Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

Author:Anna Godbersen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Published: 2011-11-08T10:57:32.722000+00:00

Chapter 13

THE LAND OF NIGHT IS FULL OF FAMILIAR FACES, WHICH is why young people, the girls in particular, are paid such lavish attention, given the best tables, and shepherded in past hungry crowds. They are new, which is solid currency after the sun goes down and the streets fill up with lost souls seeking whimsy and distraction. And so it was no wonder the way eyes followed Cordelia Grey. Astrid was very proud to have recognized a star the instant she appeared in her midst, and was happy to be slightly blinded by her wattage as they walked, a brash foursome, past the fleets of limousines on Park Avenue and down the steps into the ground floor of a brick townhouse that appeared staid enough from the outside, except for the windowpanes, which were rattled by an uncommon amount of noise rising from beneath the parlor level.

“Ooooo!” Astrid squealed when she saw the mattresses piled high in the big back room and covered with several layers of gauzy white coverlets. She always admired a clever trick, and though she was sure this décor hadn’t cost a thing, it looked almost fancy with the murals on the walls, which depicted a sylvan scene framed by diaphanous trompe l’oeil window treatments. The light from the ceiling fixture was muted with a silk parachute that drooped lazily over the tightly packed guests. She hadn’t been to a place like this since Charlie took over the business. “What is it,” she crowed, “a speak or a bordello?”

“They call it The Bedroom,” Billie said, surveying the scene. There were men with no-good faces leaning against the walls in the low light and girls wearing old-fashioned Edwardian nightgowns circulating with trays full of drinks. They weren’t showing much skin, of course, but it was just the right amount of naughtiness, having waitresses dressed in their intimates, and Astrid’s eyes shone to be out again among people who did thrilling, roguish things. Once she’d been reunited with her girlfriends, she had more or less forgotten her anger. She was satisfied by the notion that if Charlie wasn’t going to appreciate the way the silver dress hugged her figure, someone here would.

Victor had spoken barely a word since they left Dogwood. His eyes twitched nervously, and he insisted on accompanying the girls inside instead of waiting in the car. “You are going to get me in a world of trouble, Miss Astrid,” he said tensely as Billie whispered to the doorman.

Once inside, he refused to act like a normal customer and stationed himself by the door, watching the four girls at a distance. Astrid gave him a dirty look and then decided to ignore him, sinking into one of the mattresses, patting it so that Letty would drop down beside her, and demanding that Billie get them some champagne. Billie gave her a wry smile, but she enjoyed obliging in these situations; shortly thereafter she returned with a bottle.

From behind wide-brimmed champagne glasses, the girls observed the room.

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