One night pact, p.5
One Night Pact, page 5
Chapter 7
Harry
I loved Christmas in the city. There were lights everywhere. The big tree was up outside Rockefeller Center with millions of twinkling lights and decorations. The city was always the most festive when it was the holiday season and it made me feel happy. I had so many past Christmas memories that made me feel joyful and like I was on top of the world. One of my favorite memories of Christmas was when Sarah and I had gone down to FAO Schwarz and camped outside waiting for some new toy she’d wanted when she was ten. I can’t even remember what it was. I just remember how excited we were to be standing there waiting. It didn’t even matter that she was a girl and I was a guy. We’d been best friends and gender had never seemed to interfere with our friendship. She’d always been there for me. I’d always been there for her. She’d always done what I wanted to do and we had so many shared memories. Our friendship made me happy and I knew I was lucky that we had grown into adults and were still as close as we’d been when we were kids. Sarah was the best friend that any guy could ever ask for. And she’d proven it yet again by buying three awesome presents for my three girlfriends though technically, I didn’t consider them girlfriends. I just considered them women I was casually dating because they accompanied me to functions. I hadn’t even slept with any of them because I didn’t want any of them expecting more from me. But that was fine by me. I didn’t want or need a girlfriend right now. I reached Sarah’s building and I walked into the lobby, looking around at the decorations in amusement. There was a table with a manger to the right of the front desk and a huge Christmas tree with a twinkling star at the top.
“Hey there Mr. Huntington, how are you doing?” the security guard greeted me with a wave. He recognized me as I was at Sarah’s place almost as much as I was at my own.
“Hey, I’m good, Billy. How are you?”
“Good, it’s a nice quiet night. I’m always happy when it’s quiet.”
“Yeah, it’s a beautiful night. I love the decorations you put up. I’m just going up to see Sarah, is that okay?”
“Sure. You don’t have to let me know, Mr. Huntington. I know you’ve got your own key. Go on up.”
“Thanks, Billy. I’ll see you later.” I headed over to the elevator. I knew Sarah didn’t love me just letting myself into the apartment, but she was used to it by now. I mean, we were like family. What was the point of me calling to let her know I was there? I had her key for a reason. I took the elevator up, got out, and walked to the door. I unlocked the door and walked into the apartment. I could hear the TV coming from Sarah’s room. I was surprised that she was in her bedroom already. Normally, she watched TV in her living room.
“Sarah, what are you doing?” I made my way into her bedroom and jumped in shock when a small green monster popped out of her bathroom with a toothbrush in hand. “Are you planning on stabbing me with your Oral-B?” I laughed as her avocado green face tried to glare at me. Instead it just turned her face from a smooth green to a cracked green. “Are you trying to be the Jolly Green Giant, the Hulk, or the Wicked Witch of The West?” I grunted as she hit me in the shoulder.
“You scared me,” she croaked out. “You can’t just come into my apartment like this.” She shook her head. “Boundaries, Harry.”
“Boundaries? What are boundaries between friends?” I grinned at her. “Though, I really do think you should have told me that you were moonlighting as a witch.”
“It’s an avocado and mud facemask.” She growled and I couldn’t help but laugh at the way the mask cracked into a thousand different lines. “I’m purifying my skin.”
“If you say so.” I looked around her bedroom. “So what are you watching?”
“Nothing in particular.” She shook her head. “Was just getting settled for the night.”
“Oh okay, where are the presents? I’m excited to see what you got.”
“You can’t open them, Harry.” She spoke quickly and I wondered why she sounded so agitated. She was most probably jealous that I’d gotten these three women gifts and nothing for her as yet. “I spent hours wrapping them and I’m not going to have you opening them and ruining all my hard work.”
“You spent hours wrapping them?” I raised an eyebrow at her as my tone dropped. “Really now?”
