Being famous for a week had to be the worst best thing to happen to her
Monday through Friday was lined with, photoshoots, magazine articles, TV shows, visits to orphanages, dress fittings, paparazzi, and lots of kissing.
The kissing was the worst part of it because Dylan took every single opportunity. Some days, he kissed her so much she could feel his lips on her even when they weren't. For example: At night, when Dylan was asleep, or when she looked in the mirror. Still, she refused to accept him as her first kiss. She called them all theatric and necessary.
The second worst consequence: Gothel called every day—or every night, since it was always seven p.m. in London, but two p.m. in Orlando. She would taunt her, insult her, tell her she would burn her alive the next time they met. The calls got Sage thinking of Amanda, but she never had the time, energy, or nerve to ask after the blonde traitor.
Saturday evening was going to be the Big Mama of her fame days. At least she'd assumed that when Bobby and Zoe came to wake her and Dylan up at six a.m.
'Oh. My. Gods!' Zoe screeched.
'Oh my goshes.' Sage reached for her PJ top on the floor.
'Bobby, you have to see this,' Zoe said. 'Or, no. Don't.'
'How is your sister so calm with this? I would've run to Mexico,' Sage said.
'You, darling. My sister isn't like you, or lots and lots of innocent-minded children,' Dylan explained.
'What's this about us seeing things?' Bobby came right behind Zoe, then stopped in their tracks.
Despite having a top on, Sage felt more than embarrassed. She hid in her blanket.
'You see, Dylan? Some people have that much decency,' she heard Bobby say.
'Well, she's not as used to you seeing me like this as I am,' Dylan said. 'And from the look in your eyes, it seems you'd want to see more.'
'Nous te défions, bonehead. Stand up while your innocent sister is here.'
'I'm not innocent. I'm a Hunter, a warrior,' Zoe whined.
'I'm getting up now,' Dylan announced.
She heard little footsteps rush out of the room.
Sage would've been scared too if she didn't know that Dylan still had his pants on.
Curious to see what was going down, she peeped through her hiding spot.
Just as she thought, Dylan had stood in his blue PJ bottoms, no shirt. Bobby, contrary to expectation, was blushing. Or maybe their face was red with anger?
'How dare you make a fool out of us?' they asked, arms crossed.
'It's karma, as you say,' Dylan replied.
'We would've kicked you if we were any less chivalrous,' Bobby said.
'Why should you be respectful to women when you're already half of one?'
They groaned. 'Your father's calling for you and your girlfriend. You've wasted your time, not ours.'
They flipped their braid, spun on a boot sole, and marched out.
'For the record, they're awesomer than you,' Sage said.
'Put a sock in it, darling.' Dylan put on a shirt.
They walked hand in hand—on Dylan's insistence —to Mr. Anthony's room, which was wide open.
Bobby and Zoe were there before them, of course. Mr. Anthony sat on his bed.
'Good morning, Father,' Dylan greeted.
'Good morning, sir,' Sage greeted.
'All hail Daddy Zeus,' Zoe announced.
'Henson,' Bobby said simply.
'Good morning, all,' Mr. Anthony said, 'especially to our couple of the moment. I hope you know, Dylan and Sage, that today is quite an important day for you.'
'We do,' Sage and Dylan said. 'Stop,' they said, yet again, simultaneously. 'I'm serious. Mashed potato and lettuce.'
'Hopeless,' Zoe said with childish glee.
'Indeed,' Bobby said sarcastically.
'All sorts of big-time media will be at the party. Apart from them, distinguished members of the British parliament and a few high-ranking officials of our government will also be present. You all, not just my son and future daughter-in-law, are expected to be at your best behavior. I'm talking to you, Zoe,' Mr. Anthony said.
'Yes, my lord,' Zoe said with a sigh.
'Bobby, you know exactly what to do in these situations, but would you mind if I added one last duty?' Mr. Anthony asked.
'These situations are often boring. Having one more task would be greatly appreciated,' Bobby said.
'Then you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Sage?'
'Father!' Dylan whined.
'The last party proved that you don't care as much as you're supposed to about the future daughter-in-law. Not only did you let Sage run away, but you also let her fall into the hands of your worst enemy. And you know quite well that Bobby is best suited for such a…combatant task.'
Dylan nodded out of grudging agreement.
'We'll brief you further after the rest leave,' Mr. Anthony said to Bobby, 'but I need everyone to bear me witness that I, Henson Anthony Anthony, order Roberta-Alexander Altair to be as lenient with Dylan as acceptable unless Dylan crosses the line.
''Now, what to do before the party? Everyone should be dressed and fed before eight. After which, Sage and Dylan will go for one more dress fitting. After the dress fitting is the dress rehearsal. Your dance will be choreographed by none other than Florence.'
Sage shivered. She could easily imagine the minor Queen Elizabeth hitting her bottom with a baton and saying it simply isn't done at every wrong move they made.
Zoe, you'll be excused from your Saturday lessons because you will be joining Sage in her—quote-unqote—"etiquette lessons". You will also be given time to write a speech based on your opinion of Sage from the moment you officially met her,' Mr. Anthony said. 'Dylan, have you done what I said?'
Dylan nodded. 'Everyone will be blown away by my speech. Even you, sweetheart, will fall in love with me all over again.'
'Hmph,' Sage replied.
