CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #2
My core clenched, and I swallowed hard. I barely managed to maintain a neutral expression on my face. “No.”
“Liar.” He cupped my cheek and ran his thumb across my lower lip, sliding his gaze up and down my body.
I bit into my lip, becoming breathless under his smoldering gaze. He had me in a trap, and it was like my body begged for his touch, and I couldn’t do anything about it. “I’m not lying.”
He smirked, glancing toward my pelvis. I looked at it as well and noted with a horrifying realization that my body was arching against him, seeking him out.
He met my gaze with a feral look in his eyes, winding his arm around me. “Too bad your body still can’t lie.” He buried his head in my neck and skimmed his tongue over my skin, attacking all my senses.
I moaned and raised my hands to his shoulders to push him away, but just then, the doors opened on our floor.
I stiffened, expecting to see someone catch us in this position. There was no one, but someone could show up any second now, and Zach still didn’t pull away.
“Zach, stop.” I pushed against his shoulders.
His hand dove into my hair as his lips made their trail up to my ear, and he bit at a delicate spot there. My lips clamped together to suppress a moan.
The doors started closing, but he stepped back just then, darting out his hand to stop them. He took one look at me and smirked.
“You look like you were just fucked.”
I gasped, swirling around to look at my reflection. A few of my hair strands were out of their place, my pupils were unusually large, and my chest was rising and falling quickly.
Cursing him silently, I fixed my hair and took a few deep breaths to calm my breathing before I headed out of the elevator. But just as I stepped out, he wound his arm back around mine.
“Did you already forget? I’m your companion tonight.”
I glared at him. I still didn’t know what his agenda was, and that made me anxious. He’d said he wouldn’t do anything to me, but how could I trust him? He could hurt me however he wanted, and I wouldn’t even be able to stop him. It was a perfect setting for him to humiliate me.
Ignoring my glare, he took me toward the grand ballroom that was now redecorated with banners bearing the colors of Lana’s and Mom’s charities.
“Good evening,” the hostess greeted us. “Miss Everett, it’s so nice to see you.”
“Hi. I’m here in place of my mother.”
“Yes, I’ve been notified.” She looked at Zach. “And the gentleman is?”
I met his gaze, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t on the list, so he wouldn’t be allowed to enter.
He leaned down toward her just then and muttered something into her ear, and I gaped at him. The only words I could make out were “I’m accompanying her tonight.”
Confusion marred her features, matching mine because what the hell? She went over the list, then tapped her finger against it once.
“Ah, there you are. Alright, you may enter. Do you need me to take you to your table?” She directed the last sentence at me.
I barely stopped my jaw from dropping. “No need. Thank you.”
She nodded, casting us a dazzling smile. “In that case, enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you,” Zach said and pulled me inside.
I scowled at him. “What was that about?” The only way I could explain what had just happened was that he didn’t want me to hear the name he gave her.
He just smiled, and I felt a stab of irritation because he was hiding yet another thing from me.
We stepped into the ballroom, and I took it in.
The chandeliers dotted the high ceiling, casting a glow on the cocktail tables placed at intervals around the room, which featured candle centerpieces.
Heavy drapes framed the ceiling-high windows, and bouquets of white roses emerged from large floor vases along one of the walls. A string quartet played in the corner.
Everything was shiny and luxurious to an excessive degree—golden and even more golden, representing our never-ending chase for more. The more we had something, the less we appreciated it, but the irony was—it still wasn’t enough.
I wondered what the color of our greedy souls would be.
The room fell into hushed silence as eyes turned to look at us, and I tensed.
Zach looked down at me. “Do you care that much what others will say?”
I thought about what my parents had taught me, how we couldn’t show any signs of weakness or reveal who we really were because others would jump at the first chance to exploit it. These people were looking for anything to feel better about themselves while making others feel less than.
If I were walking in here with Zach some other night in the past, I would worry about what they might be thinking.
Hell, I should be worrying now, considering the hit my reputation had taken these days, not to say that Zach could do anything to humiliate me in front of them, and I wouldn’t be able to stop it.
