Mister West by R.J. Lewis (animal farm read .TXT) 📕

I feel like I’ve fucked things up.

Ana bumps her shoulder with mine. “Come on, Ivy. Let’s have fun.”

*

Gaston is already waiting by the car when we get there. I begin to wonder if this dude has a life. He looks bored out of his mind.

“I’m taking you to Affinity, I believe,” he says. “You have the card?”

Ana shows him it.

“Very good. This is an exquisite place. You ladies will love it.”

Okay, now I’m getting excited.

The drive isn’t very long. The street he parks us in is in an upmarket business district. This area isn’t far from Aidan’s apartment, and it’s high-end as fuck.

We step out into the cold and Gaston leads the way.

“I’ve been instructed to be sure you two get in,” he explains to us.

He leads us down the block and to an upscale club called Affinity. It’s got an impressive entrance courtyard with a line of concrete stone fountains giving off a dreamy glow. There’s a line of people waiting to get in, and I’m way out of my element when I take a look at them.

They’re dressed to the nines.

My dress pales in comparison.

“We are underdressed, can you believe it?” I whisper to Ana, catching sight of a lady dripping in diamonds and a fur coat.

Ana hides her nerves easily. “We’re all in there for the same reason, right? We gotta learn to blend in or they’ll eat us alive.”

I nod. She’s right. Gaston takes us straight to the front of the line and to a suited man. They don’t even exchange words.

“Is Mr West coming?” he asks.

Gaston leans in and says something in French. The man glances at us and then nods. “Ah, I understand.”

I wonder what he said to him. French has never been my forte. He opens the glass door for us and welcomes us in.

“I will be around the area,” Gaston lets us know. “You call me when you’re ready to leave.”

“We will,” I promise.

“Goodness,” Ana says, stifling her laugh. “West really made sure he’s got tabs on you, Ivy.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s put you in a club of his choice and he’s making sure Gaston is going to be taking you home. Possessive much?”

I never thought of that. I hide my smile. “He’s got nothing to worry about.”

“He’s being sweet,” Ana acknowledges. “He wants to make sure we make it out okay…and that you don’t leave with a dude.”

We step in, looking around. It’s just as opulent as you expect for a place the wealthy frequent, and it’s buzzing with people. There’s a leather lounge area next to a bar, a dining area, and I can already feel the vibration of music coming from upstairs.

The hostess greets us immediately. “You have the gold card belonging to Mr West, yes?”

How did she know? “Yes,” I say.

She looks between us. “I take it you want to be upstairs?”

“We’ll be eating first,” Ana answers.

It’s not a response the hostess expects. I wonder why. I suspect the women Aidan's ever sent here are ones that entertain. But that's the old him, so I have nothing to worry about. She pauses before nodding and leads us to a large dining area and to a more private booth among the other diners. We’re getting a lot of looks and I think it’s because we’re not familiar.

Ana and I slide into a classy booth opposite one another. The hostess passes us our menus and leaves. I don’t flick through mine just yet. I’m too busy staring at the place. It’s so freaking fancy.

“We better drink with our pinky fingers pointed up,” I joke.

“I’ll swirl my wine glass when I get it,” she replies on a grin.

“Ah, yes, and speak in a British accent, okay?”

“I shall,” she says on an accent. “And I will point you in the direction of a Bitcoin agency so that you too shall be as rich in digital currency as I.”

I laugh. “Absolutely tremendous, colleague of mine.”

She lets out a laugh too and begins looking through the menu. Ditching the accent, she says, “Oh how the rich live.”

“I know.”

“You need to read this menu, Ivy.”

“Hit me with it.”

“We’ve got a lamb salad with fregola.”

“What’s fregola?”

“Fuck if I know.”

“What else?”

“We’ve got some sea urchin with cauliflower.”

“Ew. Pass.”

“There’s a duck dish here. Of course there is.”

“Of course.”

“It’s got this fancy word I can’t pronounce.”

“Don’t even try.”

She gasps. “Oh, my God, there’s steak.”

“I’m down for that.”

She sucks in a breath. “This steak alone is five hundred dollars. That’s what I make in a week at the bank.”

“I’d be happy if I made that in a week,” I grumble.

She looks up at me and her face has fallen. “He said it’s on him.”

“He did.”

“It’s definitely a drop in the ocean for him. I mean, he sold his place for 37 million, right?”

“Yes, he did, according to you.”

But that doesn’t ease Ana, nor does it ease me. We just look at each other. It’s too much. This was what I was telling her about with the pampering. It’s not easy for us to forget just like that, and I can tell she’s understanding my point now.

“You know what,” she says, closing the menu. “We had Subway for lunch and we’re still stuffed.”

“Yummy steak and cheese. We got our calories in, girl.”

“That’s right.”

“So…”

“So… looks like we’ll be going upstairs?”

I smile. “I think so.”

We ditch the dining room and take the stairs to the club area. As we walk in, I feel Ana relax next to me. Okay, this is what we are used to. Not the extravagance of it per se, but the vibe is the same. The room is the size of the entire bottom floor. There’s a bar, a sitting area and a dance floor that dominates most of the room. The ultraviolet spectrum lights are violet and blue, and the visual is stunning.

“This is more our speed!” she shouts at me because it’s loud as hell in here.

We head for the bar area, her hand wrapped in mine. We order our margaritas and Ana flashes that