'Bobby, you are allowed to go shopping while Zoe is busy,' Mr. Anthony said. 'As I said, you'll need to wait behind.'
'Shopping?' Bobby asked.
'Shopping,' Mr. Anthony confirmed. 'Real shopping.'
'Shopping?' they asked a little more angrily.
'Let's go, honeys.' Dylan held on to Sage's and Zoe's hands. 'A colorful exchange of language is about to go down.'
As Dylan herded the ladies out of the room, Sage wondered what Bobby thought shopping meant the first time.
'What do you think they're talking about?' she asked the siblings.
'Bobby's very special to Zeus,' Zoe offered. 'Very special.'
'Now you've got me thinking about them fucking. I'll say the real reason when we get inside. God,' Dylan said.
'Can I come too?' Zoe asked.
'Report to Hera on our behalf,' Dylan said.
When Zoe left, Sage screamed into her hand.
'Exactly,' Dylan said. He pulled Sage into the room. He shut the door and locked it twice. 'Bobby's my father's secretary.'
'Ew. Your dirty mind's rubbing off on me,' Sage said, trying not to vomit.
'I imagined it at the time, given the history of a few of Father's other assistants,' Dylan admitted, 'but that's why—along with all the qualities my father needs—God gave Bobby male mannerisms and genitals. Father's poetic, but thankfully not pansexual.'
'And what's so weird about being a secretary?'
'There' is the word secret in secretary. You need a secretary in politics because of all the secrets you'll have. Father's secrets aren't just his own, but those of the Prime Minister, the Crown, and the privy council. He couldn't bear it on his own, so he hired a chain of assistants—or, secretaries, for the sake of wordplay. Most of them were female. Nobody knew why until one of them was murdered. The investigation pointed out that the woman and father had much more dirty work to hide than usual, along with the fact that she was killed by a sore loser after she refused to cooperate and leak her knowledge.
'Some divorce threats later, Zoe started to become unruly, always demanding attention so our parents would stop arguing. They started auditions for tutors—babysitters, actually—while searching for a male secretary for my father. Father initially employed Bobby as a tutor, then looked at their IQ, status, and combat prowess and fired his other secretary. Now, no one knows who his secretary is because he never said he got a new one, and Bobby is not photogenic. Only my parents and I know what they really do. Well, you also do now.'
She couldn't help but ask, 'Why?'
'I trust you,' he said simply. 'You'll be gone soon, anyway. But more importantly, I trust you. You can't tell anyone, even Zoe.'
Sage nodded. 'How does that affect us? Me?'
'I have a few theories, and they all have Bobby being our third wheel,' he said. 'We can't mess this party up with Bobby's eyes on you, whatever colors they are today. We'll need to be loving, passionate…all the things you don't want to be.'
'More kissing?' Sage groaned.
'So much kissing,' he said with glee. 'Let's practice it right now, eh?'
She stomped on his foot.
'Wishful thinking. I know. But if Bobby's wearing a dress, then anything's possible,' Dylan said.
'They're not wearing a dress,' Sage said with full confidence.
'One lap dance says they're wearing a dress,' he said.
'My first kiss says they're wearing a dress,' she corrected.
'I need to get Bobby a dress—and bathe. I should bathe first,' Dylan decided. He stood up and took off.
'Dirty man,' she hollered after him.
'I said forward, not backward —no, not that foot—are you even listening to me, Scarlett?'
Sage sighed inwards. How did Mrs. Anthony expect her to dance with Dylan's filthy hands on her?
Dylan had never touched her shoulders or waist for as long as he had on that day. She couldn't push his hands off because Florence was watching, but they gave her a feeling like molten iron had been poured and cooled on her skin. Her body shook with each second longer. Fear made her make many mistakes.
'My mom says we shouldn't be this close. Ever,' Sage said before she accidentally stepped on Dylan's foot.
'A proper lady never causes her partner harm, even by accident,' Mrs. Anthony said.
'Are you sure that was an accident?' Dylan muttered.
'Can't we just boogie instead of waltzing? I can do I pretty good Harlem shake,' Sage suggested.
'Waltz is traditional,' Dylan said. 'Waltz is romantic, hard, and very traditional. Those are three adjectives my mother likes.'
'I hate all of them,' she said. 'I hate being in this position.'
She stepped on Dylan's foot again.
Mrs. Anthony groaned in a very poised manner. 'Sage, could you get over here?'
Dylan didn't oppose, so Sage assumed he was too scared to stand up for her and she was done for.
'Pardon me if this sounds offensive, but have you learned nothing at all?' Mrs. Anthony asked.
'I—uh—' she stammered. How could she explain to the woman that being in such a position with Dylan was enough to make her sick without implying that she was very far from falling in love with him?
'I'm sorry,' Sage said at last. 'I'm very sorry.'
'This is your last break,' said the older woman. 'If you don't get this perfectly after the break, I'll be forced to—to cancel my life-long dream '
With a wave of her hand, Sage was dismissed.
'I guess we'll need to talk a bit more, acquaintance,' Dylan said mockingly. He hated that word, and she knew it. 'Welcome to my house; Anthony House.'
'It looks really…housey,' Sage complimented.
'How eloquent of you, acquaintance,' he said. 'That was my mother. She's all about manners, tradition, and sophistication. She even owns a charm school not far from here.'
