I step deeper into the crowd, smiling when I spot Aria, Bishop and their son Baron huddled together. Baron giggles and squeals, as Bishop tosses him in the air, catching him with ease. Aria watches them with a soft, contented smile.
“Hey,” I greet Aria.
She glances over at me, her smile wide. Happiness radiates from her, so tangible, it’s contagious. “Anais! How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
She nods, “I couldn’t be better.” Her eyes trace over my dress. “You look stunning. I love that color on you.”
“Thank you.” I motion to her cerise dress, my eyes landing on her small bump. “But you’re the real showstopper tonight. That dress was made for you.”
She laughs. “Literally. It is custom made. One of a kind. My friend’s the designer.”
“Wow. Well, tell her I’d love to model the next one.” We both laugh, and I turn to her husband, greeting him. I turn my attention to Baron, gently pinching his chubby cheeks. “Look at you, little man. You’re getting so big. And you look just like your daddy.”
“Yeah, you’d think after carrying him for nine months, he’d at least have some of my features, but no. He is all his daddy.” Aria grumbles, good naturedly.
Bishop wraps an arm around her, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Don’t be jealous, princess. Maybe the next one will look like their mamma.”
Aria rolls her eyes, but smiles. Her expression turns dreamy as she brushes a hand over her bump. “Maybe.” She muses, her eyes going to something or someone over my shoulder. “Oh, there’s my brother. Evan!” She waves, and that’s my cue to leave.
I clear my throat. “I’m going to go find a friend. See you later.” I smile, backing away, but not before strong fingers wrap around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.
My eyes flick from Evan to where he holds me and back again, my brows raising in silent question.
“We need to talk,” he growls, low enough that only I can hear.
I yank my wrist free. “Funny. I distinctly remember you saying ‘No’” I use air quotes just to be bratty.
“Things have changed since last night. Or did you forget you rode my fingers until you came all over them.” Heat rises in my cheeks, and the asshole has the audacity to smirk. “Oh, so you do remember. You remember how you moaned my name, Brat, as you leaked all over my hand.”
“Stop,” I grate out, through clenched teeth. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my friend.”
His gaze narrows, his voice filled with warning when he speaks. “If I catch Eli’s hands on you again, Anais, you won’t like the consequences.”
Not dignifying him with a response, I throw one last glare his way and make my way through the crowd, trying to find Eli. I know full well, I’m probably playing with fire, but I’m past caring. Evan has no claim over me – he made that perfectly clear with his behavior.
I might be in love with the guy, but Jesus, I have some self-respect.
And he doesn’t get to dictate who I can and can’t talk to.
Two hours in, the yacht cruises smoothly around the harbor. Drinks flow, food gets passed around by servers, people laugh, having fun.
For the most part, I manage to stay out of Evan’s way, sticking close to Eli, who regales me with stories from his days at Harvard. He’s highly intelligent and personally, I think his talents are wasted at Maxwell’s.
“So why Maxwell’s? You’re a smart man, Eli. Surely, a CFO position would be much better suited to you.” I ask, taking a sip of my champagne.
Eli laughs, his straight white teeth on full display. “You’re great for my ego, Anais. I might just keep you around.” He winks, sliding a hand into his pocket. He sighs. “I chose Maxwell’s because honestly, the graduate program here was the best. Great salary. Great experience. I’ll never take the CFO position from Monica, but it’s good experience for me, working under her. And to have a company like Maxwell’s on my resume and my role as head of finance, it will look good to any future employers, should I ever decide to move on.” He eyes me, “What about you? What’s next after college?”
With a smile on my face, I tell him. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m majoring in communications and eventually thought I’d join my mom’s PR firm. But working at Maxwell’s… helping Aria with some of the new collection. The design process, learning about cuts, clarity, color and carats, I’ve actually really loved it.”
Eli nods, about to respond when I feel the heat of someone’s gaze burning a hole into the side of my head. I glance sideways, spotting Evan, standing with a beautiful blonde woman in a tight red slip dress. She runs a finger down his chest, smiling up at him coyly, like he hung the damn moon and stars. Jealousy burns through me, as I watch her touchmy man. I feel hot. Angry. Unhinged.
He smirks, as if he can read every last thought in my head, dipping down as she whispers something in his ear. His hands lower to her hips, but his gaze stays locked on me. My gaze narrows, while his smile grows wider. This asshole knows exactly what he is doing – playing games with me.
Well, two can play that game. He wants a reaction? I’ll give him one. Just not the one he expected.
Tearing my gaze away, I turn to Eli and smile. He’s saying something but I don’t hear him. All I hear is the devil on my shoulder cheering me on. I push up on my tiptoes, puckeringmy lips, silently asking him to kiss me. His eyes widen, then flash with lust. He dips down, one hand wrapping around my lower back as he pulls me closer. His hard cock presses into me, and I know this is a bad idea, but I’m in too deep now. Evan started this. I’ll finish it.
