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“You look…” I had no idea how to appropriately complete that sentence, so the words hung heavy in the air between us.
“Hot as fuck.” Grace finished for me.
“Like a billion bucks.” Lydia joined in.
“Like a fallen angel.” I finally found my voice.
“Ha! Well, they say looks can be deceiving, right?” She eyed me cautiously.
“You would know.” It was a barbed reference to her dual identity.
“True. I mean, most of the time you look like ‘Preppy Guy’. Turns out to be the biggest case of false advertising since Kanye West said he worked for God.”
I stalked closer to her. “I never claimed to be anything other than exactly what I am.” I lowered my hand, and placed my fingertip just behind her ear before tracing a trail down her neck, then ran it even further down the bare skin of her spine to the dip just above her butt where the backless black tuxedo jumpsuit tapered into impossibly fitted pants..
I swept my gaze down to take in her toned legs. She was far and away the sexiest thing I’d seen in forever, and I was suddenly reconsidering my plans for the evening. I was a whisker away from shooing Grace and Lydia out of the room, and fucking Kik among the clothes racks, like I was possessed by the devil. If it wasn’t so important that I attended the gala, I would totally have ditched the whole thing.
Noting the way her body reacted to my touch, I smiled to myself. Yeah, baby. She wanted me, as much as I wanted her. Good.
“Lydia’s right. You look like a billion dollars, and I want to be your banker.”
“I don’t even know what that means.” Her voice was low and breathy, and laced with the same arousal that had my body wound tight and ready for action. “But whatever it is, it’s not going to happen.”
“We’ll see. C’mon. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back here and exorcise our demons.” I leaned in further again, and laid my lips gently at the join of her neck and shoulder, biting just hard enough to leave a slight mark. Kik shuddered again. I loved that as much as I was bemused by my physical reaction to her, she was equally affected—and equally pissed off—by me.
I reached down and linked my fingers with hers, and squeezed—the intimacy of the gesture wasn’t lost on me, and when she didn’t jerk her hand away as I was anticipating she would, I resisted the urge to think about the significance. Instead, I thanked Grace and Lydia, and led Kik down to the hotel’s ballroom.
As we stepped into the lavish space with its decorative ceiling, and multiple chandeliers, I lowered my head again, and whispered, “You’re going to need to trust me tonight. Stay near me, and just follow my lead, whatever I say.”
I knew she’d be reluctant to do anything I said, but just hoped that she was curious enough about what was going on to at least give the outward appearance of agreement with me when it counted.
As we circulated the room, greeting people—I handled the introductions—I reveled in the fact that Kik was by far and away the best-looking woman in the room. She was breathtakingly stunning, and with her hair slicked back and styled, nose ring, and unconventional outfit, she was definitely the most striking.
My chest swelled with what I acknowledged to be totally misplaced pride at the fact every guy there was struggling to take their eyes off her, and every woman was trying to studiously ignore her, while also giving her not-too-subtle side-eye.
I kept my fingers linked with hers as I chatted with old friends, and new contacts. To her credit, Kik did exactly what I’d asked, and went along with whatever I said to anyone I introduced her to. Not only that, but it turned out that she could be surprisingly amicable and charming when she chose to—her smile dazzled at a thousand watts, and she seemed to know just the right thing to say to bond with whomever she was speaking to. It was just me she was endlessly rude to, it would seem. Go figure.
As a tall blond figure approached, I shifted my hand from in hers to the small of her back, and subtly drew her closer to me.
“Tom, good to see you again.”
“Drew.” The older man nodded his greeting and extended his hand, gripping mine in a firm handshake. “The pleasure is all mine. Always good to catch up with a swan brother. You especially. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Actually, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is the law student I was telling you about—the one who would be a great fit for the internship program.” I turned to Kik. “Tom Williams, this is Kristina Sanchez. Kristina Sanchez, Tom Williams.”
“Kristina, my pleasure.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Kik extended her hand, and graced Tom with a mesmerizing smile, that went straight to my dick. It also made me want to punch Tom in his, for being the recipient of her charm in a way that I never had been, and probably never would.
I stood in mostly silent awe as she talked shop, and from what I could tell, wowed Tom with her legal knowledge, but I was most impressed with her demeanor. She was relaxed, funny, and entertaining. I even discovered that she had a dimple. It apparently only appeared when she smiled genuinely—a privilege which had never been bestowed on me.
Chapter 40
Kik
I stood with Drew and Tom Williams, like it was every day that I chatted with one of the most successful lawyers in the country—who also just happened to be well known for his class-action work, and his unbeaten track record. As for the internship, I had no idea what the actual fuck was going on. I tried desperately to work it out, while giving the impression of being totally casual and at ease.
Though I didn’t know him well, I was learning to read Drew’s unconscious cues, and he seemed to be doing the same with me. For example, while chatting to Tom, his body radiated tension as he stood next to me, with a fake, but charming smile plastered on his face, and his hand on the small of my back was possessively tense. Regardless, I played along, as instructed, locking in details to begin a trial internship the following week.