'I thought as much. She—' She brought her voice down. 'Your mom looks like a Barbie mom. No wonder you're such a Ken.'
He smiled. 'She also had a Barbie life. Her grandparents and parents were gold merchants, and she was the only daughter. As rich people, they needed their children—especially her—to be like models: classy, graceful, polite even when it was hard. She was strictly punished if she ever crossed the line. She's being punished as we speak because she married my father.'
'He wasn't as rich as now?'
'Not at all. My grandparents were rich in mind alone. Mr. Duncan Anthony is a retired dean, and Mrs. Victoria Anthony was an accountant for a popular firm. They made enough to get by, but not enough for my maternal grandparents to see their son as worthy of their daughter.
'And so my mother raised me with the morals she'd learnt, but not the arrogance. She always says that if I ever find a girl—or anyone, really, but that was after I came out—who I loved and loved me in return regardless of our statuses, we will do what her family didn't do for her. Daddy will throw a big party with lots of cake and chocolates, and Mum will give the girl a pretty dress. We'll waltz in the middle of all the kingdom, and from there, we'll live happily ever after.'
…my life-long dream…
'Your mom has high hopes for you,' Sage said coldly, but out of envy. Gothel's greatest plan for her was to send her on a plane to London with an American law degree, not something nearly as beautiful.
'I like waltz almost as much as her,' he said. 'It's not as sexy as salsa or tango, but that's the best part. It's the dance of true love, the dance of princes and maidens in books of old who loved each other for who they were, not what they were, how rich they were, how good they were in bed. I don't know about you, but I want to make my mother's dream come true.'
Sage sighed. 'And my mom told me to never let a man touch me. She hurt me a lot, put me on birth control, and found drugs that depressed me like mad. You have a great family, Dylan. Your family just makes me want to dance.'
Dylan smirked devilishly, but she knew he meant no harm. He stood and offered her his hand.
There was no turning back now, so she had to come up with something that didn't make Dylan's speech meaningless. She forced herself to focus on something other than his hands: his eyes.
His eyes took her to another world free from fear and fire. They spoke a simple message: follow my lead, beautiful.
The dance ended. His hands fell off of her.
He smiled. 'That was, without exaggeration, exceptional.'
'You weren't so bad yourself,' she muttered, blushing. It took that long for her to let go of him as well.
'Bobby!' Zoe screeched. She virtually flew out of her seat to leap into their arms.
'If it's a dress, I'm kissing you right after the dance,' Dylan said.
'If not, you can't kiss me for a week,' Sage said.
They raced to Bobby just as Zoe did.
'How was the shopping?' Dylan asked.
Bobby's expression—which had some color while they carried Zoe—darkened as they dropped the little girl. 'Mistress Scarlett, your attention is needed.'
Sage turned pale herself, but nodded. She followed Bobby as they walked far away from the Anthony siblings.
'Mr. Anthony sees it best that we chaperone you during the party,' they said. 'Have you any idea what that means?'
'Chaperoning? Like, hanging out, but in a strict way,' she replied, unsure.
'Brilliant. We don't want to chaperone you. Could you please tell him that?' they asked.
'Why not?' she asked disappointedly.
Their contacts lit up. 'Thank you.'
'Whoa, I didn't mean it that way,' Sage said, her hands up in a stopping gesture. 'Why can't you and I hang out?'
'We simply don't hang out—' They said hang out the way Sage would've said pornstar. '—with anyone other than Zoe. Speaking of Zoe, with all the lessons she missed this morning, she'll need to catch up at night.'
'Won't Zoe be too busy partying?'
'If she needs to study, she won't be.'
'Why can't you tell him yourself?'
'He says the decision is up to you.'
Up to her, she knew what to do and why she wanted to do it regardless of how scared she was.
'Well, I'll tell him that I would love a chaperone like you,' Sage said. 'You're perfect for the role. Besides, it'll give you room to learn more about me.'
'We don't want to learn more about you,' they said frankly. 'If there's anything we need to know, we'll tell you.'
'That's a bit forward for a recon master,' she said. 'Come on. It'll be fine.'
'You want us—the two of us, especially us—to hang out at the party?' they asked in disbelief.
'Yeah,' Sage said with a smile. 'I'll go tell Dylan right away.'
She quickly told Dylan her plan in secrecy. It would be hard fooling someone with a level-nine-out-,of-twelve IQ, but it was worth a shot.
Sage peeked at what awaited her and Dylan downstairs in a short amount of time
The evening had hit only an hour ago, which meant that the party had started thirty minutes after the sun went down. And two hours after, six major broadcasting platforms, thirty MPs known personally by Mr. Anthony, a lot of Zoe's classmates, all of Dylan's giant friends, their other friends, their girlfriends, their girlfriends' friends, and a couple hundred others who knew the Anthony family were gathered to watch them lie their butts off.
In all that, Sage and Dylan had only five minutes to talk. There was the dance, and the paparazzi during and after the dance, Dylan's speech, media meetings, and hanging out with Bobby above all.
'You're radiant,' Dylan said to her, 'the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.'
'Stop buttering me up. No kissing for a week and that's final,' Sage said.
'But really, Sage. You're just magnificent tonight. You're like a jewel to my crown, no exaggeration,' He said.
