Red Flags (41 page)

Chapter 20

Chelsea fussed over my hair since she said I
had to look like a slice of perfection. I didn’t really care
because my hair was so often in an unruly mess that I had grown
accustomed to having to fight with it. When she was done, I looked
in the mirror at a perfect, messy up-do, with a few curly ringlets
spiraling down over my face. Chelsea had a way with hair that I
would never know. I smiled and she turned me back around, pulling
out her suitcase of make-up to make me in the model that I should
have become – according to her words of wisdom. She gave me a smoky
grey look over the eyes, with just the right touch of mascara to
separate my mile long lashes. A touch of blush and a pale pink lip
gloss topped off the look. I felt pretty, yet elegant. I only hoped
Jason would love the look as much as I did.

Getting into my dress for the gala reminded
me of our trip to Vegas. Jason had stupidly bet money on a whim,
and somehow won. He took me on a fabulous shopping spree, which to
this day I still resented. The dress was pure beauty. It was
strapless, and cut in a mermaid design. It fit snuggly at all the
right places, and matched with the ring, bangle, and necklace that
we'd purchased that same day. The ensemble looked like I was
attending a royal wedding. The light pink lip gloss that Chelsea
applied to my lips perfectly matched the jewelry purchased from
Tiffany’s, and I suddenly had a change of heart over Jason spending
so much money on what I deemed to be trivial material pieces.

I helped Chelsea curl her hair – the only
thing I knew how to do with hair, and watched her effortlessly pin
it up in a very messy, but elegant up-do. She kept her make-up
light and simple, to match the light pink flowing dress that she
purchased for the event. We stepped out of the bathroom and into
the living room to find two very handsome, tuxedo clad gentleman
laughing over glasses of whiskey. Jason’s eyes lit up when he saw
me, and he hurriedly sat his glass down on the counter. He made his
way to me and took a long, slow inhale of my neck, then eagerly
pressed his lips to mine.

“Back up Bradley, I worked hard on her --
you’ll get your chance tonight.” Chelsea was none too pleased
watching Jason damn near devour me, and destroy all of her work in
the process. I winked at her, but returned the kiss Jason had
started but couldn’t finish.

“Ya’ll ready to do this?” Jason asked, and I
could tell that the whiskey had taken hold with the return of his
drawl. “There’ll be a shit ton of photographers, so be ready to
smile.”

Chelsea grabbed the lip gloss and reapplied
it to my lips. She gave me a stern look not to mess it up again
before the pictures could be taken, and I giggled at how motherly
she could be sometimes.

There were three large white tents set up not
far from the guest house. The amount of expensive cars, dresses,
purses, and jewelry filling one area had me feeling very much out
of my league. Chelsea felt right at home, and mingled with guests
as if she had been a part of their social circle for years. Jason
walked me into the entrance where a red carpet had been laid out
for guests to walk down as they made their arrival. We stopped at
the end and stood for numerous photographs. I stood, grinning like
an idiot, feeling like a celebrity, even though I had nothing to be
famous for. Jason pulled me closer and smiled, while running his
hand down my back, and finally stopped at my behind and pinched it
-- making me jump and smile. One of the photographers yelled out,
“What’s your date’s name Mr. Bradley?”

Jason quickly yelled back, Cara Pinkston, and
she’s my girlfriend.” He kissed me, just in time for the
photographer to snap a couple more pictures. His words made my
heart swell, and I knew we would finally have a good night here in
Heath.

Chelsea and Hunter stopped for photos, and
Chelsea posed in all sorts of ridiculous ways, leaving Hunter to
laugh and hurry her along her way.

The inside of the tents were breathtaking. If
you hadn’t walked through the tent from the outside, there was no
way to tell that you weren’t standing in a fully constructed
building. There were lines of twinkling white lights, intermingled
throughout scarves of ivory satin that draped down strategically
from the ceiling. Life-like faux grass carpets had been rolled out
on the floor and the distinct hue of green that permeated from them
hit just right against the glass clinks of the chandeliers that
were hanging throughout.

