Chapter 10
Kayla: You’re selling tickets at the ball?
Jamie: Tickets are selling themselves.
Jamie
Despite being worried that Ethan might not survive the match, I accept a ridiculous amount of money from everyone who wants to see violence committed against him.
After I give all the details to Rachel, and send an excited message to Kayla, Ethan suggests we move on.
Apparently, they’re running a silent auction in one of the rooms on the other side of the ballroom, and when Ethan mentions that one of the items could be some boxing memorabilia, I’m eager to take a look.
We start across the ballroom but haven’t gone far when I spot a beautiful woman in a white gown, her red hair styled in waves. I recognize her from our cork board. She’s Victoria Reed, the woman who had red marks scribbled across her in the photo that was sent to Ethan.
“There’s Victoria!” I tug on Ethan’s arm. “Let’s go and talk to her.”
He stops dead, resisting my pull, and looks at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. “Why?”
“Because she was threatened, of course. We should make sure she’s being careful.”
He sighs, sounding weirdly reluctant. “Fine.”
Victoria sees us approach and walks over to meet us halfway. Her red lips curve into a polite smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
"Ethan, how are you?” Her voice drips with false warmth as she air-kisses his cheek.
“Victoria, this is Jamie,” he says, pulling back and turning to me.
“Charmed.” Her gaze skates over me like I’m something she found stuck to her designer heel.
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “Did Rachel tell you about the photo of you that Ethan got in the mail?”
Her eyebrows jump with surprise. But instead of answering me, she turns to Ethan. “Why is your friend asking about that horrible thing?”
“Jamie is worried about your safety.”
Victoria’s forehead creases in confusion. “But why?”
“It seemed like it was a threat against you,” I say. “I’m looking into it, but in the meantime, please don’t take unnecessary risks.”
“Well, I’m perfectly fine.” Victoria speaks so dismissively that I blink in surprise.
Then she focuses her gaze on someone over my shoulder.
“I’d love to keep chatting, but I see a director I need to speak to.
If you’ll excuse me…” She kisses the air in the vague direction of Ethan’s cheek, aims a flicker of a smile at me, then strolls away.
“That was weird,” I say quietly to Ethan.
He shrugs. “She’s an actress. She’s here to network.”
“Yeah, but she was so super fun. Crazy the way she wouldn’t stop talking to me. So friendly!” I cock my head at him. “She’s not jealous because she thinks you’re here with another woman, is she?”
He snorts. “Victoria doesn’t care about that. She’s transactional. She’s only interested in people who have something to offer.”
“Seriously?”
“She’s focused on her career. She decided you couldn’t help her, so she moved on.”
I gaze at him, speechless. It doesn’t seem to bother Ethan.
But assessing people for what they can do for you is what my father has always done.
Manipulative people are pure poison. And I feel grateful all over again for Scarlet, Kayla, and Dani.
For the warmth of my friends, their honesty, and kindness.
Did Ethan really date that woman?
“You okay?” he asks with a frown.
“Yeah. It’s just…” I grimace. “It’s nothing.” But because I can’t help myself, I add, “I know she’s your girlfriend and all, but I don’t like people who think that way.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s never been my girlfriend.”
I’m opening my mouth to reply, when I spot a woman walking into the ballroom who’s so striking, I immediately forget what I was going to say.
The woman is wearing a dramatic red satin ballgown that pinches into her tiny waist, then expands out, sweeping the floor. Her white-blonde hair is swept up in a chignon, and pinned to the top of her head is a glittering tiara. Her outfit is so regal, it makes everyone else look underdressed.
Though she’s a small woman, everyone in the ballroom has turned to look at her. Some hurry over to say hello. A man bows to her, and a woman… wait. Did that woman just curtsey?
“Who’s that woman?” I ask Ethan, watching a heavy-set bald man in a black suit walk a few paces behind her. He’s clearly some kind of bodyguard, and a barely-there bulge in his jacket tells me he’s armed.
“That’s Princess Ulrika,” Ethan says.
“She calls herself Princess and wears a tiara? That’s weird.”
“It’s not weird. It’s her official title.”
The woman’s eyes settle on Ethan. They flare with recognition, and she smiles, looking excited to see him.
“Wait.” I say, incredulous. “She can’t be an actual princess?”
“Her father is the king of a tiny Scandinavian country. But she’s the youngest of three children, so she’s not likely to take the throne.”