Sage suddenly ached for a mirror. She'd seen the lime-green shift gown with a train as long as her height lots of times, but only twice had she looked in the mirror while she wore it. Her makeup and hair had been done by professionals, but she didn't see much of an improvement in her. She didn't think she was beautiful and didn't suppose Dylan should.
'You're dashing too,' Sage said, dating to take a good gander at him. Dylan wore a forest-green three-piece suit and tie with black oxfords. Marc had knotted his hair into the most perfect man bun ever. The makeup on him, which wasn't necessary in the first place, couldn't conceal the fear in his eyes. 'Is anything the matter?'
'This night could've been with anyone else. Anyone. But I'm glad it's you,' he said. 'I'm happy that my—'
Sage's purse buzzed. Wasn't it way past seven? Gothel was overdue for a change.
'I need to…' She pointed to her vibrating purse.
He nodded. She rushed into her bathroom.
'I hope he steps on your toes,' Gothel said. 'I hope you trip on those two left feet of yours and fall into his arms. Then he'll catch you, and you'll see the lust in his eyes. From there, you'll burn. You'll burn like the mistake you are.'
'I've seen lust in his eyes many times, Mom,' Sage said, aware that she wouldn't be heard.
'Or he'll get drunk and sleep with another girl, leaving you heartbroken and crying,' Gothel said. 'I hope you see his reality tonight. When you do, you'll remember everything I taught you. You'll beg to come back to me.'
The call ended, all because of Sage. She ran back to Dylan's side despite her gold heels.
'As I was saying—'
'Let's do this first, then think about that later.'
They looked into each other's eyes, clasped their hands, and walked down the stairs.
The applause of hundreds sounded like that of millions. The classical music soothed her beating heart. From the little she knew about audiences, she knew a few of the people hated her, but she wasn't supposed to care.
'Good evening London!' Mr. Anthony said. 'I won't take much of our time since you've waited long enough, but might I say that the delay was worth it after all? Look at them. They're so radiant and perfect for each other that they glow together.'
They were clapped for.
'But that's not all,' Mr. Anthony said. 'These stars of ours have prepared a little bit of a show to make themselves shine in your eyes even more. Let them come forward and begin.'
It took her that long to realize that her hand was still in Dylan's. She shivered slightly and blushed before following his lead to the center of the room.
When he touched her, she immediately felt like running. Gothel's wishes for bad luck made her body tremble like she had been touched by fire.
'Nervous?' he whispered.
'Traumatized,' she replied. 'Don't fret. I'll do it.'
'If you can't…'
She looked into his eyes, and her fear went down a few notches. She carefully placed her hands on him, and they started to dance.
I hope he steps on your toes…
By some special grace—one that almost struck Sage as divine—they danced to the classical instrumental which Mrs. Anthony had picked perfect synchrony. Sage spun and swayed as soon as his motions implied what he wanted her to do. Their onlookers must've thought they were telepathing.
But if they were really telepathing, she hoped Dylan didn't see the strange thought that occurred to her.
The dance ended, but Sage wasn't done. Her face burnt up as her arms rose to rest on Dylan's shoulders.
'Do you still want to kiss me?' she asked shyly.
'Yes,' Dylan answered in half a heartbeat.
'Just this once. And, um, this is—it's my first kiss, so don't mess up,' she said.
Dylan's eyes got so wide that they almost fell out of his head, but he calmed down. 'Okay…okay…okay? Wow. Jesus. Close your eyes, please.'
She did as she was asked, not wanting to see him do it anyway. Almost successively, she felt his hands on her shoulders and his lips on her mouth. He was gentle and calm, unlike when he drank Marc. For some reason—human reflex, maybe—her mouth parted to allow his tongue into her. Just as reflexively, she pushed his head deeper into hers.
Then came the fire of lust Gothel always talked about, but not from him. She felt it for herself. It sparked deep down and spread through her body in a flash. All of a sudden, she wanted more of him.
To put that fire out, she had to push him away a little. He didn't hesitate to withdraw from her. Her eyes opened and met with his. She saw hunger, and she was sure he saw the same thing in her eyes.
Blushing, she turned to the crowd and curtsied as Mrs. Anthony instructed. Dylan gave an actor's bow.
The paparazzi swarmed them immediately. Legit media came with their tripods and portable digital cameras. They all shouted poses and where Dylan should keep his hands on her.
They didn't need to ask him to smile, at least. And his grin at that time reminded her of the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. She grinned, too, as if she were waiting for him to mark or swallow her.
'You liked it, I reckon,' he said after the pictures.
'I really did,' she said. Her tone was so unlike her—very suggestive.
'What made you change your mind?' he asked.
'It's hard to explain, but I was sticking it to my mom,' she said. 'She called me up to jinx me, but it didn't work, and I thought I'd rub more salt in her wounds.'
'Your own mother?' he asked.
'I don't have a family as stable as yours, Mister Morals,' she said. 'She's hurt me so, much much more than I can ever get to hurt her. This time, I can pay back. If disobeying her traumatic rule gets my childhood back, then so be it.'
'You said it this morning. She said you shouldn't touch a man and vice versa.' His grin got a little wider. 'Could you disobey her a little more?'
'S'il te plait?'
At the sound of Bobby's voice, Sage felt like she'd been taekwondoed into her right senses. The sight of them made her aware of herself. She was the one who made them wear what they were wearing, so she had to take up what she'd promised.
