

“Natalie is a bestselling author,” Lewis interjected easily.

“Wow. Forget it. Use your brains and not your beauty. Makes for a longer career, I’m told.”

“And what do you do?” I asked.

Harmony snorted. “Model. Like an idiot.”

I had been prepared to hate Harmony Cunningham. I’d thought she would be just like every other Upper East Side bitch that I’d endured. That she’d put me on edge with her history with Katherine and Penn. But truly, she was charming. Bright, funny, and lively. So far…she didn’t seem like she was going to try to ruin my life.

“Lewis knows his way around. Grab a drink, dance, have a good time. Great meeting you.”

“You too,” I said and then followed Lewis to the kitchen where a huge selection of cocktails was being hand-prepared by a pair of bartenders. “She’s kind of great.”

“See? Nothing to worry about.” He brushed a kiss to my forehead, and I relaxed a fraction more.

I took a glass of champagne and turned to face the crush of people. The music was loud, and most of the living room furniture had been moved to accommodate a moderate-sized dance floor. I didn’t recognize anyone at all until an ash-blonde beauty materialized in front of me.

“You’re here!” Jane crooned. She was glowing and seemed utterly in her element. “Lewis, can I steal your girl for a minute? I want to introduce her to everyone I know.”

“Easy, Jane. Let her get her sea legs under her,” Lewis said. “We both know that you know everyone.”

“So should she,” she said with a grin.

“Let me at least have a drink before I meet everyone.”

“Fine. But we got the green light on my club, and it’s officially opening next week.”

“Jane, that’s incredible!”

“So much happened while you were gone.” She winked at Lewis. “Thanks for the help, by the way.”

He raised his glass to her, leaving me wondering what exactly he’d done to help her. Had he done something for the club? Or invested?

“I’m thinking we need to shop this week one day when you’re not writing. I’m too excited, and I need to blow some cash,” she said with a laugh. “Need to see my three best friends—Gucci, Dior, and Cunningham.”

“That’d be great for you,” Lewis said. “Girl time.”

As if I could afford a damn thing. But nothing stopped me from window-shopping. “Sure. Let’s do it on a day when I finish my writing.”

“Done.”

Lewis’s gaze moved from our conversation to follow a guy who had just shown up and was retreating onto the balcony. “Excuse me. I have some business to attend to. Jane, please try not to overwhelm her.”

Jane grinned. “We’ll be fine.”

Lewis pressed another kiss into my hair. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I assured him.