30. Sophie

30

SOPHIE

I blink, and suddenly I’m slipping into a cab outside a sleek, modern building on Columbia's campus, the neon lights of a downtown bar flashing in my peripheral vision. I blink again, and I’m stepping into a private party, champagne spilling into my glass as laughter and the steady pulse of New York’s heartbeat mix. I blink three times, and I’m at an afterparty, the music louder, the people sharper, the night stretching somehow as far as the skyline.

I wake up to the chaos of a lecture hall, my thoughts tangled between last night's cocktails and a professor’s monotone. A quick swipe of my phone and I’m scrolling through invites—party at a club, an exclusive rooftop event, some private loft in Tribeca.

Life is one invitation after another. I look up, half-dazed, and realize the day's blurred into night again. Somehow, I’ve made it to dinner with friends—exhausted, but I make it work. It’s all the same. Blink and I’m awake. Blink again and I’m drifting. Blink three times, and I’m back where I started—always moving, never quite standing still.

That’s the rhythm of it .

Always moving, always on the edge of something more.

Three months pass and nothing really happens and everything happens and now I’m back in the Hamptons.

I’m speaking to that boy again, the one everyone but my heart tells me is a bad idea, and thank God, and finally, because even though it’s stupid, really, I thought I might actually die.

But he’s not here because he can’t be a part of this faction of my life, and while that’s probably what will kill it in the end, this is just how it is.

The house is insane, sparkling in the moonlight, with a pool that probably costs more to maintain than all four years of my tuition combined. The flashing lights are blinding, and the people milling around are trading stories about their latest purchases, the vacations they just got back from, and who knows what else. Nothing important.

I slip into the crowd, trying to blend in while my mind races with the list of people I need intel on. There’s the CEO of that tech company, someone the agency is interested in knowing more about, and a few key players from Hollywood that I’m supposed to track.

I spot my target in the back—thick neck, a gaudy watch, chatting with someone who looks way too young to be here. But then again, looks can be deceiving. The guy’s name is Gregory, and according to Carlo, he’s been mixed up in shady business for years. My agency wants to know exactly who he’s dealing with.

I fall into the rhythm of things here without much effort. Smile. Laugh. Flirt. Do what I have to do.

But I’m not here for the party. I’m here for the intel.

I head toward the bar, grab a drink, and try to figure out how to get close to Gregory without being too obvious. He’s deep in conversation with someone, but I don’t mind waiting. I’ve got time.

I’m halfway through my second drink when I hear a soft voice, just close enough for me to catch it. "Sophie?"

I freeze. My gut tightens. I don’t need to turn around to know who it is.

Lily.

I face her slowly. She’s standing there in a black dress that hugs her body just right, her hair perfectly styled, the kind of effortless beauty that’s almost too polished. Her expression is almost unreadable, but I can see the flicker of surprise in her eyes. She wasn’t expecting to see me here.

“Lily,” I say, trying to keep my tone light, but it’s hard. I should’ve seen this coming. “What are you doing here?”

Her smile is a little tight, but she’s quick to recover. “I could ask you the same thing,” she says, glancing at the drink in my hand. “I didn’t think this was exactly your scene…”

I just shrug. “I’m here with a friend.” I can’t help it. I lie, the words slipping out easily

Her eyes narrow slightly. “The girl from your biology class?” she asks, with an edge to her voice.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

She tilts her head. “I see.”

The smile on her face is almost too knowing, like she’s dissecting me in that quiet way she always does. But before I can ask her anything else, she cuts me off with a small laugh.

“You don’t belong here, Sophie.”

I frown, but she doesn’t let me answer, stepping closer to me. “No offense,” she adds, her smile twisting. “I just didn’t think you'd be into this... scene.”

“I’m not,” I say, shifting my weight, a strange feeling tightening in my chest. “I just came with my friend. That’s all.”

Lily watches me for a beat, eyes glinting with something sharp I can’t quite place. “Right.”

She doesn’t say anything more for a moment, but I feel the tension between us building, thick like smoke in the air. And then—without warning—she drops the bomb.

“If you’re looking for work, I could help you out,” she says, her voice lowered.

“Work?” I glance around the room. “You mean like bartending?”

She laughs an easy laugh like the joke’s on me. “Come on, Soph—I know you’re not that naive.”

“I’m afraid I might be.”

“Fine,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I’ll spell it out. If you need money…I’m actually with the company that helps organize some of these things. I can get you in with them, if you want. You could probably do a lot more than just stand around looking for your friend.”

I’m going to have to make her spell it out. I’m too at risk for saying the wrong thing. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m an escort, Sophie.”

I blink, unsure if I heard her correctly.

“Don’t make that face,” she says, almost laughing now, but it’s not a happy sound. “I’m an escort, Sophie. It’s how I pay for school.”

The words hit me like a cold wave. My mouth goes dry, but I don’t know what to say. I open my mouth, then close it again, the shock of it hanging between us.

“An escort?” I repeat.

Lily just nods, like it’s no big deal, and suddenly it feels like I’m looking at a stranger. “Yeah,” she says, almost apologetically. “Everyone has their thing, right? It’s just business.”

“Of course. I mean, yeah, I get it.”

"I’m not on the clock tonight, just here as a ‘friend’ of the person throwing this party.”

I blink. “A friend?”

“Yeah, don’t look at me like that.” She shakes her head, the glint of amusement returning to her eyes. “ Okay, fine. He’s a client. But I’m not really ‘working’ right now. It’s all about knowing the right people, right?”

The way she says it makes my stomach flip. I should feel relieved. She’s offering a way in. But somehow, the idea of it doesn’t sit right with me. For sure it won’t sit right with Charlotte. Or the agency. It’s too much. Too close. It’ll blow my cover, if it’s not already blown.

“You’re not the only one with secrets, Sophie,” she says, almost too casually.

“That’s funny,” I say, forcing a smile. “But like I said, I just came here because of my friend. She knows someone…”

“That’s what they all say.”

“Maybe. But I really mean it.”

Lily gives me a knowing smile, the kind that says she’s not fooled, but she doesn’t push. “All right. Your loss,” she says. “If you change your mind, though, you know where to find me.”

Just like that, she disappears into the crowd, leaving me standing there with the taste of her words still on my tongue.

For a moment, I just stand there, trying to shake off the weirdness of the conversation. Lily...an escort.

I turn back to the task at hand—Gregory is still talking, still distracted, still within reach. I can’t afford to let this throw me off.

I remind myself of why I’m here: to get the intel. And I suppose in a way I have.

I tell myself it doesn’t matter.

I’ve got a job to do.