'If we're interrupting, you can let us go,' they said.
'You're not. Heck, you just saved me,' Sage said. 'So, Dylan? Let's go meet your friends like we're supposed to, and not what you're suggesting.'
'What I was suggesting?' Dylan asked. 'You were the one—
'Dylan, let us all get tonight over with,' Bobby said. 'We didn't take up this garb for anything.'
'What's so bad about a little fashion, Alex?' Dylan asked. 'You're rocking those sandals, by the way.'
The two exchanged their usual Kill-you-later glares, then Dylan led the way to the mini bar.
All the knights and the bevy of ladies who sat on their laps—save Marc, Ajax, and Paris—rose from their seats.
'What're they doing here?' Major asked.
'Father freaked after last week, so he's ordered Bobby to beat the log out of anyone who touches my princess,' Dylan said. 'Any other concerns?'
'What the fuck are they wearing?' Angel asked.
Sage compulsively gave Bobby's long-sleeved dark-green ruffle top and jeans with sandals a quick once-over. It wasn't bad at all. It even made them look kind of attractive.
'In simple terms, we were told to dress to suit our temporary responsibility,' Bobby explained. Sage translated that to mean Mr. Anthony had forced them to look more feminine to chaperone her. 'This isn't the first time, is it? And we all can remember what happened the last time, surely.'
The Knights shivered at the mention of last time. Bobby sat at the barstool, ready to chaperone.
With that sorted out, Sage regarded the other three females. All except one wore calf-length frilly designer dresses and name-brand heels. The other one wore a knee-length red dress and platforms.
General caught her staring at the lady in red. 'Sage, this is my girlfriend, Ruby Europa David. Europa, Sage.'
'Hey,' Sage said with a wave.
'How do you do?' Europa asked with a sweet, pageant-winning smile.
'And these are my girlfriends,' Major said, definitely talking about the girls wearing purple and blue. 'Babes, tell her about yourselves.'
'I'm Shelby,' said the girl in purple. She had glowing, coffee-brown skin and pink lipstick. Her hair was made into waist-length dreads
'I'm Divine,' chimed the girl in blue. She was light-skinned and had a blonde French bob with bangs.
'There' be more girls if my girlfriend showed up,' Ajax said.
'He's joking,' Paris countered.
'Let's party with the girls we have,' Europa suggested. She walked to Sage, then put her elbows on Sage's shoulders. 'Want a drink?'
'I don't—'
'Europa,' Bobby warned.
Europa sighed. She settled for holding Sage's hand, though the look of interest didn't waver from her eyes.
'I don't drink,' Sage said more confidently, 'especially not at parties.'
'Parties are made for drinking,' Europa insisted. 'Besides, the girls drink and so do I. Go with the crowd.'
'I like her sober, thanks,' Dylan said before Sage could speak. 'Speaking of which, that's what none of us will be in the next hour, so the girls should keep the drinking to a minimum if they don't want to sleep over.'
'Nothing sounds bad about sleeping with Sage and you,' Europa said. 'It would be quite nice, in fact.'
'You've heard Europa,' Divine said. 'James, two bottles for the girls. We'll find our own party spot.'
James handed Sharon two bottles of what was either champagne or something else. Sage knew nothing about alcohol apart from its bad side effects.
Europa's hand made its way to Sage's waist. 'Let's go.'
'Not yet,' Sage said. She went to Dylan, then ushered him to lower his head.
'What now? About Bobby?' she asked.
'You're asking me? It's your plan,' he said. 'But they might have to follow you, yes. Do you run your mouth when you drink?'
'I've never tasted alcohol,' she whined.
'We'll find out later, then, but not today,' Dylan said. 'Is that a promise?'
'That I won't drink?'
'That we'll find out how you act when you're drunk.'
'Maybe, my friend.'
Yes, she finally promoted him. She decided to during the kiss.
'Ruby's giving us an impatient look. Our time's up.' He pulled her close and said, loud enough for the others to hear, 'Let me give you a taste before you go.'
'What?' Sage asked.
James seemed to understand. He handed Dylan a measure of golden alcohol in a glass the size of a thumb. With an arm still on Sage's middle back, he drank the liquid, then pulled Sage's face close to kiss her.
They had an agreement, she knew, but her lips parted as soon as his own met hers. Before he tasted like mint and whatever else was in the toothpaste and mouthwash he used at least three times that day. Now, he tasted like sour white grapes, which was probably the same taste as the wine he had just drank.
Coming from him, she liked the taste of wine. They kissed so long that she feared she would get drunk on him before having a taste of the real thing.
She pulled away. No more, she cautioned herself. No one was recording, so she had no reason to kiss him again, and she wouldn't.
As she, Europa, and Major's girlfriends sought a place to sit, she turned back to see if Bobby would follow. It took them a prompt from Dylan for them to do so much as rise. She could've looked longer if Europa didn't switch her head back into focus.
'Worried about your man? Bobby isn't a threat,' Europa said.
'No, they're not, but they're supposed to watch me closely or something,' Sage explained.
'Disgusting,' Europa jeered. 'They always watch people without being told. I caught them looking at me once. I think I saw the man in them peek out of their trousers.'
Sage cringed. 'That was unnecessary information, pardon me.'
