A chance encounter at a Vegas night club with a Hollywood super star turned hero flips Novella's brand new yet boring life upside down. Moving across the country from her overbearing mother will prove to be much more of a life change than she origin...
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'I am imperfect and I am enough.'
-Brene Brown
A rainbow arrangement of dresses hang before me in my temporary closet in the VIP suite of Caesar's Palace. Each color reminds me of a specific gala I had been manipulated into attending. Some events more horrendous than others. Very few of these designer dresses held fond memories. I drop the second half of the rainbow haphazardly into my suitcase.
"Come on Novella, it's our last night here. Stop packing those show stoppers, put one on and let's go!" Emma whines as she rummages through the dresses I stepped away from.
She picks through each dress gingerly, knowing they cost more than some people's cars. Not that I cared—I'd much rather have the cars over the dresses. Each dress was a gift—more like a bribe—from my parents, pushing me to attend their endless galas and events. The main reason I moved across the country. Emma is reason number two. She was my best friend turned soul sister and the only person in my life who loved me for who I am—although she did try to alter my style every night of our impromptu get-away to Las Vegas.
"Can't I just wear jeans and a tee?" I beg.
She ignores me and grabs the horrible memory imprinted dress I just put in my suitcase—also known as the dress my mom and step-dad bought to coerce me into participating in their date auction. My winning bidder was a fifty-eight year old millionaire with greased back hair, sweaty palms and an ego uncontainable in the large event center.
I shudder at that evening—I was auctioned off to the highest bidder like some farm animal. The man's gold plated teeth, creeper mustache and vodka breath. Our 'date' managed to be even worse. He attempted to invite himself into my apartment for a 'night cap' after an awkward dinner where I had to constantly push his hand from trailing up my leg. He walked me to my door and asked if he could come in, I politely declined but instead of turning away and going home he forced me into the most disgusting first kiss of man kind. Sure, I was 20 and probably should have been kissed by then but I couldn't help it that the opposite sex had shown little to no interest in me for most of my life. But, to have my 'first kiss' with a man senior to my own step-father was absolutely repugnant.
"Not that one." I quickly shake my head, "remind me to burn that after we get settled."
She holds the dress against herself and spins, "Why? It's gorgeous."
I quirk my eyebrow at her, "Do you remember Mr. Goslin?"
Ner nostrils flare in disgust.
"Yeah, that's the dress I wore."
She tosses it back into my suitcase and brushes her hands down her shirt. "Never mind...it will help start the fire."
