18. Addison
18
ADDISON
I took the hand of the valet as I shakily stepped out of Warren’s car.
My stomach was in knots, and bile was threatening to rise to my mouth.
Warren was by my side in seconds, his tight-fitted suit and slightly open button-up making me even more nervous than the possibility of throwing up in front of all these people.
His brown hair threaded with gray was pushed back, and his beard had been neatly trimmed for the event. There was a new shiny watch on this wrist and even shinier black shoes. He even had a pocket square that matched the color of my dress.
He looks too fucking hot.
His hands were on my waist, holding me upright, something that might have looked like he actually cared to anyone else. But I knew differently, and his next stinging words were just a reminder of that.
“I didn’t know you had such a weak stomach,” he commented, his hand sneaking around my waist and sending bursts of heat through me. As much as his tone annoyed me, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting him.
Get your shit together.
I regretted ever giving him that blow job. Seeing him come undone created a Warren that wasn’t real. That was just in my head.
One that I wanted more than I hated.
“You didn’t tell me we would have to go up a remote mountain where the roads resembled cooked spaghetti,” I hissed and leaned on him for support. His body was hard and warm against me. It was all too easy to melt into him as my stomach flipped—and not just from the nerve-racking drive.
I couldn’t stand windy roads. Or roller coasters. Anything that made my stomach flip would almost always ensure I'd lose my lunch.
But what made it worse was that it took two fucking hours to get there. Two hours on the road with Warren. Alone. And then thirty minutes up a windy road leading up to some remote fucking place.
Swallowing the spit that pooled in my mouth, I tried desperately to appear like I was prepared for the evening. I forced a fake smile on my face and continued to lean into Warren like we were long-time lovers and not at all like I wanted his head on a platter for the death of my father.
I looked up at the bright manor-like structure in front of us. It reached high, its long-pointed peaks looking sharp enough to gut the sky. The windows were large, and light bled out from them, splashing onto the garden below. They’d been recently washed, the evidence in how crystal clear they were, allowing us a perfect view of the art inside. There was a line of paparazzi and journalists, their cameras flashing as couples entered the long stone staircase up to the door.
Each and every couple was posing for the cameras with blinding smiles. I was ninety percent sure that more than a few of the people here were actual royals from small European countries.
Just like us, the girls were dressed to the nines in shimmery gowns that sparkled with each flash, while the men were dressed in tuxes and had their hair pushed back.
My heart lodged in my throat when people started to turn to us. As a child, I loved the cameras. Loved showing them my new dresses and twirling for them.
I had turned into an attention-seeker from the very moment I found out people only cared when you made noise.
Maybe it was because Father and Mother were always so busy, always in their heads, and the only way to get them out of it was by being loud.
That changed after the fallout. All I wanted was to disappear into the background in hopes no one would look twice at me for fear that they might find out exactly what my family had done.
Just like the nurses at the hospital. My reputation had a life of its own and was constantly haunting me, making sure I was painfully reminded of everything the moment I started to forget.
“Smile for the cameras, baby,” Warren whispered, his hot breath brushing across my face. He was almost close enough to kiss. The moment in the room came slamming back into me.
I almost gave in.
Even now, I couldn’t stop my head from turning to him, our lips just a breath away. My eyes lingered on them before I met his gaze from under my lashes.
His eyes were already on my lips as if he was thinking the same thing before they slowly met mine again. They were dark, and his pupils were dilated, just like that night .
Need slammed into me so hard, I had to hold my breath to keep from letting out a shaky exhale that would one hundred percent tell Warren exactly what I was thinking.
How could something as simple as a kiss feel so… forbidden? So exciting? So tempting?
Flashes of light attacked us, everyone trying to take advantage of getting the first glimpse at Warren’s new romantic interest.
I just wished it had stayed that way.
The yells started almost instantly, and I pulled away from our intense stare.
“Is that… Addison Mercer? ”
“Wait… Why is she with Warren King? Didn’t her father and he have a falling-out?”
“Are they together? No, no way. This has to be some type of stunt.”
“Kiss her! Give us a front-page photo!”
There it is.
The evidence of why I stayed low-key. They were like fucking rabid dogs foaming at the mouth and biting the bars of their enclosure as they tried to get the perfect picture.