But now, as I met people’s gazes, I only felt the need to tighten my arm around Zach’s—for his benefit.
I felt strangely protective of him, not wanting them to judge him.
I hadn’t lied earlier when I said the women here would be attracted to him.
Half of them were eye fucking him as we passed.
His beauty and that intense way he could look at you, like there was no one and nothing else in the world but you, was so enticing that you didn’t even see his scar.
But then again, the people here could see right through the facade and tell when one didn’t belong in this world.
I expected them to see who he really was and find him lacking for it.
Though paradoxically, he didn’t give off that vibe at all.
Quite the opposite. He exuded an air of confidence, as if this place was his natural habitat, and wore the tuxedo like it was his second skin.
It added to his mystery, just like the fact that only the donors could gain access to this event, yet he was here.
Or the fact that he was hiding his name. Or maybe a fake name.
Once more, I wondered who he really was.
“Did you rob a bank to be able to come here?”
He chuckled. “Or maybe I just hacked into their system and put myself on the guest list.”
I studied him. That could be it since he was good with computers. “But why would you go through all that trouble? Why are you here?”
He grinned. “Patience, Blair. I told you you’ll see.”
I stopped. “No, Zach. I need to know now. You’re going to do something to me, and I refuse to just wait for it.”
He grinned. “I already told you that I won’t do anything to you. But if you want to get all worked up for nothing, be my guest.” He resumed walking.
I still didn’t know how to feel, but any further argument would draw unnecessary attention.
More than we already drew anyway, since I caught a few whispers here and there mentioning my name and that tabloid article.
Though that wasn’t all. People were also gossiping about Lana and her bullying videos, and some of their faces betrayed discomfort.
I could tell they weren’t sure what they were doing here, risking their reputations for someone who had been publicly outed.
But some others were definitely here to feed on the drama.
I made a quick sweep of the room for Lana, but I didn’t see her anywhere. I wondered if she was avoiding the people.
We stopped at the table reserved for me, and one of the servers appeared with a tray of champagne. Zach took two flutes and handed me one, quirking his brow.
“Don’t they have something better? Like beer?”
My brow rose. “Beer is better?”
He scoffed. “Of course you’d say that. Beer is far beneath someone like you. I bet you’ve never drunk it.”
“Yeah, I haven’t, but only because I mostly love wine and cocktails. But anyway, don’t let them hear you. This champagne is one thousand dollars per bottle.”
His eyes widened. He shook his head, motioning at the champagne. “Ten of those bottles would be enough to feed a few families for a month.”
My smile dropped. I cleared my throat. “I know.”
He took a swallow of his champagne and grimaced. “This is a waste of money. So much spent on something so trivial.”
I cocked my head, taking in his outfit. “Yet you’re wearing a bespoke Brioni suit. How much did it cost to rent it?”
His lips quirked up, as though he knew something I didn’t. He took another swallow, ignoring my question.
I studied him. I knew what salary Dad gave him, but it made me wonder what his options were once he was done with me.
“What are your plans for the future? Are you going to college?”
He looked at me with raised brows, then said, “Yes, I’m going to college.”
My heart missed a beat. So it would mean that come what may, he’d be gone from my life soon. He’d said he’d go wherever I went, but if he was going to college, he wouldn’t be able to remain near me anymore. I ignored the ache I felt at that.
“What major are you pursuing?”
“I’ll take business management.”
My eyes rounded. “Business management? But you’re so good with computers and coding. I thought you’d pursue that as your major.”
He gave me a look that told me he was surprised I remembered that much about him. “Coding and computers are the easy part. Running a business is a tricky one.”
Running a business. Was he planning to do that?
“So you plan to be an entrepreneur?”
He just smiled, sipping his drink. “How about you? Is your major something you really want or what Mommy and Daddy have planned for you?”
My fingers tightened around my glass. “It’s true that economics wasn’t my idea, but then again, I have no particular interest in anything.
” Other than filming, but my parents would just have a good laugh if I ever said I wanted to study anything even remotely connected to that.
Since college had never been about gaining knowledge, I’d never considered what I could be learning if I had a say in it.