His lips find my neck. He whispers in my ear, “You’re the most beautiful woman in this room right now.”
“You’re lying to me.”
“I’m not, princess. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’ll tell you a lot of things, but I won’t lie about that.” His lips move down my throat and up to my jaw. “I want to finish what I started the other night.”
He crushes my mouth in a kiss. I moan into his lips and kiss him back, unable to help myself. I’m dizzy, sweating, exhausted, and spinning. My stomach is warm from the champagne and this might be a mistake, falling back into this with Gavino, but it’s a mistake I want to make. I’ve been through enough and I deserve to feel something other than misery.
But when I open my eyes, I spot Malcolm dancing with that waitress nearby. I have no clue how he managed to get that girl to walk away from her shift, but she’s rubbing her ass and tits against him, and the moment suddenly sours. I pull away from Gavino, and when he gives me a questioning look, I shake my head.
“Bathroom,” I say in his ear. “I’ll be back soon.” Leaving him is like ripping off a layer of skin, but I hurry through the crowd before he can try to stop me.
I lean against the wall in the darker, quieter back hall. I get lucky and there’s no line for the women’s room. I stand in front of the mirror and stare at myself before splashing water on my face in an attempt to get control back. My body’s buzzing and I keep wanting to throw myself at Gavino. I keep wanting him to strip me like he did that night at his house, to kiss me and lick me, to make me scream, to make me all his.
Would I fuck him in this bathroom? If he dragged me in here and held me against the wall, would I take him deep between my legs?
I think I would.
And that’s terrifying.
His kiss is intoxicating. It’s too much. And when I looked up and saw Malcolm with that girl, I had to run away. I don’t know why, but it was like I could see myself through that man’s eyes, and I saw a young girl with a much older man and I don’t know how I feel about being that person. His age doesn’t bother me, but I know some people frown on that sort of big age gap.
I leave the bathroom after a few minutes. The hall is quiet and empty, and I start back toward the club, but Benedict moves out from the shadows of the men’s room and gets in my way, startling me for a brief moment, my hands coming up to my chest.
I take a step back, glaring. “You’ve got to stop ambushing me outside of the bathroom like this.”
“It’s the only time you’re ever apart from him.” He tilts his head, staring at me. “Why are you here, Jeanie?”
“I’m doing my job. If you’ll excuse me.” I go to move around him, but Benedict slams a palm into my face and shoves me back against the wall. I hit hard and gasp in surprise, seeing stars as he looms in front of me. It happened so fast—one second, I was slipping past and the next I’m swaying on my feet with Benedict’s hot breath on my face.
“Why are you here?” The question is lower, angrier.
“I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I want the truth. Why are you snooping around Malcolm? What are you using Gavino Bruno for?”
“Nothing,” I say, desperate and afraid. Benedict shows his teeth. Would he kill me right here in public? There’s nobody around, but that could change at any moment. Would anyone step in to stop him?
“You have no idea, do you? You have no fucking clue. It’s almost pathetic. But I’ll tell you something, Jeanie.” He leans closer. His lips tug into a grin.
“What?” I manage to gasp as I try to struggle from his grip.
“I know who you are, and if you don’t leave here and never come back, I’ll tell Gavino and Malcolm the truth.”
I stare at him, heart racing. I think I might be sick. My throat’s closing up and my stomach’s churning and I have to lean against the wall to keep from sliding to the floor. I croak a denial but Benedict only laughs as he turns and walks away, but before he reaches the end of the hall, he looks back.
“I know who you are, Jeanie. I know who your mother was. One week. Disappear, or I’ll tell them the truth.”
And then he’s gone and I’m a wreck.