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“I’m expanding my horizons.”
“There’s a line not to be crossed, Ryder. I know you know this. Crashing the Pink Heart Ball is too much. Be reasonable.”
He arched a dark brow. “Come now, princess, we both know Ryder Prince is never reasonable.”
“Are we going in or what, Ryde?” whined see-through-shirt woman. “I’m thirsty. You said there’d be champagne.”
The pubescent hotel kid cleared his throat again. “I’m sorry, but without an invitation—”
“I have an invitation.”
“You do?” Vicky said before she could stop herself.
Ryder reached into his jacket pocket and produced one of the official engraved invitation cards. He grinned at her unconcealed confusion. “The folks got me on the list. Must be hoping for a miraculous transformation.”
He had to be telling the truth. Not only did she not believe Ryder would outright lie, but the guest list to the event was exclusive—invitations were not easy to come by. Someone had to have added him to the list. And no one would have been so foolish as to invite the black sheep of the Prince family without their blessing. Cheryl and Warren must have arranged this themselves.
She wondered what they could have been thinking. But even as she thought this, she realized it had to have been Cheryl and her eternal optimism winning out again. Optimism that definitely would not have imagined Ryder parading around the ball with a mini harem.
“So, what’s it gonna be, Vic? You going to call security and make a scene here?” He waggled his eyebrows at her. The devil.
She took a step closer. She wasn’t about to be intimidated by the likes of him. “Fine. But you come in alone.”
Gum Girl gasped in outrage. “Ryde, tell this slut to get lost.”
Ryder didn’t take his eyes off Vicky. He stayed silent for a minute. Thinking, or maybe just drawing the moment out to try to get to her.
“I don’t travel alone,” he said finally.
“Oh, you won’t be alone. You’ll be with me,” she clarified. It wasn’t like she was dying to have to chaperone an errant bad boy all night, but he was far less likely to cause trouble in there with her than without her, and trying to get him to leave when he didn’t want to would just cause a scene and all the accompanying bad publicity. Cheryl and Warren, not to mention Prince Resort Hotels and the Prince Foundation, definitely did not need that.
“With you?” Ryder raised a brow.
She nodded.
He looked her up and down, considering. She ignored the slight flutter in the stomach this induced.
“Fine,” he said.
“What?” growled Leather Bra.
“Sorry, ladies, I’m afraid the invitation is, officially, just for one. I’m going to have to bid you farewell.”
“Tch. We don’t need this. Come on, girls.” See-Through Shirt led the others away, their stilettos clicking in unison on the floor as they departed.
Ryder turned to the hotel kid, slipping him a hundred-dollar bill. “Put them in a cab to wherever they want to go, would ya?” He slipped him another fifty. “That’s for you.”
“R-right away, sir,” stammered the kid. He ran off after the women.
Ryder pinned his eyes on Victoria. He chuckled. “‘Sir.’ Poor slob has no idea.”
Vicky just looked him up and down before shaking her head. “Come on, then. And you’d better behave yourself.”
He hooked his elbow, holding it out for her to take.
“I always behave myself.” He flashed her a wicked grin. “Of course, it might depend on your definition of behaving.”
“Like a gentleman, Ryder.” She took his arm. “I want you to behave like a gentleman.”
