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“It is, it is,” Sean says when Phoenix and I step out.
Phoenix looks at him sharply and then at me. Five beautiful women are standing around the patio sipping champagne.
“Oh shit,” I say.
All of them but Phoenix giggles and I know then that it’s going to be a long night. I take the flute Sean hands over and clink my glass to the women holding theirs out for me. Phoenix avoids eye contact and it’s just as well—I can’t promise I wouldn’t haul her over my shoulder and run if I saw any sign from her that she wanted out.
“The chef has prepared a lovely meal and I’ve asked Phoenix to dance for us while we’re having the hors d’oeuvres.”
Phoenix leaves for a few minutes to prepare and when she comes back out, we all watch quietly as she gets into position. It feels wrong: the women, the governor, Phoenix being asked to dance. I eye him over the rim of my glass trying to figure out his angle. I remember what I said to Gwen the first day I met her and feel it more deeply now than ever: we don’t belong to each other anymore. And even more troubling, we don’t belong to ourselves.
How have we ever been okay with that?
TWENTY-ONE
PHOENIX
To woo a girl, a male hooded seal will blow up a large, bright balloon out of his nose.
I don’t think Sean intended to make me feel no better than hired help, but that’s the result anyway when he asks me to dance. I say yes reluctantly. I suppose it’s a better alternative to sitting around watching beautiful women crawl over Jackal like ants on a honeypot.
Sean has arranged a costume for me, and as I slip into a spare bedroom to change, I see his reflection in the mirror watching Jackal, a pensive look on his face.
When I finish the dance and walk back to the patio, Sean hands me a glass of champagne.
“That was exquisite,” he says. He motions for me to move closer to him while he whispers in my ear. “I’m just going to come right out with it...”
He leans back to smile at me and I stare at him nervously.
“Okay…”
He motions for me to bring my ear back to his lips, so I do.
“I heard what happened at the party…”
I try not to notice the way the busty brunette is touching Jackal while she speaks.
“What party?” I ask distractedly.
“The one where you undressed and asked Jackal to fuck you.”
My head rears back and I look at him in horror.Of course...of course, word of that got around.
“I was drunk,” I say.
I study his eyes carefully and note the way his skin slightly flushes.
“But you want him.”
My eyes narrow and I back up, weighing my next words carefully.
“Did you invite us both here so you could...watch us?”
I don’t want to do anything to shake what I’ve built with Sean. He’s been a friend over the years, but the prospect that he did something so...deceitful makes me furious.
“I did,” he admits. “I wanted to see if there was anything going on between the two of you.”
“Sean…” I sigh. “He’s an End Man. What could possibly be going on between us?”
