Caviar Dreams: The Prequel Novella to Champagne Life Read Online Free Page B

“How did you know my name?”
    “I saw the registry. The room was reserved for a Naomi and a Laeticia.”
    “How did you know I was Naomi?”
    “Naomis are always pretty.”
    I turned and headed up the steps, taking two at a time. All the way back to the room, I blushed like a schoolgirl who received her first kiss from her grade-school crush.

Naomi
    “Are you sure they’re not going to kill us or something?” Ticia said, stepping into her dress. Ticia was always one for wearing skimpy clothes, but then again, she had the body for it. We both did. I simply chose to dress more modest.
    “You promised to knock that off,” I said. “And I told you. I talked to Fabian downstairs while you were sleeping and he’s cool. If we end up in the back of his trunk, you can blame me, okay?”
    Ticia clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s better than nothing. Plus, we’ll have our drinks and food paid for.” She pulled on her skirt, only it was more like a bandeau top. That tiny piece of material barely covered her goodies. Her red sequined halter dipped low in the front, showcasing all her cleavage. It left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
    The funny thing was, she had the nerve to turn to me, scrunch up her nose and ask, “Are you wearing that?”
    “What’s wrong with this?” I looked down at my gray trouser pants and white cotton sleeveless halter. The pants were tight in all the right places and the top showed off the biceps I had gained from all the curls I started a few months back. The thick black belt cinched my waist and made my boobs look bigger, which I could use all the help I could get in that department. In my opinion, my attire was sexy, yet not revealing. The real killer of the outfit was my three-inch strappy sandals that exposed my freshly manicured toenails.
    “It’s a cute outfit,” Ticia said, “but I can’t see skin.”
    “That’s my point.”
    We headed downstairs, and at first, it crossed my mind that maybe Fabian wasn’t going to be there waiting for us and we had gotten dressed up for nothing. Kevin did the same thing. He’d call and ask me to meet him someplace and then would show up an hour late . . .if he showed up at all. He’d come strolling in all casual like and would have the nerve to get mad at the dude’s that were trying to buy me drinks before he even got there. They probably only bought the drink because they had pity on the loser sitting at the bar alone, waiting for her man. Thinking about it made me angry all over again.
    My anger quickly disappeared when Fabian walked through the front door of the lobby. And he looked good too. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a black button down shirt. He took the time to shave and under that stubble was a cute guy. Not necessarily what I’d normally go for, but cute nonetheless.
    “Ladies,” he said, walking up to us. “You’re late.”
    “Sorry,” I said.
    There’s that moment when everything in the universe changes and what you thought you knew, you never knew in the first place. I was in one of those moments. Fabian took one look at Ticia’s scant outfit and started grinning so hard, the corners of his mouth practically touched his earlobes. “You look beautiful,” he said to her. He turned to me, giving me a quick up and down. “You do too.”
    “Thanks,” Ticia said, her grin as wide as his.
    “We got a problem,” Fabian said. “We can go out, but I couldn’t reach my boy, so you may be kinda a third wheel.” He was looking at me when he said that. He held up his cell and quickly added, “but, I’m trying to reach him now.” He turned back to Ticia. “If I can’t reach him, I got another dude for your friend.”
    I was standing there, thinking when did I become the friend? Whatever happened to All Naomis are pretty?
    A sour grapes moment took over for a brief second as I thought, he wasn’t that cute anyway. And for a brief second I felt I should’ve been