Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JADE
“The only way I could ignore the temptation for him was by distracting myself with another.” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno
My arm’s linked through Matteo’s as we make our way to the front of The Hillford Country Club Clubhouse where the Gala is being held. A soft melody played on what sounds like a string quartet drifts from the front door as we approach the bottom of the marble steps.
The door pushes open and a beautiful woman in a red gown with her hair swept to the side gives Matteo and me a look through her elegant gold embellished mask.
“Finally!” she calls out, grabbing the bottom of her gown and lifting it before sweeping down the staircase. “I was about to send a search party for the two of you.”
When she stops in front of us, her gray eyes meet mine and I realize it’s Elena, Matteo’s sister.
“Sorry, kid,” Matteo says, shrugging his shoulders, slipping his arm from mine to give his sister a hug. “We got a little distracted.”
Elena looks me up and down, from head to toe. “Listen, I like men, but I too would be distracted by her.” A smile curves on her lips as she looks at me again. “Girl, you’re a fucking bombshell.” She pulls me in for a hug. “Making me question my sexuality and shit.”
“I’d gladly remind you of your sexuality,” Cam Shaw calls from the top of the stairs. I don’t know how long he’s been standing there. Elena releases me and gives him the middle finger.
“Watch yourself, Shaw,” Matteo warns, stepping beside me and his sister.
“A guy can dream, Ford. She’s your little sister. I’d rather keep the teeth I have.”
“You look rich,” I say to Elena, ignoring the guys.
Elena hooks her arm through mine. “Babe, I am rich,” she chuckles. “Come on. I see Matty forgot it’s a masquerade. I set two of the masks aside that they have inside, just in case.”
She leads me up the stairs with Matteo rushing past us. He stops beside Shaw and they both open the doors for us, letting us walk through first. To the right, just inside the foyer, is a velvet-draped table with ornate masks.
Elena crouches down, fishing out two masks from under the table. She hands me an ivory colored one, dusted in delicate crystals. For Matteo, she has a matte black mask with sharp gold detailing. He slips it on, a smirk tugging on his lips.
He looks dangerous as hell.
Matteo takes my mask, stepping behind me to tie it around the back of my head. He rests his hands on my shoulders and gently turns me around to face him, his gaze burning into mine as he lets out a shallow breath.
“Perfect,” he murmurs, brushing his fingers along the side of my face.
A bright flash blinds me from my peripheral vision. It happens two more times and Matteo turns, his glare murderous as he looks at one of the photographers.
“Can I get a photo of the two of you?”
My stomach does a somersault. What will they use the photos for? Does Matteo even want there to be evidence of us at an event together?
Matteo’s hand snakes around my back, gripping my hip as he pulls me flush against his side. “Is this okay?” he whispers into my ear.
“Yes,” I breathe, smiling as we both look at the photographer. She takes a few photos before disappearing from the foyer. Matteo’s grip loosens, but he doesn’t release me.
“Come on,” Elena urges. “People are waiting to speak with you.” She looks over at Shaw. “Come on, Cam. No more hiding out here.”
Shaw lets out a sigh and shakes his head as he starts to walk into the reception hall.
“He’s not a fan of events like this,” Elena explains to me as she grabs two flutes of champagne and hands one to me. “He hates the auction.”
Matteo nods toward the doors and Shaw falls in step with him as the four of us head toward the door.
“Why doesn’t he like the auction?” I half whisper to her.
She glances at me, arching a brow. “Of course Matty didn’t say anything.” She rolls her eyes, huffing. “They have an auction for an outing with each player.”
“Like a date?”
Elena shrugs. “Depends on what the winner and player decide. Sometimes it’s golf or some fun activity or even dinner.” She leans closer. “You’d better outbid someone for Matteo tonight.”
Realization washes over me. Someone else could bid and win him tonight. Jealousy rolls in my stomach. It’s not like it’s for a real date or anything sexual, but still.
“Sunny, come here, I want you to meet some people,” Matteo says, breaking into mine and Elena’s convo. She gives me a wink as Matteo slips his hand to mine and leads me over to a small group of three at a standing table near the corner. “Hey guys,” he says as we reach them.
A woman with long dark hair and the two men turn to look at me. Her red lips pull into a smile, her gaze soft as she stares at me for a moment. The three of them are older and the two men could pass for twins.
And they both have gray eyes. Eyes that look exactly like Matteo’s.
“This is Jade.” Matteo’s thumb strokes the back of my hand. “Jade, this is my mom, Andi, my father, Carson and my Uncle Caleb.”
