Cruel Money (Cruel 1)

“Oh my god, we just need to pop over and say hi to—”

Before she could even finish the statement, I jumped in, “Go ahead. I’m going to wait here for a minute. I need a breather.”

Katherine frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll be over in a minute.”

She shrugged. “All right. I’ll send champagne over. Yours is empty again.”

I glanced down into my glass and frowned. Honestly, how had that happened? I had no idea how much I’d had to drink at this thing. My glass was constantly full. I never even had to think about it, and suddenly, there was more alcohol in my hand.

“Hey there,” a strong voice said to me.

My eyes lifted to find a rather attractive man standing before me. He was clean-cut and in a sharp tuxedo with a square jaw and perfectly groomed hair. His eyes danced with mirth, as if he were enjoying a private joke, and his smile said something else altogether. He reminded me of every sleazeball frat boy who had tried to have sex with me in college. He was pretty but dirty underneath the two-thousand-dollar suit. It was as if he had a sign painted on his forehead that read, Run away.

“Uh, hi,” I said carefully.

“Katherine sent me over here. She said you needed another drink.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I took the proffered drink in my hand, but I had no intention of imbibing any further. I was already tipsy, bordering on drunk. But something in my gut said not to trust this guy. He could have slipped something in the drink. I had no idea.

“Katherine says that you’re one of the new Cunningham models.”

“I…what?”

“Your dress is obviously the work of Elizabeth Cunningham, right?”

“Yes,” I said quickly. Katherine had mentioned that was the designer. “Yes, this is from Cunningham Couture.”

“And you look so”—he took a step closer—“delectable in it.”

“Thank you,” I said, edging a step backward.

He brushed my silver hair off of my shoulder. “Did you just get in from Hollywood?”

“Hollywood? Um…no.”

“Huh,” he said, eyeing my hair. “The hair is different. Not exactly New York fashion, is it?”

I shrugged. I really had no idea.

“I don’t know if you know, but I have a special connection with a number of the Cunningham models.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“We could get out of here, and I could show you.”

“Who-who are you exactly?” I stammered.

I wanted out. Out, out, out. He gave me creep vibes. And I felt suddenly cornered.

“Katherine didn’t tell you?”

“Why would she?”

He smirked and opened his mouth to reply, and then Penn was standing at the guy’s elbow, jerking him backward. He whipped around as if he were going to punch Penn in the face and then stopped.

“What are you doing, Percy?” Penn growled.

“What I’m doing is none of your business, Kensington.”

Percy?

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

This was Katherine’s fiancé, Camden Percy. The owner of one of the largest chains of hotels in the world. No wonder everyone had seemed down about the pending nuptials.

“If you didn’t notice, Natalie here seemed uncomfortable with your attention.” He placed himself between me and Camden. “So you should back off.”

Camden smirked devilishly. “I think we were getting along just fine.”

“I know how you get along with women. She is not going to be one of them.”

“That almost sounds like a challenge.”

“Yeah, it is,” Penn said calmly, his eyes seething.

Camden said with an eye roll, “I know you’re all bark and no bite.”

“Try me.”

“Boys, boys, boys,” Katherine trilled as she drifted over to where we were all clustered together. “Play nice.”

Neither of the guys said anything. They just stared at each other in mutual hatred.

“I swear, you two are children.” Katherine stepped over to me. “So, what do you think of my new project, Camden?”

Project? What did that mean exactly? I hadn’t thought I was a project. I’d thought I was a…friend.

Camden slowly dragged his eyes from his staring death match with Penn to really look at me. “You said she was a Cunningham model.”

Katherine waved a hand, and a wicked grin painted her face. “And you believed me.”

“She’s incredibly convincing,” Camden said dryly. “In appearance at least. She doesn’t seem to have a personality.”

“Just because I have no interest in the way you approached me doesn’t mean that I don’t have a personality.”

Katherine giggled. “See, she’s perfect.”

Camden narrowed his eyes. “Congratulations, Katherine,” he said in a way that did not at all sound congratulatory.

Katherine frowned in disapproval as if she was waiting for the slap in the face to follow.

“You managed to make her beautiful. Money can buy almost anything it seems. Except class.”

I winced, but he had eyes only for Katherine.

“But I guess class can buy you money if arranged properly.”

“Percy,” Penn said warningly.

Camden just smiled at him. “What? Can’t you just wait until the day that I own your little Katherine?”

Katherine said nothing. Just stood there as stiff as a board.