Chapter 10 #2
Suddenly, I caught a crack in the man’s demeanor. He held the woman like she was a trophy and a pass ticket. “She’s a rich heiress and he managed to get her to fall for him?”
“Close enough, give it another go.”
I zeroed my focus on the sandy-blonde guy with a gorgeous woman on his arm. He never let her out of his sight and his arms had been wrapped around her the whole day.
When they approached an older man, the woman only smiled in greeting. An heiress would shake hands and converse like Svetlana did. Then it hit me.
“She’s a supermodel and he brought her to boost his image. The watch is probably rented, which is why he keeps staring at it every now and then.” I let out an audible gasp. “He’s a fraud.”
“Bingo.” Nikolai grinned. “It’s not so hard when you pay attention to the details.”
It was a stupid game and I shouldn't be this excited by one win, but I was riding the moon. “Pick out another one.”
One became two, two became five, and before I knew it, I became an expert at people reading.
“You’re a natural,” Nikolai commented, plucking a glass of orange juice from the servers and handing it to me.
I made a show of the sip like it was my reward for competence. “What can I say, I excel at everything.”
Laughter rumbled in his chest as he watched me. “I knew I’d like you.”
Soft laughter caught my attention and my eyes followed to find Svetlana gushing over something with another woman. When I lifted my eyes to her companion, he was already watching me.
I tore my gaze from him, refocusing on the insane amount of money being announced by the host and whatever Nikolai had to say.
The game was an interesting one and for a couple of minutes, I had completely forgotten about him and his ill manners, but I was aware now and the bitterness came flooding in.
“I’ve got to catch up with an old friend,” Nikolai announced. “Scream if you need me.”
“Keep your ears open for a damsel in distress, then.”
He left with a wink, and I was suddenly aware of how badly I must stick out with no one to talk to.
The server came with another tray of alcohol and this time, I didn’t think twice before plucking a glass and throwing it back.
The liquid was definitely not champagne. It burned the entire way and left a trail of warmth beneath my skin.
I took a second glass. I was done with work, and if Kazimir was going to keep being an asshole, then I was going to create my own entertainment.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
Looks like I didn’t need to search too far.
An attractive young man was standing in front of me wearing the sweetest smile. “Can I get you another drink?”
I drained the liquid in my glass and handed it to him. “Sure.”
He chuckled, taking the glass and signaling for one of the servers. “Is this your first time here? I’ve never seen you around.”
“That would entirely depend on where you hang out, then.”
His brow lifted by a fraction.
Alcohol really did come with a huge boost of confidence.
“How about you tell me where you hang out and I’ll come hang with you, so next time, we don’t have to meet like this.”
“Hmm,” I mused, pretending to take a sip of the drink he just gave me. “I don’t know, Mister…”
“Hastings,” he filled in. “George Hastings.”
“I don’t know, George. I’m a very private person and I prefer my circle to be really small.”
“I understand. Privacy is paramount in this world, but,” he reached out to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. Heat exploded at the back of my neck. “I promise I won’t be much trouble.”
“And how would I know that? You said it yourself, you’ve never seen me at one of these. It’s taken meticulous planning to keep it that way and you want me to risk it for your honey-brown eyes?”
His ears instantly turned pink. I was enjoying playing rich, but I could feel the alcohol slowly sneaking up on me. I had to wrap this up before I made a mess of myself.
“We can start slow, baby…” his voice trailed off, his eyes glued to the spot behind me.
I tried to turn, but strong hands on my waist held me in place.
“It’s time to go.”
The statement alone was enough to set me off, but I was sober enough to know this was hardly the place and I would only end up looking like an idiot.
“It was nice to meet you, George. I hope we run into one another soon.”
I felt bad for how I left him, but I preferred to preserve his image of me as a mysterious rich woman.
No words were uttered between the time it took for us to leave the hall and when the car came around.
“I will leave with the same car I came in.”
“The driver had an emergency to attend to.”
I folded my arms beneath my boobs. “I can find my way home.”
“I brought you here and I’ll take you home. Get in before you cause a scene.”
I slipped into the vehicle, scooting all the way to the other side of the seat.
“Do you have any clue on how to be professional?” Kazimir asked the moment the car pulled out the driveway.
“What sort of question is that?” I should watch my tone with him, but I was beyond done with his bullshit and the alcohol in my blood made him less scary.
“You attend a public event with me and proceed to jump from one man to another whilst getting drunk.”
A ringing sound went off somewhere in my ear. The nerve of this man.
“First, I didn’t attend the event with you, and secondly, you had both hands occupied with your blonde and barely spared me a moment of attention.”
I winced at the way the words came out. It definitely had a wrong ring to it and Kazimir caught it.
“So this is about Svetlana?”
“This is not about anything. Forget what I said, and next time you can proceed to bring another one, probably have your tongue inside her the whole time.”
I should really stop talking.
Kazimir looked at me. The car was dark, but I could make out his features through the lights from the street lamp. He was amused.
I should’ve taken a lot of water to dilute the alcohol in my system. My filter was broken, and now I probably sounded like some miserable, jealous wench.
“Look at me, Genevieve.”
“I’m not a dog you can order to do whatever you want,” I snapped, looking anywhere but at him.
His finger hooked on my chin, guiding my eyes to his. I didn’t know which was worse: the way alcohol made me spew a bunch of rubbish, or the way it heightened my senses and response to his touch.
Regardless, I maintained a passive exterior.
“You were jealous. Was that why you were flirting with that bloke? You wanted to get back at me?”
“Get over yourself. The world does not revolve around you. I will talk to whoever I want to, flirt with who I want to, and wear whatever I want to work. No part of my actions has anything to do with you.”
His lips twitched. “So if I turned the car around, got you a ride and took Svetlana home, you wouldn't be gutted?”
“I was about to ask why you were here and not riding off to paradise with her in your chariot of lies and deception. I couldn’t give a demented fuck about—”
Strong hands wrapped around my throat, killing off the rest of my speech, and before I knew it, I was jerked forward and hot lips sealed over mine.