“But she’s royalty,” I breathe. I watch her glide toward us so gracefully, I wonder if they outlawed gravity in her country. Then I realize she’s walking straight over to us, making a beeline for Ethan, and my stomach lurches.
I’ve never met a princess before. Am I supposed to curtsey? And how do I address her?
Before I can ask Ethan, the princess is in front of us.
“Hello Ethan.” She inclines her head to him. Her voice is lilting and pleasant, with an accent that makes it sound exotic. She has delicate features and translucent ice-blue eyes. She smells like a flower garden in full bloom.
Her bodyguard stops behind her, his huge arms hanging by his sides. He’s bald, with a barrel chest, and he’s assessing everything and everyone with sharp eyes.
“Princess Ulrika,” Ethan says. “Nice to see you again.” He turns to me. “This is Jamie Jennings.”
“Um. Hi.” I hesitate, not sure whether to bow or curtsey. Instead of picking one, I do an awkward head-bob, knee-bend movement that I instantly regret.
Heat crawls up the back of my neck. But the princess isn’t even looking at me. She’s gazing up at Ethan.
Stepping closer to him, she reaches for his arm.
“You didn’t get attacked by anyone tonight, I trust.” With a musical laugh, she slides one hand from his forearm up past his elbow.
With her other hand, she takes hold of his fingers.
It’s as though she’s clinging to him. Like she’s afraid the floor might give way, and she might need to climb up his arm for safety.
“No attacks tonight.” Ethan’s tone has softened. The contempt he showed for all the people we sold tickets to has gone. I have no idea what the attack is that they’re talking about, but it must be an inside joke.
“Well, that’s a relief.” She laughs again.
My stomach lurches at the possessive way she’s touching him. She’s gazing up at him with her lashes lowered, and it seems more seductive than friendly.
Could she be another of the women he dates?
The thought makes me queasy, and I’m not sure why. I mean, it’s not like I’m jealous of Ethan. He’s nothing more than an irritating client.
“Ethan, I must tell you about my latest real estate purchase,” she says, still ignoring me. “I happen to know about some rezoning that’s about to happen, and I’m snapping up some buildings that are in the perfect position to benefit.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Oh, it is. And I could be persuaded to let you in on the deal.”
“Generous of you,” Ethan says, his tone dry.
Nobody is so much as glancing at me, not even the huge, bald bodyguard behind the princess who is clearly scanning for threats. I fiddle with my purse, feeling awkward.
Before the princess arrived, I thought my wide-legged jumpsuit was formal enough that I didn’t look completely out of place. But next to her stunning red gown, it seems dowdy. And the way she’s ignoring me makes me feel like I don’t belong here.
All at once, I flash back to a horrible memory from when I was in elementary school.
It was one of the hard times after my father’s con went wrong, and we were forced to escape empty-handed and move to a new town.
I had to start at a new school, though we were sleeping in our car, and I only had dirty clothes and nowhere to wash.
A group of older boys cornered me at recess and shoved a bar of soap down my panties while my new classmates stood around laughing.
This moment isn’t close to being as awful as that. But still, I hate feeling out of place. It makes me wish Miles would come back and take a swing at Ethan, just so I’d have something to do with my hands.
“We must talk through the details,” the princess says.
“I’d like that. But not tonight.” Ethan eases his arm from her grip, then turns to me and settles his hand against my lower back. The smile he gives me is so unexpectedly warm, some confidence seeps back into me. “Still want to take a look at the silent auction?” he asks me.
I nod, dazzled by his smile. Demolition Man has dimples. Who could ever have guessed? It feels like his wrecking ball just knocked me over.
“U-um,” I stammer. “Sure.”
“Let’s set up a meeting to talk about the deal sometime next week,” he says to the princess.
“Jamie likes these kinds of events about as much as I do, but I’m hopeful we might find something interesting in the auction.
” He steps close to me, his hand still on my back, burning through the silk of my jumpsuit.
I catch a flicker of annoyance in the princess’s eyes before she smiles. “Of course, Ethan. So nice to see you again.” She looks at me. “I hope you find something to bid on.”
“Thanks.” I manage. I’m shocked that Ethan is choosing to show me the boxing memorabilia he mentioned rather than talk about a money-making deal.
Behind the princess, her bald bodyguard is still standing motionless, but he looks sour. His narrowed eyes are on me, his nostrils flared like he smells something bad. So I guess he doesn’t understand it any more than I do.