I stared at her and had a feeling she was blushing underneath her green mask. It was weird, but I actually found her quite attractive looking so disheveled. I wasn’t sure what had come over me, but as I studied her appearance I could feel myself warming. She had on a pair of boy shorts that exposed her long legs and a black Korn t-shirt that she’d stolen from me when we were younger. I could tell that she didn’t have on a bra, but I was trying hard not to stare at her breasts. I withheld a sigh. I was going to have to find a proper girlfriend soon. I couldn’t spend my days fantasizing about Sarah.
“Well, maybe not hours, but I spent a long time.” She glanced at her watch. “Shit, hold on, I need to wash my mask off.” She turned around and ran back into her bathroom. I followed behind her and leaned against the door as she turned on the faucet and started splashing her face with water for what seemed like hours. “Pass me a towel please,” she said as she glanced back at me, her face full of water. I grabbed her towel from the rack and handed it to her and she proceeded to pat her face dry. “Do you have to stare at me?” She looked back at me, her face finally looking normal, though her cheeks was a flushed pink color.
“Was I staring at you?” I shrugged as my eyes surveyed her face.
Since when did she get so pretty? I frowned as I stared at her. She headed toward me and stopped in front of me. She looked up at me, her big blue eyes glassy and amused as she studied my face. She had a half-smile on her face that tugged on my heartstrings. She looked adorable. I really was lucky to have her for a best friend.
“Yes, you were looking at me like I was something you’d study at a museum.” She poked me in the stomach. “Come on, let me get the presents for you. I think your girlfriends are going to love the items I got.”
“They aren’t my girlfriends, you know that.” I protested as I followed her out of the bathroom, into the bedroom, and then down the hallway toward the living room.
“Whatever you say, Harry.” She bent down and picked up three neatly wrapped presents, all with cards attached and handed them to me. “These are for you, well for your women, all specially wrapped from me.”
“Thanks, these look awesome.” I held the presents in my hand and grinned at her. “Can I borrow a tote bag to carry them in, please?”
“Sure.” She nodded. “Let me get one for you. So what are you doing tonight? Any hot dates?”
“The only hot date I had was you...or rather, maybe I should say green date.” I laughed. “You’ve washed off the most attractive part of you.”
“Harry, you’re an idiot.” She rolled her eyes and hit me in the shoulder. I grabbed her hand and squeezed; not too tightly, but hard enough to show her who was boss. “Ouch.” She growled as she attempted to pull her hand away from me. “That hurt.”
“No, it didn’t.” I laughed, looking down at her flashing blue eyes. “Don’t exaggerate, Sarah, it’s not your best quality.”
“Don’t be so pompous, Harry, that’s not your best quality.”
“True, my best quality is my devastating smile, followed by my handsome good looks, witty personality, and charismatic voice.” I laughed as she glared at me.
“No one would ever dare call you modest.” She shook her head and then yawned slightly.
“Is that your subtle way of trying to kick me out?”
“If I wanted to kick you out, I wouldn’t be subtle about it. I’d just tell you that you have to leave.”
“So are you telling me I have to leave?”
“Did I tell you that?”
“So you want to watch a movie?” I realized then that I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to go back to my cold apartment by myself. I wanted to stay here and snuggle and watch a film with Sarah, while we debated back and forth on if it would ever win an Oscar or Golden Globe. “I’ll order a pizza and ice cream.”
“Both?” She raised an eyebrow and grinned. “You must really want my company or something.”
“Or something.” I laughed and pulled out my phone. “Are we watching it here in the living room or in the bedroom?”
“Here.” She made a face. “The last time we ate pizza in my bed, I got grease stains all over my Egyptian cotton sheets and they were so expensive because—”
“They were eight hundred thread count,” I cut her off and continued her sentence. “I remember. You’ve complained about those ruined sheets for years now. It’s time to move on, Sarah.”
“I would move on, if you bought me a new set,” she growled at me.
