Read Online Love-in-Idleness by Christina Bell - Free Book Online Page B

“You should be more careful.” Ana threw up her hands and walked away, muttering something in Portuguese. Puck was confused. How had she not succumbed to his manipulation? It must be the stress dulling his powers. He would need to talk to his father about this later.
    9:3 0 PM
      Several blocks away, in a small tavern on Lexington Avenue, Puck Oberon approached a table full of loud teenagers. Each bore the unmistakable marks of wealth. Their clothes were new, their hair and nails were perfect, and each one of them held themselves with the upright posture born of a lifetime of being observed. They were all princes within their private school world, but Puck was far and away the leader of this haughty little pack. His minions came and went over the years, falling in and out of favor as he inevitably grew tired of them. He felt little genuine affection for them. They all attached themselves to him for the same reason. He was the son of Miles Oberon. Everyone knew that fortune had a way of smiling on those who ingratiated themselves with the Oberon clan.
                         This crew, in particular, was full of shameless sycophants. Puck’s mood in recent months required a certain amount of admiration from his friends, and these boys were selected largely based on their willingness to fawn on him.
                         One by one, as the boys noticed that Puck had arrived, the banter at the table came to a stop. A slight, whiskerless boy named Francis jumped out of his seat and ran to the bar to get a drink for Puck. While the bartender knew that not one member of the group was of legal age, Puck had long ago convinced him that there was no need to check the identification of his friends.  Puck waited patiently for Francis to return before he spoke.
           “So,” Puck began as he took a seat. “Is everyone here?”
           “I printed your e-mail and checked off everyone’s names when they came in,” Nick Bottom offered enthusiastically. Nick wasn’t a real New Yorker. His family came from Texas oil money. Besides being quite large and very loud, most of his family was rather thick-headed. Nick was no exception.
                  Puck laughed out loud at Nick’s show of leadership. There had only been five names on the list.
                         Peter Quince held his hand up as if to symbolically push Nick back into his place. “I think everyone who should be here is,” he insisted.
      “So,” Puck began. “I need all of you here for a reason. My father wants a favor of us.” The word favor had its desired effect. Every boy at the table leaned forward in a show of keen interest. To do a favor for the Oberon family could mean that they might later be owed a favor by the Oberons. “Miles has a new business partner who is getting married. My father has hired the wedding planner and is coordinating the event.” 
    Nick leaned forward eagerly. “I know who they are. Th at Jersey woman with the boobs.You think those are real?”
                     “Honestly,” Puck stated calmly, “I never really looked.” 
                         “Well, you should,” Nick said.             
                         “You’re an idiot,” Francis snipped, taking a sip of his drink.
                         Peter spoke up, in an apparent effort to return to the matter at hand. “What’s the favor?”
                          Puck waited for silence before he spoke. “As you know, my father has been to a few weddings-“
                         “Oh yeah, he has!” Nick howled in laughter at his own joke. “He’s been married to every hot MILF in town.”             
                         A silence came over the table.
                         “What?” Nick asked,