There were round tables, seating six people
each, and in the middle of each table stood a tall, extravagant,
arrangement of pink and white Casablanca Lilies. I smiled on the
inside, seeing as the light pink was a fixture in the design of the
event, and Chelsea and I had unknowingly coordinated perfectly.

We made our way to our table which was right
in front and adjacent to the dance floor. I pulled out my phone and
snapped a picture of Jason and me and sent it to my parents. I
hadn’t been in contact with them much and I wanted them to know
that I was having a good time.

The round of introductions began, and before
we finished, I had met the President of Operations for Bradley Oil
Company, the CEO of a private transportation firm, and like Jason
had said the night before, The Mayor. Of everyone that I had the
pleasure of meeting, The Mayor – Mayor Hightower, was by far the
most charismatic, and eccentric of them all. He hated the formality
and stuffiness of greetings, and took my hand and pulled me into a
warm and friendly hug. I immediately liked him, and deep down
inside, I wished this was the greeting that I had gotten from
Jason’s dad.

Champagne was being served by servers,
walking around making sure that no guest was unintentionally empty
handed. A large, live band played soft, melodic music as guests
made their way in and intermingled with one another. I spied
Chelsea in the back of the room, talking, laughing, and throwing
her head back, speaking to a young couple who Jason had introduced
to me. They were both doctors in the Dallas area, and had been huge
benefactors to the various charities that the Bradley Oil Company
sponsored. Hunter looked quite content allowing Chelsea to take the
spotlight. He smiled, and nodded, but she did most of the
talking.

When we took our seats, Chelsea plopped down
in her chair next to me and rambled on and on about how this was
the social life that she was striving for. I found it nice, but
much too overbearing. Shortly after taking our seats, and after
hearing the MC give us five more minutes for social hour, Chelsea
led me to the table full of h’orderves. My cheerful mood quickly
disappeared when I saw Jacob and Heather walk in with little Abby.
They looked like the picture perfect family. Unfortunately it
wasn’t them that made my stomach turn, but Heather’s sister,
Stacey, who was right behind them, that made me want to vomit. She
was in a red, skin tight halter dress that flared out at the
bottom. Her highlighted hair was pulled back into a sleek bun, and
she wore fire red lipstick to match. Chelsea turned to see her
enter and whispered, “The devil’s here.” That made me smile, but it
did nothing to quell the solid lump that formed inside my stomach.
She walked in with a rather large man, who wore a tuxedo and a
cowboy hat. I suspected it was her father, and my guess was
confirmed when I heard her say, “Daddy, we’re seated over
here.”

The Bradley’s and Stacey and her father were
seated at the table directly next to us. I cringed at the thought
of having to be so close to her and Jacob, but sat down and tried
my best to pretend that she had no effect on me. They made their
way over to our table and Jason stood to shake Mr. Miller’s
hand.

“Mr. Miller, this is my girlfriend Cara
Pinkston…Cara, this is Mr. Miller – Head of Land Procurement, and
father to Heather and Stacey.”

“How’d ya do young lady?” His accent was
thick and made me chuckle. I smiled politely and took in the warmth
from his eyes, which was in direct contrast to the death stare that
Stacey was currently pinning me with. Jason continued with the
introductions of Chelsea and Hunter when Jacob and Heather made
their way over to our table.

Heather hugged me warmly and complimented me
on my dress, but it was Jacob who sent my skin crawling off of my
flesh. He hugged me from the side, whispering, “you look edible,”
while stroking the small of my back. I moved away from his reach,
which caused Jason to take notice and shoot his brother the same
look Stacey had given me only a few minutes before.

The Master of Ceremonies took the microphone
and asked everyone to please take their seats, and I grabbed
another glass of champagne before retreating back to my safe
place.

Mrs. Bradley looked angelic in an ivory gown
that hugged her perfect figure in all of the right places. She
looked like a trophy wife on Mr. Bradley’s arm, and it seemed that
she felt that she was right where she belonged. She winked over at
us, and Jason shot her quick smile. I waved, but turned to listen
to the introductions that the MC was spouting out. Mr. Bradley was
introduced and took the microphone to thank everyone for coming,
and for their generosity. He went on to speak about the various
charities that they were supporting and I couldn’t help but see a
small break in the rough exterior that he often wore.

