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I couldn’t remember his name, but he’d attended last year’s event too. I wasn’t sure if he was heckling me or just teasing, but I decided to play along.
I glanced at Dom, wiggling my eyebrows. "Oh, I've been distracted." It wasn't even a lie. "Now, I’ll match the biggest bid for tonight. I encourage you all to be as generous as possible. As you know, it's for a great cause. We’re making kids happy."
"Hear, hear," the same guy said.
Everyone clinked glasses before going back to their conversations.
"That was short and to the point," Dom said. "And I'll match the donations too."
I whipped my head in his direction. "That's a lot of money."
"I know. Your speech won me over." He leaned closer to me. "And your kissing skills." He smiled wholeheartedly, and it melted all my defenses. Did he mean it? Did he say it just to get a reaction from me to make this seem more real to onlookers? I couldn't tell. And I wasn’t sure I cared. I was enjoying this evening much more than I'd thought possible.
I leaned even closer so I was practically speaking against his cheek. "You're one to talk. I almost swooned out there earlier."
"Great. That was the reaction I was going for."
For a split second, I thought he might kiss me again. He turned his head toward me, and I felt his exhale against my lips, but instead of sealing his mouth over mine, he straightened up.
"Come on, let's go," he said.
"Where?" I asked.
"You didn't hear Monika saying dinner is starting?"
"No, I guess I was distracted again."
He took my hand, and we headed to our seats.
Dinner wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Francesca and Malcolm didn’t approach me. I made conversation with a few other participants I knew from previous years. No one was in the hotel industry, so there was no business talk. Although I always kept my ears open for any information that could help any Maxwell family member. You never knew when an opportunity might pop up.
The food was arranged buffet style, and they'd put the pans on chafing dishes, so everything stayed warm throughout the evening. There were drinks after dinner, too, but I was in no mood for that. I kept glancing behind me at the clock. I hadn't brought my phone with me and was ready to head back to my room.
Where is Dom? He'd wandered off a while back to talk to some of the others in attendance, but I had a feeling we should probably be on the same page about this. Finally, I spotted him by the window, deep in conversation with a woman I didn't know, and walked over that way. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't place her.
"Anyway, I was so sorry to hear about the two of you. I thought you made a nice couple," I heard her say when I was close enough.
Oh shit. Was she talking about his ex?
"Hey, I was looking for you," I said, and Dom glanced up at me. His eyes were cold, but I could see life coming back to them when he realized it was me.
I looked at the woman he was speaking with and asked, "Do you mind if I take him away?"
"Not at all.” Her response was indifferent, which was fine with me.
I walked a few steps away, and Dom joined me a moment later.
"Who was that?" I asked, then realized I didn’t have to know everything he was doing. This fake weekend was just that—fake.
But he cleared his throat and answered me anyway. "Someone who knew my ex and me."
"I should have come over earlier."
"It’s fine. I can look out for myself."
"Yeah, but this weekend is all about having each other's backs. Anyway, I know everyone's going to head for drinks, but I'll just call it a night and go to my room. In case anyone asks," I clarified so he didn't wonder why I came over like a lunatic to tell him my plans.
"Sure. See you tomorrow morning, Reese."
