Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
“I could always ask Seb for the guest list,” he offered, rolling onto his side to face Taliana. “Your boy would probably be on it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want Sebastian getting involved with this, that asshole would never let me live this down. Besides, I doubt even having the list would help since I don’t know the guy’s name.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jude admitted. “Hopefully this guy will be at the party tonight. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he was?”
“What party?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.
Jude frowned and adjusted his sunglasses. “The twins didn’t tell you about it?”
“They haven’t said a word. What kind of party is it?”
“Typical house party,” he said, waving a hand as if it were nothing new. “It’s Trinity tradition that a senior throws an end-of-summer party so we can all savor the last few days of freedom before we have to go back to that hell hole. School starts on Tuesday, you know.”
Taliana cringed at the thought of returning to school, especially since she was going back to the very place she’d been expelled from not so long ago. She’d begged and pleaded with her father to let her go to one of the other private schools in the area, but Trinity was the only place he’d been able to procure her a spot at. She was surprised they’d let her back in, especially since the boy who’d gotten her expelled was still there. Sebastian Phillips was the main reason she didn’t want to go back, and she wasn’t looking forward to picking up their rivalry where it had left off.
“Four days left of summer.” Taliana sighed wistfully, wishing it would last just a little longer. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” Jude chuckled as he sat up and grabbed a nearby towel. “Are you gonna go to the party?”
She shrugged. “It depends. Who’s throwing it?”
“The most popular guy at school, of course.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be talking about yourself, would you?”
“I’m not that vain,” he teased. “You’ve got the right bloodline, though.”
Taliana’s lips twitched into a grimace. “I’m not going if Sebastian’s throwing it. I managed to avoid him at his birthday party, and I don’t feel like pushing my luck.”
“You can’t stay away from him forever, you know.”
“I can and I will,” she said defiantly, hitching her chin up. “I’m not going, Jude.”
Jude wrapped his hands around Taliana’s wrists and pulled her up from her chair. “Come on, I promise it’ll be fun!”
She couldn’t help but groan as she attempted to free her wrists from his grasp. “How could a party thrown by Sebastian ever be fun?”
“You seemed to have plenty of fun at his birthday party…”
“Low blow, Jude.”
He took a long look at Taliana before releasing her. She was milliseconds away from letting out a relieved sigh, but it lodged in her throat when her feet were suddenly swept off the ground, and she found herself slung over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shrieked as blood rushed to her head.
“What do you think I’m doing?” he laughed as he began walking toward the house. “I’m kidnapping you.”
If anyone else had demanded she attend a party at Sebastian’s not-so-humble abode, she would have told them no and the conversation would have ended there. However, this was Jude Phillips, and he didn’t take no for an answer regarding social situations. She could scream, kick, and threaten to her heart’s content, but he always won in the end.
Even after a brief fight, numerous insults regarding his mother, and a thwarted attempt at running away, a few hours later, Jude had managed to cram Taliana into a pair of jeans and shove her into the backseat of his car. By that point she was really wondering why they were even friends.
After a ten-minute drive and lapping the block twice, Jude finally found a place on the street and somehow managed to squeeze his rather large Audi into a space that looked like it shouldn’t have fit a Mini Cooper.
He shut off the engine a moment later and glanced back at Taliana. “Ready to go?”
She didn’t bother with a verbal answer, deeming the death glare she sent him good enough.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Jude slid out of the car and opened the back door for her, motioning that it was time to exit. Knowing this was her last chance to save herself, she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head like a stubborn child.
He was having none of it. “You are such a brat,” he complained as he reached inside and grabbed her ankles. “You’re lucky I like you.”
Before Taliana could land flat on her ass, she shooed him away and got out of the car on her own. She briefly contemplated making a run for it but given the fact that Jude could probably take down a person three times her size, Taliana reconsidered. So instead of seizing the opportunity to escape, she blew out a sigh and took his arm.
He flashed her something between a smug and reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine.”
For his sake, Taliana hoped she would be.
Jude guided her across the street and up the pathway to the slightly ajar front door of the Phillips’ residence. After shooting her a confident smirk, he pushed it open and ushered her inside the dimly lit foyer. Taliana wasn’t exactly sure what she’d been expecting, but the sight that greeted her definitely wasn’t it.
The girls decked out in designer clothes were the first thing to catch Taliana’s eye, most of them draped on the arms of their handsome male counterparts. Some people were dancing, others were standing around talking, but it was clear everyone was here to see and be seen. The music was at a deafening level, and it seemed like every inch of the house was already packed, making Taliana wonder just how many people Sebastian knew.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Jude shouted in her ear. “Kids from every prestigious private school in the city are here.”
“I didn’t realize Sebastian was this popular,” she shouted back.
Jude shot her a grin. “I bet you he doesn’t even know half the people here. But yeah, the guy’s certainly got a fan club.”
Judging from the squealing group of girls that had just surrounded them, Sebastian wasn’t the only one with a fan club. As greetings and loud double-cheek kisses were exchanged, Taliana found herself being gently nudged out of the way by people who didn’t look twice in her direction. Jude glanced down at her when she slid her arm out of his grasp and motioned that she was going to explore the rest of the house. He gave her a brief nod before throwing his arms around a girl who he obviously hadn’t seen in a while.
It took some clever maneuvering to escape the mob around him, but Taliana eventually made it out. She watched from the sidelines as Jude launched into an animated story that had his numerous hangers-on laughing, and Taliana finally came to realize that no matter what this guy did, it was impossible not to like him.
She watched for a moment longer before deciding to go do a little exploring. Based on how gorgeous the foyer was with its high domed ceiling, intricately carved molding, and sweeping marble staircase, Taliana was willing to bet the rest of the house was just as amazing.
After slipping around a few more people, she made her way into the living room. It was obvious the sprawling space had been party proofed, but symbols of the Phillips family’s wealth were still present. Antique portraits hung from the walls in impressive frames, first edition books sat on a built-in dark wood bookcase, and there was a grand piano by a bay window in the corner of the room. Even though those precious items were put up to be admired, the people currently in the room looked like they hadn’t noticed much more than the impressive sound system and fully stocked bar.