Bad for You by Weston Parker
3
TRISTIN
The mirror in my walk-in closet took up the upper half of the entire back wall. Rows of drawers and shelving underneath it held ties, cufflinks, watches, belts, and even a stand boasting a variety of pens.
Most of it was new. When I’d arrived home from the office after my first day there, my old stuff had been replaced with a new wardrobe and all the accessories to go along with it.
Several items from my old life remained, but everything from my high school days had been packed away somewhere. All I had left of the guy I’d been for the last decade and a half were the uniforms that had come in and the casual clothes I’d arrived with.
As I shrugged into the jacket of my brand-new, custom-made tuxedo, I stared at my reflection in the massive mirror. For a guy who’d gotten used to shaving in whatever would reflect back at me, it was a little freaky to have not only the mirror on the back wall, but another full-length mirror mounted on the closed door behind me. I wasn’t sure I liked seeing myself from all these different angles.
It was even weirder for me to think that there had been a time when I hadn’t thought it was freaky at all. I used to spend hours in here before school, making sure my hair was just right or that my outfit was “cool.”
How times have changed.I couldn’t wait to get out of here now. There definitely wouldn’t be any repeat performances of the hours I’d spent in here previously.
The only reason I was even still in here now that I was dressed was because the tuxedo had to go with all the trimmings tonight. My shoes shone like they’d been polished to within an inch of their lives—which they most likely had been. Cufflinks bearing my initials were next, along with a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch and a pale blue pocket square.
Critically examining my appearance, I decided it was good enough and headed downstairs. My mother insisted that attending a charity event with her was the perfect first public appearance for me as the CEO of American Aviation.
For my first official act as the head of the company, I was attending a fundraiser. I wondered if it was some kind of omen about my tenure in the office my father and grandfather had occupied before me. That their contributions had been to build the company up, and mine would end up being to give all the money away.
On second thought, we could afford to keep a couple of medium-sized countries going for a few decades. I probably wouldn’t be able to give away all the money even if I tried.
Charity events for causes worth supporting had always been something I felt strongly about. I gave freely and often. I just didn’t like being trotted out like a show pony this evening, and it was making me cranky.
I’d had a few other ideas in mind for how to let people know I was back, but there had been no arguing with Selena on this matter. She had decided that I needed to get my face out there socially and not just sit behind my father’s desk.
“The community needs to be reminded of how much American Aviation does for it,” she’d said. “Besides, some positive PR can’t hurt during the change of leadership. We need to show people we’re as strong as ever, united, and ready for this next chapter.”
There had been so many things I could’ve said, but I’d figured it wasn’t worth the argument if I refused. She was convinced the company needed it, and she’d persuaded my father to speak to me about it as well. So I’d left it. One night wouldn’t kill me, and knowing my mother, it would be for a worthy cause.
When I descended the staircase, I found her already waiting in her elegant evening dress. Jewels shimmered on the fabric, dangled from her ears and around her neck. Her wedding ring sat heavily on her finger, a variety of other, smaller rings adorning her hands alongside it.
She was a vision of impeccable grooming, every hair in its place and her brown eyes sharp as she cast them over me. “You look wonderful, darling. You definitely look the part of an important CEO. All that remains to be seen is whether you can act like it.”
I ignored her statement. They’d raised me for the day I had to take over the company. No number of years or miles of distance between us had made me forget those lessons. I might’ve become a little rough around the edges, but I knew exactly what was expected of me.
“What charity are we shilling for tonight?” I asked, taking her hand and folding it into the crook of my elbow to escort her to the car.
The gesture earned me a rare, approving smile. “It’s a fundraiser to support the renovations of the elementary school library. We’re sponsoring it, and our marketing team has had a hand in the planning.”
“Why don’t you just pay for the whole library? We have the money.” It definitely seemed like a worthy cause to me. I’d lived in the library of my own elementary school once upon a time.
Selena’s smile disappeared as she arched a manicured brow at me. “It’s not about charity, darling. It’s about the PR.”
“Giving should be from the heart, not to get something in return,” I said lightly, but I couldn’t hide how disgruntled I was by her attitude. “Don’t you agree?”
“Don’t be silly, darling. We’re already giving them this event. They don’t need us to give them an entire library.”
I didn’t argue as I led her out into the warm night. Thankfully, I had my own money, and she couldn’t dictate how I spent it. If the kids wanted a new library, they’d get one with or without my mom.
