Read Online In the Club by Antonio Pagliarulo - Free Book Online
Authors: Antonio Pagliarulo
Ads: Link
cage?
“I
love
the cages!” Lex suddenly exclaimed, staring upward. “I can’t wait to get in one.” She fell in synch with the beat of the music and began gyrating her hips.
Park rolled her eyes. “Figures you’d say something like that.”
Just then, Madison came powering toward them, pushing her way through the pockets of guests with both her arms. She was wearing a stunning red silk dress that stopped just above her knees; it was shorter and more daring than anything she’d worn in the recent past, but her trim body filled the dress out perfectly. She looked beautiful. But she didn’t look happy.
“You’re
not
going to believe this!” she snapped, stepping in between Park and Lex.
“What’s wrong?” Park asked.
Madison bit down on her lower lip and pointed toward the upper floors. “I just found out that the floral arrangements on the fourth floor are…” Her voice trailed away, and she clamped her eyes shut. “Oh, God. I can’t even say it.”
“What?” Lex grabbed ahold of Madison’s arm.
Madison shook her head.
“For God’s sake, just spill it,” Park urged.
“The floral arrangements are…
completely out of date.
”
“What?”
Lex screeched. “Are you kidding me? Have you lost your mind? Like the eighties’ 1-800-FLOWERS? Or more like seventies-
Scarface
—that could be kind of cool.”
“No—it’s worse. They aren’t even like River Nile or baby Moses—and I don’t know how it happened!” Madison said. “I saw them out of the corner of my eye—this weird reddish-purplish color and big prehistoric leaves—and then I went up to them and looked closely and that’s when I nearly died!”
“Prehistoric leaves!”
Lex shrieked. “As in Paleolithic? Did you pull them off the tables? Did you get rid of them?”
“No. I couldn’t. I can’t even stand to touch them!” Madison brought a hand to her forehead and started breathing heavily.
“It serves you right!” Lex said coldly. “You were responsible for most of the décor in here! Do you have any idea what will happen if word gets out that we have ugly florals, instead of the arrangements that were supposed to be flown in from Morocco? They were supposed to be era-appropriate!”
“Both of you, calm down.” Park grabbed her sisters by their hands.
“I can’t calm down!” Lex answered back sharply. She pointed at Madison. “This dimwit screwed up the flowers!”
“I’m sorry,” Madison choked out. “Oh, if I even see those things again, I’ll vomit.”
“Both of you, listen to me.” Park threw her head back and did a quick sweep of their immediate surroundings to make sure no one important was in earshot. “We’re going to casually make our way upstairs and collect the ugly contraband, and that will be the end of it. Okay? Now just follow me.”
And with that, Park led the cool, easy march up the glass-and-metal staircase. When people reached out to greet them, she made certain to nod and smile, but she kept moving. Madison and Lex did the same. They made it to the fourth level, where the ghastly arrangements sat in vases on three glass tables.
“Horrendous,” Lex seethed. “Those aren’t even flowers. They’re plants!”
Park coolly approached the first table and wrapped her hands around the green stems. She made a pretense of holding them to her nose and inhaling a sweet scent. If a curious passerby took notice, he or she would see nothing odd about the little gesture. She walked over to Lex and said, “Open the magic purse.”
In one fast, fluid movement, Lex unzipped the purse and held it open. The first clump of stems and leaves barely fit, but she shoved them down with her fist. “Ugh,” she said, flexing her fingers. “They feel like dirty wax.” She held the purse out to Madison. “Go ahead, feel them. I want you to know how dangerous mismatched floral arrangements can be at an exclusive event.”
Madison wrinkled her nose. She extended her hand and lowered it into the
“I
love
the cages!” Lex suddenly exclaimed, staring upward. “I can’t wait to get in one.” She fell in synch with the beat of the music and began gyrating her hips.
Park rolled her eyes. “Figures you’d say something like that.”
Just then, Madison came powering toward them, pushing her way through the pockets of guests with both her arms. She was wearing a stunning red silk dress that stopped just above her knees; it was shorter and more daring than anything she’d worn in the recent past, but her trim body filled the dress out perfectly. She looked beautiful. But she didn’t look happy.
“You’re
not
going to believe this!” she snapped, stepping in between Park and Lex.
“What’s wrong?” Park asked.
Madison bit down on her lower lip and pointed toward the upper floors. “I just found out that the floral arrangements on the fourth floor are…” Her voice trailed away, and she clamped her eyes shut. “Oh, God. I can’t even say it.”
“What?” Lex grabbed ahold of Madison’s arm.
Madison shook her head.
“For God’s sake, just spill it,” Park urged.
“The floral arrangements are…
completely out of date.
”
“What?”
Lex screeched. “Are you kidding me? Have you lost your mind? Like the eighties’ 1-800-FLOWERS? Or more like seventies-
Scarface
—that could be kind of cool.”
“No—it’s worse. They aren’t even like River Nile or baby Moses—and I don’t know how it happened!” Madison said. “I saw them out of the corner of my eye—this weird reddish-purplish color and big prehistoric leaves—and then I went up to them and looked closely and that’s when I nearly died!”
“Prehistoric leaves!”
Lex shrieked. “As in Paleolithic? Did you pull them off the tables? Did you get rid of them?”
“No. I couldn’t. I can’t even stand to touch them!” Madison brought a hand to her forehead and started breathing heavily.
“It serves you right!” Lex said coldly. “You were responsible for most of the décor in here! Do you have any idea what will happen if word gets out that we have ugly florals, instead of the arrangements that were supposed to be flown in from Morocco? They were supposed to be era-appropriate!”
“Both of you, calm down.” Park grabbed her sisters by their hands.
“I can’t calm down!” Lex answered back sharply. She pointed at Madison. “This dimwit screwed up the flowers!”
“I’m sorry,” Madison choked out. “Oh, if I even see those things again, I’ll vomit.”
“Both of you, listen to me.” Park threw her head back and did a quick sweep of their immediate surroundings to make sure no one important was in earshot. “We’re going to casually make our way upstairs and collect the ugly contraband, and that will be the end of it. Okay? Now just follow me.”
And with that, Park led the cool, easy march up the glass-and-metal staircase. When people reached out to greet them, she made certain to nod and smile, but she kept moving. Madison and Lex did the same. They made it to the fourth level, where the ghastly arrangements sat in vases on three glass tables.
“Horrendous,” Lex seethed. “Those aren’t even flowers. They’re plants!”
Park coolly approached the first table and wrapped her hands around the green stems. She made a pretense of holding them to her nose and inhaling a sweet scent. If a curious passerby took notice, he or she would see nothing odd about the little gesture. She walked over to Lex and said, “Open the magic purse.”
In one fast, fluid movement, Lex unzipped the purse and held it open. The first clump of stems and leaves barely fit, but she shoved them down with her fist. “Ugh,” she said, flexing her fingers. “They feel like dirty wax.” She held the purse out to Madison. “Go ahead, feel them. I want you to know how dangerous mismatched floral arrangements can be at an exclusive event.”
Madison wrinkled her nose. She extended her hand and lowered it into the
Similar Books
