EIGHT
IstaredafterSully’s back, jaw slack. Should I go after him and demand an apology for the way he’d just treated me? Did he know how nerve-racking tonight had been? I’d smiled, laughed, and listened to things I didn’t even know what they meant half the time. And when I’d been truly stumped, I’d done exactly what Liam had suggested and flirted a little. Even though I had felt like a fish out of water, I thought I’d done a pretty damn good job.
I was used to strip clubs, back alleys, and exploring the length and width of another man’s cock. Business talk wasn’t my forte, and some of these people I’d spoken with seemed hell-bent on letting me know how vast their estate was. What was their deal with that anyway? Who knew rich people could brag so much about their assets?
I turned and cringed. Several people were staring at me. Had they observed the tension between Sully and me? I plastered a fake smile on my face.
“A d-d-drink?” a server stuttered as he pushed a tray under my nose. I reached for the only glass left, but his hand jerked, and the liquid spilled all over the bodice of my jumpsuit.
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry.” The server clamped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.
“It’s okay.” I smiled at him. “I’m sure the stain can be treated.”
I doubted it. Red wine wasn’t easy to get out of fabric, but he looked devastated.
“Let me help with that.” A tall, portly man stepped up, basically pushing the server aside. He held out a pocket square to me.
“Thank you.” I took the pocket square and patted the splotch of wine on my hand. I grimaced. Nothing but water would get the red dots off my skin, but I didn’t want to find a bathroom and leave without letting Sully know where I was. He already seemed mad at me.
“Umm.” I gestured helplessly at the now stained pocket square. Sully and Liam never told me the etiquette when one used someone’s pocket square. Was I expected to return the soiled piece of cloth?
“You can keep that, lovely.” The man angled his body so his back was to the room, and I was almost up against the wall. I couldn’t get away without him stepping back. “Antoine Leclerc. What’s your name?”
“Kitson.” I tried to peek over his shoulder to find Sully, but he was too tall, and not even my four-inch heels helped my case.
“Such a unique name for a unique boy.” He swung his arm, the gesture seemingly innocent until his hand brushed my thigh. “Forgive me if I’m taking up your personal space. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around such a beauty.”
I chuckled to cover my unease. “Thank you. I should get back to my date, but it was nice of you to help me.” I deserved a pat on the back, considering I wanted to slap his horny face.
His hand rested on my thigh now possessively, and he was beyond pretending at this point. “Come on, I saw the little spat you had with our friend Sullivan Matthews. And you know what, Kitson? You can do much better. A boy with your charm deserves so much more than he can ever give you.”
I had to clench my hands into fists to stop me from swinging them at him and dug my fingernails into my palms.
Where the hell are you, Sully?
He’d hated the attention I’d been getting before. If I hit this asshole, then all eyes would be on us even more. Had Sully finished whatever the hell he’d brought us here to do?
“What do you say you and I get out of here and we can go someplace more fun?” the man asked.
“What do you say you take your hand off my date, Leclerc? I’m not partial to anyone who isn’t me touching him.”
Sully’s hard-as-steel voice startled me. I hadn’t heard him approach, and neither had Leclerc, it seemed. The room had gone deadly quiet, no doubt waiting to see what would happen next.
Leclerc dropped his hand and stepped back. “My bad,” he said with a wry grin. “I saw you two had a quarrel of sorts, and then you left. You really shouldn’t leave such valuables lying around if you don’t want anyone else to touch, Matthews.”
I’d been treated like an object for most of my adult life. Still, it rankled that this asshole referred to me as “valuables.” Like I was there for the taking.
“I would strongly advise against taking what doesn’t belong to you, Leclerc.”
Warmth rippled through me. Why did it make me all hot and flustered when Sully referred to me as his, even when I knew it was all just an act? I would never be anything more than bait to a man like Sullivan Matthews.
Sully stepped into the place where Leclerc had been standing. His jaw was clenched, and his cheekbones chiseled steel. “What happened to your clothes?”
“A waiter spilled wine on me. Leclerc gave me his pocket square.”
Sully took my arm. “We should go.”
“Wait. Did you get to do what you came here for?”