Chapter 5
5
I shook Kevin’s hand and tried to keep the alarm from my expression as I searched the floor for my missing undergarments. How was I going to explain what they were doing on the floor?
I was briefly too distracted to focus on Kevin, but I’d caught a glimpse of a white guy with a strong chin, blue eyes, and dark hair that was just the slightest bit wavy. He was probably in his late thirties and probably just shy of six feet. That morning, I might’ve described Kevin as extremely attractive, but Mr. Dangerous had redefined my understanding of attraction.
If Kevin was like the soothing glow of a pretty candle, the other guy was like staring into the sun—he was physically uncomfortable to look at because of the involuntary desire he stirred.
“Juliet?”
I glanced back and realized they’d moved to a table and were waiting for me to sit.
“Would either of you like a drink?” I asked, retrieving my martini to give myself one more chance to glance around the room.
Is this even my martini, or is it his?
There was a pause, and then my father said pointedly, “We both have drinks, Juliet.”
I blinked, focusing on the glasses in front of them. I pasted a smile on my face and slid into the waiting seat across the round table from Kevin, which left me facing the bar where we’d just…where he’d just…
My cheeks heated.
After a pause, Kevin sighed heavily. “I thought I was meeting the other one.” He looked around like another woman was going to be brought out. “The model? She’s the one people recognize.”
My father bristled. “The Bryson name is all you need for recognition. Sophia’s married already. Juliet’s just as lovely as her sisters.”
Kevin looked me up and down, then turned back to my father. “So there’s another one? A different one than this one and the model?”
That snapped my focus back to their conversation. “She’s still a child. I’m afraid if the goal is to marry a Bryson, I’m your only option.”
There was a painfully awkward long pause where it seemed like Kevin was contemplating whether I was worth the effort. Then he cleared his throat. “Your father tells me you like art. I’m something of a collector myself,” he said, offering a thread of connection.
I seized it with both hands. “I’m mostly a fan of the old Renaissance masters, but I’m learning to appreciate modern art. What do you collect?”
Had there been a quiz later about his art collection, I would’ve missed every question. His mouth was moving, and words were coming out. I was giving responses that made it seem like I was engaged. But through the entire conversation, my mind was spinning.
Who the fuck just got me off?
I should’ve felt violated, but I’d wanted it, and I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t want more. I felt… awakened . I hadn’t even known what my body was capable of.
“You know, I think I will take that drink now.”
Kevin had spoken, and I nodded knowingly at whatever he’d said.
The words only sunk in when I caught my father’s annoyed expression.
This was a disaster! I couldn’t even act like a competent adult, much less convince this guy he should marry me.
I jumped up from my chair. “A drink. Absolutely. May I fix you a cocktail?”
“I’ll take an old-fashioned,” Kevin said.
I smiled uncertainly, realizing how ridiculous it was for me to offer to make cocktails. I could make a martini and pour a basic mixed drink, but I didn’t even know what kind of liquor went in an old-fashioned. “Unfortunately, that exceeds my bartender knowledge. What if we get you one from the ballroom and then I show you the small gallery on the second floor?”
What if I get you the fuck out of this room before Daddy questions the second martini glass I just noticed on the bar and someone very possibly finds my underwear?
Instead of answering me, Kevin sat back, looking at my father and spreading his hands. “Let’s be frank…she’s lovely, and a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated.”
There was a but coming, so my father interrupted him. “She’s your ticket to the White House, son. A union of powerful families—the sky’s the limit.”
Kevin sighed. “I need a wife who’s going to be an asset and not a liability. Someone demure. She’s your daughter and a Bryson, and I understand the power that brings…but she has a history of scandalous behavior. How can I trust she won’t be an embarrassment?”
Scandalous behavior? He made it sound like I’d been caught hosting a drug-fueled orgy in rehab. The only time I’d ever been caught with a toe out of line was at the club that night, and all I’d been doing was dancing a little provocatively with some guys. It wasn’t like I’d had sex with them in the club for all to see.
Daddy’s mouth lifted into his charming smile. “She’s a spirited girl, but you’ll find you like that in a wife. Her mother was the same way. It was a momentary lapse that taught her she never wants to behave like that again. She’s ready to settle down. Aren’t you, sugar?”
Oh, is the spirited girl allowed to speak now?
I’d been treated like this my whole life. Why was I suddenly mad about it?
Demand more for yourself, Juliet.
I swallowed back a scream because that bastard had somehow become a voice in my head. “Yes, Daddy.” I felt like a child being paraded out to meet the adults and give the requisite answers to inane questions.
My father nodded. “And no matter what assumptions you might’ve made from those pictures, my security can confirm nothing happened. She remains a virgin, something you’d be hard-pressed to find in another bride.”
Kevin stared at me like he was taking another look at a vintage car he might want to buy. “Why don’t you grab me that drink, and I’ll meet you in the ballroom?” He turned back to my father. “There’s actually another piece of business I’d like to discuss with you…”
There was a pause I was all too familiar with. I’d been dismissed, and they were waiting for me to leave.
Another piece of business. That was all I was to him.
I strode from the room and headed back towards the party, hoping to resolve some business of my own. If I didn’t find Mr. Dangerous and make sure he planned to keep his mouth shut about what happened between us, my life would be ruined.