“What do you think? I’m made of money or something?” I raised an eyebrow at her and we both laughed. This was one of the reasons I loved being around Sarah. We could always be ourselves in every situation and she was the one woman I knew who would love me and be by my side if I was rich or poor. “Come on, let me order the pizza.” I made my way over to the couch and took a seat. “Also, pass me the remote.” I grinned up at her. “I don’t want to have to get up and grab it.” I pointed over to the shelf in the corner, where I saw the remotes sitting. It was right there, but out of arm’s reach.
“You’re so lazy, Harry Huntington Parker.” Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know how any woman can put up with dating you for longer than a night.”
“A night is all I need.” I winked at her. “Trust me. After one night, they never want to leave.”
“Ugh.” She groaned and I laughed as I settled back into the couch, comfortable and happy, feeling at peace as I always did when I was with her.
Chapter 8
Sarah
“So I gave Harry the presents last night.” I giggled as I walked down the street with Gemma. “He has absolutely no idea that I bought gag gifts.” I chewed on my lower lip as we passed a bridal boutique and I admired the dresses with a small sigh. “Do you think I made a mistake? I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty about what I did. What am I, ten?”
“Okay, it was a little immature, but own it, girl.” Gemma shrugged. “Honestly, Harry is so pompous that I have no problem with you pulling a prank like this on him.”
“I know.” I laughed. “But I also know that he is going to kill me.” I made a face. “But I suppose I can fall on the ground and beg him for mercy.”
“Sarah, you are absolutely crazy. You know that, right?” Gemma asked me with a giggle as we walked down the street.
“What? I’m not crazy. I did it for fun. I think it’s funny. Harry will ultimately think it’s funny.” I wasn’t so sure of that, but I was trying to convince myself he’d have a sense of humor about it.
“Do you really think he’s going to think it’s funny?”
She gave me a look.
“Well, maybe not at first. But in five years, he’ll look back and he’ll realize it was really funny.”
“I sure hope so,” Gemma said with a laugh. “I mean, I wish I could be a fly on the wall when he gives his floozies those presents.”
“I know.” I laughed. “Can you imagine how that will go down? Oh, what I wouldn’t do to be there.”
“So he’s going out with them all tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, the same night as your Christmas party.” I smiled. “Which I’m really looking forward to, by the way. Thank you so much for inviting me. I feel like it’s just going to be like my debutante ball or coming out into the world ball or something like that.” I giggled at Gemma’s incredulous expression.
“Uhm, don’t get your hopes up too high, Sarah. It’s just a work party.”
“Yeah, but I get to meet lots of new hot guys.” I held my hand up as she went to protest. “I know you have hot guys in your office, Gemma, because I’ve seen some of them.”
“If you knew them, you wouldn’t think they were so hot.” She shook her head. “They are the most annoying bunch of men I’ve ever met and I’m dating Tyler, haha.”
“Well, you know, they might be bad to you, but to me, someone who’s looking for some fun and hasn’t had any in ages, they look like the perfect specimens to flirt with.”
“Oh, Sarah. You’re too much.”
“Hey, maybe that’s what they’ll say by the end of the night...” I laughed. “Hopefully after my makeover, I will win them all over. You said you’ve got me set up with a hair appointment and a makeup appointment today, right?”
“Yes, with professionals. I cannot have you going to Sephora to get your makeover.” She shook her head. “The last time you did that, you ended up looking like a clown.”
“Yeah. Some of the Sephora girls are good, but not all of them.”
“We need to take you to someone that really knows makeup. I’m taking you to the best makeup artist I know. She works for all the fashion designers, do you know Valentina Opalhouse?”
“Hello! The Valentina Opalhouse? So this is like a major makeup artist then? I’ve seen Valentina’s stuff on TV and in Vogue. She hires the biggest supermodels in the world to wear her stuff down the runway. This makeup artist must be amazing.”
“Yep.” Gemma grinned. “You’re welcome, Sarah.”
“How did you get the makeup artist for Valentina Opalhouse to meet with me?”
“Well, I told him you’d pay him five hundred dollars.”
“What! Five hundred dollars? Doesn’t that seem like a lot? It was only fifty dollars at Sephora.”