My car was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, the doors already open and the engine already running. Selena had nearly keeled over when I’d told her I’d be driving us tonight myself, but I hadn’t budged. I didn’t need someone to drive me around.
There were a lot of the trappings of this life I hadn’t bought into before, and I wasn’t going to start now. Rather ironically considering the man had started an aviation company, my grandfather’s motto had always been to stay down-to-earth. I planned on living that motto as my own.
The event was being held in the ballroom of one of the hotels downtown. It was one of my mother’s favorites to throw parties at, and I recognized the place immediately. Although it had been a while since the last one, I’d been to so many events here I’d lost count of them all.
As I walked in, my mother was tucked close to my side, but Brittany was front and center in my mind. She had been my date to at least 99 percent of the events I’d attended in this very ballroom. It used to be her on my arm as we followed closely on my parents’ heels.
My heart gave a pang when we passed the fountain outside the doors where we used to sit and talk while waiting for the parental unit to finish schmoozing. When I caught sight of the door of a storeroom in my periphery, I almost got hard at the flood of memories about what we’d gotten up to in there.
Since no one wanted to be thinking about that when they had their mothers beside them, I shook myself out of it and focused on the here and now. The ballroom looked great—as always. Selena wouldn’t have spared any expense knowing that the Ramsey name would be attached to the event.
People surrounded us from the minute they saw her, and she wasted no time in starting to introduce me around. There was a good mix of people here, some in expensive clothing and belonging to the best country clubs. Others seemed to be from more modest means, and I assumed they were the ones who worked for the school.
Those were the people I was interested in talking to, but my mother kept a vise grip on my arm as we joined a cluster of people in the center of the room. She smiled before gracefully exchanging greetings with her high-society friends.
“Tristin, it’s so good to see you,” one of my parents’ oldest friends, Mr. McDonald, said as he pumped my hand enthusiastically. “Welcome home. Luke was delighted when he told me you were back.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I lied smoothly.
McDonald wasn’t only a friend of my dad’s, but also someone we did business with. A tie I would be severing soon since I’d gotten a look at the inflated prices he charged us, but this wasn’t the time or place to do it.
Other people joined us, and the first ones moved along. It was one of my mom’s old tricks, though. Let them come to you.
She held court in the center of the room like a queen, but I’d had just about enough of it. After making small talk with yet another business associate, I excused myself to go to the bar. About halfway there, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Right there, standing in front of one of the tables where the items that would be going up on the silent auction were displayed, was a familiar face that rooted my feet to the spot. I blinked. Hard.
Surely, it can’t be her.It had to be my imagination playing tricks on me, but she looked so much like…
The blonde shifted on her low heels and tucked her hair behind her ears. My heart lurched. It was her. It didn’t matter how long it had been. I’d still have been able to pick her out of a crowd of thousands.
Her mannerisms were exactly the same. She stuck the tip of her thumbnail between her teeth as she surveyed the table in front of her. Her other hand alternated between being planted on her hip and sweeping across her stomach. She scrunched up her face as if she was deep in thought; then a soft smile spread across her lips, and she nodded slightly.
Yep. Definitely her. No doubt about it.
Brittany Cleaver. Holy fuck.
Without even having to think about it, I changed course and headed right for her. She was as curvy as ever, a pale blue dress hugging her luscious figure. Her hair was half-up, half-down, framing her heart-shaped face in golden curls. Coincidentally, the color of her dress was an exact match for my pocket square.
Seems we still think alike.
As I went to stand behind her, I caught a whiff of spicy berries and came very close to groaning out loud. Shit. I can’t believe she’s still wearing that perfume.
It was the scent of some of the hottest memories of my life. I’d bought her a bottle of that perfume for her sixteenth birthday, and she’d used it so sparingly that she’d even had it on for our prom night.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said as she turned around slowly. “I didn’t mean to hog the tabl—”
She cut herself off when she completed the turn and looked up at me, her eyes opening so wide that I could see white all the way around the beautiful blue. “Tristin?”
Her jaw slackened as she stared at me as if she believed she was hallucinating and I’d disappear at any moment. “Is that really you?”
“It’s really me.” An awkward beat of silence passed between us, but that didn’t put me off.
She was more beautiful than ever. It physically hurt to think that she broke up with me, but hope springs eternal and all that. I wanted to pull her into my arms, crush my mouth down on hers, and never let her go again, but I didn’t think that’d go over well.
So instead of listening to my baser, more primal instincts, I smiled as my gaze drank in every inch of her beautiful face.
“How’ve you been, Brit? What are you doing here?”