But this wasn’t that type of function. Maybe if we had just been out walking on the street, but this was a charity event, and while rich people might love the attention of the paparazzi, they wouldn’t hesitate to put them in their place like a misbehaving dog.
Security had the man who yelled at us in a vise grip and was dragging him away in the time it took for me to adjust my dress for the pictures.
“No need to be afraid, Addi,” Warren murmured and pulled us to the stairs. “Isn’t this your favorite part? Everyone thirsting for your attention? Craving the chance to be in your presence?”
The hostility in his voice had my skin heating. He knew me too well. Almost alarmingly well.
Or he did. Once.
Here I was, thinking my obsession with Warren went a bit too far, but it was becoming obvious that he had been watching me a little too closely. Even back then.
But I wouldn’t let him bring me down.
I squared my shoulders and shifted so I could escape his arm and hold his hand instead. It was warm and calloused and swallowed mine whole.
He wants to make a show of this? Then that’s what he’ll get.
More flashes came as I pulled him up the stairs. I made sure to give them my most dazzling smile. I even paused and looked over my shoulder at some of the ones off to the end. My hair fell over my shoulders, and for once I agreed with Warren. I could see the pictures now. Him staring back at me with a hard look, me smiling with my hair framing my face and a dazzling smile.
My hair did look better down.
As soon as I was done, I took a few steps up the stairs to get in front of him, but he gave my hand a tug, forcing me to look at him. Even a few steps below me, I was still just barely at his height.
He used it to his advantage to pull me to him, and my heart launched in my chest as I went falling forward, sure I’d fall on my face.
Then he was there, his hands coming around my waist.
The worst thing, though? The little smirk he gave me just as he was about to plant his lips on mine before moving just a bit to the right at the last second and kissing the corner of my mouth instead.
Shock and panic ran through me, stealing my breath.
He caught me off guard. Just like he’d been trying to.
But I was better than that. He forgot I was trained for this.
I looped my arm around his neck and made it more believable by closing my eyes.
“So predictable, baby ,” I whispered to him and pulled away to catch the annoyed expression on his face.
Well, I thought it’d be annoyed. But I was wrong.
His eyes were hooded, his gaze dark, and his jaw was tense. His whole body language told me he was having a hard time holding himself back just as his hands dug into my waist.
Holding back from what, though? Punishment? Actually kissing me? Fucking me in front of all the media?
Hard to say, but I didn’t have time to think about it as he grabbed my hand again and quickly walked up the stairs where someone was waiting for us.
A man in a dark altered suit that wrapped around his chest in a robe-like fashion and showed his chest, with long black hair that shone in the moonlight and the most crystal-clear blue eyes I’d ever seen, came into view.
He looked at us with a sultry grin. He exuded sexual prowess. He looked like someone who’d be involved in the auction.
“Addison Mercer,” he said with a smile. “I never thought I’d see the day where you and Warren linked arms.”
As if Warren had forgotten, he dropped my hand like it burned him.
I didn’t miss a beat and lifted the same hand to reach out to the man.
“A pleasure,” I said with a bright smile. “Am I to assume this is your event?”
He took my hand and gave it a light shake.
“It is. I’m Dominic.” He motioned for us to follow him in. “Every year I get various artists and wealthy businesspeople to open up their hearts—and wallets—for a few of my favorite charities.”
“How considerate of you,” I commented just as we entered the house, and my skin immediately felt hot with all the eyes on us. But it wasn’t just that. It felt like we had been picked up and teleported smack into another dimension.
The walls were a light gray, but all the paintings decorating them were dark and surrounded by deep gold frames. Many spanned whole walls; others were clustered together.
Vines and leaves swirled up the corners and to the ceiling where they hung amongst the chandeliers with little white flowers peeking through, mimicking the night sky above.
The vibe was moody, the lights dim, but the people were dressed in their most extravagant clothing. I could just smell the money wafting off them.
In another life, I wouldn’t even look twice at their clothing, expensive bags, or even the artwork. I had been the same as them, and all the stuff money could buy, which I had enjoyed, had never seemed like a privilege. It had been… common.
But after my life had been destroyed and I was forced to work and struggle, all of this just seemed over-the-top. Distasteful. Too much.
Is this truly for charity?
“It’s more like a fashion show than a charity event,” Warren said from behind me, his tone conveying that he wasn’t that keen on this charity either.
