Chapter Twenty-One
Romy
A man with familiar blue eyes walks over to me wearing a practiced smile. There’s something about him I think I’ve seen before. Is he another actor? I can’t believe James freaking Clayton just hit on me. The blush on my cheeks still burns hot.
“My,” the new man says, eyes twinkling, “you are quite popular around here.”
“People always want what they can’t have,” I say with a polite smile. “My boyfriend’s around here. I think they can sense it.”
He laughs. “Any chance I can take his place? Tell me that was a smoother pickup line than vampire boy’s.”
I can’t help but burst out laughing at his summation of James Clayton. He was the lead in a seven-season show on HBO called Blood Boys of Boston . When he started, he played a high school athlete who has a run-in with a vampire, gets turned by said vampire, and then goes on to be the school’s star player with his new abilities. He gets this bright idea to turn his entire team into vampires, but he was the original vampire boy. It was a steamy, bloody, addictive show and I wasn’t the only girl with a crush on him. Half of the world, based on his TikTok following, was in love with him. Probably still is.
“I’ll admit,” I say with a real grin. “Your conversation skills are already leaps and bounds above his. I’m Romy.”
He shakes my hand. “Doc Junior.”
“Doc Junior? That’s not really your name.”
“Not legally, no,” he says with a wicked grin, “but it’s what I answer to.”
Another man comes to stand beside Doc Junior and playfully tries to mess up his friend’s golden, gelled hair. “I can confirm everyone at the facility calls him that. He’s a real doctor too, not just some actor on TV.”
“This guy,” Doc Junior says, “is Dr. Portman.”
Dr. Portman is about the same age, height, and build of Doc Junior. That’s where the similarities end. Dr. Portman has auburn hair and a bit of a scruffy beard that hides what must be an uncountable amount of freckles.
“Doctors. How respectable.”
Doc Junior elbows his friend. “Hear that? We’re respectable .”
“Since when?” Dr. Portman tosses back with a laugh.
Both men stiffen and their amusement fades. When a shadow looms over me from behind, I know who it is without needing to see him. His delicious scent always gives him away. Caius hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me to him in an obvious show of possession. A thrill of heat shoots through me. I may not have wanted to run off to the bathroom with vampire boy, but I wouldn’t think twice about taking that trip with the frosty man behind me.
“You look familiar,” Caius says to Doc Junior. “Why?”
If Doc Junior is annoyed, he doesn’t let on. “Oh, come on. Don’t play coy, man.”
Caius is as serious as they come. He’s certainly not playing with this guy.
“Wow. Maybe brush up with Google next time you go to an event.” Doc Junior gestures over the crowd in a direction we haven’t ventured yet. “Prez is my dad.”
“Dr. Alexander Huxley Jr.,” Dr. Portman offers, hooking a thumb Doc Junior’s way. “To avoid confusion, everyone calls him Doc Junior.”
Oh.
I can tell Caius is equally thrown off because he doesn’t have anything to say to that. Theo materializes close by, his loyalty to his brother shining brightly. Kaitlyn is beside Orion, holding his hand and pointing at all the pretty women and their dresses. At least she’s out of the line of fire in case Caius decides to whip his cock out and piss all over me in front of these guys.
“Sorry if we were rude,” I say to Doc Junior. “We didn’t know.”
Doc Junior grins. “Nah, forget about it. We’re more of the behind-the-scenes kind of guys. Dad’s the one who likes the spotlight.”
“Caius Crowne,” Caius says, finally extending his hand to shake. “This is my girlfriend, Romy Langston.”
Both men shake hands with Caius, but rather than being intimidated by our well-known family names, they don’t appear to be surprised by that information.
“Unlike you,” Doc Junior says, wagging a finger dangerously close to Caius’s nose, “we did our homework. We know who you are.”
Caius is tense and his fingers bite into my waist. I can tell he’s unnerved by these guys, but I’m not feeling any weird vibes. They’re friendly enough. And while Doc Junior playfully hit on me, I don’t think he was being serious. His friend, however, keeps sneaking peeks at me. While it’s flattering, I wish he’d cut it out. Caius doesn’t play nicely with others.
“We should get going anyway,” Doc Junior says. “Dad wants us close by when he makes his speech in a bit. I just couldn’t help meeting the prettiest girl in the room.”
I laugh at his silliness and nudge Caius with my elbow in hopes he’ll calm down.
“Save me a dance later,” Dr. Portman says, wagging his auburn eyebrows at me. “I might be able to sweep you right off your feet before the scary guy notices.”
The scary guy in question huffs in frustration.
“Bye,” I say in exaggeration, unable to stop grinning.
When they’re gone, I turn into Caius’s arms. His icy gaze melts as his eyes drink in my features.
“There’s the man I like.” I stand on my toes to plant a quick kiss on his lips. “While most women might like when their man goes all feral, I prefer you all buttoned up and behaving.”
His hands grab my ass and he squeezes. “I definitely don’t feel like behaving, love.” He rests his forehead on mine. “Take that dance with Dr. Doofus and you’ll see the beast come out.”
