Chapter Seven
Kane
I closed my eyes before walking in front of the full-length mirror at my front door.
With a deep breath, I opened them again and stared at my reflection.
I looked good in my red sequin pants that were tight up top and flared from my knees down.
Pairing them with my white sleeveless satin turtleneck was a great choice.
They were the fanciest and most expensive clothes I owned, but I worried they weren’t right for the party I was going to.
Would they be too much? Not enough? It wasn’t as if I had time to change with Desmond already on his way to pick me up.
He’d insisted on driving me to the party, refusing to tell me the location of it.
Exactly why I worried about what to wear.
If not for Adan artists posting their outfits on social media with captions like Feeling Festive, I would have sat on my bed and stared into my wardrobe until the wolf shifter showed up to get me.
From the back of my entry closet, I pulled out a pair of white strappy sandals that I usually only wore in the summer.
With Desmond driving me, I didn’t have to worry about getting wet or cold feet.
Plus, they were super cozy. He’d said he wanted to dance with me at the party, so comfort was important.
My phone buzzed and I saw a message from him. I’m out front. Do you want me to come up?
Nope. Coming down now, I replied, grabbing my keys and locking the door behind me.
As I made my way down the stairs, my stomach felt heavier.
Nerves left my hands sweating. Choosing an outfit had been hard enough, but I was on my way to see the man I had kissed the last time I’d seen him.
Not just any kiss but one that had made my toes tingle and my cock throb.
The suppressants I took kept me from going into heat, and I thought they were supposed to reduce my sexual desires.
Then I’d felt the push and pull of Desmond’s lips and wondered if the medication worked at all.
It had taken all my willpower the weekend before to walk away from him.
I worried I wouldn’t be able to do so at the end of the night.
Pausing at the bottom of the steps, I took a deep breath.
I was a grown omega who lived on my own and I knew basic self-defense if my date tried anything I wasn’t willing to do.
I also knew to always keep my drink with me and covered.
With Desmond, I hoped I didn’t have to worry about any of that.
All the warnings I’d received from others after my Christmas party had been regarding his father, a man I knew nothing about but had learned he’d served the last ten years in prison.
No one had said anything negative about Desmond though, only assuming he would be like his father.
Still, I’d done my research. For some reason, my date didn’t share the same last name as his father.
There was nothing mentioned about him in any paper or tabloid until after his father had been put in jail.
Plus, Adan Records had long distanced themselves from Conn Adan before Desmond was hired to work there. All that was public record.
I didn’t know Desmond well enough to fully trust him, but I wasn’t going to hold his father’s actions against him. Especially since he’d been a kid at the time.
As I reached for the door handle, I stood on the tips of my toes to peek at my date.
He faced away from me, so I couldn’t see much other than his black suit.
Heading out the door, I nearly tripped before I even reached the first step.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, and his smile made my heart melt.
He looked damn fine with his curls gelled into place and his dapper suit with a button-down shirt the same color as my pants.
Was it Fate? I didn’t like to acknowledge such nonsense, but Desmond had me believing otherwise.
“You look absolutely stunning.” He walked up the stairs to meet me, giving my hand a quick kiss before holding it for support as I carefully stepped down the sidewalk.
As chivalrous as the Saturday before, he held the passenger side of his sports car open for me, ensuring I was inside and comfortable before closing it.
“You’re quite handsome yourself,” I said as he started the engine. It was the first time I’d seen him blush, and it helped reduce some of my anxiety. “So, are you going to tell me where the party is yet?”
“It’s at H?tel Cyclamen.” He pulled out into traffic as my stomach folded into itself.
That was the poshest hotel in the whole city.
One I never imagined going to in my entire life.
I definitely wasn’t dressed up enough. Heck, even with different clothes, I didn’t think I could hide the fact that I didn’t belong there.
“Um, are you sure you want to bring me there?”
“Yep.” He turned left, taking us toward the underground streets I had never been privileged enough to travel on. “If you hadn’t agreed to come with me, I wouldn’t be going.”
“There is no way I could ever afford to go there on my own. No one in my family is the CEO of anything.” Why did he think I was an appropriate date to take there?
He chuckled as he waved his key fob in front of the scanner to allow us access to the underground system. “Look, I grew up on Jackson Street. I was almost an adult when I found out I was related to the Adans.”
He was an Adan, and his choice of wording made me wonder what kept him from acknowledging that. Though it did perhaps explain his involvement with Good Neighbor House.
“No one feels like more of an outsider at work events than me.” He took us deep into the tunnel that was surprisingly well lit.
“I mean, everyone knows Kish’s story, from Jackson Street to runway model, but then they also know about the guy who knocked my mom up.
It doesn’t matter to them who my grandfather is. ”
From the little he’d told me, I sensed his animosity toward his father and his deep love for his mother. It made me want to hug him and run away at the same time. Needing to do something to ease the tension in the vehicle, I rested my hand over his as he gripped the shifter.
“Sorry.” He quickly glanced over at me before he merged onto a main road where we met other traffic. “I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. I only meant that you shouldn’t feel like you don’t belong. My grandparents and those who work with me in admin are looking forward to meeting you.”
Meeting the CEO of Adan Records? His attempt to ease my anxiety only made it worse. At least he hadn’t mentioned meeting any of the artists. I didn’t think I could survive an interaction with any of them, even if my coworkers wanted me to take selfies with as many as possible.
Desmond shifted into a higher gear. “Don’t worry though. They already hold you in high regard since you work for Good Neighbor House. My grandparents believe in the importance of all charities even though they wish we lived in a world where we didn’t need them at all.”
I really didn’t know what to expect the closer we got to the party. Desmond didn’t reveal anything else as he made his way through the roadways until we reached the underground lot of the hotel.
When he helped me out of his car, he pulled me in close to him before smelling me and kissing my neck. “You really do look gorgeous.”
Tingles zinged through my body, making me forget all my worries. I tried to respond, but my tongue felt numb from his intimate contact.
He chuckled, running his thumb along my cheek. “Precious, too. I want to make sure you have a lot of fun tonight.”
As fire raced through my nerves, I expected to spontaneously combust on the spot.
After our first date, I’d checked my suppressants to ensure they hadn’t expired.
There was something about Desmond that heightened all my senses.
I wanted him to kiss me again, yearned to feel his hands across my body.
How could his simple touch elicit such a reaction?
I wasn’t in heat, yet felt helpless to stop the sensual power he had over me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“C’mon, let’s go to the party.” He held out his hand, and I took it, letting him guide me toward the elevator.
On the ride up, my nerves tried to make a comeback, so I imagined Desmond doing all kinds of dirty things to me on the elevator.
When my cock hardened, I realized my mistake.
I didn’t want to meet his family and co-workers with a hard-on.
When the elevator door opened and I saw all the people in the hallway wearing beautiful evening gowns, patchwork tuxes that had to have been designed by the infamous Tati Nan, or outfits covered in shiny sequins, my problem vanished.
These weren’t people I had any business being around.
I stepped back, hoping to blend into the wall of the elevator until the doors closed again, but Desmond wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me toward them.
“You are sweet and absolutely stunning. Everyone is going to love you.”
His words gave me a bit of confidence as we made our way through the crowd, many of the people giving us a brief smile and nod as we passed.
No scoffs or looks of condescension like at my party.
That’s when a new fear took hold. I could scent that most of the people at the party were predator shifters.
So many wolves. Tigers. Lions. Even bears.
My reindeer wanted to flee as I was led farther into the pack.
“Desmond,” someone called from the crowd. “I didn’t think you were coming.”