8
ADRIANA
C oming to this event was not in my plans. On the contrary, I should have been home by now. Far away from him. Instead, I had received a message from Mr. King asking me to please make sure the event went smoothly. It was known among the book circles that Michael Knight had a short fuse, and Mr. King wanted me to make sure he didn’t act up during the reading, or after.
Not only that, I was to mingle, make connections and make sure that everything went smoothly for Michael due to a potential client that was going to join the event later this evening. The way I treated my author would reflect on this person and prompt them to sign with Decadent Publishing. It all sounded fine and dandy until he told me to reconsider my position and not to leave him.
I’d been shocked at first, but his message was very clear. If I were to leave Michael Knight I was going to lose my job, which is why I was now stuck talking to strangers and putting on a façade I abhorred. I did my best to mingle and welcome his fans. I smiled and spoke about his upcoming series, and I made sure to avoid Michael Knight, like the plague.
Everything seemed to go just as planned until I spotted him entering the ballroom. He was wandering around, assessing the crowd. He’d smile and nod in greeting, but most of the time I watched him avoid them. I was about to leave the area when I saw him heading straight for me. Taking a quick turn, I detoured right into a group of people who were talking about his most recent endeavor. They all smiled at me and I returned their smile as if I belonged there, sipping on my drink while I hid among the crowd.
A lot of good that did, hot thrills ran up my spine as I felt his gaze on me. He was burning a hole right through the back of my neck, and I fought the urge to acknowledge him.
He’d found me.
And I hated how my body reacted to him. It tingled as his eyes roamed my body, and that heat was ever present when he was around. There was no calm to this storm he sieged. He was going to sweep me up in it and drag me into the deepest waters. I could fight, but all I could really do was try to keep my head above water.
I felt a pat on my shoulder and turned to find Reece Bartley staring back at me. Her mousy brown hair was down in soft curls and her dark brown eyes assessed me like I was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Good old Reece, always perfecting her right to be a bitch.
“I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“And why not? This is my event. What I don’t understand is what you are doing here.”
I took a sip of my drink and spotted Michael seated at the bar looking right at me. His hot gaze made me stop for a moment, an involuntary shudder running through me. I shuffled uncomfortably, needing to get this over with so I could leave. I needed as much distance as I could get from him.
“Yes well, it’s a shame you weren’t his date. I suppose he’s always preferred me.”
“If that’s what gets you going in the morning, Bartley.”
I ignored her snort and stole a glance in his direction. His blatant disregard for discretion was apparent as he sat there, openly staring at me. I glanced around the ballroom and realized there were more than a few eyes already on me.
“Look, Reece, I don’t have time for your pettiness.”
I went to walk past her, but she grabbed at my arm. I stared down at her hand on me and then back at her. “Get your hands off me, Bartley.”
“Or what?” Her smile was sardonic and poisonous.
“What is your problem?”
“You’re my problem,” she hissed. “You think because you got promoted you can just come and steal my clientele.”
“I didn’t steal him he was given to me by Samuel King himself. If you had done your job then maybe you wouldn’t find yourself in these predicaments. But don’t worry, you can have him after tonight. Neither of you is worth my time.”
“Bitch,” she hissed and I barely gave her a second glance as I walked past her and made my way to the opposite end of the dancefloor.
I had only made it a few feet when a deep familiar rumble made me give pause.
“I thought you said you weren’t coming?”
His voice was too close for comfort, a husky tenor that shot goose bumps along my skin. In seconds, his hands were on me, sweeping around my waist and turning me to face him.
I stared up at him, his eyes dark, a frown encompassing his features. “I-I wasn’t. I was forced to be here. Apparently, someone called the publishing company and I got a call from the VP himself telling me to come or it was my job.”
He had the audacity to chuckle. “Yeah, Sam and I are old friends. Your job was never in jeopardy, Sugar.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Okay my hot, fiery temptress,” he winked at me and swirled me onto the dancefloor when the soft notes of Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me started to play on the piano.
I smirked thinking how absolutely ironic it was yet how appropriate a song for the occasion.
“I don’t like being manipulated,” I tried to get out of his grip but he only turned us so I lost my footing and he took the liberty of gripping me tighter.
“And I don’t like being dumped, especially by the likes of you, Miss Professional.”
I narrowed my eyes at him which only made him tug me closer. I glanced around as several people were already watching us. No one else was dancing, this wasn’t that type of event, and besides, Michael Knight was not known for being a dancer. He was better known for being a recluse.
“People are going to talk.”
“Let them. I don’t give a shit. They talk about me anyway, at least this time it will be about my following a beauty around like a lost puppy.”
“Well, at least you admit you’re a dog.”
“Purebred, baby.”
“Ugh,” I struggled against him again and he smiled.
“Keep doing that. I love the way those curves feel against me, the way those breasts press against my chest. You’re a sexy little temptress, Miss Montes. And you’ve got me going crazy for you.”
God, this push and pull between us was driving me crazy. There was a line I didn’t want to cross and it was quickly fading the longer I spent cradled in his embrace. We swayed slowly on the dancefloor as the piano continued to play in the background.
“Why’d you walk out on me?”
I looked up at him and closed my eyes, avoiding the answer.
“You were jealous, weren’t you?”
I focused my gaze up at him. “Why would I be jealous?”
He smiled. “Got you to answer me.”
“Maybe you should go back to Reece, I saw her looking quite comfortable perched on your arm before.”
“Yeah, she’s a bit clingy that one.”
“Please,” I scoffed at him. “You enjoy the attention.”
“I enjoy your attention,” his response unnerved me. His voice was low, and that underlying meaning hung heavily between us.
The melody changed, yet he continued to hold me close, swaying slightly to the rhythm. I couldn’t help but sweep my hands along the lapels of his jacket. My eyes met his and I felt my need to get lost in them, surge.
“You can’t leave me.” He stated.
I held his gaze knowing that there never was more truth in one line than there was in the words he just spoke.