Chapter 95
“ A t dinner tonight, can you wear the ring on your left hand?” Adam asks as he puts a watch on. I hadn’t even noticed I’d moved it to my middle finger. Not wanting to delve into why I’d subconsciously made that adjustment, I slide it back onto my left ring finger.
“Geoff’s got to know you’re off the market,” Adam says with a wink. “He’s got a reputation for twenty-somethings.”
I can’t suppress an eye roll. “What do you think of this dress?” I ask, twirling around for effect. It’s short with puffy, bedazzled sleeves.
“It’s nice, but what about something more quietly elegant?”
“Are you telling me how to dress?” The words slip out sharper than intended. The dress is louder than I would usually wear, but it was also curated by Nikola.
“You asked for my opinion. I think you should wear something more timeless.”
“Do you mean ageless?” I squint, trying to understand.
The dress I’m wearing is bold and is something a twenty-something would wear.
Does he want me to age up? Adam can’t dictate every aspect of my life, including my wardrobe.
“I am respectfully declining your suggestion,” I respond with a playful edge, wrapping my arms around his waist. He smiles and places a baby kiss on my lips.
Holding a heated stare, he unbuckles his belt. “I’ll make the decision easy for you. It’s that dress or my cock right now.”
“We have time for that? Our dinner reservation is in less than thirty minutes.”
“We always have time for that,” he rumbles, closing the gap between us and hiking the dress above my hips.
I put my hands on the edge of the bed, bending over for him.
“Good girl,” he gruffs, caressing my ass. I hear his belt hit the floor. With a spank, he enters me with force. My breath escapes as I feel all of him at once.
“Tonight.” He thrusts. “We’re a power couple. This is a very important dinner.”
I look back at him, sassing, “Is this a pep talk for me or you?”
“No brat tonight. Please.”
“I better get it out of my system now, then.” I smirk.
“I’ll fuck it right out of you.” His fingers squeeze my hips so tight I wonder if I’ll have his prints as bruises. He thrusts deliberately and deeply. Hard and fast. Pulling my hair, my head tilts up. “I fucking love how you feel. How tight you are around my cock.”
I can tell he’s getting close. My triceps are fatiguing while he thrusts and thrusts.
“I want to look at you,” he pants and pulls out. I turn, sitting on the bed. “Finish me in your mouth.”
Grabbing his erection, I lick his shaft before taking all of him. “Good,” he says, sweeping my hair to one shoulder. “Just like that.” I bob up and down, taking him deep. “Best behavior tonight.” He commands, thrusting his cock deeper into my mouth.
It’s a warranted request. I don’t have the best track record—getting drunk at Kent’s party and then crying at the gala.
“I’m about to come,” he pants and pulls out of my mouth. Palming himself, he releases all over my dress.
“Oh … No,” he mockingly feigns. “You can’t wear it anymore.”
I roll my eyes, knowing how expensive this dress is. “It’s your money.”
“Get changed. We gotta go.”
“And what about me?” I sass.
“Let’s see how good you are at dinner.”
I laugh. Hating it but loving it and so turned on, I walk into the bathroom to freshen up.
Brushing my hair, I think about how the energy from Adam was different. Replaying it, something isn’t sitting right with me. I know he’s stressed more than he wants to let on. I quickly freshen up my makeup and walk into the closet. He has so much on his plate right now. Probably too much.
“Bring a purse that this can fit in,” he says, with a hard drive in his hand, watching me slide out of the stained dress. I’m too familiar with hard drives and their implied crypto meaning.
“Is this for Geoff?”
“Yes. He needs to know how serious my partners and I are for him to run for governor.”
Looking at the row of dresses in my closet, I point to a draping cream-colored midi dress, and Adam nods in approval.
“Do you want to take one of the cars or have a driver?” He changes the subject smoothly.
“Driver, so you can have a few drinks.”
“Good call. I’m going to spend most of the dinner speaking with Geoff. We’ve been flirting with the idea for months, and I need him to get on board.”
“What’s so bad about the current governor?”
“He’s trying to bankrupt me … And Declan.”
Declan. Will he be at this dinner tonight? I don’t want to see him. Imagine what he would have to say about this fucking ring. I don’t need that energy tonight. Adam continues, hopefully not noticing my distraction.
“Mr. Sperm Lottery has changed his tune on crypto,” Adam says, his body tense from the stress.
I decide not to probe further. Clearly, this is a sensitive topic, and his posture alone tells me it’s best left unexplored for now. He checks his phone, announcing the car will be here in ten minutes, and gives me a moment to myself.
Selecting an understated purse, I concede to Adam’s preference for subtlety and request for something that can hold the hard drive. This isn’t a date, I reframe; this is a business dinner. At least I’ll have Geoff’s daughter to talk with.
“How many times have you been to One?” I ask as we settle into the car, making the short journey from Adam’s to the restaurant.
“More than twenty,” he answers after a thoughtful pause. It amazes me that he’s a regular at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world and that tonight already marks my second time dining there with him.
“You never told me the final guest list. Who will be there tonight?”
“Geoff, his daughter—who you should speak with. She’s involved with a lot of foundations and nonprofits.” He squeezes my knee. “When we get married, you can focus on anything you want. You know, when money doesn’t matter.”
“When we’re married,” I say back to him, masking how bold of a statement that was. It’s nice that he remembers me sharing how I would like to be more involved in cause-based work if money didn’t matter though. I’m excited to speak with Geoff’s daughter about this more.
“Greg will be there. Maybe Geoff will bring a date.”
“Greg’s not bringing anyone?”
“His wife hates business dinners. She stopped coming to them years ago.”
I get why she would skip them. I feel second-hand stress already. As the car pulls up to the restaurant, I brace myself for the evening ahead.
