All the Wrong Reasons

Chapter 32

Chịu được.

To endure in Vietnamese.

Her mother was ecstatic when she got back.

“So, how did it go?”

Adrienne just smiled. She wanted to be honest, but she didn’t really want to quash her mother’s hopes. Yes, her stepmom still had that effect on her that she couldn’t help. She just couldn’t stop pleasing people.

“It’s…interesting. I haven’t met a guy like Justin before.” She tried to sound enthusiastic. But it is true. That guy was one of a kind.

Her mother’s eyes widened. “Oh, sweetheart, I know. He is adorable. His parents are so proud of him. Handsome lad, too. I take it you would be having a date tonight again?”

“Mom, it’s not a date,” she said.

“But he asked you?” her mother insisted.

“Well…yeah, but…”

“Wonderful!” Her mother beamed.

“Mom…don’t get your hopes up. I said I will try to make new friends. I’m not really up for finding a new boyfriend.”

“You’ll never know. Justin is one of a kind.”

Adrienne laughed humorlessly. “I bet he is!” She didn’t mean that in a good way. However, her mother was so pleased, she just couldn’t break her heart too soon.

“Mom,” she began. “You know…my boyfriend’s name was Justin, too.”

Her mother looked at her for a minute. Then she said, “Ex-boyfriend. And I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you still love him. But I really hope you give yourself a chance to meet other guys. If your boyfriend doesn’t come back to you…I don’t want to see you miserable.”

“I’m giving myself a chance to make new friends, Mom. That’s all I can promise you now.”

Her mother smiled. “Okay. I think once you spend more time with Christine’s Justin, you two would hit it off quickly. And you will soon forget about your ex-boyfriend, Justin.”

Seriously doubt it!

Then she hugged her mom and went to her room.

She dialed Jin’s number.

“Hey, how’s my favorite sister doing?”

“Jin, I’m your only sister,” she reminded him.

“Oh! You’ll never know if we have extra siblings lying around, you know,” he teased. “So, what’s up?”

“I think Mom is trying to set me up with one of her friends’ son.”

“Good luck with that,” he stated. “She tried with me. Epic fail. She’s a romance novelist. She can’t help the match-making thing.”

“Now, I met one of her friend’s sons. He’s awful!”

“Really? Why’d you say that?”

“He’s egoistic and he’s a moron!” Adrienne groaned. “He even insulted me and made me pay for his coffee.”

“Wow! Douche!”

“Anyway, I don’t want to break Mom’s heart. I want to show her that I at least tried. I did promise her that I would try to be friends with her friends’ kids.”

“Okay, is this guy really that despicable you can’t even be friends with him?”

“You haven’t met him, Jin. You would make him eat his underwear if you did!”

Jin laughed. “Well, so what are you going to do?”

“The guy asked me to meet him at Rendezvous.” Adrienne replied. “He wanted to keep up with the appearances that we’re getting along just fine. Or at least we tried, but it didn’t work out.”

“Why? Is he blind? Wasn’t he a little bit attracted to you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Because I am not the least bit attracted to him. I’m not looking for romance. My life is complicated enough as it is now. I promised somebody I’d wait for him. And until I’m sure he’s not coming back, I think I’ll take my chances. And apparently, this guy only goes for supermodels and hot heiresses and I didn’t make the cut.”

“Freaking crazy! Who’s this guy? I would like him to meet my fist!” Jin said crossly. “Seriously, he said that to you?”

Adrienne sighed. “Yes. But he’s not worth it. I just need to get through tonight and try not to kill myself.”

“All right. I’ll tell Tara to meet you there so you will have company.”

“Hey! That’s a great idea. I seriously can’t be alone with that guy.”

“It’s done, Yen,” Jin said. “Okay, I got to get back to work.”

“See you later.”

That night, in spite of hating Justin J, the male whore, Adrienne refused to make him think she didn’t deserve to be called Ariana Blanc’s daughter. So she dressed up in a classy Christian Dior yellow cocktail dress that ended above her knees to show her flawless long legs. She tied her hair in a bun and left some tendrils flowing around her face. She went for a smoky-eyed look. Then she grabbed her new Hermes purse and slipped into a pair of yellow Jimmy Choos.

She smiled when she stared back at her reflection in the mirror. She looked classy and posh all right. That morning she wasn’t even wearing any makeup. Now, that moron couldn’t bring her down or ridicule her at her family’s expense. But she swore, she would never see him again. Except during family gatherings where he would be on the guest list and on those occasions, she would try her best to ignore him.

Her mother was more than pleased with her look when she waved goodbye to her and got inside their chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce.

Tara met her at Rendezvous.

“Wow!” She beamed. “You look gorgeous!” She kissed her on the cheek.

They sat on the VIP lounge that has a view of the dance floor. Mac arrived a few minutes later and joined them.

