Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
ANOTHER SMILE, another handshake. She made it all the way to her product launch that weekend. In spite of Roxie or because of her? Minute to minute, it wasn’t always clear, but at least she was still in LA. No passport required… yet.
Any event that went off without a hitch was a win. The launch wasn’t big or flashy, but it was functions like this that paid her bills. With everything in full swing, she could relax. Not completely, but enough.
Attendees mulled around, networking before the launch presentation. Music played. Canapes were distributed. Every cog moved as planned.
The product was some kind of smart device. Everything was smart these days. So much so that the “smart” part was almost redundant. If it didn’t plug in and sync with everything in a person’s house, they didn’t want it. God forbid anything ever went wrong with the electricity powering their lives.
The young geniuses who created these products wanted nightclubs and light shows to complement their launches. Flash and pizzaz were ubiquitous these days.
She didn’t have to stay all night but probably would in case of hitches. And, who knew? Maybe she’d drum up more business for herself… if she was in the mood to schmooze. Which she wasn’t.
Numb sickness still plagued her whenever Bastian came to mind, which was a lot. Though with Roxie taking her for dinner and drinks and dancing every night, all week, she at least didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Her father hadn’t taken the news of her breakup well.
Adara offered sympathy, while Damon enjoyed her misfortune.
Him, always him, being him. Honestly? She couldn’t get far enough away.
No big surprise. God love Roxie for providing the perfect excuse to avoid the family home, or any building that might contain Damon.
Her family didn’t attend her functions. There was no need to. This was business. Her job. It didn’t require an audience, her part didn’t anyway. That would just complicate things and she’d never get a pat on the back, so what would be the point?
Every once in a while, like that night, she brought a date. Men liked the glitz of these situations. It was LA. Glamor was required. Typically, her dates would get bored with her working. More often than not, they left early or with someone, anyone, other than her.
Michael, that night’s date, had disappeared a while ago. Maybe about twenty minutes ago. Might’ve been half an hour… ish. It was anyone’s guess if he was still there or not. No, it wasn’t exactly nice, but she was in no rush to locate him.
The presentation would start in around fifteen minutes. And where would she rather be…? Home alone? With Bastian? Lost in the mists of Crimson hedonism? The middle one. Always the middle one, and the one she’d never be again. Damnit. Why did he still occupy so much room in her head?
Hubbub near an internal doorway drew her attention. A distraction. Good. Given it was her job to maintain the integrity of the guest list, and defuse problems, she started over there to do her job. Any incident should be taken care of before it affected the client’s guests.
The chatter got louder as she got nearer and camera flashes were going crazy. One of the security guards on the internal door side stepped and… Roxie and Zairn.
The red carpet, that had been all but abandoned moments ago, was now swarming with security and paparazzi. They must’ve brought that with them. She’d never get that many cameras by herself. Hmm, well, the client would be happy.
People rushed past her from inside and more security came from… somewhere. Everyone wanted a piece of this and if it was going to be—she hadn’t invited Roxie, hadn’t thought she’d be interested. Her friend knew it was happening but—
“Quite a show.”
Brought around fast, she didn’t expect…
“Bastian?”
“Got a minute?”
A minute? She loosely nodded and took his proffered hand to guide him into a short corridor parallel to the hall.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, touching his tie.
“Who’s this?” Oh, so Michael hadn’t gone home. There he was at the end of the corridor. Scowling. “Huh?”
“This is, uh…” She swallowed to moisten her throat, fingers curling around Bastian’s tie. “This is Bastian Hunt.”
Michael frowned. “Yeah, I know who he is.”
“Then why did you ask?” Bastian said. “Who are you?”
“I’m her date,” Michael said.
Bastian’s eyebrow slid up. “Is that who you think you are?”
“You’ve been MIA most of the night,” she said to Michael. “I figured our date was over.”
“So you called him?” Michael asked. “Damon said you two were history.”
“Not anymore,” Bastian said, his arm strengthening around her waist.
In his petulance, Michael huffed and stormed off.
She never had luck with any man who knew Damon before they knew her.