'It's just a thought of mine. I'm bisexual, so I suppose it makes sense for me to wonder how it must feel to fuck a hermaphrodite.'
Sage cringed a little more at the possibility of Bobby even smiling at Europa, much less going that far.
'I dream of fucking a lot of people,' Europa said, her hands on Sage's face again. 'Do you?'
'Did you take your medication today at all, Ruby?' asked Bobby, who had appeared just then.
'Medication?' Sage asked.
'They mean dick,' Europa said, and she didn't seem to be kidding. 'You know General and his asexuality; he can't give that to me. Are you offering yours?'
It happened so fast, but Sage caught every second of it. Bobby yanked and squeezed Europa's shoulder, made her slap herself twice, then threw her back into the chair.
They sat in between Sage and Europa as if nothing had happened. 'Forgive us, but we don't appreciate our anatomy being discussed so crudely. Miss Scarlett, be wary of Europa. She has furor uterinus and a runny mouth.'
'You have a runny mouth,' Europa muttered.
'Fur-wah?' Sage asked.
'I'm a nympho. A diagnosed one, on top of that,' Europa said. 'I need things that my asexual boyfriend can't give, like my medication.'
'How the heck is General ace?' Sage exclaimed, not expecting an answer. Luckily, she didn't get one.
'Pardon me if I act a little risque tonight. It's just who I am,' Europa said. 'By the way, I'm also quite—'
'Shelby, Divine,' Bobby called. 'Why did you gather here? Get to it.'
'So, we're getting to know the newbie,' Divine said. 'I'm Divine Maurice, Major's first girlfriend. We met at a rally against racism and gender inequality, and have dated for six months since then.'
'Major and I met at a fundraiser party Vine organized,' Shelby said sweetly. 'Oh, I'm Shelby Victor.'
'Europa, as you know,' Europa said, looking directly at Sage despite Bobby acting as a barrier. 'I used to be General's pharmacist, but now I'm his girlfriend and his pharmacist.'
'You're giving him the good stuff, huh?' Sage joked.
'If only he'd let me,' Europa said. 'General's as asexual as they get. He prefers talking about our feelings and bonding emotionally. It's rare for men, so I love it, but I have needs.'
'Major's quite the opposite,' Divine said. 'He likes talking about fucking before actually doing it.'
'Mistress Scarlett is quite sensitive to that sort of language,' Bobby warned.
Shelby gasped. 'So what do you say when Dylan fucks you?'
Sage had to swallow many times to keep from screaming.
'Hey, Mistress Scarlett, you haven't made your introduction,' Shelby reminded.
'I'm Sage Scarlett, and I met Dylan at a friend's house. We've been dating for three months,' Sage said.
'But he's known you for six. Does that mean what I think it means?' Shelby asked.
'No. Oh my gosh. I was totally against that stuff before him,' Sage said.
'You were ace?' Europa asked.
'I—no. I don't know,' Sage admitted. 'I just have bad memories about it.'
'Do tell. I'm a psychotherapist,' Shelby said.
'At school,' Sage began, 'I was locked in a dark room with this boy. I didn't know him well, but he was pretty popular. Kind of hot too. In the dark, he held my hand and said I was…ew. I can't repeat that.'
'Sexy?' Europa guessed.
'Yeah.' Sage almost choked on her spit. 'I screamed, so he covered my mouth with his hand. He started—he pushed me to the wall and touched me all weirdly. He explained he was getting—'
'—hard?' Shelby supplied.
'—and he was going to—' Sage continued, then stopped.
'—fuck you,' Divine finished. 'Happened in my sixth form a lot. It wasn't really fucking. Just exaggerated humping.'
'I bit on his hand and yelled my lungs out,' Sage said. 'The janitor got his spare keys and helped us out. Michael was suspended, but my "behavior" was still punished.'
'By whom?' asked Europa.
She had gotten close to the truth she'd hidden from everyone for so many years. She doubted she could tell them since she hadn't told even Dylan or Mandy, who housed her under their roofs.
'It's clearly personal,' Bobby said.
Shelby laughed. 'Enough of that, right? Let's talk about the present. How did Dylan lure you out of that fear?'
'Because I loved him,' Sage said automatically. The interviews from the week had trained her to say so.
'And you liked it, of course,' Europa said. 'How did it feel—having your cherry plucked after so many years of voluntary abstinence?'
'He must've been very gentle,' Shelby said wistfully. 'No way he didn't say, "I won't hurt you, my little virgin."'
'Did he give you everything at once, or didn't because he didn't want you crying?' Divine asked, her eyes widened. 'I mean, it's a fact that Dylan's thing is exactly seventeen centimeters long—'
Sage grabbed a throw pillow from behind Bobby and screamed into it.
'Are you okay?' Europa asked
'Um—just remembering,' she joked. 'How long is seventeen in inches?'
'Six-point-eight American inches,' Bobby blurted. 'Damn it.'
'You're blushing. Why are you blushing?' Europa asked. Sage pretended she was talking to Bobby, but her face was on fire, so it could've been anyone.
'Did he go all the way, or not?' Divine asked.
'We're talking about Dylan's true love; of course he broke the hymen,' Shelby said. 'The question is: If you don't like talking dirty, what did you say?'
'The pain sort of wiped me out,' Sage said. 'I don't remember anything. I'll ask him.'
