Chapter 18 Ankle Biter （Brady） #3
Judging by the way she watches the whole exchange from across the room like a jealous cat, Nancy hasn’t figured it out yet. She clings pathetically to her date—some former basketball star who’s all height. New money who hasn’t figured out what to do with it.
I ignore her and turn back to my pitch, vowing we’re on the verge of getting this right the same way I’ve promised a hundred other times.
This might be the first time I’ve believed it, though.
Brian shakes my hand and says he’ll have his people call mine—no empty promise coming from this man.
When we’re done, I get us two glasses of champagne and clink mine against hers.
“Time for a well-deserved break.”
“Oh, thank God. Does that last guy ever blink?” She drops her smile.
“Nah, he sleeps with his eyes open. You’re not a legend without being a little weird,” I say.
She laughs. “My cheeks hurt from smiling. How do you do this for hours at a time?”
“Practice and face massages,” I joke. “The risk of shitty press changes your priorities too.”
“Hmm, I guess. You said we won’t do this much, right? I don’t know if I can keep up.”
“You’re doing amazing. Millstable never bullshits or makes promises he doesn’t mean. I owe you.” When I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer so I can kiss her temple, it’s not because I’m playing make-believe for an ever-present audience.
It’s because I’m fucking grateful.
It’s because I truly respect Lena Joly.
It’s because we both know this is getting out of hand.
Too bad I don’t care.
All I know is when she’s by my side, looking like a goddess striking earth, wowing potential partners without really trying, I’m living shock and awe.
“I need to go to the bathroom and touch up my makeup,” she says.
A caveman part of me wants to follow her into some secluded corner, shove her dress up, and fuck her against the wall.
The bathrooms are perfectly nice here, not grimy or run down.
I’ve had sex in worse places.
But as tempting as it is, we’re not here for that, and the wrong people might notice.
“Come back soon,” I say with a fierce parting kiss.
“I will.” She smiles up at me but only for a second.
Her eyes search mine, and I wonder what she’s hoping to find. How much did that phone stunt disappoint her?
The ring on her finger glitters in the light, a secret mockery only I know as she weaves through the crowd.
Every step she makes is so graceful, winding through people like a bird through branches.
I watch her for too long, trying to push down the unsettling feeling that something is off.
If it’s the phone, we’ll talk about it later.
A hand pulls on my jacket, and I turn around.
“Your mother was right. She’s good for you,” Dad says bluntly, waiting impatiently behind me in his chair with his nurse.
She’s useful. That’s what he really means.
I glare, swallowing the harsh words he deserves.
“I’m surprised it only took one conversation to win you over,” I say.
“There’s something charming about a girl who can hold her own with a crowd like this when she’s a fish out of water. She lacks the pedigree, yet you’d never know it.”
“What can I say? She’s a charmer.”
“She might be your first sensible decision in years, Brady. Perhaps you’re turning a corner.”
My gut churns, hating that I can’t remember the last time I saw him so relaxed.
“Thanks, but don’t get too used to her wasting time at these things. She has better plans. We made an exception for you today.” My shoulders itch, and I roll them under my expensive suit.
I know I should just leave it there. Walk off with my father satisfied and no explosive arguments brewing like thunderheads.
Only, I’ve never been good at accepting easy wins.
“Frankly, I’m surprised that’s all it took. Lena showing a little compassion to a woman you need to deal with. If empathy goes that far, you should try it sometime,” I say quietly.
He chuckles roughly before a cough chokes it off.
“I fully expected to hate your fiancée. However, you know I’ve always had a certain respect for people with talents I lack.” Dad doesn’t look away from the hall where Lena disappeared, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t blow this up like an idiot, boy.”
“Not planning on it. I’m engaged, remember?”
Until the contract ends and we announce a quiet breakup.
Fuck.
For the first time since we showed up, the lying bothers me. It’s harder than I expected with my old man, and not for any of the reasons I would’ve guessed.
I’m not pissed because it’s a big fakeout.
I’m bothered because it isn’t real.
I suck down the last of my champagne and swipe another glass off a passing waiter’s tray, glad that Luis is outside, waiting to drive us home.
