Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I’d been to the museum, but never for a private event. If the red carpeted stairs were any indication of the event’s caliber, I knew this wasn’t an ordinary business gathering.
“This is for old money, isn’t it?” I asked Konni softly.
“If I say yes, will I need to annoy you by carrying you inside anyway?”
“No, but I’m no longer feeling guilty about this dress or the next one commissioned on your dime.”
“Good.” He took my hand and wrapped it around his arm as we climbed the stairs.
This time, I didn’t try pulling away. If Lianna were here with him, she would have taken his arm without invitation and not batted an eye.
People arriving watched us. It didn’t bother me since I was quietly watching everyone else, too.
Mostly the dresses. Some I recognized due to my obsession with designers.
But some were unknown to me and insanely pretty.
I wondered if I could sneak pictures so Miranda could help me figure out the designers.
Inside, elegantly hand-painted folding partitions depicting scenes from old Motan divided the event’s reception area from the rest of the museum. The large space allowed everyone to mingle comfortably.
“Wine?” a waiter offered.
“Thank you,” I said, choosing a white wine I had no intention of drinking. It was noon, and I had a mom to question after this. However, I knew an empty hand wouldn’t look right here.
“No, thank you,” Konni said, sending the waiter away.
He looked at me. “Ready?”
I nodded.
The next hour was filled with introductions and small talk. Konni seemed to know everyone. Or maybe everyone simply knew him, which made me a curiosity.
He introduced me as Ms. Elmantas, without explaining our association, keeping in line with my wish to remain unofficial.
I didn’t realize how badly that was going to bite me in the ass until I went to the ladies' room.
“Did you see the woman with Drokonnen Steele?” a woman asked before I left my stall.
“I did. Her dress had to cost him a fortune. I wonder what she did to earn it.”
“Nothing,” I said as I walked out. “Because he didn’t buy it for me. My mother bought this dress for me. Isn’t that why you're here, too? You have money, thanks to the generations that came before you, rather than your own efforts. Or am I wrong? Do you work somewhere?”
Their shocked silence was answer enough. So I washed my hands, fixed my lipstick, and left.
Konni handed me my wine. “You look angry again.”
“Annoyed.”
“Who?” he asked, his gaze darkening as it swept the room.
“Just some women who needed to hear that my mother bought this dress and not you.”
He masked his annoyance as he continued to scan the room, then suddenly looked at me again.
“Your father just saw me. Do you want to avoid him?”
“Are you offering to take one for the team?” I asked.
“Are we a team?”
“We are if you can deflect my father while I go find somewhere else to be.”
He smiled. “Make sure you stay in sight.”
I nodded and left him to browse the canapés and other hors d’oeuvres set out. The caviar didn’t call to me, but the bacon-wrapped date looked interesting. I tried it and hummed my appreciation.
“Aren’t you here to assist Mr. Steele?” a familiar voice asked beside me.
I looked at Lianna as I reached for a toasted square of bread with melted cheese and jam.
“You’re very worried about my place next to him, Lianna. Is it jealousy or something else?”
“It’s Ms. Stonestock,” she said coldly.
“If you can’t bother to respect professional boundaries, why should I?” I popped the appetizer into my mouth and hummed again. “He’s going to like the jam.”
“Fine. You want to drop the politeness, then I’ll oblige. You’re nothing, just like your social climbing father, and once Drake sees your true colors, you’ll be back where you belong, in the gutters, looking for your next sugar daddy.”
I grinned. “Is this because my marketing plan was better than anything your team could come up with? I bet that really stung, didn’t it?”
A flush started at the base of her neck and crept up. Before I could feel triumphant, though, I saw a familiar, non-human light enter her gaze.
If she lunged for my throat like she clearly wanted to, would Konni hear my scream and reach me in time? More importantly, did I really want to find out?
She turned suddenly and strode away.
Exhaling in relief, I tried another canapé.
“Ms. Elmantas,” Mr. Pennly said as he approached. “It’s good to see you again. Are you here with Mr. Steele?”
“I am,” I said.
“Excellent. While he’s speaking to your father, I’d like to discuss the Riverfront project with you.”
“Of course. I sent the 3D models you requested to your office an hour ago.”
He smiled. “I saw them and the new market analysis estimate and decided to move forward with your proposal. But I need a little help conveying that vision to a new investor who can help fund those higher-level finishes.”