Rich as he was, he was sure critical of people in his same circle.
I paused as Dominic walked us by some statues, all of them depicting the same women but in various different poses. In all of them, agony was clear on her face, and the tracks carved into her face looked more like open wounds than tears.
Breathtaking.
I couldn’t force my lungs to move. I was wholly captivated. But it seemed like I was the only one.
“Oh, don’t be so uptight,” Dominic said and sent Warren a look. “It’s not that different from that auction of yours. At least mine helps others. Yours just lines your own pockets.”
“I know a tax deduction when I see one,” Warren muttered, venom in his tone.
I looked at both of them, my brow furrowing. They were standing close, but there was a slight frown on their faces.
Was this… a friendship? It felt weird and slightly sour between them, but Warren didn’t seem to shower Dominic with the same coldness he did others.
Including me.
He was almost… playful ?
“You’re not part of the auction?” I asked.
Dominic’s eyebrows raised before he let out a warm laugh. Warren frowned, already knowing what was to come.
“God, no ,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m an artist , Addison. I have more fulfilling things to do with my money than purchase some pussy. No offense.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his obvious dislike of the auction. And the way he emphasized artist like he was better than the people at the auction was funny, given how he was still showing off his own wealth and status like they were. He just tried to make himself look better.
I opened my mouth to speak but paused when I met a familiar set of deep blue eyes and a warm smile.
“Addi?”
Dominic and Warren turned to the newcomer. Messy black hair, blue eyes covered by square glasses. I was taken back to high school, where that same person had been much skinnier and nerd-like.
It was rare for me to come across anyone from high school. Most of the time, I didn’t want to see anyone out of shame. But he was different.
I can’t believe how long it’s been.
“Ezra,” I breathed. “I haven’t seen you in?—”
“Ten years or something, right?” he asked, a sheepish smile spreading across his face before it dropped. “I heard about your dad. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for it.”
My heart ached.
Ezra was a good person. Someone genuine and caring, even when I hadn’t been.
After everything happened, I cut ties with everyone—well, they cut ties with me . No one wanted to be friends with the girl who tried to slander one of the world’s richest men.
But coming face-to-face with my past was bittersweet because I was actually happy to see him.
“Who’s this?” Warren asked, his voice low. It was tinged with something dangerous that made my skin tingle.
Ezra’s eyes shot to him. Hesitantly, I shifted my gaze to his. My breath caught at the dark look that washed over him.
“I went to school with Addison,” he said and then added with a light laugh, “I guess I wouldn’t call us friends , but I always wanted to be. Maybe this is my chance.”
The words hit harder than he probably meant to.
Why did that make my eyes burn?
“Addi doesn’t want?—”
“Warren?” A voice said from behind us, and I turned. It was a tall brunette with a bombshell figure, and Warren’s eyes widened when he saw her.
They knew each other; that much was clear. The woman’s eyes were lustful, giving Warren a heated look that had bitterness sprouting across my tongue.
He shot Dominic an accusatory look, but he just raised his hands in the air in surrender.
“I tried to tell you, but you hung up on me.”
The tension skyrocketed as the woman closed in on us.
Warren was stiff. Dominic looked like he wanted to run away. And the closer the woman got, the more intense her gaze was.
Why the fuck is she looking at Warren like that?
She had a one-track mind, like the entire world around us had disappeared. There was a slow, sultry smile spreading across her face, and she was… completely ignoring me.
Oh.
Realization shot through me at the same time annoyance did, but I shoved that one down.
I almost wanted to laugh. She was… Warren’s ex or something? Or maybe someone he rejected? Someone he fucked?
Whoever she was, Warren wanted nothing to do with her. And I could barely keep the excitement from showing on my face.
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” I said, giving Warren a small smile. His gaze narrowed at me.
“I think not?—”
“Perfect,” the woman said. “Warren, a moment?”
When she spoke, I hesitated. I had wanted to make him uncomfortable, but now my stupid hand twitched as if it wanted to grab his sleeve and stop him from going with her.
“Addi,” Warren warned, and I forced myself to step away with a smile.
“It’s been far too long, Ezra.” I turned my attention to the man and took his arm as he offered it. “Catch me up?”
Long gone was the shy, introverted boy, and in his place stood a man who would cause any woman to swoon.
“Oh, do I have stories to tell you,” Ezra whispered deviously.