money can buy happiness

Santana couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when Hunter mentioned how close he was to Sebastian. He’d definitely be her friend’s type — handsome, rich, and incredibly charming — so she wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t corrected himself. Even if he himself hadn’t been interested, Sebastian had a way of talking himself up and convincing someone that his point of view was the correct one. It was how he’d suckered her into accompanying him, though the promises of designer clothing, five-star dinners, and “business trips” weren’t really anything that would deter her. “Thank God,” she responded happily. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s great and all, but I think if I had to talk him up to one more person, his ego would inflate to a point where it would explode.”

Then again, she couldn’t really talk. The compliments she was showered in as soon as she walked into a function with Sebastian were feeding her own, so to talk down an egotistical person would make her hypocritical. It was easy to see why he’d sought her out as his companion; not only was she incredibly gorgeous — it wasn’t being conceited, it was just pointing out a fact — but it was rather easy for her to act the part. People flocked to her, and by extentsion him, which made it that much easier for him to make connections or close a deal he’d come to propose. They both benefited from the arrangement, which was why she supposed it had gone on for so long. “Can you imagine the tabloid stories that would come from that? Absolutely scandalous. I would say I’d love it, but that would make me sound slightly too mean for my taste.” Such a lie. Santana was mean and she knew it. And she loved it.

“If I had to take a guess, I’d say he was either pawning me off so he could pursue someone, or his cover of ‘having a very important business meeting’ was actually true. Though, knowing him, I’m leaning towards the former,” she admitted with a grin. She couldn’t even be mad; it wasn’t like she’d end the night lonely, especially since he’d taken the steps to introduce her to Hunter. Usually, she’d just ensnare whatever businessman happened to catch her eye and have him bringing her champagne until Sebastian sent a car for her, but this was definitely an upgrade from how she usually spent her time. “No, I’m certainly not either of those things, so I’d be delighted to enjoy the night with you.”

“Knowing him as well as I do, I have to agree with you that the former sounds more like Sebastian this evening. I suppose so long as he’s happy and not actually upsetting anyone though, one can’t really fault him for doing what he does without the public’s eye. It’s not as if his lifestyle has been accepted yet and surely no one would expect him to simply not have a life because others are ghastly ignorant?” Hunter found himself feeling a little more grateful towards Sebastian with every passing minute that he spent with Santana. Many times friends had tried to set him up, claiming that he seemed far too lonely or that single people had worse lives, but none had done as well as Sebastian in that evening. Santana was a sight to see and then some from what he had learned and Hunter certainly planned to learn more.

“Well then, if you are going to stay in my company I should start acting like a gentleman and lead you somewhere less crowded.” Offering up his arm to the young man, Hunter glanced towards the exit leading out towards the balcony. Just as he had expected, it didn’t seem as though anyone was out there this evening. Many thought it was far too cold to be standing outside, but Hunter had never been one to shy away from a little fresh air. “If you would like, the view from here is absolutely lovely. It’s something I never miss each time I visit. If you have yet to see it, I would love to take you out there.”

There were plenty of things Hunter would have liked to do with Santana as his company, but it was all in good time. After all, he was still a gentleman and never rushed anything despite what some of his rivals enjoyed spreading. Hunter had a level of class that he stuck by and that included actually charming Santana first and foremost. There was also the knowledge that if she was friends with Sebastian, Santana wouldn’t be the type to take anything half-done and that included set ups with businessmen. “You know, it would be a shame to let this evening end with a simple goodbye. As much as I appreciate Sebastian, I don’t wish to go through him to have contact with a woman. Perhaps we could meet again for dinner sometime?”

“It’s the Latina in me, it tends to keep us young. That is, until I really start getting up there, then it’ll be like I’ve stepped right from sixty to a hundred,” she replied with ease, laughing it off like it was nothing. Thankfully, she had a long time before she had to worry about it happening, as most of the women in her family hadn’t even started to show any signs of aging until the upper forties. And even then, with the money she was making now and the salary she’d be earning once she graduated school, it wasn’t like she’d have any trouble staying young forever. “Only a semester early, actually, so I’ll be finished in the winter instead of in the spring. The sooner I can go home to Miami and not have to deal with this dreadful cold, the better!”

