Pulled to the Dark (The Siriena Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

freeway and navigated the surface streets. We pulled in front of a building. "This is the Wome n's Club," she said. "It's an amazing building."
    A valet opened both car doors for us. Mine handed me out and gave me an arm until Andrea had collected her parking ticket and stepped around to claim me. She offered an arm, and I took it. We stepped inside. She removed an envelope from her purse and presented her tickets as we stepped into the building.
    I stared around the building. It had high ceilings and fancy woodwork everywhere. "This is gorgeous," I said quietly.
    "Yes, isn't it? I make a point of attending events here because it's such a fabulous location."
    We stepped further into the building. There were little displays set up everywhere trying to explain what this particular charity did and why we should give them money. Here and there were hollow glass obelisks into which one could slide a donation. Some of the checks had several zeros on them.
    "Andrea," I said quietly after we passed one. "That seems..."
    "Tacky?"
    "Yes."
    "Some people believe that charitable giving should be flaunted," she said. "I will allow you to come to your own conclusions."
    "So if one wished to provide a less obvious donation?"
    "There are opaque containers." She nodded towards one. "They themselves are perhaps less obvious."
    A waiter walked past, and Andrea collected t w o champagne flutes, handing me one.
    We roamed the building. Periodically Andrea encountered someone she knew. Sometimes she simply greeted them. With others, she joined into conversation. I held onto her arm and tried to look intelligent. I stayed out of the conversation until someone referred to the pyramids into which checks were being deposited.
    "It's an obelisk," I said quietly.
    "Excuse me?" I looked at the man who had misused the word. He was one of those types of men: fit, tight clothes, with perfect hair and a permanent sneer. His girlfriend was stunning and vacuous, the only type of woman he'd have who would possible have him. We were in a group of three other couples. I hadn't really been paying that much attention to the conversation, and there had been too many names flying around for me to remember any of them.
    "It's an obelisk," I said. "Not a pyramid. They're easy to confuse." I turned to Andrea. "What is it the charity does? The displays are all about the need for clean water in third world countries, but I haven't seen how they intend to use your money."
    "No," the man said. "It's a pyramid."
    I looked back at him. Andrea wasn't saying anything. I sighed. "You're partly right. The top is a pyramid. The entire structure is an obelisk." I turned back to Andrea again. "Is there a display that explains how they propose to provide clean water? I'd like to know what they want to do with my money before I give them any."
    "I think I know a pyramid when I see one," he said.
    Andrea still wasn't rescuing me. Fine. I turned back to him. "And people used to think the world was flat, or that leeches were a good health treatment, or that trickle-down economics works."
    I watched him actually puff out his chest.
    I sighed. " Do y ou really want to get beat up by a girl over something so easy to check?" I asked him.
    His friends all said, " oooh " at that comment.
    "I think I know more about, well, everything than Andrea's pudgy assistant," he said. He looked me up and down derisively.
    "Seriously?" I asked him, getting angry. "Fine. Does anyone's smart phone have a signal?"
    Several phones came out. "Mine does," one of the women said.
    I released my arm from Andrea's, opened my purse and pulled out my checkbook. In front of everyone I wrote a check for a thousand dollars and signed it. "I have a check for this charity made out and ready to drop in the obelisk. Where is yours?" I let everyone see the check.
    I watched him reach into his coat pocket, withdraw his money clip, and count out ten one hundred dollar bills. Flashy asshole . I handed my check to Andrea a nd