Holy shit. He brought me over to meet his parents.
My heart races. “Hi!” I smile at the three of them. Nervous doesn’t begin to touch the way I feel right now. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m feeling. An anxious feeling rolls through my stomach.
“Hi, Jade,” Andi says, taking a step closer to pull me in for a hug. “It’s so lovely to meet you.” She pulls away for a moment. “I love your dress.”
“Oh, thank you.” Heat creeps across my cheeks and I glance at Matteo. His smile doesn’t leave his face.
“Jade.” His father nods and holds out his hand to shake mine. He looks like an older version of Matteo. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
His uncle steps over, holding out his hand. “Thank you for coming tonight.” He nods his head toward Matteo. “Thanks for keeping this one out of trouble too.”
Matteo chuckles, pulling me back to his side. “The three of you do not get to interrogate her tonight.”
“Does that mean we’ll get to another night?” Andi asks him without missing a beat.
Carson arches a brow as he grabs his drink from the table and takes a long sip.
Matteo looks at me, his eyes scanning my face. “I hope so.”
A smile tugs on my lips and I turn to them. “I’d love to be interrogated.”
“Don’t tempt them, Sunny,” Matteo laughs, his fingers wrapping around my side. “They can be ruthless.”
“Oh, please,” Andi waves her hand. “We are harmless.” She smiles at me. “I’d just love to know more about the woman who’s stolen my boy's attention.”
My heart crawls into my throat. With the way the three of them are studying me, I can’t help but wonder if this is the first time something like this has happened before.
“Another night,” Matteo promises them. “We’ll be back,” he says, whisking me away from the table. “Sorry about them,” he says to me after we get out of earshot. “My mom loves to know everything about people.”
“Don’t apologize. They seemed very nice.”
His throat bobs as he swallows. His eyes are unreadable and he shifts his weight on his feet, his voice dropping lower. “I just wanted them to meet you. I’ve uh—I’ve never brought anyone to meet them before.”
The butterflies in my stomach flutter to life. “So, I was your first?”
A ghost of a smile dances across his lips. “You’re a first for a lot of things, Sunny.”
“So are you,” I admit, right before we’re interrupted by a few of his teammates.
And fuck me for wanting him to be my last.
Matteo’s hidden in a separate room with the rest of his team, and Elena and I are lowering ourselves down into seats near the front row.
“Remember,” Elena says quietly, grabbing two more flutes of champagne from the server who passes us. “It’s all for a good cause.”
The auctioneer’s voice breaks through the speakers at the front of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be starting our auction with the first player of the night.” He pauses as the crowd claps, before he begins again. “First up, we have one of our power forwards, Mr. Matteo Ford.”
My stomach flutters as Matteo comes through a doorway to the left. He’s still wearing his mask and stops beside the auctioneer.
“We’ll start the bidding at $100.”
His mouth begins to move, the auctioneer chattering away as he moves through a few playful raises, the price climbing up to one thousand dollars. It makes a massive jump to two thousand as a woman’s voice calls out from the other side of the room.
My head turns and I see a woman sitting in a sleek gold gown, lifting her paddle with a confident smile. My head whips back to the front of the room, locking gazes with Matteo.
“That’s Grace Hartwell,” Elena whispers to me. “She bids on him every year and usually wins.”
Every year?
“Who the hell is she?”
“Someone who’s always wanted Matteo’s attention and never truly got it.”
Without a second thought, I lift my paddle. The number jumps again and the corners of Matteo’s lips slowly lift. The woman on the other side of the room counters. I bid again.
We volley back and forth, the bid creeping over ten thousand dollars.
“Twenty thousand,” I call out, lifting my paddle again. I do not have twenty thousand dollars to bid, but no way am I losing.
I outbid her by a considerable margin and murmurs ripple throughout the room. A low whistle comes from somewhere in the back.
“Yes, girl. Get your man.”
“I’m going to need to borrow 20k from him,” I laugh nervously.
Elena laughs. “He’ll pay it. It’s for charity.”
The auctioneer drags it out dramatically, bouncing back and forth between the woman across the room and me. I don’t bother looking at her. She doesn’t deserve a second of my attention.
“Going once… going twice… sold!” the auctioneer calls out, pointing at me. “To the lady in the ivory mask!”
Applause fills the room and I rise to my feet as Matteo comes stalking my way, his eyes hooded as he stops right in front of me. His mask obstructs half his face still, but I don’t miss the fire in his eyes.