“We’re here,” Mr. Darcy announced. It was the first thing he’d said all night.
Mr. Darcy was the first to exit the limo. He held out his hand to help me out, and I took it without thinking. His grasp was solid and firm, holding me safely as I stepped out onto the street. But there was more to it than that. His touch stayed with me, sending little jolts of desire up my arm and down my spine.
I looked up and into his blue eyes. His gaze caught me off balance, and it was a good thing he was holding my hand, or I would have fallen. I felt something awake inside of me, but judging from his face, he didn’t feel the same.
He simply made sure I was steady before letting me go and helping my sister out of the limo. My fingers tingled from where he touched me as I waited for the others. I watched him, not seeing any sign that he’d felt the same connection I did.
I knew I was being ridiculous. He was an ass. He hated me, and I hated him. It had to be in my head that we’d connected. My body was just responding to the fact that he was incredibly sexy and just my type. That had to be it. It was all physical.
The line to get into Lux wrapped around the street corner and down the block. Men and women in tight black clothing and fancy shoes all stood out in the November cold waiting to get in.
But we walked right in the front door without even a pause. The two security guards nodded to Charles and pulled back the red-velvet ropes. Between the limo and the no wait time, I could see Lydia’s attraction with being famous. Not that I was ever going to go to her extremes, but I could at least see the appeal.
A photographer was waiting inside and snapped our picture without warning. The flash made my eyes blur for a moment, but I managed to put on a smile for the next picture. Jane veered to my left, shying away from the camera as much as possible. Despite being model beautiful, she hated getting her picture taken. She said she always looked terrible and avoided photos as much as possible.
Lydia on the other hand, stood posing for the photographer for another three shots before I pushed her inside to follow Charles and the rest of the group.
The club was hopping. Blue and silver lights flashed and swung over the packed dance floor on the first level. A second level wrapped around the edges of the building, providing places to sit and drink and look down on the dancers below. We had to go through another set of velvet ropes to go up, which told me that the upstairs was VIP only.
Music pulsed with a heavy beat that made my body want to move as we walked up the open staircase. Everywhere people were dancing, drinking, and having a good time. I grinned as we walked, knowing that I was going to have a great time tonight. I was going to dance and enjoy myself here.
Charles led us to a large table on the second level that overlooked the dance floor. We could see everything from up here. The DJ spun in his booth and dancers writhed to his music below us. This was the best table in the entire place.
“Champagne?” Charles offered as we took our seats at the comfortable lounge table. The table was round and made of reflective glass, while two benches wrapped around it. The seats were velvety and helped insulate from the sound below us so we could hold a conversation. Two bottles of Dom Perignon were waiting for us. I nodded, completely impressed.
“Yes, please,” Jane whispered. Her eyes were big as she took a glass in a shaky hand. Crowds were not her thing. She gave me a nervous smile as she took a big sip of her drink and tried to relax. Her idea of a good time would be a quiet restaurant or a romantic dinner at home.
She smiled at me. I knew she was trying to have a good time, but this was not her idea of a good time. She was here because she wanted to spend time with Charles, not because she wanted to dance in the crowd. I squeezed her hand.
“Charles, this is amazing,” I said, taking a glass of champagne from him. “Thank you so much for bringing us.”
“You are very welcome,” he replied. He glanced over at Jane, and she did her best to give him a big smile. “I hope you like it.”
“Very much,” Lydia assured him. She looked pleased as a cat in a canary cage as she looked around. I could only imagine what she was thinking of doing next.
“A toast,” Charles announced once everyone had their champagne. “To new friends.”
Everyone, even Mr. Darcy
, clinked their glasses together and repeated the words.
The photographer returned just as we finished our toast. She held up the camera this time, prepping us for another round of pictures. We all leaned in, except Jane, and smiled. The camera flashed, and the photographer frowned. She motioned to Jane to move in closer.
Jane sighed, put on her best smile and tried to fit in the picture. Even I knew that she was just going to look out of place with the fake smile and uncomfortable pose. The photographer took the picture and shrugged before walking off to take more photos. I hoped it didn’t look too terrible, for Jane’s sake. She hated pictures like that as it was.
“William, how is your sister?” Charles asked, leaning back and sipping his champagne. “I heard she might be coming to town soon.”
Who the hell is William? I thought for a moment before remembering that Mr. Darcy had a first name. I just wasn’t supposed to use it. I looked over to see a smile flicker across his normally serious face.
“She is coming in December,” he replied. “She loves New York this time of year. I half suspect that’s the only reason she’s willing to leave London. That and to get away from our aunt.”
“You have a sister?” Jane asked. “Older or younger?”
“Younger,” he answered. He still had a smile on his face. “Her name’s Georgiana.”
“Does she work for your company?” Lydia asked. “If she’s like you, you must have her on all your fliers.”
His smile flickered and faded. “No, she’s been ill.”