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“Use the bathroom, pretty girl. I’ll be outside.”
While I’d been in my stupor, he’d untied his necktie from my wrists. My mind remained dazed, even after he’d left and the door closed behind him. When I shook myself into clarity, I growled at myself. I was so gullible! All it had taken was a hot guy to distract me from my intention to kill him and make him miserable.
Tears pricked at my eyes, angry tears that hated him even more, but I refused to let them fall. When I was done using the bathroom and washing my face from where my lipstick had smeared, I walked out the door, intending to read him the riot act, but he was already on the move back to the banquet hall.
I rushed to catch up to his long legs but made sure to stay behind him. If my eyes could shoot actual daggers, he’d be dead a million times over in the minute it took us to walk back to our table.
“There you guys are,” Grace said with a smile when we returned. “I thought we’d have to send a search party after you.”
I smiled at her, trying to make it believable while I let my heart rate and breathing adjust. My temper wasn’t something to be messed with. He’d find that out tonight.
Grace let out a snort of laughter and held a fist to her mouth, trying not to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I wanted in on the joke.
“Jeff, hun,” Grace called over to the warrior-healer, trying to be as discreet as possible, but Dalton was now laughing, “you missed a spot.”
Grace pointed to a spot on the left side of her lips and I turned to him in horror. There it was, the bright red of my lipstick. Nathaniel choked on his water when he noticed Jeff wiping it away, or rather trying to. It was supposed to stay on your lips for hours after you’d applied it.
“Here,” Grace stood and went to assist my enemy while I sat next to Nate, humiliated and red-faced while everyone laughed.
“Tessa,” Nathaniel gave me a stern “fatherly” look. He spoke quietly to me. “We will discuss this later.”
“Yes, sir.”
I looked repentant to him, but inside I was raging mad. There was no way I could tell Nathaniel anything without having to reveal my plan for Jeff.
When Grace had finished fixing his face, Jeff had the nerve to give me a self-satisfied smirk and wink. Yes, he’d won that round, but the war wasn’t over.
With dessert over, everyone mingled for a little while. I stayed by Nathaniel’s side, Jeff watching over us from Nathaniel’s other side. My mentor seemed to want to keep some distance between us, and he didn’t find either of us disagreeing.
“That was a lovely evening,” Nathaniel commented in the elevator as we were leaving. “How often are we doing that, Jeff?”
“I’m not sure. I think they were waiting to see how this dinner went.”
“I see. Well, it was enjoyable, so I hope they do it again. It was nice to talk outside of the conference room.”
Jeff nodded. “Yes, it was. I know they have other activities planned as well. So, don’t worry. This isn’t the only non-conference-room event.”
“Wonderful.”
It was a quiet journey to Jeff’s jeep. Nathaniel put on a good show to those around us, but I knew he was still upset about my lipstick being on Jeff’s face.
As predicted, he let loose when we were in the car and out of the parking garage.
“What happened when you went to the bathroom? Jeff, you were supposed to show her the way, not take advantage. Tessa is barely an adult in Witch standards.”
At least Jeff was taking the brunt of the attack.
“Nate, she is old enough to make her own decisions.”
“Fine, but she moves out of your room if this is how things are going to continue.” Nathaniel was mad.
I held up my hands. “Nothing is happening, Nathaniel. What happened earlier, that was a mistake.”
My magic flared up. It didn’t seem to like that answer. But it had been a mistake. I’d been seduced and humiliated.
“Yes, which is why I’m trying to prevent other more serious mistakes, Tessa. Mistakes that are permanent and stick around for years.”
