“I think he might have been from one of those clickbait entertainment sites.”
Or perhaps he has a fetish.
Bailey takes a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling. “I need to find a seat and take these off.” She points to the nude pointed-toe heels peeking out from the bottom of her dress.
“Absolutely,” I say, grabbing myself a water from the credenza along the wall and then following her to one of the couches, where she takes a seat before removing her shoes.
She sighs, sitting back against the couch. “Can I just stay here tonight?”
“Sadly, no,” I tell her. “I need to find out when you should be in the ballroom and make sure the seating is all figured out.”
Bailey’s face falls. Just a little, but I caught it. Originally, Bailey and River were sitting together front and center. They are Silverline’s darlings right now, after all. But with everything that’s takenplace over the past three and a half weeks, they will be sitting as far apart as possible.
Before heading to the ballroom, I peek over at the step and repeat. Luke is already there in a black suit, hiding in the same spot I just vacated.
“Is your client going to play nice?” I sidle up to him, my voice low.
He glances over at me, but I only see him in my periphery as I keep my eyes on River, who’s wearing a well-fitted black tuxedo, his hair perfectly styled. He’s all smiles while he ignores prying questions from the press.
I wonder if he’ll get asked about the pointy ears too. My guess is no.
“Only if yours does,” Luke says.
I turn briefly to see the corner of his mouth pulled up into a half smile before I turn my attention back to River.
I clasp my hands behind my back. “My client will be the picture of decorum.”
“So will mine,” he says.
Someone asks River if he plans to keep playing Kaelric in the future. I look at Luke to see him watching, waiting to see his client’s response.
“I plan to play him as long as Silverline will have me,” River says, his voice clear, his posture oozing confidence.
Luke gives one single nod as if to sayNailed it.
“Well, I’m going to go make sure the seating is how we want it,” I say, and then feel sort of weird about my usage of “we.”
“Great,” he says. “Make sure your client is seated as far in the back as possible.”
“I can’t because that’s where yours will be sitting.”
His lips pull up into a smile, and in that moment, a little more of the irritation I’ve been carrying toward him disappears.
His gaze turns back toward River. “Is your client in the greenroom?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes, and she’ll stay there until after the cocktail hour.”
“Perfect,” he says. “We’ll skip the greenroom and go straight to the cocktail hour after this.”
“I guess I’ll see you in the ballroom, then.”
“Make sure you get something to eat. I need your A game, and I know how you are when you’re hungry,” he says, looking over at me for a beat, a little smirk on his face.
I frown. “Don’t you worry. I’ve brought my A game.”
I turn on my heel and head toward the ballroom, weaving through the crowd of A-listers and industry people gathered just outside the doors. Cocktail tables are scattered around, and two bars are set up along the walls; the waitstaff circulates with appetizers. I snag a couple and scarf them down quickly, cursing Luke while I do.
Inside, the staff is running around doing last-minute adjustments. I see the large seating chart and find Bailey’s name, at theexact table I requested, then I scan over to the opposite side to verify that River’s name is there.