Okay, so maybe I do like his feral side too…
Dr. Huxley, or President Huxley, is every bit the man I’ve seen on television. His bright white smile is perfectly affixed at all times. He’s probably around Dad and Orion’s age but is a lot warmer than either of them put together. His eyes have permanent crinkles at the corners from his constant grinning.
And yet…
There’s something peculiar about him.
At least with Dad, I know his emotions. Or lack thereof. It’s never a mystery as to what he’s thinking or feeling. This guy, though, is a master showman. James Clayton has nothing on this man’s acting skills.
Maybe you’re just paranoid, Romy.
At one time, I’d have thought that. I’d have chalked it up to my obsessive nature rearing its ugly head and making up stories for me to believe.
But those stories ended up being true.
When I should’ve listened to my gut, I ignored it because people I loved told me to. They even added mountains of therapy and drugs on top to make sure that gut instinct was good and dulled.
Now that my senses are on full alert, I scrutinize every detail of our beloved president. His son, Doc Junior, exuded real charm. Whatever Huxley is doing up on stage, it’s not real.
I glance around to see if anyone else buys this crap. To my utter shock, they do. Men, women, and the handful of children at the event, are all mesmerized by his gracious speech thanking everyone for attending. Even one of the secret servicemen has given up scanning the ballroom to gaze adoringly at this man.
How can they not see through his deception?
There you go, girl, making up stories again.
I fight that voice in my head that oddly sounds nasally and like my therapist, Maura. Knowing that I won’t ever have to see her again is freeing. All it took was getting kidnapped, drugged, raped, mindfucked, and finally starting to fall for the cold Caius Crowne.
The man in question has his arm around me, absently stroking his palm up and down the side of my arm. It’s a little chilly in here, despite the hundreds of people in attendance, and he somehow knows. His caring action warms me up as intended.
Caius remains tense as if on guard against some unseen force. And don’t think I didn’t notice him stalking after James Clayton. I hope the man’s pretty face is still intact so he can go on to make more addictive shows. Theo, on my other side, holds Kaitlyn’s hand but also appears to be poised for a fight.
What’s going on?
Am I missing something?
It could be that my family is here. Caius isn’t exactly a fan of my brother. He’d strutted around half-naked in front of him at the hotel in some alpha male show of ownership over me. They should be here as well, though I haven’t seen them yet.
Or it could be something completely different.
“…is my duty to heal you all from the horrors of America’s past,” Dr. Huxley says, grinning at the crowd. “Thank you all again for being here. God bless.”
My skin crawls for some reason. I’m fixated on his words. Not all of them, just a particular handful of them.
Heal you.
Heal you.
Heal you.
I shudder and turn into Caius’s chest on instinct, needing his protective shield. He obliges me, hugging me to him. A cold, prickling sensation covers every inch of my skin, both bared and that which is hidden under my dress.
“Are you okay?” Caius asks, voice low and breath tickling the top of my head.
No. No. No.
I’m on the verge of tears and it doesn’t make sense. Am I about to start my period? Why the sudden onslaught of emotions?
“I, uh, yeah,” I lie. “I need a drink.”
Caius pulls away to look into my eyes. His dark gaze is mesmerizing, warm, and comforting. It’s hard to believe I’d thought it was chilling at one time. He frowns, clearly not believing me, but nods in acquiescence. I’m grateful when he takes my hand, guiding me toward the bar area.
“Refreshing or relaxing?” he asks as we stand in line.
“Relaxing.”
He orders a glass of wine for me and one for himself. I down both glasses in quick succession. His eyes turn to narrow slits as he studies me, searching for truths in my expression.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, blood buzzing as the alcohol warms my belly. “I just… Does Huxley give you the creeps?”
He snorts and nods for the bartender to refill our glasses. “Which one?”
I break into a grin, thankful for some levity. “The older one, obviously. You’re threatened by Doc Junior? You know, Caius, he’s not as cute as you, in case you were worried.”
“I was not worried,” he says coolly, handing me my refilled glass. “Go slow on this one. I don’t want to have to carry you out of here over my shoulder. Everyone will surely look at your ass then.”
I can’t help but preen at his jealousy. If you’d have asked me weeks ago if I was capable of being the girl who was slightly turned on when her guy was jealous of other guys, I’d have laughed.
We walk away from the bar area and I already feel tons better. Huxley is just one of those arrogant, powerful men who is so fake it gives normal, free-thinking humans the creeps. I’m glad his speech didn’t last long and I didn’t have to listen to him a second longer. Doc Junior’s mother must be the one with a real personality because the two men hardly seem cut from the same cloth, aside from their dashing good looks.
I notice Bastian and Megan speaking with another couple. From afar, they’re a lovely pair. It feels like another world or dimension or thread of time where she was my partner in college. Megan was so shy and withdrawn and awkward.
What happened?
CUP happened.
Now she wears the shimmery gold gown well. Her spine is straight, shoulders back, and dazzling smile in place. In a way, she reminds me of Eva. Sweet and beautiful, but missing something real inside. Like they hollowed out what made her unique and replaced it with something generic.
Will she ever be the girl I knew again?