As he led her away, she laughed again, playing right into his hands so they looked just like a young couple flirting. It tended to make the young men in business seem a little more experienced and worth listening to to the older gentlemen if they had a pretty girl on their arm, and this one was so charming that she didn’t mind giving him a little shove as well as Sebastian. Though she’d shown up with him, it was wellknown that women in the richer circle that ran these events didn’t stay with one man unless they were married, and sometimes not even then. “Oh, you’re too kind. It’s Zuhair Murad, actually. Lebanese, and not as well known as Dior or Armani, but one thing I can’t say about Sebastian is that he has bad taste.”

The fact that Sebastian had told this boy about his sexual preferences made Santana a little bit suspicious; Sebastian didn’t usually reveal himself unless he was trying to hit on someone or he really needed a favor, as was the case with the two of them. Begging her to come to the event and pretend she was at least somewhat interested in him hadn’t been something that had sounded appealing to her — sure, they were acquaintances from class, but they didn’t know each other well until he’d started dragging her along — but after he’d explained himself and proposed the arrangement, there wasn’t much she could do but accept. At first, she’d been considering just blackmailing him for the material goods and the money she was bringing in from doing the gig, but it wasn’t like it was too much of a big deal to go along, and maybe she’d even meet someone along the way that she could squeeze even more out of.

“Oh, so you’ve known, then? Wonderful, then I won’t have to keep up the charade of us being ‘ever so’ in love,” she joked with him, happy she’d found someone that Sebastian actually trusted in the sea of people he surely didn’t.

“Yes, well Sebastian and I are very close.” Hunter felt a fluster coming up to his cheeks then as he realized what exactly that had to sound like given the topic they were discussing. “Not in that way. He and I have never been romantically involved. We’ve simply been friends for a good while. Sebastian might be one of the few people in this room that I actually consider such a friend to trust and I appreciate that he chooses to trust me as well.” A chuckle left him as Hunter nodded as if replying to something internally occurring to him. “No, you don’t have to act as if you are still desperately in love with him when it’s just the two of us. I’m certain he’s off somewhere romancing an unsuspecting young man who has no idea who Sebastian really is.”

Though it was an odd attribute to admire, Hunter had always love the almost skillful predatory way Sebastian went about business meetings like this. The young man had always been able to pick out exactly who he wanted and by the end of the night, had them practically in his palm. “I must admit, I always wait for the day where he seduces one of the businessmen’s sons in a closet or something. That would make for an excellent story, but if he’s done it yet Sebastian has not shared such with me.”

Suddenly Hunter’s attention was back focused on Santana as his shoulders squared a little more and his back straightened with a sudden seriousness. “I do wonder why exactly it was that he chose to introduce us though. Usually when one of his undergraduate friends wants to meet me, it’s because they have some terrible idea that they’re certain will become the next sweep of the nation. Either that or they think they’re ready to enter the business world and Sebastian brings them to me to quickly break that out of them. You don’t seem the type to even come up with any stupid ideas nor do you seem the type that would break as easily from any of my reprimands. Which brings me to believe that Sebastian brought you over to meet me simply because he believes we would enjoy each other’s company. It would be a shame to disappoint him on that front, I do believe.”

If Sebastian ever somehow found out that she’d thought it, she’d deny it until her dying breath, but she couldn’t help but think that she’d traded up for the night. He was definitely not an unsuitable date, but she wasn’t exactly his type, or, that was to say, she didn’t have the right equipment, so to speak, and spending her time acting as into someone as she was required to was a lot less exhausting when she actually had a chance at getting something else out of it. Hunter wasn’t a sure thing or anything, but the way his eyes were raking over her told her he wasn’t exactly turned off by her, and that she could work with.