'Oh, speaking of Dylan—I saw that plastic dingo Cindy around here somewhere,' asked Shelby.
'Cindy?' Sage asked.
'Of course, he didn't tell you about Cindy,' Divine said. 'Cindy was the closest he had to a girlfriend. Six months of fucking and fake romance later, it turned out that the whore had been hired by Dylan's arch-enemy to break his heart and take all his money. All of it, Sage.'
'He found out just in time, all thanks to the wall between us,' Europa said.
'Shut up,' Bobby said.
'Don't be modest. You were a hero back there,' Europa said.
'We were just fortunate to repeatedly catch Lucinda Grants and Brandon Rice in close contact,' Bobby said. 'It's not our job to protect this family.'
Dylan's explanation from before offered otherwise.
Which reminded her of her plan from before.
'Bobby, what happened with you and Dylan?' Sage asked in Spanish.
Bobby took time to answer as if they were trying to tamp down their hatred of the Spanish language. 'He made a terrible first impression with us, to say the least.'
'Did I make a bad first impression too?' she asked.
'It wasn't nearly as terrible as his,' they replied.
'I don't want you to hate me like him,' she pleaded. 'I know you're really important around here, and you could bring me down if you wanted to.'
'We probably won't. You just stay out of our way,' they said.
'What a sexy language,' Europa praised in English.
'Uh—I'll go check Dylan,' Sage said, not liking the look in Europa's eyes.
'You can't just leave. We haven't even gotten the bottle popping,' Europa said. 'Besides, I love it when you talk.'
'We both really do need to go, Europa,' Bobby said. 'Zoe's speech for her is scheduled for two minutes from now, and Dylan's comes immediately after.'
Sage almost forgot about that. Dylan had bragged about his overly romantic speech all morning. She couldn't wait to hear it.
Her smugness was short-lived at the sight of the Knights, especially Dylan, who had his tie undone like he'd gotten drunk or something. He had his right arm around Angel, who held a glass of wine to Dylan's lips
'Oh my girlfriend,' Sage muttered as she rushed to the mini bar. She yanked Dylan away.
'How much did you drink?' she asked.
'I'm just a little tipsy. Just a little. Just a little,' Dylan assured.
Sage held up two fingers. 'How many's this?'
'Babe, I'm not that small,' Dylan replied. 'Kidding. That's a three, isn't it? Yes, I'm honestly that big.'
'Dylan, the speech,' she urged. 'You're gonna mess this up if you don't figure out how to get less drunk.'
'I'm not drunk. Just tipsy, clearly,' Dylan said. 'I still have enough sense not to kiss you on sight, so of course, I'll give the speech.'
'Where is the speech anyway?'
'It's all in my heart.'
Sage smacked herself on the head. 'We're done for.'
'Alpha theta epsilon, alpha theta epsilon. Testing. Is this rolling?'
They turned their attention to Zoe, who was at the center of the crowd. She wore black jeans covered with anti-Barbie slogans, a silver hoodie, and a circlet with wolf ears.
'Today, I've known Sage Scarlett for a week,' Zoe started. 'We didn't get to talk much because I as a child have many responsibilities. But from what I have seen and heard, she's just the best for my brother. Dylan needs a girl like Sage, alright? They balance each other out perfectly. Sure, they're both awfully attractive, but the similarity ends there. While Sage is quiet, Dylan's so loud you can hear him from downstairs. Take it from me, people.'
The crowd laughed.
'She's just like all the princes and princesses he used to tell me about when I was small,' Zoe said. 'They were beautiful, but not arrogant. Soft-spoken, but never weak. They embraced love for the first time and stayed with whoever it was their hearts led them to. That's Sage, everyone. I hope she stays. You hear me, Dylan? She'd better stay, or I'll never talk to you again.'
She dropped the mike, earning her laughter and a round of applause.
'You're up,' Sage said, swallowing.
Dylan smirked goofily. He held her hand and dragged her along. Soon, they stood in the middle of the classy chaos.
He looked down at her. His pupils were totally dilated, a sure effect of the alcohol. Then, his eyes wandered to the ground, where the microphone lay unattended. He picked it up.
'Friends, well-wishers, enemies, family, Sage—forgive me, but I'm a little tired and emotional. This party is so full of happiness that I decided to indulge in a bit of its source,' Dylan said. 'Even without you, I'm happy that I've found what I have searched for in a woman like you, Sage. I'm glad that I've found love in such a—such a radiant body.
'There were many before you, of course. I was searching, remember? You can't say you've searched without going through thirty, sixty, or even a hundred and twenty gem-like people. I can't say they were useless to me, no. They taught me to know what I wanted, what I should and shouldn't do. Most of all, they led me to you. I have to thank those people, yes. Thank you all for leading me to the love of my life.'
They clapped for him.
'Do you ever wonder why I chose you above others, my darling? Yes, you do. I've been inside you, so I could see that little bit of doubt in you,' Dylan went on. 'Sage, you're beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I admit that I used to think otherwise, but love does that to you. Suddenly, you've become the fairest in my eyes whether I'm drunk or sober, happy or angry. Sage, your body draws me as surely as a magnet draws metal, as certainly as a stone falls to the ground due to gravitational force. It sounds a bit rude, but that's it. Your outward beauty made me love you. Since the day I saw your body, I've wanted to lay my hands on it and do things no other man has ever done to you.
