Page 32 of Tristian (The Doherty Mafia)
Libby was already pulling clothes out of her narrow wardrobe.
I wasn’t sure what more I could tell her to throw her off the idea.
“I’m unprepared. I don’t have any clothes to wear for a night like that.”
“Well, it looks like you don’t have any clothes to wear at all. Are you sure this was a planned trip?” She didn’t sound suspicious even though it was definitely a curious situation for me to be in.
It didn’t seem like Libby cared.
“Didn’t I tell you? I lost my bag. Left it on the bus. It had my wallet and phone, everything. Which was why I couldn’t call you or anything. I’m glad I at least remembered your address,” I said.
Libby pulled two flashy looking cocktail dresses out of her wardrobe. She almost seemed too lost in her own thoughts to care about what I said.
“I’m sure you’ll get a hold of your bags. What do you think of these? You can have the black one,” she offered, holding one of the dresses out towards me.
I’d never been a ‘partier’. I rarely ever wore clothes like this one. I knew I wouldn’t enjoy myself if I went out with Libby tonight, but I didn’t want to disappoint her. I felt indebted to her for welcoming me into her home, out of the blue.
“Thanks. It’ll fit. It’s lovely,” I mumbled.
Libby smiled, looking pretty proud of herself.
“Good. You can use my makeup and stuff if you want to. I’m going to get dressed and then we’re going to go.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere we can get shitfaced and meet some guys. I’m so excited we get to hang out like this, hon.”
I felt guilty.
I couldn’t help but flush red with embarrassment and sadness to see how excited Libby genuinely was to see me—when all I was doing was using her as a resource. Was that who I had become now? Someone who used well meaning people to their advantage?
“I’m excited too, yeah, let’s go get shitfaced,” I said. But I wasn’t sure if I meant it.
I couldn’t afford to get shitfaced because it could cost me my life.
I didn’t know how easily Libby got drunk.
It didn’t take much for her to get shitfaced. Exactly the way she wanted to.
We hadn’t been at the club even half an hour before Libby was all over the place.
I was already self-conscious. I wore a ridiculously shiny black dress, the kind I never would’ve picked out for myself. The last thing I wanted was to draw any attention to myself, and it wasn’t just the dress but Libby too, who drew eyes towards us.
She wanted to dance, and not just with me, but with every guy who looked in our direction. I tried to keep her in control and close to me, but she barely even registered my presence anymore.
She threw herself at men who came up to us, or those she bumped into on the dance floor.
I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed, angry or genuinely afraid. There could be Aldo Baron’s men around. Or even Doherty eyes. The mafia ran businesses everywhere in the state. I’d learned the hard way, and now I was suspicious of everyone and everything, and increasingly wary of Libby’s behavior.
“Come on, hon, loosen up a little!” she exclaimed, pulling my arms up and jerking them around, forcibly trying to get me to dance when I didn’t want to.
“Maybe it’s time for us to head back now,” I suggested. My eyes darted everywhere as I scanned the crowd for anyone or anything suspicious.
“We just got here. Why are you being such a bore?” she snapped.
It wasn’t the fact she just transformed into a loud nuisance, but Libby became downright mean when she was drunk. I wasn’t prepared for any of it and didn’t know how to handle it.
“By the way, you see that blond hunk there?” Libby added, leaning towards me to point at a guy right in my line of vision. I recognized him as one of the first guys who’d approached us at the club. Libby had been dry humping him pretty much since we got here.
“What about him?”
She bit down on her lip suggestively. “He says he wants us to go back with him to his hotel room. Both of us.”
“Are you insane?” I shrieked over the loud thumping music. Libby threw her head back and laughed.
“Don’t be such a prude, Elsie. It’s just sex. And by the looks of him, it could be some really good sex. I’m up for it if you are.”
I backed away from her, shaking my head.
“I’m leaving. Now. I’m done here. I’ll find somewhere else to stay tonight,” I hissed while she rolled her eyes at me.
The night had started off with me feeling guilty for using Libby and her apartment, but now I wished I’d never shown up at her door. This was a bad idea.