It was part of why she always accompanied him to these kinds of things. Whether he really did have a legitimate business meeting — which this had better be, considering he always told her otherwise so she’d know how long to wait — or he was meeting up with someone his parents certainly wouldn’t approve of, she was always his go-to choice, both because she wasn’t as boring and vapid as any of his other candidates and because she wouldn’t immediately go ratting him out for his sexual indiscretions to his parents in the hopes of getting compensation for it. It had happened once, with one of his other dates, and he’d managed to convince his parents she was lying and just an undesirable, so he was extra careful about only bringing her now. Most people thought they were in a relationship, but Santana always played coy if confronted, not giving a straight answer by any means.

Hey, if he wanted to stay in the closet forever, she’d be happy to help him. The benefits she was reaping in return were more than enough to keep her quiet.

“Oh, I assure you, I’m not settling, quite the opposite,” she responded. “If you see it fit, I’ll join you in a course around, though I also wouldn’t mind spending my evening in such pleasant company.” It was so easy to play this game, though Santana couldn’t help but laugh at herself in her head. If she talked like this back home, she’d end up getting the uppity attitude smacked out of her. “They’re going along. I’m sure you understand, very much the usual. I’ll be working on my thesis this semester, actually. I may not look it, but I’ll be graduating within the year.”

“I’m flattered you think so, actually. Though I assure you, I won’t let Sebastian know you said such a thing. He gets his feelings and ego crushed so easily nowadays and I would hate for you to have to witness the backlash of that.” Of course, Hunter was simply teasing as he smiled brightly at Santana. Though they weren’t exactly on the same age level, Sebastian had proven to be a good friend and he was a young man who Hunter admired greatly.

“Within a year? Goodness, you don’t look as though you were that close to graduation at all. I feel the need to ask if you’re graduating early since that has to be the only reason you could be so far along in your studies and yet look as youthful as you do.” Again Hunter’s eyes took in every dip and stretch of fabric that Santana’s dress showed. The fabric hugged her curves in just the right way and it pleased Hunter to mentally acknowledge that Santana knew exactly how to wear a dress. There had been so many times before that a woman didn’t get the right size, cut, or fabric to conform to her body and really show off what she was working with, but Santana didn’t seem to have that problem in the slightest.

“That really is a gorgeous dress. You’ll have to let me know where you got it from. Such work like that, surely I can get in on some investments if the quality of their work always looks that beautiful.” Hunter led the young woman away just enough that they were out of earshot from many other nosy, at least as Hunter perceived them, guests. “I am actually disappointed that I have yet to see you at a party like this before, Ms. Lopez. I knew Sebastian enjoyed bringing beards in with him, but I never knew exactly where he was inviting them.” Though different in age, Sebastian and Hunter had been friends for a while then and with that friendship came some ill-swamped secrets shared over a few glasses of steak and whiskey. Then again, Hunter couldn’t imagine even for a moment not knowing that Sebastian was queer even if he hadn’t spoken to the young man on several occasions.

“I must give it to him, when Sebastian chooses a girl to be on his arms, he certainly does not hide from beauty. I’m almost disappointed that he doesn’t realize what a treasure he really had  in his company this evening.”

Fitting in to the crowd, or at least seeming to, was something Santana had studied before attempting nearly to the point of training herself, having Sebastian quiz her and throw all kinds of situations at her before she’d agreed to accompany him everywhere. If she was going to play the part, she wasn’t going to half-ass it; she didn’t half-ass anything, and something that could really give her a leg up in the world was no exception. Even if her appearances only made her personal connections, those would go far and on occasion even further than professional ones, and she’d have fun while doing it. Not to mention, the material benefits she’d reaped were more than worth it, even without all of the other pluses.

High on the list of benefits, though, was her conversation with Hunter. Most of the people Sebastian foisted her off on couldn’t handle a conversation beyond complimenting her appearance or bragging about how much money they made, and though he’d done the first and could do the second without even speaking, Santana found herself actually interested. This was one that she didn’t have to force, didn’t have to just smile and laugh and act like a Barbie doll, and she was enjoying it a lot more than she thought she would.