'When I got to know you, I was once again pulled by your inner beauty. You act just like a virgin—a bit naive, bashful, quiet, maybe gullible, and so, so sweet. Every man loves a virgin, so who am I not to?
'The rest…I honestly don't know. It could be that we were destined, my dear. I can't help but feel like you're the one for me. So I felt hard for you—fell. Fell. I mean I fell in love with you hard.'
That got him a few snickers, and Sage didn't get why. She also wondered why felt wasn't the past participle of fell
'Forgive me again. My words slur more as I behold you for longer,' he said. 'It shows I'm not perfect. I'm a man and I'm bound to err. I just hope you continue to forgive me because I want to stay with you forever, and that's an awfully long time, and that means I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. I'm going to make so many mistakes that I might even stop apologizing the way I should. I'll just remind you that I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Then you'll say you love me too, so you'll forgive me right away. Let's start now, shall we? I made a mistake. I love you.'
'I love you too,' she answered back promptly.
He leaned forward unhurriedly, then stopped, recalling Sage's rule—a rule even she was getting bored of.
At least the crowd didn't mind. They got whoops and rounds of applause.
' I guess you've all seen what I see now,' Dylan said. 'Are there any objections?'
'Yes!' a voice cried.
With gasps and angry groans, everyone, even Sage and Dylan, turned to see the person.
The objector was a brunette lady of around twenty-five or older. She wore a knee-length, strapless white dress, flawless makeup except for her runny mascara, and a furious scowl.
'You should be mine, Dylan,' the lady wept in thick Aussie. 'Remember when you said I was the one? We used to talk about forever until that shemale ruined everything.'
…dingo…fake romance…
'No, I'm the one,' Sage corrected. 'You're the dog who broke my boyfriend's heart.'
'Bullshit,' Cindy protested. 'I loved him, but he threw me away because of a trans man.'
'Bobby is—is not transgender,' Dylan said. 'Lucinda, we're done. Get out before—'
'Before what? You're too drunk to beat me up like before, clearly,' Cindy said.
'Bobby won't appreciate being called a shemale,' Dylan said.
Sage couldn't wait until Bobby arrived. That would make her look incapable of dealing with her boyfriend's adversaries. Waiting would make her look weak.
A ruthless power came over Sage. She remembered it from Mandy's bedroom.
'And I won't tolerate this insult to the love of my life,' she declared.
Sage lunged at Cindy, then pulled her dress down, leaving her with absolutely nothing, not even panties.
The media, she worried.
'Let me tell you something, party people:' Sage said. 'No one uses my boyfriend and gets away with it, not even this good-for-nothing plastic dingo like—'
'Lucinda Grants?'
Shelby stood next to her, a bottle of opened wine in her hands.
Sage took the wine along with the initiative, then emptied the bottle's contents on Cindy's cowering physique.
Two tall men in black carried Cindy away. She kicked and screamed, saying she'd sue.
Before she could laugh, Dylan almost collapsed, but her back broke his fall.
'Take me upstairs,' he said urgently.
She didn't like how tightly he had wrapped his arms around her waist, but her compassion won. She took him upstairs, bearing his weight the best she could.
'Drag me to Hell, Scarlett,' Dylan muttered when they were halfway there.
'We're going to your room, not Michigan,' she asked.
'Just take me. Your body could take me anywhere,' Dylan said.
'You've got quite a runny mouth,' Sage replied.
'I'm drunk. It happens.'
With luck, they got to Dylan's room. To stop Dylan from talking more nonsense, Sage threw him into his bed.
But Dylan grabbed her wrist, bringing him down with him.
'What was that about disobeying your mum?' Dylan asked. 'I'm ready.'
'But I'm not,' Sage said.
'I feel your heart racing,' he observed.
'That's because I'm scared. I've never been this close to a guy before, remember?'
'It's a beautiful night to be just that.'
Dread filled her as his fingers touched her neck, then dragged down until they stopped at her collarbone. They seemed indecisive, blocked, and unsure if they wanted to go lower or leave completely.
'Sage?' he called.
'Uh-huh?' she answered.
'Are we really friends now?' he asked.
'Yeah, but—'
'But I can't touch you like this. I know. Pardon me.'
He pushed her off.
That was easy, she thought. And totes unexpected.
'You remind me of Angel; he was so, so so reserved. He didn't like it when I touched him, not at first.' Dylan inhaled. 'Those were the days, Scarlett. Those beautiful days are long gone.'
'You two are still good friends, aren't you?' Sage asked.
'It's hard to be good friends with someone who broke your heart ten years ago,' Dylan said. 'The hurt stays.'
'Angel did what?' Sage asked.
'It's quite a story. We're friends now, so I'll tell you when I'm sober.'
Sage suddenly realized that before that moment, she thought Dylan had broken Angel's heart.
'And the party…they'll call us, or don't we have more to do?' she asked.
'They think we're…doing. Let's leave them to assume,' he replied.
'Won't you miss your friends?'
'You're my friend. You're enough. I'm fine where I lay.'
Her body agreed with him. She hadn't gotten so much as a wink of a nap ever since they woke up in the morning, and Dylan had made her realize how tired she was.
'I'll change,' Sage said. 'You should too.'