Page 131 of The Art of Ruin

“Oh, please go. I’m going to puke.”

Nico’s gaze shifts briefly in my direction—and pauses before he winks. “Well,” he says mildly. “That’s unfortunate, but Adi can look after you.”

I narrow my eyes. “Excuse me. I don’t need him looking after me. I’m not a child.”

“Adriano’s already in a bad mood tonight, so be nice to him.”

Before I can process that, Izzy bursts out laughing. “Oh my God,” she says, delighted. “He is.”

“He’s always in a bad mood,” I reply quickly, because my stomach has suddenly done something very stupid.

“Not like this,” Nico says.

Isabella elbows him sharply before turning to me with entirely fake innocence. “Ignore him.”

Too late.

Because now I’m thinking about Adriano seeing me in this dress, which immediately makes me want to fling myself directly into the nearest snowbank.

“You’re all deeply annoying,” I mutter.

“Yes,” Nico replies easily. “But observant.”

“I hate all of you. Now go. I’m going to get a drink.”

I head to the bar, head high, shoulders back, pretending I fit in, that I belong. I order a glass of Champagne and smile at the barman as he flirts with me. Harmless fun. This I can handle.

A few minutes later, I finally spot Adriano across the room.

He’s standing near the stage, speaking with two board members, dark tux perfectly tailored, broad shoulders impossibly unfair beneath the sharp cut of it. One hand rests loosely in his pocket, while the other holds a glass of whiskey he hasn’t touched. His expression is calm and unreadable in the way it always is during business events.

He has the eyes of every woman in the room on him, and he has no idea.

Then he looks up, directly at me.

And stops speaking mid-sentence.

Oh.

Oh no.

Heat crawls slowly up my neck as his gaze moves over me once, deliberate enough that I feel it everywhere before he takes a second, slower sweep.

Appreciative.

Hungry.

His expression is so tightly contained that it makes my pulse stumble.

One of the men beside him says something. Adriano doesn’t answer right away, his focus on me. My breath feels frozen in my chest; the air in the room pulses.

His eyes stay on mine a second longer before he finally looks away and says something curt enough that both men immediately glance between us with sudden interest before he stalks away in the opposite direction.

“Well,” Izzy says under her breath as she moves beside me. “That’s definitely mutual.”

“I’m going to kill all of you.”

“No, you’re not,” Isabella replies cheerfully. “You’re going to stand here and enjoy being desired for once.”