“Oh, all I’ve got is time tonight,” she responded coyly, though it did hold some truth. Sebastian was expecting to be in negotiations with a friend of his father late into the night, and she’d be enjoying the party until he’d either finished or sent a car to take her home. “My family, mainly, though not in a traditional sense, I suppose. They haven’t exactly pressured me, but going along a reputable course was definitely in the cards from the start, so to speak.”

More like ‘my parents raised me in a neighborhood of criminals and I want to make sure the stuff that happened to us doesn’t happen to someone else’, but it wasn’t like she could actually say that.

“Well I’m glad that you’re here regardless of how you got into the program. The city begs for smart individuals looking to make a difference and you seem the kind to do exactly that.” Hunter smiled softly as his shoulders relaxed a little more. Normally these sort of events were a kind of stress for him and though Hunter didn’t usually enjoy the randoms Sebastian introduced him to, Hunter found himself actually enjoying Santana’s company in light of a boring party. “In that sort of a program, this is actually a good place to mingle. Not everyone here is purely a business man. There are a few lawyers mixed in here and even a judge or two. If you would like, I wouldn’t mind taking you around and introducing you to a few?”

Though Hunter wouldn’t blame her if she declined, a part of him silently hoped that Santana would choose to stay in his company if only so it meant he wouldn’t have to truly mingle with anyone else. There was also the fact that Santana was easy on his eyes, though Hunter mentally chastised himself for just the thought. If she was in the same class as Sebastian then she was obviously too young to be hosting such inappropriate thoughts. Sebastian wouldn’t have bothered introducing her unless she was legal, but legal age did not meant it was appropriate to pursue.

“Smythe might be busy the entire evening and I would hate to make you engage in this event alone. Do you think, instead of Sebastian, you could settle for a more modest escort such as myself?” Offering his arm to the girl, Hunter noticed the first person he figured Santana would benefit from meeting. “So how are you classes going this semester?”

Well, this wouldn’t be too bad. When Sebastian had said he had a family friend he wanted her to help him entertain, she’d pictured an old washed-up millionaire or the dorky son that had never really managed to brush up on his game. Needless to say, she was more than proved wrong, and as she eyed him over before settling into their conversation, she couldn’t help but notice he was exactly her type. Fit, handsome, and rich… She really couldn’t ask for more. “Oh, not at all, it isn’t any trouble,” she responded smoothly. “Matter of fact, I’d consider it my pleasure.”

It was so easy to act like she was cut from the same cloth as these people. Pleasantries and oozing sexuality, that was all she needed to schmooze her way in. That, and a lot of alcohol, which she was thankful was readily available to everyone around her. That made it a lot easier to recover if she slipped up, especially since she kept relatively sober in order to keep her words in order. But then again, he was offering, and it would be rude to turn down an offer. Especially one of a free drink.

“Oh, just champagne would be great, thank you,” she told to the bartender when he came over, thankful that it was an open bar type of event and she wouldn’t have to fork over any cash. She never even brought her wallet to places like this; whenever she needed anything, Sebastian was more than happy to cover the charge in exchange for her accompanying him. Being friends with that weasel had really come in handy.

“Yes, we met in a political law class, actually. Fascinating subject, though I tend to focus more on the corporate side of things,” she told him truthfully, that being one thing that she didn’t have to embellish. Her school career was actually impressive for what she’d manage to wrangle, and it was something that she could use to her advantage when talking to people that knew of things she’d never know.

“Political law huh? I didn’t realize Sebastian had finally caved and enrolled in the program his father wished of him. That is an impressive course though, even if I will admit myself that corporate can be far more entertaining.” That had always been Hunter’s forte – corporate related and business focused classes that helped form him into the investing businessman he had become. “You know, if you have a bit of time to humor a guy, I could easily talk to you about some of the business law and corporate litigation classes that are available as you get further along your education. I could also tell you about some amazing internships that I think you would really enjoy if you like the corporate field.”

