LEVIN
Iadjusted my black tie and swallowed my irritation. I’d been in the Vander Veer mansion for over an hour and still hadn’t seen Celeste's old man. Instead, I’d been hit on by at least six cougars doused in overpowering, powdery perfume that burned the shit out of my nose and with tits which were so plastic I could recycle them and build a self-sustaining, off-the-grid hut. There was also one very suspect maître d’ who I was certain had grabbed my ass.
I threw back a glass of champagne and grabbed two fresh ones off a tray that passed by. I wasn’t one for schmoozing and ass kissing. Playing the part of some uptight, rich bitch wasn’t my scene. I was always the muscle, not the fucking show. Dom was the one needed for this kind of job. Having been raised in this world and having Dom as my friend, one would think I’d have gotten the hang of this shit over the years, but I always tended to grab a bottle of booze and disappear. Even Vincent was better at this shit than me.
If Bianca hadn’t told me to go fuck myself, I wouldn’t be surrounded by all these pricks. Vincent was better suited for this. He was the one who could woo the panties off a chick. Not me. I was on the edge of fucking this up because I wanted to leave so I could go get high and drunk and forget about the shit in my life.
After Bianca’s outburst at lunch, shit had gotten way worse. The moment the words had left my mouth, I'd regretted them and had been kicking my ass ever since. I knew taking Celeste to our table had been a bad idea. But fuck, did Bianca have any idea what it was like to see her loving my two best friends and my fucking enemy while hating me? I got that I was going to kill her, but damn. Get over it.
She and Dom had left and hadn't come back. But I'd imagined what he did to her knowing him.
Fuck my life. I wished I could bury my fucking thoughts and feelings. They were overwhelming me. Making the hurt turn to anger. This was why I didn’t fuck with people. I knew what it was like when they left. Fuck.
“You look so handsome.” Celeste giggled, running her hand down the arm of my suit, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Come. I want to introduce you to my mother.”
I groaned inwardly. I hated meeting fucking parents. My smile was brittle, but Celeste accepted it and steered me like a prized show dog toward a woman who looked a lot like her—stacked and regal, great tits, but most likely fake like her nose, and a face that said lick my shoes, bitch.
Great.
“Mother,” Celeste said in a breathy voice as we approached.
Her mother raised a perfectly painted-on eyebrow.
“I want you to meet Levin Seeley. Levin, this is my mother, Katherine. ”
“Ah.” Her mother gave me her hand to kiss. At least it wasn’t her ass.
I took her hand and pressed my lips to it. She beamed at me.
“A pleasure to meet you,” I said, fixing the smile on my face.
“Celeste has been so excited about bringing you home to meet us,” Katherine said. “She tells me you’re friends with the De Santis family. ”
“Mother.” Celeste’s laugh was fake as hell as she clung to my arm.
“I suppose it depends on who’s asking,” I said, desperate to hurry this shit along. “But I am familiar with the family.” I offered her a grin. When she smirked back at me, I continued, “I’d love to meet Mr. Vander Veer. Is he available?”
“He’s here somewhere.” Katherine waved me off, her flowery perfume just as bad as all the old cougars’ fragrances. “I'd recommend having something to eat and getting to know everyone. My husband has a tendency to bound about and is often hard to find.”
A young woman touched Katherine’s arm, drawing her attention. She must have been the party planner because Katherine wrinkled her nose and started snarling obscenities at her about running out of something.
“Oh, Levy. I see Selene Abrams. Her father owns ICW, this company that makes microchips for computers or something. Daddy is friends with her father. Honestly, I’ve never seen the appeal in the friendship. He doesn’t even make a fraction of what Daddy does.”
“Well, any amount is a fraction,” I said.
“What?” She frowned. “I didn’t take you for an intellectual. That just makes you so much hotter.” She licked her lips.
“Yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’m a scholar.”
“You seem smart to me. I love smart men.” She giggled again.
Fuck. Get me out of here.
I followed Celeste through the crowded mansion and half-assed listened to her do her fake laugh and converse with a few other heiresses while I nodded politely when it seemed appropriate. My phone buzzed halfway through a conversation about some bitch getting a botched nose job.
“I need to take this,” I said, not waiting for Celeste to respond.
It could've been a telemarketer trying to sell me an extended warranty for something I didn’t own and I still would've answered.
“Hello?”
“How’s it going?” Vincent’s voice came over the line.
“Fuck, get me out of here.” I cast a quick look around to make sure no one was close by.
Vincent laughed loudly. “You did this to yourself, man. Dom just wanted me to check in on you. See how you and that big cock of yours were doing. Dom said to get your dick wet and get that deal.”
“The only way my dick is getting wet is if I jump into the pool in an attempt to drown myself,” I muttered.
“Hey, that’s good enough as long as Celeste is with you. She seemed really into you.”
“She is, I guess. I’m just… not.” I sighed, glancing around again.
“Baby B, huh?” he said knowingly.
“No,” I snapped, hating the fucking lie.
“Whatever. Do what you need to do. But just so you know, Fallon was in the room with Dom and B early this morning. I didn’t get a chance to tell you because Celeste was clinging to you, but, boy, you might be getting replaced. Vasiliev looked pretty fucking lovestruck when he left. I ran into him on my way to see Dom.”
I tensed at this information.