Chapter 19

“Reyna,” Beckham said, “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Penelope.”

Reyna swallowed back all of the anger and frustration that lanced her body in that moment. Beckham did not belong to her. Not in any way. One kiss didn’t mean anything. She was his employee. And they may have a strange…slightly unprofessional relationship, but he had made it clear this couldn’t go on.

“Hello,” she said softly.

“Penny, this is Reyna.”

Both women assessed the other. Reyna didn’t know what Penny saw when she looked at her. The woman’s face was a mask of serenity. Which was even more infuriating. It didn’t help that she was prettier up close. Her eyes were as clear blue as the ocean, and she had the slightest dimple in each of her cheeks.

When Penelope realized that Reyna wasn’t going to say anything, she spoke up. “I’ve heard so much about you, Reyna.”

“Really?” Reyna asked. She turned her attention to Beckham and arched one eyebrow.

“Yes! I was so glad when you first got here. So good for Beckham to have someone always around for him. And good for you too from what I’ve heard.”

Reyna refused to be embarrassed that this woman clearly knew her history. She couldn’t believe that Beckham would tell her, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Her insides were on fire and some part of her wanted to scream.

“Yep. So good for Beckham. Just what he wanted,” Reyna said.

Penelope either didn’t hear her sarcasm or refused to register it. “He was telling me last night about your interest in my city.”

Last night. He had been out with her last night? While she had been in her room wondering what he was doing and why he was avoiding her…he had been with this woman.

“Really…your city?”

“Oh, my father is the mayor,” Penelope said proudly.

“Uh-huh. Forgive me. It’s funny how this is the first time I’ve heard about you at all.”

Beckham made an exasperated face at her. Sophie covered her laugh by coughing into her hand.

“Well,” Penelope said, “I’ve been busy at university. We’re on break now so I’ll be around a lot more.”

The way she said it made it sound like a threat. But why should someone like Penelope even have to threaten her? The woman was drop-dead gorgeous and seemed to be a perfect match for Beckham…for anyone, honestly.

While Reyna stood before her in clothes she hadn’t paid for, with her hair and makeup done by people she hadn’t hired, working at a job that Penelope could hardly understand. There was no need for Penelope to feel threatened.

“University?” Reyna asked, latching onto the one thing she could comment on. “That must be nice. To be able to afford to go to college.”

“I feel very fortunate.”

Reyna had to restrain herself from laughing. Of course she did. Reyna would have felt very fortunate to be able to go to college too, but instead she was here, working for Visage.

“So…how exactly did you two meet?” Reyna prodded.

Penelope looked up at Beckham with a big smile on her face. “Oh…well…” And then she flushed lightly. “It was at a political event. Beckham was there on behalf of Visage.”

He gave her an amused look. Reyna could see from a mile off that something about the story was off.

“You remember, don’t you?” she asked, nudging Beckham in the side.

“Yes, Penny. I remember.”

“You spent the entire night avoiding me like the plague. I thought I smelled funny or something. I mean, how did you ever resist this face?” she asked with a giggle. Penelope leaned her head against Beckham, but Reyna had had enough of watching that.

Reyna turned to look at Sophie. She wore a pitying expression, but didn’t say anything. Reyna shouldn’t have asked about them. She didn’t really care. Nothing was going on between her and Beckham. But still he had brought her here tonight. If he had preferred to show up with Penelope, then he shouldn’t have brought Reyna along. Sitting at home with her pictures was better than feeling left out of the inside joke between him and his whatever girlfriend.

“It must have had something to do with your politics,” Beckham said dryly.

“Oh, boo on you. My politics are perfection and you know it.”

Reyna sighed. She needed to change the conversation away from the two of them so she could get through the rest of the night. “So, is that what you study?”

“Oh yes. Politics. My father thinks it’s important for me follow in his footsteps.”

“I see. So, do you have any ambition of your own?” she quipped.

“Reyna!” Beckham cried.

She just smiled at him, and enjoyed watching Penelope squirm. At least Reyna wouldn’t be the only one.

“I’ve always loved politics, and I believe in what my father is doing,” Penelope said. “He is enacting meaningful change in the city. Something to be proud of. He has programs in place for the hungry and poor. He’s working to get citizens back on their feet. He’s partnered with Visage to decrease the unemployment rate.”

Reyna didn’t know who Penelope was trying to convince with that speech, but Reyna had lived on the streets. She had seen the city streets. Beckham had educated her as well as the rogue vampire who had almost killed her. If Penelope thought she was doing her job, her father was doing his job, then they needed to get out more.

This wasn’t even about Beckham and Penelope at this point. Reyna had actually experienced being poor and hungry, and saying some program was going to fix things was almost insulting.

“That’s a nice speech, but unrealistic,” Reyna said.

“What do you mean? I’ve lived through the administration. I’ve seen the improvements.”

“You call this an improvement?” Reyna asked, shocking even herself in her enthusiasm. “Have you actually seen the streets? Like walked around on them? Seen the people starving and dirty and poor? Seen the streets littered with filth and felt the utter despair? It’s palpable. Has your father—or have you, for that matter—actually done anything to change what’s happening out there or are you just hiding behind your words? Because I’m not sure if you’re aware, but words don’t feed the hungry or help get the poor a job or make the streets livable.”

Penelope gave her a stunned look. Everyone else around them had gone silent at Reyna’s passionate outburst.