“Careful with your thirst. Important people are always watching,” Dad snarls, wagging a finger. “Frederick, let’s go.”
His nurse helps him turn and steer back through the crowd, leaving me to feel the hornets swarming my chest, the anger he’s put there my entire life.
I don’t enjoy the champagne, and I don’t give a shit who’s watching. I pound it back in one swallow.
That’s the real Pruitt brand coming through. Good old-fashioned ice and dysfunction all wrapped up in paper-thin civility.
After I hand my empty glass to a passing waiter, I head off in search of Lena.
She emerges from the bathroom just as I’m approaching, and I hold out my hand.
“Ready to go? Our work here is done.”
“Oh, already? I thought we’d have to put in another hour or two.”
“We’ve been here long enough, and the mood has peaked. It won’t get any better. Trust me.”
She eyes me uncertainly, leaning in like she can smell the champagne on my breath. “Are you okay? You smell a little tipsy.”
“We’ll have Luis drive.”
“He’s here? But you drove us.”
“You think he’s earned a night off?”
“You’re right. How stupid. Where would you be without him bailing you out?” She laughs and slides her hand through my arm, but even though we’re back to how we were before, it doesn’t feel quite the same.
Something feels flat.
Like she’s pretending and not just because we’re still in public.
Goddamn, I hate this feelings shit.
“If I’m being honest, I’ve had enough,” I say as we reenter the ballroom. “I’ve donated six figures, spoken to everyone who matters, let the cameras flash, and now, I want you to myself.”
“Queenie might have something to say about that.” She smiles, and this time it doesn’t look so forced.
“We’ll swing by and grab her on the way home, if you don’t mind some dog hair on that pretty dress.”
“Nope.” She glances up at me, then away. Too quick for me to read her expression. “The sooner, the better. I can’t wait to pry off these shoes.”
“I can’t wait to see them on the floor.”
She smiles, but just like before, the expression shutters. Wiped clean.
Only for a second, but it’s enough to make me ready to leave this circus of posers behind. I grab her hand and practically tow her to the door, firing off a quick text to Luis on the way.
We’re not even the first people leaving, judging by how the crowd has thinned out. I make sure to give Lena a wolfish look as we make our exit.
That part’s too easy.
What’s hard is up ahead—the evening I want with her that I’m afraid I don’t deserve.
The one where I watch as she takes off that almost-invisible makeup. The moment where I unzip her dress, throw her on the bed, and fuck her into a sex hangover where we have just enough energy left for takeout.
It’s not lust stabbing through me but this weird longing.
Luis lingers by the door, his eyes alert. He nods when he sees me.
“Car’s pulled up right outside,” he says, holding my eyes. I slide free of Lena, leaning closer so I can hear him. “Not to worry you, but I saw Miss Loomer talking with Harry Jay’s rep while you were with your father.”
“What the fuck?” I draw back.
“Probably nothing. You know she’s a social butterfly. Still, on the off chance they’ve made any contacts—something to keep an eye on.”
No denying that. It confirms the ominous feeling that’s been stalking me all evening.
This doesn’t bode well.
“Just stay on high alert. I don’t want any surprises,” I growl.
“On it.” He sighs. “This is the kind of shit that can come back to bite you in the ass, boss man.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” I glance at Lena, who’s smiling at the hotel valet as they help her into the back seat of my SUV.
“He knows you’re onto him,” Luis says quietly.
“I’m sure he figured that out when I chucked him off Lena’s porch.”
“Be careful.” Luis’s dark eyes flare. “Your parents will never shut up if there’s a police report.”
“Then we’d better neutralize this asshole faster.” I pat his arm. “Take us home.”
As I slide in next to Lena, I feel a persistent set of eyes that make me whip my face toward the window.
Nancy, scowling, standing alone on the curb.
With her purse held too high against her chest, she locks eyes with me and extends her middle finger, flicking at the strap pointedly.
She’s like a dog with a bone. An obnoxious little ankle biter.
With Lena next to me and too much trouble in the air, I can’t even react to her jealous teeth mangling my life.