“Jin told us you have a predicament,” Mac said.

Adrienne sighed. “Yep. I’m meeting Neanderthal 1-9-8-9 here in a few minutes.”

“Seriously? Your mother really thought you should be set up? Like hasn’t she seen her daughter yet?” Tara asked.

“It’s not just about setting me up with guys. She thought she’s trying to help me get over my breakup with my boyfriend and at the same time hooking me up with somebody whose family is dear to her.”

“You just broke up with your boyfriend?”

Adrienne nodded. She was again reminded of the fact that she hasn’t heard from Justin in about ten days and she had no idea what he’d been doing. She hoped he was all right and at least his mother was doing fine. She wanted to hope that he’s managing to convince his family to let him go so he could come back to her. Maybe now, when they find out who she really was, they wouldn’t feel so bad about Justin marrying somebody other than his designated fiancée.

“It’s complicated,” she said. “He was previously engaged. I didn’t know.”

“He didn’t tell you?” Tara asked.

“Like he cheated on his fiancée?” Mac asked.

“Not really. He was arranged to be married to some girl he hasn’t met yet and then he met me. He didn’t want to marry her anymore.”

“So, what happened? He still married her?”

Adrienne shook her head. “No. But I let him go.”

“Do you love him?”

Adrienne heaved a sigh. “Yes. In this life, even up to the next life.”

“Did he let you go?” Tara asked.

Adrienne shook her head.

“Then why didn’t you fight for him?”

“Sometimes, I wonder the same thing,” she admitted. “But his parents disowned him after he chose me. I couldn’t let him go through that. His family seemed too important to him. I can’t compete with that.”

“I hate it when parents do that,” Tara said. She intertwined her fingers with Mac’s. “Fortunately for you, my father adores you,” she said to him and kissed his cheek.

They were interrupted by somebody who sat on the empty chair opposite Adrienne.

“I hate falling in line,” Justin J. said. “Seriously! This place should have like a barcode for people with face value.”

Tara and Mac stared at Adrienne with raised brows.

“Yep. Meet N-1-9-8-9,” she said to them.

“What does the N stand for?” Justin J. asked. “Noteworthy? Naturally hot?” He grinned at Adrienne. She realized that he was no longer wearing those weird electric blue contacts and his eyes were actually gray.

“Try the French word, nulle!” Tara said, raising a brow at him. “It means crappy in English!”

Justin looked at her for a second then at Adrienne. “Seriously, who is this chick?”

“Careful there, chief,” Adrienne said with a warning on her voice. “She actually owns the place and could have you kicked out and banned for life.”

Tara smiled at him for a second then she switched it to a look of warning.

Justin dismissed Tara and looked at Adrienne. “Glad to see you dressed up for me, babe,” he said. “You can be pretty hot if you make an effort, you know.”

Adrienne saw Mac grip Tara’s hand tighter, as if he, too, was resisting the urge to put a shiner on N-1-9-8-9’s face.

A waitress went to their table to take their order.

“I don’t usually drink, but what the hell, I think I need a daiquiri!” Adrienne said.

Tara ordered a margarita, and Mac said he wanted a beer.

The waitress turned to Justin J. He was ogling at her, literally staring at her big boobs and long legs. “Damn! Are you on the menu?” he asked her.

The waitress just smiled at him coyly.

Justin J. licked his upper lip and said, “Could you give me a Blow Job?”

Adrienne’s eyes widened. “You pervert!” she said crossly, unable to stop herself.

Justin J. stared back at Adrienne, raising a brow. “What? I meant the shooter. You know? Irish liquor mixed drink? Haven’t you heard about that before?”

Adrienne bit her lip in embarrassment. Tara turned away from Justin J. so he wouldn’t see that she was suppressing her laughter.

“I sure will,” the waitress said. Then she left. After a few minutes, she was back with their orders.

“Anything else?” she asked them.

“Maybe when you get off work, you and I can have some Sex on the Beach,” Justin J. said to her.

The waitress just giggled and then she left.

Adrienne glared at him. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know that Sex on the Beach is a mixed drink, either?” he asked her, giving her an innocent look.

“You think you’re very funny, don’t you, you little piece of Gorilla Fart?” she asked him angrily, trying to turn his joke on him.

Mac and Tara actually laughed this time.

N-1-9-8-9 gave her a dazzling smile. “Ahhh… she is smart,” he said. “And nope, I’m not funny. I just think I’m a little too hot.”

Mac took a gulp of his beer. “Left fist or right fist, Yenny. Just say the word and I’ll give it to him,” he offered.

Justin took his drink with him and stood up. “You are such a bore. I’m gonna find myself a good time.” He stood up and left. It was only then that Adrienne noticed what he was wearing. Gold baggy pants, over very tight fitting black shirt and again… suspenders.

Seriously? Gold?

Seriously? Suspenders?