“If we cut the number of rooms, we can do the suggested finishes within your current budget,” I said, not sure why he needed another investor.
“Actually, I would like to keep the room count the same as what we initially agreed to. You’re right about adding more, though. It would feel too crowded. I would be in your debt if you spoke with the new investor with me. He’s just over here.”
He indicated the back of the room near the partition painted to show the riverfront before it was developed. A younger man in a tailored suit was talking and laughing with a woman in a deep red formal gown.
Convincing an investor wasn’t inside the scope of my job. However, if I managed it, it would be a feather in my hat and a debt I could call on later if needed.
“I’m willing to answer any questions he might have about the project,” I said.
We had to pause our progress across the room a few times so Mr. Pennly could say hello to people, but we finally reached the couple.
“This must be the lovely, Ms. Elmantas,” the man said.
“It is. Ms. Elmantas, this is Edward Glibs. He’s interested in investing in the Riverfront project after seeing the latest rendering.”
“Excuse us,” Edward said to his companion.
She nodded and drifted away.
“Since the project isn’t yet finalized, it would be better to discuss the details in the privacy of the sitting room,” Edward said. “Plus, I would rather not make my contribution public.”
“Of course,” Pennly said quickly.
Edward turned and walked around the screen. Pennly indicated I should follow.
I glanced back at Konni. Several people were surrounding him now, and my father was trying hard to stick close.
Konni’s gaze met mine, and I pointed to Pennly and the screen.
When his attention returned to the group around him, I took that as permission and walked around the partition. The open door halfway down the corridor led to a tastefully decorated sitting room.
Edward was already sitting on the sofa, pouring himself a drink from the decanter on the table.
“Would you care for some?” he asked.
“No, thank you.”
“Pennly?”
“Please,” Pennly said.
Edward stood to pass Pennly the glass, stumbled, and spilled the drink on my skirt. I swore under my breath and shook out the material as he hurriedly set down the glass.
“Pennly, find a towel. A white one. Hurry.”
The door closed.
My thoughts were on the fortune I’d spent and not the stranger alone with me until his hands settled on my shoulders.
I jerked my head up and stared at him for a stunned second. That was all it took for him to close the distance between us. I turned my head at the last second. His lips landed on my neck.
Disbelief turned to anger.
“Get off of me!” I shoved at his chest.
His fingers dug into my shoulders as he chuckled against my skin.
“Don’t worry. I can reimburse you for the dress and your time.”
His tongue wet my neck, and a switch flipped inside of me.
The feral woman who refused to let any man take what he thought he was entitled to came out.
I turned my head and bit the fucker’s ear. The taste of copper hit my tongue.
He howled in pain, jerked back—almost losing part of his ear in the process—and slapped me across the face. The sting of it didn’t rob me of my anger. It added to it. I spat his blood into his face and, while he was trying to wipe it away, kneed him between the legs.
He went down with a grunt at the same time the door banged open behind me.
A savage growl filled the space, and I turned to look at Konni. His gaze swept over me, lingering on my cheek.
The air around him shimmered. His pupils were thin, vertical slits in seas of gold. Iridescent scales shimmered in and out of focus on the backs of his hands as he stalked forward and reached for the front of Edward’s shirt.
He punched the man too hard. Something crunched.
Understanding the danger, I hurried toward him.
“Konni, don’t.”
He growled.
“Drokonnen Luka Steele, stop this instant.”
He jerked as if I’d hit him and looked at me. His eyes were still full of dragon rage as they swept to my mouth.
“You bit him,” he said roughly.
I quickly rinsed my mouth with the remains of Pennly’s abandoned drink, spitting it back into the cup rather than swallowing anything of Edward. Then I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth.
“There. His grossness is gone now.”
“You bit him, but not me,” Konni clarified, his voice carrying hurt.
I’d forgotten about the dragon biting thing and almost rolled my eyes. The growing number of voices in the hallway kept me focused, though.
“Drop him, Konni.”
His fist tightened on the unconscious man’s shirt.
I heard Pennly’s raised voice outside the door, doing his best to keep people out, and I knew we were running out of time.
Capturing Konni’s face between my hands, I brought my forehead to his.
“Please remember where we are. You might not be worried about facing everyone, but I am.”
He dropped Edward and straightened to hug me.
Pennly lost the fight then, and the door swept open—while I was wrapped up in Konni’s arms and he was kissing the top of my head.
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