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The famed white ballroom. I’d been too nervous to really look around last time. But it was spectacular, I couldn’t deny it. Pure white marble floors. Crisp white walls, complete with an opera antique gas chandelier that hung from the center of the ceiling.
And the people!
The men wore impeccable tuxes. Some of the Elders had on their silver robes, but mostly it looked like an incredibly fancy party where the women just forgot to put on their dresses.
A live orchestra played off to the side on a small, raised dais. They finished up a classic Beethoven piece as I walked in, and as it ended, they transitioned into an orchestral version of a Nine Inch Nails song. The one about wanting to fuck like animals.
I swallowed hard, then licked my lips as I searched the faces of the men who were gathered.
I was too late, though. I should have tried to find Walker as soon as I got inside. In the moments I’d wasted taking it all in, a man had noticed me. He was middle-aged with salt and pepper hair, wearing a silver mask that had devil’s horns sticking out the front.
He reached out like he was going to grab my breast or jangle my nipple clamp. I panicked a little, jerking backwards.
The silver-haired devil frowned. But before he could say anything, I glimpsed Walker over his shoulder and, not saying anything, I just walked away from the silver devil. Would he yell at me or call me back? What would I do if he did? I felt like I was walking woodenly, like all eyes were on me.
But I kept walking and… nothing happened. The music played on. Eventually, I breathed out.
Still, I was tense by the time I finally got to Walker. Especially since another woman was there, dressed exactly like me, offering him a drink in a small cup.
I took the cup from her hands before it made it to his lips. “I’ll take that, thank you very much.”
She glared at me, but Walker had jerked to attention at my voice. He’d been lounging in a chair, staring a little tensely out at the room. But now I had his full attention.
“Yes,” he said, standing up suddenly and taking my hand, dismissing the other girl with a wave. “That will be all.”
She made an annoyed grunt but then turned and walked away. I didn’t know who these women were, but I knew they weren’t prostitutes. Often, they were hoping to become a mistress, or otherwise looking for a thrill by having sex with powerful men. And here I was taking one of the best looking eligible men in the room.
Or had that been his belle I’d just sent away? My eyes widened. But then, he’d allowed it. My tummy warmed with happiness.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Walker hissed, moving close. “How do you even keep getting in?” He seemed far more on edge than he’d been last night. Angry at me, even.
The warmth in my stomach doused a little. At least until he leaned his face into mine. “You can’t fucking be here. Girls who play with fire get burned.”
So men were the only ones who could be in this oh-so-prestigious club? I shook my head at him and smiled, the devil back in my blood. “Oh yeah? Promise?”
Then before he could stop me, I tipped my head back and downed the green shot of absinthe. Oh shit! It was fire in my throat and my eyes immediately watered at the burn. Still, I smiled, proud when I managed not to choke or cough at the intense alcohol.
Walker’s eyes went wide. “Shit, Ja—” He cut himself off even as he yanked the large shot glass out of my hand. “That was laced with—”
“LSD, I know,” I said, my voice husky, reaching out and nabbing another shot glass off a passing waitress’s tray.
I held out the shot to Walker. “Drink up? Or should I play with fire with someone else? There was a man who seemed very interested in me back there.”
I started to turn but Walker stopped me with a firm grip on my wrist.
When I looked up at him, his eyes were dark and glittering. “You seriously don’t know what the fuck you’re playing at. It’s dangerous—”
I felt my cheeks flame and I was glad for the mask covering them. “I’m not a little girl,” I said, and it came out a little more haughtily than I meant it to.
“Got yourself a hot one there, eh, Walker?” someone called. A deep male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Reminding me that I likely knew most of the men in this room. Which made my adrenaline shoot ten times higher, even as the room started to tilt a little and grow brighter.
Another called out, “Now don’t forget to drink what the little lady’s offering!” Some chuckles followed.
