Being the Night Shift Guy. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Heiress and the Courtesan

“You look nice” one of my house mates said from behind me.

“Thanks” I replied, looking at myself in the mirror.

My hair was neatly combed and I wore my only suit, a simple black one that I had bought on sale for a wedding several years earlier. I stood there for a few minutes, looking at my reflection, until a noise on my phone caused me to look down.

I’m outside now.

I did a quick check of my pockets; wallet, phone and keys were all there.

“Will you be back later?” one of my house mates asked.

“Not sure” I replied “this is my first high society event, and I’m honestly not sure what to expect.”

“If you meet any desperate rich girls, bring one back for me.”

“I’ll make sure to tell them about your Star Trek Lego collection” I teased.

“It’s not Star Trek, it’s Doctor Who, you uncultured nerd” he teased back.

“I’ll try to remember” I replied as I closed the door behind me.

It wasn’t hard to figure out which vehicle was waiting for me. A very clean black limousine was parked in front of the small flat that I shared with two other guys. The windows were darkly tinted and the rims were jade green in colour. One of the windows rolled down, revealing Mariam’s beaming face. The parts that were not hidden beneath her hijab were covered in a thick foundation that matched her brown skin. Her lips were painted ruby red and her eyeliner finished in delicate points on each side.

“You clean up nice” she opened the door as she spoke. (Coming from Mariam, that was quite a compliment.)

“Thank you” I replied, climbing inside.

Within was lit up and featured what appeared to be a small cocktail bar along the road side of the vehicle. Mariam was wearing a tight, dark green dress, revealing all of her curves. Her arms were bare and her legs were barely covered by white stockings that matched her hijab (the only part of her outfit that could be described as modest).

“You look beautiful” I slid my arm around her shoulder and waited as she leaned into my arms.

“Thanks babe” she replied as we slowly moved away from the curb.

It wasn’t long before we arrived outside the hotel. A deep crimson carpet had been laid out for guests, an unusual site in my city. There were even a few reporters and local influencers hoping to get a photo of the various socialites who were attending the event. A large sign outside the glass doors read:

The Tipton family welcome you to our newest location here in Adelaide, Australia.

“Is that the same Tipton family from America?” I asked.

“Yes” Mariam didn’t sound impressed “they started with one hotel in Boston, now they have them in about five countries.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Don’t get too star struck” she replied coldly “our two families have something of a rivalry.”

“Now now” a charming voice cut through the chatter of people watching us walk “whatever happened between our grandparents shouldn’t mean that we have to hate each other.”

I looked over at the new voice, and saw a handsome Asian man wearing a white suit over a peach coloured shirt that looked more expensive than my whole outfit.

“Good evening, Leopold” Mariam greeted.

“Good evening Mariam” he replied “and you know you can call me Lee.