7. Alex
7
ALEX
Katherine looks shell-shocked. Her pretty jewel-like eyes are wide and unfocused, and she seems unsteady on her feet. Of course, that could be due to the shut-up-and-fuck-me heels she’s wearing.
Someone escorts her off the stage and out a side door. The ballroom is alive with curiosity and conjecture. I’m used to standing out because I’m a big guy. This attention is a wholly different sort. People are staring at us. But they’re also staring after her.
The urge to go after her, to make sure she’s okay, is a living, breathing beast in my chest.
“Maybe that wasn’t our smartest move,” Gabe murmurs, on the same page as me, as usual.
“Let’s get out of here.” I nod toward the door that Katherine just exited.
I’ve never participated in one of these auctions before, so I’m not sure what’s supposed to happen next. But I can guess.
A few people step out of our way while others turn to watch us pass. I ignore them, dismissing them all with my trademark scowl.
“Fucking fishbowl,” I mutter.
“What’d you expect?” comes Gabe’s easy reply. “You just offered a million dollars to date Manhattan royalty.”
“One date,” I correct. What the hell was I thinking? I should’ve just asked her out the next time I saw her in the gym.
Taking a deep breath, I push my way through the side door.
The simple answer is: I wasn’t thinking. I was reacting to the flustered beauty up on that stage. I was thinking about her pounding the shit out of that punching bag this morning. About her hiding behind a freaking palm tree, looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
In the hall, her back’s to us. A short, black-haired woman holds her attention, giving me time to appreciate Katherine’s killer dress. My gut tightens as I take in the low cut exposing her back and the way the shimmering fabric clings to her ass. The crisscross over her shoulder blades is like a treasure map—X marks the spot—and it calls to my lips.
But now is not the time.
The other woman shifts her focus to me and Gabe. “Gentlemen. That was exciting!” Her painted lips stretch wide. I tune her out as she introduces herself and says something about how wonderful our generosity is.
Katherine half turns, her icy blue-green eyes settling on me for a moment before they skip to Gabe. Her rosy pink lips are pressed in a carefully neutral line, almost like she’s afraid to speak.
But that’s not the Katherine Montgomery I know, which makes me wonder what exactly is going on. What am I not seeing? First, the punching bag, then hiding out behind a palm tree down a side hall, and now this careful mask. Is she even breathing?
Before I can check in with her, Gabe puts a hand on my shoulder, drawing me back to the conversation.
“You coming?”
“Sure.” I have no idea where we’re going or what we’re doing, but he obviously does.
The woman directs us over to a gleaming table to discuss payment.
When I finally make it back to where I left Katherine, she’s gone. I ask the attendant at the end of the hall if he saw which way she went, but he just blinks at me, mouth gaping as if I’m the first person of the night to speak to him. A new guy. Great.
“Pretty strawberry blonde about this tall.” I hold a hand to the middle of my chest. “Green dress. ”
He finally nods. “I think she went back into the ballroom.”
“Thanks.” I slip him a bill, and then he’s the one thanking me.
A quick glance around the ballroom, and I’m back in the hall. There’s no way I’d miss her. Not only in that dress but no one has hair quite that gorgeous.
Unease prickles up my neck.
Gabe’s hot on my heels as I head for the grand staircase. There’s no sign of her.
“Elevators?” Gabe asks, and we turn in that direction.
I don’t know why finding her now is suddenly so important, but it is. There was something about her demeanor that put me on alert in a way I haven’t been in a long time. And I learned long ago to trust my gut. Listen to my senses.
Which is what leads me to the annex of elevators and a very frosty Katherine staring down the blond-haired man who bid against us. He radiates scorned lover . Lover Boy is trying his damnedest to stare down his nose at her, but in those heels, she’s the same height he is.
As we approach, she starts to turn away from him, her finger reaching for the elevator buttons, but he grabs ahold of her arm, spinning her back toward him.
My muscles tighten, and I lengthen my stride .
“Take your hand off me, Tyler.”
“Your mother is not going to be happy you made such a spectacle of yourself.” He speaks with an English accent.
Her lips screw tight like she’s about to unleash her fury on him. But then they flatten, and her chin lifts a fraction of an inch.
I’m familiar with that move.
Cool disdain.
“All I did was stand there,” she points out.
Why is her logic-bomb so fucking hot?
I stop next to them, my hands itching to grab the guy by the back of his neck and shake him.
He must see me out of the corner of his eye because he turns his hazel glare to me and then to Gabe. I stare pointedly at his hand, where he’s still gripping her so tight there will undoubtedly be an impression of his thumb on her skin.
He makes a sound somewhere between a snort and a scoff. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You’re the only one who can answer that,” Gabe says.
“The lady told you to remove your hand.” Normally, I don’t even have to make the threats. My look says it all. But this guy apparently has the self-preservation skills of a mosquito. I glare at his hand. “I suggest you do so before I remove it from your arm.”
There’s a momentary pause and he looks like he wants to object. But he drops his hand and returns his attention to Katherine.
“So what was it?”
She looks like she’s just about had enough of him and of his verbal abuse. I pride myself on knowing everybody who’s anybody in the Upper East Side. It’s my job to pay attention. To know who’s a threat and who isn’t. Which is why it’s strange that this man is not on my radar. Because he and Katherine obviously know each other. And while I know Katherine and her family, he’s an unknown. And in my line of work, unknowns are dangerous.