“Sarah, your parents are millionaires. You have a trust fund. I think you can safely spend five hundred dollars to go from an ugly duckling to a swan.” She grinned at me as I hit her on the shoulder lightly.
“Well, thanks Gemma. It’s nice to know that you think I’m an ugly duckling.”
“You know I don’t think you’re an ugly duckling. I think you’re beautiful, but you’re a very understated beauty. In this day and age, understated doesn’t work. Understated doesn’t get the guys. And, you could be stunning.” She looked at me critically. “You know you’re absolutely gorgeous, right?”
“I don’t know whether or not to take that as a compliment, Gemma. I could be stunning.” But I laughed, even as I cringed. I knew she was right. I mean, all I really wore were jeans and loose tops. Never wore skirts. Never wore dresses, never wore anything that was even close to being tight fitting. My hair was always in a ponytail. I never wore makeup. Yeah, it was time for a change. “You’re right, I guess. Okay. So, he’s going to do my makeup. What about my hair?”
“Well, as luck would have it, Max, he’s the makeup artist for Valentina Opalhouse, he’s really good friends with Oraja Listerina.”
“Who?” I made a face. No wonder I didn’t have a career in fashion. My name was Sarah. Plain and simple Sarah. How could that compete with Valentina and Oraja?
“You’ve never heard of Oraja Listerina?”
“No.”
“Oh my gosh. He is just like the number one go-to hairstylist for every single actress in Hollywood and New York City.”
“And he’s willing to do my hair?” I was doubtful. “Why?”
“Because I told him you’ll give him a thousand dollars.”
“A thousand dollars!” I shouted as we were walking down the street, I could see people looking at me, curiously. I lowered my voice. “A thousand dollars. Are you joking, Gemma? That’s just crazy. I can go to any place on the street and pay like fifty bucks for a cut.”
“Exactly. I’m not trying to be rude, Sarah, but your haircuts look like you go to those cheap places. You need a cut from an expert. And didn’t you say you wanted some color?”
“Yeah, but I figured I could just go to the drugstore and get one of those boxes and do it myself. You could help me. That’s like $29.99. And that’s for the dye and wine.”
“Girl, you have got to stop being so cheap. You always say that Harry is cheap, but I think you’re even cheaper.”
“Harry is cheap.” I laughed. “He actually works. He is going to be the CEO of his family’s company. I don’t have a job. I’m not going to be taking over my dad’s company. The money I’m spending is not really mine.”
“What do you mean, it’s not really yours? Is it or is it not in your bank account?”
“It’s in a bank account I share with my dad, girl. He sees every single thing I spend my money on. He is not going to be happy to see that I have spent fifteen hundred dollars on hair and makeup.” I made a face and sighed. I’d shared a bank account with my father since I was thirteen, but now more than ever, I realized how lame that sounded. I needed to become a fully independent woman.
“Well, what’s he going to do about it?”
“I guess nothing.” Which was true. My dad had never questioned me about the money I spent. “Okay, so then what’s the plan for my new wardrobe? I’m not spending thousands of dollars on new clothes.”
“Well, that’s good then.” Gemma smiled as if she had a secret.
“That’s good? Why is that good?” I looked at her through narrowed eyes.
“It’s good because you aren’t going to be spending thousands of dollars. You’re going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars. If you want to look good and be in some designer duds that fit you well, you’re going to have to pay a pretty penny.”
“Gemma, can’t we just go to Old Navy or something?” I groaned at the thought of spending tens of thousands of dollars.
“Sarah, you did not just ask me if we could go to Old Navy to buy your new wardrobe for your new makeover.” She stopped dead in the streets. “Are you frigging kidding me right now?” Her New York accent came out even more in that moment, and I just laughed.
“I know, Gemma. I know, but ugh,” I groaned. “Fine, fine, fine. I will spend what I have to spend if you think it is going to make a difference in my life. My mother will most probably thank you as she’s been begging me to buy more clothes for years.”