Though, in this case, that was a good thing.
She’d rather be free for Bastian. Oh, and Michael would take this news directly back to her ex, the storyteller.
Saved her the trouble of filling anyone else in.
“You’re dating other men?” Bastian asked, dimple on show as he angled her back to the wall.
Just like that, the numb sickness drained from her body. “Bastian,” she exhaled.
Instinct coiled her arms around him until she was pressed close. After less than a second of hesitation, his embrace wrapped tight around her.
“Did you miss me?” he asked, stroking her hair.
Heart racing, skin clammy, excitement and adrenaline mixed with sorrow and anticipation. Being with him again was overwhelming. She had to look up to check this was real, it was really him.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again. I thought… I thought we were over.”
“So did I,” he said, his dimple deepening. “For about thirty minutes.”
She didn’t get it. “What?”
“I’m good at what I do because I’m relentless. You and I had an agreement. I need company, you need dates, you scratch mine and I’ll scratch yours. Is there any reason for us to go back on that?”
Was it that simple? Maybe. No, it couldn’t be that straightforward.
“But you’re… my family will hound you. They knew who you were before I did…”
“Is the money the only obstacle?”
“It’s not the money.” Not exclusively. “For them, it’s your influence, your reach—”
“I don’t care about them, I’m asking you. Only you. Is money the single obstacle?”
“It’s not the money.”
“Give me a chance to show you I’m not as shallow as the money might suggest.”
Shallow? Bastian? Maybe in Topsy-Turvy Land.
“You’ve worked hard for your money,” she said. “I know you’re not superficial.”
His calm contrasted her internal mania. His open hands moved down her hair to her back.
“No pressure. If it’s something you can’t surmount I’ll respect that and leave you alone. Break up with me any time.”
She smiled. “Fake break up with you,” she said, running her hands up and down his lapel then taking his tie in both hands.
“It was never the money, Bastian. A man as incredible and successful as you… You don’t need a fake relationship, you don’t need me.
Millions of women would line up to be with you. It’s embarrassing that I’m so pitiful—”
“Only one I want in that line is you,” he said. “Think of me like any other guy. Like the guy you’ve been with whenever we’re together. Do you want to break up with him?” After a long breath, she shook her head. “Good.”
Clinging tighter to his tie, she pulled just slightly, and that was enough of a signal. He bowed to rest his mouth on hers. It lingered for a beat before pushing harder, demanding more. Oh, he could have it. All of it. Mmm… She sighed into him and stretched her arms, looping them around his neck.
The only other time they’d done this, they were completely surrounded by those at the ball. Right then, they had no audience. Bastian urged her flat against the wall. Parting her lips for his slick, hungry tongue, she groaned and locked her fingers in his hair, angling for a deeper connection.
His chest rumbled with a reverberation that went through them both.
Work was forgotten. It was him. All him. Life. Earth. Sanity. None of it existed without him.
A nearby clatter forced them apart. Not far, just enough for her to see the fog in Bastian’s eyes. Another sound startled him into action. Getting in front of her, Bastian blocked her view.
“Do you have a comment for—”
“Get out of here!” Bastian demanded.
Two security guards ran into the corridor as she peeked around her shield. A man with a camera was wrestled away by their protectors. When they were gone, Bastian turned with an apology in his eyes.
“Our families won’t need much convincing now,” she said, threading her fingers between his. “Will they?”
“That’ll be on the internet within the hour,” he said with regret.
“I’m sorry, Sweet. I can call my lawyer.
He’ll do what he can. These things have a way of getting out there anyway.
Zairn and Roxie deal with situations like this every day.
Sometimes fighting makes it a bigger story. If you want me to use our resources—”
“No.” She shook her head. “Who hasn’t had a picture of themselves making out with a billionaire plastered all over the internet?” Widening her smile, she wanted to reassure him. “So if you’re my date, do you want to buy me a drink?”
His dimple brought him back to life. “I do.”
He hooked her under his arm and led her out to the launch. This would be one corporate event she wouldn’t soon forget.