“Of…of course we’re working to fix things. Everything doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve set up some very successful initiatives…”

“How exactly are you measuring success? More or less deaths than the day before in your wealthy districts? You probably can’t even count the number of dead in the dregs of the city.”

“I don’t know where you think you’re getting this information from,” Penelope said indignantly, “but the city cares about the poor just as much as the wealthy.”

Reyna laughed. Actually laughed. “The rich always say they care about the poor as they clean up the bodies. Whatever you think you’re doing, Penelope…it isn’t working.”

“Reyna, that’s enough,” Beckham growled.

“It always is when you say it is.”

He full on glared at her, but she didn’t shrink away.

“Will you excuse us?” he spat.

Without waiting to hear what anyone else had to say, he grabbed Reyna roughly by the arm and hauled her across the ballroom. The room quieted down as Harrington got on the small stage and started speaking into a microphone. But she couldn’t hear a word he was saying over the deafening silence between her and Beckham as he dragged her out a side panel of double doors and into a small deserted lounge.

“What the hell was that?” Beckham asked

“You forgot my champagne.”

“Forget the damn champagne. What you said was incredibly out of line.”

“What I said was the damn truth and you know it! You’re the one who showed me the city in the first place. I’m not going to let someone tell me what it’s like out there when they’ve never lived through it.”

“You know absolutely nothing about Penelope.”

Reyna scoffed. “The mayor’s daughter? I know enough. I honestly can’t believe you’re seeing her.”

“She isn’t the person you think she is.”

“I highly doubt that. And if she’s so virtuous, then how come you never mentioned her?”

“I thought you already knew.”

Reyna threw her hands. “How could I possibly know?” She turned away in disgust. “Does she even know we kissed?”

“No. That’s none of her business.”

“It’s none of her business?” she asked in disbelief. “I doubt she would agree. Why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone?”

“What I do in my spare time is my own business.”

“Obviously,” she spat. “You made that perfectly clear. I don’t even know why you brought me here.”

“All of the Permanent Subjects were supposed to be here tonight, to show off how well the program is working to the rest of the company.”

“What a load of shit!” she cried. “You brought me here for work? Did you really want to be here with Penelope? I mean…you’ve made it so fucking obvious to me. I feel like such an idiot. I should have seen it all along. I just wish you would’ve fucking told me. Then I wouldn’t be over here feeling…”

She stared up into his drawn face, wanting so much for him to understand. But he didn’t. He had said that he wanted this to stop. She was attracted to him of course. It was pure physical lust for a man who didn’t even want to touch her. Yet she couldn’t shake the memory of his hands and lips and body.

“Feeling what?” he prompted, stepping closer to her.

The temperature spiked in the room with him so near. She knew she needed to step away from him…but they were like two magnets.

She reached out, took his hand in her own, and then placed it over her heart. “Feeling this.” Her heart thrummed under his fingertips.

“And how is that?” he asked, his voice strained. His free arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. Her breathing stopped as he held her with his hand still pressed against her heart, which was now beating furiously. She swallowed hard and wet her lips.

“Torn. I want to kiss you,” she confided, “but I don’t want to end up in some ridiculous love triangle.”

“I cannot give you what you want, Reyna.”

“Which part?”

Then his lips were on hers again and the rest of the world slipped away. Her mind grew fuzzy. Their previous arguments disappeared. Even the thought of Penelope dissolved at the feel of Beckham’s lips.

It was as if she were sinking into the ocean and never had to come up for breath. She was drowning in him. Lost in the eternity sea.

They stumbled backward until her knees connected with a chaise. Beckham’s body immediately covered hers. His hand rode up the slit of her dress and bunched the material around her hips. She groaned into his mouth, only urging him on further.

There was a fever to their movements. She had thought about this moment ever since he had first kissed her. Wanted a repeat of that night. Wanted to feel his rough hands on her skin. Now that she was, she kissed him back with a ferocity she hardly knew existed within her.

“Beckham!”

They both heard his name called, and a wall of ice soaked through their skin. Beckham jumped back from Reyna. A look of horror crossed his features for a second and then was immediately replaced with his cool outward appearance. By looking at him, she would have never guessed he had just been furiously making out with her.

She wasn’t sure she could say the same about herself. She was human after all. Slower to stand and attempt to adjust her dress. Her lips were swollen, her skin flushed, and her hair slightly tangled.

“Yes,” Beckham called back. “Just a moment.”

Penelope walked in through the double doors a second later. She took in Reyna’s disheveled appearance and Beckham’s apparent nonchalance.

“Harrington wishes to speak with you. I wanted to make sure everything was all right.”

“Fine, Penny.”

“Right,” she murmured and then retreated.

Reyna’s hand flew to her mouth. She couldn’t believe what had just happened…that she had instigated it. She didn’t know what was going on between Beckham and Penelope, but surely it wasn’t right for Reyna and him to do this. She wished she had some answers from Beckham rather than this hot and cold.

“I have to go speak with my boss,” Beckham said curtly.

“So that’s it? You said you’d never kiss me again…and now you have.”

“A mistake,” he said callously. “Your emotions run high, and they send my…baser instincts into overdrive.”

“It couldn’t just be that you’re a man desiring a woman?”

“No. It is an animal enjoying the hunt. The monster within struggling to get out. Nothing more.”

Reyna shook her head and started toward the door. She didn’t have to stay and listen to this. When she reached it, she looked at him one last time.

“How boring your life must be to have no one fill you with passion and make your emotions run high. I’ll take my chances with the monster over complacency.”