Chapter Thirty-Eight #3
Now he seems carefree. Was I overthinking? Projecting my anxiety onto him and misreading the situation?
Photographers float through the crowd, taking pictures. I spot one pointing his lens in our direction.
“There are more photographers than I imagined,” I say.
“Elizabeth always has tons of them. That way she gets great shots for the foundation’s website and promotional materials,” Finn says.
I look into Rhys’s eyes. “I wonder if I can ask her for some good shots of us.”
“Sure. I’ll ask,” he says, his voice warm, like he’d love nothing more than to have a nice couple photo of us.
Yup. I definitely misread him. I finally deposit the champagne on a tray passing by and grab a bottle of water. I sip it slowly. The lights flicker twice.
“Time to start,” Liam says with a smile that says he’s looking forward to the evening. Maybe a woman he likes is here to bid on him. Wouldn’t that be sweet?
I finish the water, then lay a hand on Rhys’s forearm, copping a feel of his taut muscles. “Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
He nods. “I’ll wait for you at our table.” He gestures at one of the round tables in the center.
After placing a kiss on his cheek, I turn. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or just nerves, but for some reason I feel like I have to pee more often than normal today.
The restroom is elegantly appointed—all dark walls and smoked mirrors, obviously not designed for fixing makeup. There’s no line. One stall is taken, but all the others are available. I slip into one. When I come out and start washing my hands, Selena appears next to me and turns on a faucet.
Ugh. Just my luck. She’s in a white haute-couture gown by Givenchy, which unfortunately washes her out, especially with such light, barely there makeup. The black belt around her waist is cinched so tight, I’m surprised she can breathe. I glance away, hoping she doesn’t notice.
“Well, this is a surprise. Didn’t know you were invited to the auction.” Something that’s half sneer and half smile twists her even features. “I thought Elizabeth was more discerning.”
I sigh. “I’m here with Rhys.”
Selena’s smile doesn’t falter, but her eyes chill. “I came here specifically to bid on him.” Her announcement couldn’t be more proprietary.
“Sorry. He already has me. There’s no reason for you to waste your time.”
“You?” She snorts. “Can you actually afford him without using his money?”
“Of course. Why would you assume I couldn’t?” I turn off the faucet and start drying my hands with a soft cloth towel from a basket between the sinks.
Her eyes sweep over me. “You’re just an assistant. Rhys is generous, but not that generous.”
“He could make the Guinness World Record for the stingiest man alive, and it wouldn’t make a particle of difference.” I keep my voice even. “I’ll bid whatever I think he’s worth, and it’ll be the winning bid.”
Selena’s mouth twists in a mocking sneer.
“I hope you do the same,” I add. “A fair fight.”
“Don’t cry when your hundred dollars isn’t enough. You and I both know you don’t deserve someone like him.”
I sigh again, genuinely curious about what’s going on in her head. “All right, fine. Why do I not deserve him?” She’s an ex, a past tense in his life. I’m the present.
“Why not? Just look at yourself. What do you have going for you? You aren’t that interesting.
You don’t really know anything about him.
Aside from working together, what do you have in common?
” She doesn’t give me a chance to respond before snapping her fingers.
“Exactly—nothing! You’ve nothing to say. ”
“You’re monologuing.”
She ignores me. “He and I went to college together. MIT, in case you didn’t know. And we dated quite seriously. He was thinking marriage, you know.”
If she imagines that that bothers me, she’s sorely mistaken. The only thing she’s accomplished is handing me a knife to stab her with. I run my eyes up and down her. “But he didn’t marry you. Did he?”
“Only because I wanted someone from a bit more of a dignified background at the time.”
“You didn’t care for Auric and Elita.”
“No. They’re embarrassing, to be quite frank.”
“Uh-huh. And you decided to punish Rhys. By dumping him and breaking his heart. Meanwhile, Auric and Elita are still embarrassing. As a matter of fact, they’ve probably gotten worse. I’ve been dealing with them for the last three years. So why are you back?”
“Things are different now. I’ve matured—and I know what I want.”
I scoff. “That’s a high-sounding excuse. What you really realized is that dignity isn’t as nice as money. Compared to before, he’s worth a lot more—a billionaire. And you’re sorry that you broke up with him so soon.”
“How dare you call me mercenary!” she hisses.
“I didn’t call you anything.”
“You did.”
“No. You just heard it because deep inside you know what you really are. Anyway, I’m sure Rhys is worried about me. Good luck at the auction.”
“I don’t need luck. I already have everything I need to get him back. As for you, as soon as your youth fades, you’re done. Time is not your friend.”
I give her a smile. “Not my friend? I’m not the one who’s thirty-seven.”