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I’ll have to get to the bottom of that later.
“She's right,” Tell admits first.
Evan does that long, slow breath out of his nose. I hate when he does that.
Neither one wants to leave first, leaving the other alone with me.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I grumble, pushing through them. “You two stay here and get it on already.”
It’s easier to pretend I don't want to stick around to see how it plays out as I head back inside, looking for the first tray of drinks. Clear my head, get this over with, and prevent creating ammunition for Evan to use against me later.
The cocktail goes down smoothly, warming me.
Courage.
Back outside, I pick my target, making my way across the manicured lawn toward a cluster of older, more distinguished guests. The senator and his daughter are right in the center. I’ve seen him on the news before, and she is the center of every bit of attention.
Perfect.
Evan magically appears at my side as I arrive, a warning in his expression. Only I would notice it. Outwardly, he’s aloof. Cool.
Like he didn’t almost get into a tug of war with Tell, using me as the rope between them. Maybe it wasn’t as dramatic as I’m thinking. I need to get over myself.
Shoving the thoughts to the side, I reach out my hand as Senator Garcia notices me, his eyes lighting up. “Mister Senator, you have a magnificent home.”
“Thank you…”
“Hellena Michaels, Riot Entertainment.” I take his hand softly, smiling and bowing my head just a bit.
“Please, call me Ed. You didn’t tell me you had this sort of talent at your disposal, Mr. Marques!” He leans down, kissing my knuckles instead, eyeing Evan over my shoulder. Right. I almost forgot his cover name.
Evan nods once, smiling tightly. He nudges me discreetly, trying to get me to excuse myself.
Hmm. No thanks.
He pissed me off thoroughly today. Something coils up inside me, rambunctious and vindictive.
Maybe it was seeing Tell, throwing me completely for a loop.
Maybe it’s the booze.
Maybe I’m just in a mood.
“I’m relatively new to the company, but I wanted to personally introduce myself and make sure everything is to your liking.”
“Oh, my, yes. Right, sweetheart?”
“Yeah. It’s really fun.” The birthday girl looks less than enthused.
“Sabrina, don’t be rude.” Ed rolls his eyes at me in apology. “Why don’t you go watch the opening acts of the show, dear? I think I might head inside for a moment to have a drink. Miss Michaels, would you care to join me?”
“Um. Yes. I’d love to.” Just to see Evan squirm.
“Daddy, you always do this…” Sarina whines, turning toward the stage. A few of the performers are already doing flips, pulling themselves up on flowing sheets of blue and purple. She’s immediately drawn in, watching the shirtless men flex.
“I’ll be back for the grand finale, sweetie!” he calls after her, raising his eyebrows and leading the way, his hand out for me to take. I indulge him, resting mine just on top, and I swear I see Evan flinch.
He trails us inside, trying to appear nonchalant.
