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18
The party was still going,dancing just getting underway, when Jack led her to the exit. Nina didn’t mind. The evening had been a whirlwind of introductions, food, and speeches. Her encounter with Kitty Vanderbilt had been a good proving ground, and Nina had managed to maintain a relatively cool demeanor even when she’d been introduced to an Oscar-winning actress, the singer who’d performed at that year’s Super Bowl halftime show, and a tech mogul known for his benevolent efforts around theworld.
All of them seemed well acquainted with Jack, who introduced her simply, with only her first name. She’d been more than happy to play along, stingily meting out details about herself and her life even when it was obvious the conversation was really a disguisedgrilling.
It had been fun being a mystery woman, and as the night wore on she had maintained the role with more and more comfort. For once she didn’t feel obligated to answer every question, to spill her guts like some kind of offering on the altar of niceness. She didn’t know any of these people and would probably never see them againanyway.
It was empowering to remember that she didn’t owe anyone anything, that she never had, and she’d vowed to remember the feeling, to call upon it the next time she felt tempted to play nice when it wasn’t what she wanted todo.
“You were marvelous.” Jack’s voice came from beside her in the backseat of thelimo.
She turned away from the glass to look at him but his face was in shadow. “I didn’t doanything.”
“Exactly,” hesaid.
She smiled. “Is it always likethat?”
He didn’t ask her to elaborate. “Yes.”
“How do you do it?” sheasked.
He took a moment to answer. “The same way you did tonight: smile, say as little as possible, which is quite easy, as you discovered. People prefer to talk aboutthemselves.”
“Except when they’re digging for dirt on you, youmean.”
“Yes.” He turned his face to the window. “They’rehungry.”
“They’re empty,” shesaid.
“What about me?” he asked, turning to look at her, his eyes shining in the half light from the window. “Am I empty aswell?”
“No.” The answer came easily. She wanted to say he was empty in another way, but she had a feeling the opinion wouldn’t be welcome. “You’redifferent.”
He held her gaze, then returned his attention to the window withoutresponding.
She wondered if she’d said something wrong, then scolded herself silently. Where was all the bravado she’d felt at the gala? Why did it seem to matter what he thought of her? Why did she already want to please him even as she was unlearning the habit of working to please everyoneelse?
She wasn’t any closer to the answers when they pulled up outside her apartment. The street was empty, the sidewalk still glistening with the remains of the week’ssnow.
Reggie opened the door, and Nina stepped out of the car and waited for Jack to do the same. He reached for her hand, the first time all night he’d made direct contact with her other than to slip her arm formally through his or to help her from thecar.
He didn’t say anything as they made their way up the steps. It was surreal to realize it was the second time in the past three days she’d had first datejitters.
She turned to him when they reached the lobby door. “Thank you for a lovelyevening.”
A ghost of a smile touched his mouth. “Open the door,Nina.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she turned the key in the lock and stepped into the lobby with Jack on her heels. He had an authority over her that was both unsettling and thrilling, and while she had no intention of letting him into her apartment, she couldn’t help being fascinated by the dynamic developing between them. Whatever else it might be, it was an unfolding story, and she was both participant andwitness.
She didn’t know what would happen next. But she wanted to findout.
They made their way up the stairs in silence. Nina was glad she still had her coat on. She wasn’t quite ready to think about sticking her ass in Jack Morgan’s face on their way to the secondfloor.
They reached the landing and Nina drew in a breath as they approached her apartment door. This was where his command over her ended, her line in thesand.
Even as she thought it, she wasn’t sure it wastrue.
She turned to face him. “I won’t invite you in, but I do appreciate you walking meup.”
