"Then you'll need to humor me for the rest of the night when I drag you off to an empty room or secluded corner."
"Okay." At this point she actually didn't care where they were as long as he was touching her; for the first time since Gina had delivered the first verbal blow Alyssa felt safe.
The doors behind Jack opened and he reached out and hit the button for the lower floor. "We might have to take this ride again before I can let you go."
"You don't have to let me go."
"Don't think I can."
Alyssa thought his words held a hidden meaning and even though she wanted to explore what it was, she didn't have the motivation to do it right now. Or the time. They had so much to talk about. After today she'd come to realize she'd done them both a disservice by holding back since learning about Jack's family legacy.
She'd come to the conclusion that she'd reverted to her bitchy ways because he'd scared her with his secrets. It wasn't the secrets themselves that had her pulling back. It was the fact he had them. And even though an omission technically wasn't a lie, it was far too close to one for her.
If they were going to make their marriage a real one, they had to agree to no more hiding things from each other. It needed to be full disclosure, or she couldn't do it.
"Are you two done now?" Roark's voice made Alyssa jump.
Leaning to the side, she peered around Jack to find the doors of the elevator open once more and four sets of eyes on them. "Ah, Jack?"
"Yeah." He inhaled deeply before letting one arm slip away from her and turning. "Okay. Let's get this thing over with."
They had taken one step away from the bank of elevators, Jack's arm securely wrapped around her waist, when the first shock of the evening hit them. Lights flashed left and right. People called out to Jack, yelled questions.
Roark, Dash, and Keaton formed a barrier in front of them, Maryn stood on the opposite side of her to Jack. They'd boxed her in, keeping her protected from most of the noise and cameras.
"Who's the woman?" someone called out.
Another voice yelled, "Is the rumor true? Are you walking away from Townsend?"
"Is she the reason you're leaving?"
The questions kept coming, each one making her cling to Jack's side.
"If you all don't move out of the way I'll have security remove you from the premises," Roark barked as he took a step forward.
As one, they shuffled their way through the mob—and there was no other way to describe the group of people surrounding the six of them—until they arrived at the ballroom where tonight's event was being held.
"Just a little farther," Jack whispered in her ear. "Once we're inside, the reporters will be locked out."
"Shouldn't you talk to them?" Alyssa had no clue how these things worked; the only knowledge she had came from what she'd seen on TV or in celebrity magazines.
"Not now. I'll talk later, after dinner is served and the auction begins." The wall of black in front of them parted to reveal an open door and two scowling security guards.
"Keep them out," Roark ordered before ushering everyone inside.
The door closed behind them, the noise and flashing lights replaced by soothing music and subdued lighting. Alyssa glanced around the huge room and got her second shock of the night.
A sea of tables spread out before them; there had to be a hundred, each one decorated with a sparkly white tablecloth, gold cutlery, and silver plates. The centerpieces were wide, shallow, bowl-like glass vases with a selection of white, pink, and red flowers floating on glittery clear liquid. She had no idea what kind the flowers were—she wasn't a gardener, although she did know they weren't roses.
"Wow," she whispered.
"Yeah, as much as the barracuda is annoying, she does know how to put on an event," Maryn sighed as though admitting the place looked good hurt.
"It's what she trained for," Keaton offered. "Although it's been over twenty years since she officially worked as an event planner."
"Speaking of…incoming," Dash warned.
"Shit," Jack hissed. "I hoped we'd have a bit more time before dealing with this."
