Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

Yup. I’ve come prepared. After all, tonight, I’m going to a party.

~

And boy, what a party it is.

It’s at the Royal Ontario Museum, a magnificent building with walls that seem to be whispering stories, the legendary kind, not the scary kind. For tonight, specific items from every exhibit have been brought out into the lobby, each one fascinating. But I suppose the guests are the main exhibit—the women in their dazzling gowns, the men in their impeccable suits.

Speaking of suits, I think the award for the best one should go to the man standing right next to me. His is a sleek, bespoke, navy blue Tom Ford ensemble and it just screams sexy, powerful. No wonder the women are staring. They’re looking at me, too, but mostly with glares or questioning glances, like they’re wondering who I am and what I did to deserve this man, which they probably think I don’t. I don’t care.

I’m the one Asher brought to this party.

As we go about socializing with other corporate executives and even some politicians and celebrities, I’m reminded of the party at Lloyd Finley’s, the first one we went to together years ago. There are similarities. Top-notch crowd. High fashion. Small pieces of food. Champagne. Violins. The difference? This time, I’m not a graduate student looking at future job prospects, trying to impress. This time, I’m a corporate executive myself, representing a prestigious company, which means I’m just here to have fun.

The thought of that makes me smile, but another makes me frown.

I have the same date I did five years ago. And he hurt me five years ago. He abandoned me. He broke my heart. What if he does the same now?

I glance at Asher. Maybe he won’t because we’re sleeping together now. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s changed. He may have told me we’re having more than just sex, but he hasn’t asked to be my boyfriend. Will he ever? Can I trust him not to abandon me again? He said he isn’t having sex with any other woman at the moment. Can I believe that? Can I trust him not to cheat on me?

“What’s wrong?” Asher asks me after sipping his champagne.

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

What am I doing worrying about things while I’m at a party?

Asher puts his glass down. “Would you like to dance?”

I grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He leads me to the dance floor and we dance. Not like before, of course. We can’t be that… uncivilized. He grips my waist and I grip his shoulders and we sway to the music like a couple at a prom or at a wedding.

Like a couple.

I look at Asher’s face.

It would be nice if we could be a couple.

Asher’s eyes narrow. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” I tell him the same thing I said earlier.

His expression tells me he doesn’t believe me.

“Violet…”

“Asher?” A voice interrupts us. “Asher Hawthorne?”

We stop dancing and turn our heads to see a man walking towards us. A familiar-looking man.

“Lloyd Finley?” I ask.

He grins. “Yes, it’s me.”

Who would have thought?

“I’m sorry. You are?”

“Vi—”

“Wait.” He cuts me off and scratches his chin. “You were the one who came with him to that party at my house, right? I remember you were looking everywhere for Asher.”

I nod. “Right.”

He turns to Asher and nudges his arm. “You really shouldn’t worry a woman like that, man. She thought you’d been killed or something.”

Except he’d just run off with another woman.

Asher doesn’t reply to Lloyd’s remark. He pats him on the shoulder.

“Lloyd Finley. To think I’d see you here.”

He shrugs. “What can I say? I love parties.”

“That you do,” Asher and I agree at the same time.

I chuckle at our synchronization.

Lloyd grins. “Well, I’m glad to see that the two of you are still together.”

He thinks we are?

“Oh no.” I wave my hand. “Asher and I aren’t… I mean we didn’t…”

“We’re just friends,” Asher says. “And colleagues. She works for the family company now.”

Lloyd nods. “I see. That’s good to know.”

Not for me. I’m just a friend to Asher? Just a colleague? I know we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, but couldn’t he have just said we’re dating? He didn’t even say anything when Lloyd was talking about that night. He could have apologized for all the trouble or say he’d never make me worry again. But it seems like he just wants to pretend it never happened.

Come to think of it, he’s been like this from the beginning. He didn’t want to talk about what happened at that party. He just wanted me to forgive him for it. And he doesn’t want to talk about the fact that he sleeps around, either. When I asked him why, he just said it was because of the sex. So he slept with all those women just for sex. Now he’s with me mostly for the sex, too. So how am I different?