“Geoff,” Adam greets, shaking his hand in the private dining room. “You remember Dani.”
Geoff checks me out, and his eyes land on my ring. “Congratulations!” He pats Adam on the back.
“We’re keeping it private for a while,” Adam responds without missing a beat.
I feel like an idiot. Of course, this ring makes sense to Adam and me, but wearing it out in public on my left finger. It only says one thing: that we’re engaged.
Geoff introduces us to what seems to be his date, Autumn. She looks a few years older than me, and I smirk at Adam’s reputation note.
Adam squeezes my hand under the table as he and Geoff launch into details about a potential governorship.
“Think of this as a seed investment,” Adam says, grabbing my bag from the back of the chair and taking out the hard drive.
“Once your campaign officially launches, I’ll make a very public and very splashy donation, followed by Kent Dubois and other strategic partners.
You have the business community’s full support. ”
I sense the hesitation in Geoff’s eyes as they look at the hard drive.
“Your partners have provided me with great consulting over the summer,” he says, sliding the hard drive into his interior jacket pocket. “I always forget Declan isn’t an Ivy guy. He’s scary smart.”
“He understands money more than most.” Adam taps Geoff’s glass. “I like to keep him close. But the guy is impossible to bring out in public. He doesn’t know how to live a little.”
“Kate!” I squeal, interrupting their conversation. I haven’t seen this purple-haired, septum pierced old friend in years. I stand to hug her.
“Tiny! I didn’t know you would be here!” She lifts me off the ground in a bear hug. Another ghost from summer 2017, I think as she sets me down.
“I’m with Adam.” I smile. “Adam, this is Kate.”
He looks at me like he already knows. “Yes, Geoff’s daughter. Nice to officially meet you.”
“Daughter?”
The world is too small. How is Kate Geoff’s daughter? I always knew Kate was a rich kid, but shit. Her dad is the CEO of Pour!
“Kate,” Geoff scolds. “Take a seat.”
We’re arranged with Geoff at the head of the table, Autumn to his left, and Adam to his right. I’m next to Adam, and Kate is across from me. Watching Kate take her seat, it’s clear she and Autumn are also friends. Kate’s maybe thirty-five now? Maybe Autumn is closer to her age?
“We’re having the five-course tasting with wine pairings,” Geoff says, ending my internal monologue and getting everyone’s attention as the server begins pouring wine.
“Where’s Greg?” I whisper to Adam.
“On a call for me.”
“How do you know Kate?” Autumn asks; it’s the first thing she’s said since we got here.
“It’s a whole story, but I grew up near Lake Geneva, and we met one summer.”
Eyeing Kate as I answer Autumn’s question. She’s fidgeting in her seat and seems high right now. She and Autumn whisper about something, and then Autumn and I exchange a knowing look, confirming my thought.
“Kate, will you go to the bathroom with me?” I ask. I’m not grilling her about what drugs she’s on in front of her dad and Adam.
She leaps up. “Buddy system.” I sense how annoyed her dad and Autumn are with her.
Looping my arm with hers, I whisper, “Girl, what the fuck?” as we walk to the bathroom.
“What?”
“Have you forgotten that I know what you look like when you’re high?”
She sticks her tongue out at me. “I did a couple lines and took a pill.”
“Look at your fucking pupils.” I point to the mirror in the bathroom.
“Fuck.” She laughs. This could be me. This is what I could look like if I stayed on that path. Had I continued to say yes when drugs had been offered to me.
“You cannot seriously think you can handle a multi-hour seated dinner right now,” I scold.
“Tiny!” she squeals, seeing my ring. “What is this?”
“It’s like a promise ring.” I smile, then laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“A big fucking promise ring.”
“According to his jeweler, it’s too small to be an engagement ring.”
We fall back into a familiar banter so easily. A wave of sadness washes over me. The last few months have been all about Adam. I haven’t been keeping up with any of my friends or family.
“Kate.” I refocus my attention on her. “I think Autumn should take you home.” It’s what’s best for her, and I know Adam wants Geoff’s full attention tonight. Kate would be nothing but a distraction.
“I’ll be fine.”
“No,” I say firmly. “You will not be fine.”
“Okay. Okay,” Kate rattles.
“Can I have your new number? I want you to text me when you get home safe.”
She opens her phone and starts texting. Maybe she still has my number? It hasn’t changed.
Unknown Number
You used to be fun.
I shake my head at her, unamused. “I’ll go get Autumn. Stay here.”
Walking back to the private dining room, I hear Greg’s voice. “I’m sure we would all lose in a dick measuring contest with him, but his company is the real deal. He’s never taken on VC money. It’s a larger amount than we anticipated, but I like the deal.”
Passing him, Greg gives me a nod. I’m assuming he’s talking to some potential investor for the Real-ity deal, and I am happy it’s him and not Adam. Walking back into the dining room, I wave Autumn over, not interrupting Adam and Geoff’s conversation. She likes my suggestion of taking Kate home.
“You seem to know my daughter,” Geoff says after I’ve taken my seat next to Adam.
“We spent a lot of time together one summer and kind of fell out of touch.”
“You stopped partying, and she didn’t.” He laughs, doing a terrible job of hiding his frustration.
“Something like that.”
Adam squeezes my knee. “Thank you,” he whispers before placing a kiss on my temple. “I will be showing my appreciation later.”
I hold back a smirk and take a sip of my wine.
Geoff refocuses his attention to Adam. “Working on anything exciting?”
“We’re taking a majority stake in a real estate investing platform,” he says, and Greg walks in.
“Going to be our largest investment in the company’s history,” Greg booms. “Very splashy stuff.”