When he left Tara stared at Adrienne. “What the hell was that creature?” she asked. “Really? Your mother thought you would hook up with that?”

“Yep.” Adrienne nodded. “I don’t think I could even be friends with him.”

“You have to get out of this,” Tara said. “We’ll tell Jin! We need to convince Ariana that she could not do this to her daughter.”

“Guys, don’t…tell every detail to Jin, okay?” Adrienne said. “This guy is an ape, I know. But Jin is becoming overprotective of me. If he finds out how this guy treated me, he might just give him a swing of his fist. And I don’t want to break our parents’ friendship because of that. I just came here two weeks ago.”

“Yeah, we were wondering about that,” Mac revealed. “Jin never mentioned you before. How come?”

Adrienne didn’t know whether Jin really want to disclose the very small details about their family. “Well, Jin is my half-brother. I’m not a Starck. I lived with my Dad ever since I was a kid.”

“Oh, that’s why,” Tara said.

They spent the night talking, listening to the music and watching the interesting patrons on the dance floor. Adrienne thought she was actually having a great time. Tara and Mac didn’t leave her side. Maybe they’re just afraid Neanderthal would come and harass her when she’s alone. She is after all wearing a skirt! And he looked like a guy who would hit on anything that is wearing one.

Adrienne saw Justin J. on the dance floor. He was dirty dancing with a girl. She watched him grind his crotch to the girl’s behind, like he was already humping her with clothes on. The girl was happily twerking her ass against him. Then he gripped her to him, pulling her by the waist and nuzzled her neck. He was even casually touching her boobs. And she seemed to be liking it.

“Unbelievable!” Tara said behind Adrienne. Obviously, she was watching him, too.

“Your mother is really thinking this ass-wipe is boyfriend material? Are you seeing what he’s doing to that girl?” Mac asked.

“Yeah. And he claims he has a lingerie model locked up in his hotel room.”

“Asshole!” Tara muttered. “If you don’t have a ride home, we’re taking you. You cannot even hitch a ride home with that guy!”

“I don’t intend to,” Adrienne said.

She looked at the dance floor with all the couples dancing and she remembered the first night she met Justin Adams. He didn’t grope her like N-1-9-8-9 did to that girl he’s dancing with. Justin flirted with her, yes. But he never disrespected her or harassed her. And he always knew the smartest things to say. He was breathtaking and swoon-worthy.

If Justin’s fiancée met him, Adrienne doubted she would want to break off the engagement and let him go. Who wouldn’t fall in love with him?

She stared at her phone again. Still no word from him. And in a way, she felt glad. Because she knew that the minute she heard from him, she would tell him everything that’s going on in her life and that would make him turn around and take the next flight to Paris. She knew he would. No doubt about that.

But he shouldn’t do that. He should be somewhere in the States, trying to get to know his fiancée better. Trying to see what his other future had in store for him. And hopefully after that, trying to convince his parents that it would never work out between the two of them. Because after all his efforts, after all the tries…his heart still belonged to her.

It was two in the morning when Tara and Mac decided to drive Adrienne home. They took her to the private entrance out to where Mac’s car was.

On the way out, they saw a couple making out near the door. When Adrienne looked, she saw Justin J. with a girl wrapped around him.

“Hey! You should take this somewhere private!” Mac said crossly. “This is a high-end club. We don’t tolerate public sex here.”

Justin J., the Neanderthal looked up and saw Adrienne. He released the girl.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes. But don’t bother yourself. My friends are taking me home.”

“Oh, good,” he said and then put his arms around the girl he was making out with. Then he turned to Adrienne again. “By the way, if your Mom asked, tell her we had a great time.”

Adrienne rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell her what a pervert you are!”

“Come on, babe,” he said. “You don’t really like me. So why not just tell her we had a great time, but wrong chemistry?” He smiled at her sweetly.

Adrienne took a deep breath. “You’re probably right. Anyway, be safe.” And she turned towards Mac’s car.

“Oh my God! I hope your mother never insists that you see that guy again!” Tara said when they got inside the car.

“Despicable, isn’t he?” Adrienne sighed.

“He’s actually quite funny,” Mac observed.

“Really? Then maybe you have a better sense of humor than me,” Adrienne said.

“Well, you’re not really willing to get together with him. You wouldn’t want to like him regardless of whether he’s great or not. So just laugh at his antics. He already knows you’re not each other’s types.”

“He’s right. Because apparently, he only hooks up with the easy ones,” Tara agreed. “Let it go, hon. If your mother really wants you to meet boys, who come from rich families, are good-looking and smart, we could help you with that.”

“No thanks,” Adrienne said. “I sort of told my boyfriend… I’ll wait for a while for him to set things right.”

“And you believed he would?” Mac asked.

Adrienne sighed. “He would,” she said. Then in a sad voice, she added, “If he could.”