The waiters came around, serving plates of
steak and lobster tail. I had never seen a plate so large, but was
hungry so I dug in. We ordered drinks, ate, and laughed at a funny
story told by the older couple seated at the table with us. I was
finally able to enjoy myself, even though Jacob kept flashing
suggestive grins my way. Chelsea flipped him the middle finger,
which only enticed him more. I leaned across to her and told her to
ignore him, which thankfully she did.

An auction had gotten underway when I felt
the urge to go to the restroom. Chelsea followed me, and even
though we weren’t far from the lavish outdoor restrooms, we opted
for the guest house instead.

“I swear to you Cara, if Jacob keeps looking
at you like that, I’m probably going to flip my shit and give him a
piece of my mind.” She shook her head and looked like she was
blowing smoke from her nostrils.

“I’m not even worried about him. He’s
definitely a creeper – not sure why Heather would be married to
such a guy. She’s actually nice.”

“That’s it, she’s too damn nice. I want to
grab her by her pretty little neck and pull her head out of the
sand. Uggghhhh…” Chelsea was filled with alcohol and annoyance, two
things that didn’t mix well with her. She re-applied my lip gloss
and blotted my face, and then we hurried back to the tents.

When we returned, we witnessed the auctioning
of a weekend getaway to the Florida Keys, a weekend hunting trip to
West Virginia, an old rifle, some old books, a guitar, and a
collection of designer dresses. Nothing that I was around for went
for less than $5,000, and the unease I felt about money being
thrown around, gripped me, so I grabbed another glass of champagne
from a passing waiter.

When the auction ended, the band struck up an
upbeat tune that got most of the guests on the dance floor. I moved
to the beat with Jason, laughing and enjoying carefree moments. He
pretended to move like he was John Travolta from Grease, and I
could nothing but step back and admire his Danny Zuko-like moves.
There was no way that I would be his Cha Cha out on the floor, so I
proudly admired the beautiful guy that was swiveling his hips
suggestively at me. When that tune ended, a slow song came on, and
Jason possessively grabbed me by my waist, pulling me into him. I
could feel his toned chest smashing against my breasts, and he
buried his nose in my neck. I didn't want to send him into that
realm of sexuality that was so easily entered whenever we got too
close, so I didn't give him easy access to my neck. He pulled me
back ever so slightly and smiled a warm smile, all while giving me
the sensual glare that I had become accustomed to. "Have I told you
how damn gorgeous you look tonight?" He asked, rubbing my back,
making me tingle. I smiled and as Jason turned me around on the
floor, my eyes locked with a rabid looking Stacey. She was full of
rage, and not trying to hide it. If looks could kill, I would have
been murdered and six feet under after the intensity of her gaze.
Lobster red was a good color on her, because as she wore it on her
dress, she was also beginning to wear it on her face. She looked
like the angry bull that Jason had once used to describe
Chelsea.

I smiled at her, which she obviously did not
return. In fact, I believe her face scrunched even more. She
fidgeted with something in her clutch, but soon returned her
wrathful back in my direction.

The slow song ended and Jason went right back
to his fast, flirtatious moves. He invited me to join him with his
lustful gaze, but I became uneasy on my feet after too much
champagne. He kissed my forehead and walked me over to the table,
placing a large glass of water in front of me, and firmly
instructed me to drink. He strolled back out onto the dance floor
and picked up Abby along the way. The smiles on the toddler’s face
showed how much she loved her Uncle Jason, and I couldn’t help but
feel a twinge of pain at the thought of her dad not being able to
get along her uncle. I continued to drink the water when Jacob came
and sat down next to me. I let out a deep breath, but thought that
maybe a different tactic would work with him.

“He adores her,” he said, pointing to Jason
and Abby with his finger from the hand that was holding what
smelled like Bourbon.

“I know. You can see it whenever he gets near
her.” The song ended and Abby went running to Mr. Bradley, who
joyfully took her up on his lap, and shook her playfully. The next
song was also upbeat, but as Jason was trying to leave the dance
floor, Stacey pulled him back by his hand. Looking over to me, I
gave an impassive stare, and he reluctantly turned to dance with
her.