Into the Darkness

“First round of shots are on me,” I cheered as we headed out of the ballroom, ready to let loose and drown out tonight’s sorrows.

Chapter 8

Lex

I spent the short limo ride chatting with Brooke. Turns out she was the daughter of one of the politicians here in New York. Great, just what I needed.

We arrived at the ball, the red carpet swarming with paparazzi. We followed the crowd, hoping to avoid the craziness. Unfortunately I was not so lucky.

“Mr. Edwards, over here!” one of the paparazzi yelled.

I took my cue and posed, then the flock followed. The bulbs kept flashing and I felt like I’d been blinded.

“Lex, who are you wearing?”

“Are you and Brooke Henley an item?”

“Is it true the Lexed Group is in a bidding war to buy—?”

They were cut off as Adriana dragged me into the building. Thank God, the worst part was over.

We were seated towards the front thanks to Adriana making me purchase the seats at twenty-five hundred a ticket. Sitting at the table beside us was Mr. Vandercamp and what looked like a new wife or maybe a mistress. She looked like a clone of Barbie, a far cry from the Mrs. Vandercamp I remembered. Mr. Vandercamp was the owner of one of the largest importing companies in New York. Rumor had it he was in the middle of a messy divorce. He was worth a ton and had properties all over the United States. Sitting on their other side were a few famous people. The only one I recognized was Kanye. As I approached the table he immediately stood up and walked over to shake my hand.

He flashed his pearly whites as he greeted me. “Edwards, long time no see.”

“You know me, can’t stay put in one place long enough to call home,” I answered.

I had met Kanye a few times, mostly at club openings. He was a very laid-back guy despite that whole Taylor Swift thing.

“I heard you opened up After Dark a few weeks back? Damn bro, that club be happening. I’d love to do a set there.”

“Anytime. Have your people call mine to set something up.”

We chatted a while longer before we were interrupted by the MC requesting everyone to take their seats. I sat down beside Brooke and made myself comfortable. It was going to be one hell of a long night. Thank God the champagne was decent—Armand de Brignac. Not bad, I thought, but hell I needed plenty of it.

Mrs. Clyde, the head of the committee, walked onto the stage. She began to speak about the charity, bringing a tear to nearly every woman’s eye in the room and a few men too. The donations would help rebuild the shelter located in Brooklyn as well as provide round-the-clock counselors, schooling and accommodation for those who had no family or home to go to. I guessed my sizable donation would help.

She finished speaking, then the crowd stood up to mingle. I grabbed Brooke’s hand since she was my date and started walking through the crowd. It wasn’t long before Mrs. Clyde pulled me aside.

“My gorgeous boy!” She grabbed my face and kissed both cheeks. I allowed her to do so although she always made me feel like a five-year-old.

“Mrs. Clyde. What a pleasure to see you again.”

“Lex, where is that wonderful mother and father of yours tonight?”

“Unfortunately my father is in Brazil with my mother. He had some emergency surgeries that needed to be performed on some local children. Quite sad. The paperwork for him to help was a nightmare. It took two months for him to get the approval to go.”

She clutched her chest as I explained the tragedies these children had endured. “Oh dear, I bet Andrew was out of his mind. Please give him my regards. I must speak to him on the condition of the children once he returns.” She let go of her chest and gently hugged me. She was a kindhearted woman who reminded me of my mother.

We continued on through the crowd, pausing to chat with acquaintances until finally stopping at Mr. and Mrs. Henley’s table. Brooke introduced me to her parents. It was obvious her father was not impressed she attended the event with me. Who could blame him? I didn’t have the best reputation with women.

I scanned the room, bored with the conversation between Brooke and her mother about dresses and designers. Across the ballroom I noticed a young guy checking me out. I could tell by the way he looked up and down at my body. Oh for fuck’s sake, he couldn’t have made it any more obvious. The girl on his right copied his move, and the one on his left slowly untangled herself from her partner’s arm, revealing a stunning emerald green dress. Emerald green, if that didn’t take me back to prom. She looked my way, and our eyes fixated on each other.

It was her.

This time I wasn’t going to let the opportunity get away. I leaned into Brooke’s ear to let her know I was going to talk to an old friend. She nodded and continued chatting with her mother.

The closer I got, the more nervous she looked. Shit, I wasn’t going to bite. Or maybe I would later tonight once I finally got her alone.