Peyton Stafford

“Tom Arnold is already waiting at the bar when I arrive, and Vanessa purrs loudly when she spots him. I ignore the slut and stand next to him, waiting for him to notice me, bopping my head slightly to Andy Williams singing Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. At last, he turns and smiles at me.
“Pip! You look lovely,” he tells me with an appreciative glance. I simper.
“So do you,” I tell him, attempting to bat my eyelids like Vanessa would.
“Have you got something in your eye?” he frowns.
“Contact lens is playing up,” I mutter.
“I didn’t know you wore contacts,” he says in surprise.
“All the better to see you with, my dear,” I respond in a deep voice, and he gives me a strange look.
I clear my throat. “It’s a free bar tonight, isn’t it?”
― Claire Gallagher, The Strange Imagination of Pippa Clayton