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Shocked, I stared at my hand, which had somehow ended up on his forearm, indeed clutching it like I was desperate to keep him next to me.
Seriously…could this day get any worse? I released my grip, but before I could fully move away, he took my hand, the warm callouses of his palm feeling like an anchor for the storm raging inside me.
“I need to talk to Monroe for a few minutes,” Lincoln said, that sexy rasp sounding even better in person than it had through the phone. He was still staring at me, and I don’t think he’d looked away since he’d walked over here, his hot searing gaze heating my insides beneath thick lashes.
“Well—” Clarice began to object.
He dug in his pocket for a second and practically threw what appeared to be a few hundred dollar bills her way. She grabbed them with her bony hands and stormed away. I was sure I’d hear about this later on. I’d probably be fired over it, actually.
But I couldn’t find it in myself to care.
“Come with me,” he ordered, and like I was a puppet; I followed him eagerly towards an exit. I was vaguely aware of all the stares crashing into my back, but I was lost in the lavender haze of whatever was happening at that moment.
* * *
Lincoln
I sent Monroe another text as the limo took me to Ari’s fundraising event. She hadn’t answered the three I’d already sent, but I was hoping I’d hear from her soon.
When this one went unread as well, I tossed the phone onto the leather seat and sat back with a sigh, running my hands through my hair anxiously. My app was down, some kind of bug the company was trying to fix. So I had no way to track where she was tonight…figure out why she wasn’t answering me.
I wished I’d already moved to the next step with her. She was like a scared rabbit, ready to bolt at any second. I’d never taken a date to this event, not wanting to be distracted by a vapid puck bunny on Ari’s big night, but I felt sick at the idea of her not being by my side. Every time I’d attempted to broach the subject of meeting by text and in a call…she’d quickly pushed the conversation off course, clearly avoiding it.
The limo turned the corner, and I groaned at all the paparazzi gathered outside the entrance. I guess I’d be blind for the first part of the night since there were enough photographers gathered there to light up all of Dallas.
At least it was for a good cause.
I’d known Ari for a long time, and he’d still never opened up to me about his childhood. Based on how passionate he was about this charity, and a few other things he’d said over the years, I’d gleaned it wasn’t good.
I didn’t press him too much about it, though. I knew all too well some secrets were best kept in the grave.
Frustrated with the dark direction my thoughts had taken—again—I checked my phone once more and then slid out of the limo, pasting on a plastic smile as I walked the red carpet that had been set up in front of the entrance. There were fans gathered behind the photographers, and they were screaming my name so loudly I was sure I’d have hearing loss because of it. I waved at them, grateful for the security lined up. I loved my fans, but I wasn’t in the mood for the craziness tonight.
The air felt different when I stepped inside–electric, full of promise somehow. I scanned the crowd of celebrities, trying to make out what was different.
“Fashionably late, as usual,” Ari snarked as he came up and clapped me on the shoulder.
“I’m like fifteen minutes late,” I drawled.
He just smirked at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not looking at you in any way,” he answered.
“Okay…” I stared around the room. “Quite the crowd you’ve got here. Any new additions to the list?”
His smirk widened. Creepily, if I was being honest.
“Oh, there’s a couple of unexpected additions.”
“Party crashers? How’d they make it past security?” This event had more security than Fort Knox. Ari had made sure of that after the first year when a group of female streakers had invaded the event, apparently trying to impress the crowd with their…assets.
“Not exactly party crashers,” he hummed, that same weird smile on his face. Before I could say anything else, he strolled away. “Got to go mingle. See you at the table in a bit,” he threw over his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.
A crash sounded nearby, and I turned towards it, only to see…
Her.