“What was what?” she asks.
“Wasn’t rich enough for you? Not enough of a bad boy?”
I start to show him just how bad I can be when Katherine turns and jabs the down button. How does she manage to look vicious and elegant at the same time?
“It was never about your money, Tyler.”
“So you’re fucking them, then.”
The elevator doors open, revealing an empty car, polished brass panels and soft overhead lighting.
His crass words hang in the air.
Katherine’s eyes flash at the shorter man and then, chin still held high, she steps onto the elevator. After selecting her floor, she cuts him to pieces with an icy glare.
Fuck.
There’s something about this woman. Maybe it’s breeding or perhaps years of tutelage, but whatever it is, a single look from her can make a man’s balls crawl up inside him and wither.
“Not yet,” she quips just as the doors close.
What a fucking vision.
Utterly calm, shoulders down and back, her gossamer hair is swept high on her head to reveal the lovely slope of her neck. That dress makes her look like a trophy. A queen.
And her subjects have just been dismissed.
I’m so impressed by her exit that it takes another second before her words register.
Apparently, it takes Gabe and Tyler the same amount of time.
He pivots, straightening his jacket. His lips move like he’s chewing on his words. Wanting to make some scathing retort.
I’d warn him to watch his tongue, but he stalks off without another word.
“Stairs?” Gabe says.
“Yeah.” We turn, stride back to the main staircase and descend at a jog. The doorman holds the door and I burst out onto the sidewalk.
Why does this feel like Cinderella running away from the ball?
I almost want to glance around to see if she lost a shoe .
“Well, that didn’t go how I expected,” Gabe murmurs.
“How’d you expect it to go?”
“Well, I didn’t think she’d run from us.”
I glance back at the glittering hotel and all the people. The air is thick with exhaust and humidity from an approaching storm. At my back, a car horn gives a frustrated bleep-bleep, and then another joins in.
“I don’t think she was running from us so much as this.” I wave a hand toward the towering building.
“You obviously don’t know her as well as I do. Katherine Montgomery was born into this life, with these people. You saw how she cut that guy down to size.”
I did. And it was impressive. But somehow, I don’t think he’s the type to learn from his mistakes. Cocky rich kids seldom do. I should know. Once upon a time, I was one.
I rake my gaze over the sidewalk and across the throng of hotel guests and valet drivers. There’s an inky black Town Car idling at the curb, but no sign of Katherine.
A flash of green has my head jerking right, and I see her a dozen yards away, one hand pressed against her stomach, the other braced against a pillar.
“Have the car brought around.” I press the ticket into Gabe’s hand and start up the sidewalk. The way she’s hunched over, shoulders rounded, makes my steps quick. But I slow as I reach her because somehow I know she’s easily spooked. I don’t know how I know that, but she reminds me of a frightened deer. Leggy and graceful but always on the watch for a predator. A hunter. A snare. And even when she’s scared, she’s dangerous.
Helpless, however, is not a word I’d ever use to describe Katherine Montgomery.
But the way she’s wedged herself between a pillar and another massive potted plant brings out all my most protective instincts. All of that poise is crumbling around her ears. Is it truly a fa?ade, or is she simply overwhelmed by the attention?
I glance around to make sure there aren’t photographers lying in wait. Then I squat down next to her. She sucks in a breath, and those startling eyes swerve my way.
“Easy,” I whisper. “You did good up there.”
Her jaw drops a fraction. If I wasn’t watching her so closely, I’d miss the way she exhales. It’s more like a sigh of relief. It hits me that Katherine is not used to praise, but she likes it.
Something twists in my chest. Why do I have the sudden and overwhelming urge to see her smile? To make her smile? To be the rock anchoring her during this storm?
I push the feeling aside.
Right now, I need to focus on getting her out of here before she has a meltdown or before the piranhas get wind of the situation. Her brows pinch together, and her breathing speeds up. I manage to keep my gaze off her amazing tits. Later, I’ll pat myself on the back for being a gentleman.
“So here’s what I’m thinking,” I say, using the tactic that has helped me with clients over the years. Not that she’s a client and thank goodness for that. Right on schedule, the watch on my wrist vibrates and I glance at the message from Gabe. “Gabe’s around the corner in my car. How about I take you home and get you away from all these people?”
One second ticks by. Then another. She presses a shaking hand against her chest. Her eyes are still locked on me, a little wide, increasingly frantic.
“Have you ever had a panic attack before?” I murmur, recognizing the signs.
She sucks in a sharp breath and gives a single nod.
I fight to keep my expression neutral. She doesn’t need my emotions muddying the waters. Having suffered from attacks myself in the past, in addition to witnessing some doozies with clients, my heart aches for her.
Standing, I glance around one more time, making sure the coast is clear. She struggles back to her full height, her hand sliding back to her middle. A small handbag dangles from her other wrist, and she takes an unsteady step forward. Her hand flies out and grabs ahold of my forearm. Her fingers are long, delicate, but surprisingly strong, and I can’t help but imagine them wrapped around my cock.
The mental image almost brings me to my knees. It’s so clear and real I could swear it was a memory, that I’ve actually felt her touch on my heated skin before.
I bite back a groan and press my hand on top of hers. “Hold on to me. I won’t let you fall.”