It wasn’t as if Hunter was lacking for company – especially in a room this size with so many people who would have enjoyed having his ear – but still he found himself focused on Santana hoping she would humor him with a conversation. Of all the people Sebastian pushed to introduce him to, she was by far the most attractive and seemingly interesting. Far too many times Sebastian had pushed until Hunter agreed to meet his undergraduate friend only for it to turn into a disaster once Hunter found them boring and immature.

That vibe didn’t come from Santana as once again he observed the girl. There was an air about her and while she might not completely fit in this crowd, she was going to fight and push until she appeared to blend in perfectly. The way she spoke was also an attraction. She might not have been of the family degree that Sebastian was, but she had certainly taught herself plenty. Even Hunter could see that as he tilted his glass to take a small sip of champagne. “What got you into this sort of study in the first place, if I might ask?”

These things were never really Santana’s forte, but Sebastian had been adamant that she show up and be a little bit of eye candy for him and an associate of his family’s. Truthfully, she barely knew how to handle herself around all of the rich types he introduced her to, but she’d soon figured out it was little more than looking pretty and being polite, and that much she could fake for a few hours. They wouldn’t ever meet her outside of things that Sebastian dragged her to anyway, so she could say anything and they’d believe it. Either that, or they just didn’t really care if it was true or not. This world was kind of a mystery to her still.

Why he hadn’t come and picked her up like usual was beyond her, but she couldn’t even be angry considering he sent a car for her, just as nice as the ones he always drove her in. That was one of the perks of cozying up to him; they’d become good friends before she’d even known who he was, though she had a feeling due to the designer threads he was always decked out in and the fact that he didn’t pay his own tuition. Money didn’t really matter to Santana, though she was struggling, she wasn’t about to exploit one of her friends, though he was constantly trying to hook her up with one of his friends to help her pay her tuition.

He’d left instructions with her on who to talk to, what to say, and where to go, so she followed them to a tee like she always did and smoothed her way through the crowd. He’d gifted her with things to wear so she wouldn’t look out of place, and she was dressed to the nines in a burgundy dress and black heels, colors that he constantly had her wear as they ‘enhanced her features’ or so someone had said when he’d taken her to get outfitted. None of that talk ever made sense to her, but she’d let him do his thing; the dress was gorgeous and she sure wasn’t going to say no if someone was going to get her something that probably cost more than her parents’ house.

“Sebastian, so wonderful to see you,” she greeted him with the double cheek kiss move that she’d been taught to use so often, though she stayed close to his ear to whisper into it: “I swear to god, if you ever make me battle the crowd by myself again, I don’t care what kind of connections you have, I’ve got deadlier ones.”

“Oh, and you must be Hunter. Santana Lopez, lovely to make your acquaintance.”

“So I take it Sebastian has told you something about me? Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lopez. My apologies, it seems Sebastian can’t manage to keep his mouth shut and his nose to himself.” Hunter shot the other male a pointed look before his attention as back on Santana. While he disapproved of Sebastian getting involved with anything when it came to Hunter’s personal life, he did have to admit that the boy had great taste. From head to toe the girl before him looked amazing – hardly like any of the girls Hunter had seen roaming round campus during his welcome to the campus during a lecture series.

He could see Sebastian’s eager expressions off to the side and had to stop himself from just rolling his eyes. Of course Sebastian couldn’t take a hint and just not get involved; if that were the case then he simply wouldn’t be Sebastian. “I’m sorry that he probably put you up to this. Let me get you a drink and then we can figure out a way which I can make this up to you.” Perhaps he was flirting a little bit, but Sebastian had been the original one at fault for getting involved in the first place. Just because Hunter didn’t actually agree to his friend’s actions, that was no reason as to why he couldn’t just harmlessly flirt and see how it was received.

While approaching the bar, Hunter quickly turned back towards Santana. “What is it that you would like to drink?” Again he shot Sebastian a look that clearly told him to get away, though Hunter wouldn’t leave anything to looks. “Sebastian, I believe the financing director was looking for you earlier. If I were you, I wouldn’t keep her searching much longer unless you want to never hear the end of it.” Once they were alone, Hunter put his own order in for the bartender and again turned his attention towards Santana. “Do you know Sebastian from the college as well?”