AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sighed. She wasn’t the first person who had said as much. I’d kissed Annie on a whim, and now, I was worried that it had been too much too soon. I glanced over at Annie, a light blushed had colored her cheeks, and I knew that she was thinking about the kiss the two of us had shared.
“I’ve heard a rumor that you are running for mayor,” Carolina said, bringing my attention back to the moment at hand.
“Oh?” I asked, playing stupid. Marcel didn’t want to send out a press release announcing my candidacy until tomorrow. Apparently, we were going to capitalize on my night out with Annie.
Carolina smiled at me coyly, and I knew that she smelled blood. Carolina would see my candidacy as an opportunity. She’d want to know how it could benefit her, having her son’s best friend become the mayor of Manhattan.
“This is a lovely event,” Annie said, stepping forward slightly. “Did you design the florals yourself? They are lovely.”
Carolina turned her attention to my date, and I tensed, expecting her to snap at Annie. Instead, she gave her a preening smile. “I did,” she said, looking over at one of the massive arrangements. “You should have seen what they originally gave me.” Her nose wrinkled delicately as she recalled whatever distasteful arrangements had been sent to her.
“Well, these are lovely, and a true testament for your eye for design. I was able to see photos of your fashion week event, and I was blown away by the table decor.” My brow rose as the gushing accolades that Annie gave Carolina.
But they were working, and the iciness that always surrounded Marcel’s mother seemed to thaw. She laughed. “You are a delight,” she said, placing a hand on Annie’s arm. “I have to greet my guests but be sure to see me before you leave.”
Annie nodded, and I felt my brow raise in surprise. I knew Annie was special, but she’d just managed to wrap one of the meanest Manhattan socialites around her finger.
I watched in awe as Carolina moved on, greeting various guests.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, turning to look at Annie. She looked pleased as pie as she watched Carolina make her way around the room. “I once brought a girl with an aristocratic title in her name to one of these things, and Carolina made her cry.”
Annie laughed slightly with a shrug. “I have a way with people.”
I shook my head incredulously. I’d been worried about thrusting Annie into my life. It all seemed glamorous on the outside, but it was a kiddie pool full of sharks waiting to pull apart fresh meat.
“You certainly do.” I placed a hand on Annie’s back and started leading her towards another group of people.
“Over there,” she said, gesturing slightly with her head to a group of men who were milling around the bar area.
“Why there?”
Annie turned to face me. “The man in the center is Joseph Rome. He’s a huge political donor.”
Once more Annie surprised me. I looked past the men, one of whom was Sawyer, and saw Rome laughing with a glass of scotch in his hand. I knew him in the way that we all knew one another, but I’d never spent much time with these men. They were just as bad as the women, and when my father, a man worth more than all of them, had joined the family, they’d snubbed him.
“How do you know all of this?” I asked once more.
“Marcel gave me a binder,” she said, casually. “I also did my own research. I know you’ve got more money than God, but Rome is someone you need on your side. He’s funded the last two successful candidates.”
I did have more than enough money to fund my own candidacy, but I knew that wasn’t enough to win me an election. Power and influence came from money, but in a city like New York, money didn’t always get you as much of those things as you wanted.
I started forward, but Annie placed a hand on my chest. “There’s some things you need to know about him before you head over.” Her face was grave, and I wondered what she could possibly have to tell me.
“There’s talk online that he’s crooked,” she whispered.
I snorted. “Aren’t most of the people here?” I wasn’t so naive to think that every person in this room made money through legitimate means. Hell, my great-grandfather was a bootlegger. But being crooked could mean a myriad of things.
“There are articles that suggest that he’s got ties to the Petrov family,” Annie said.
My blood froze in my veins as I looked at Rome. “Are you sure?” It would make sense considering how chummy he appeared with O’Connor.
“Fuck,” I muttered. One look at Annie’s face, and I knew that she felt bad about delivering some bad news to me.
“He’s a huge political player.” Annie’s lips were thin as she spoke, and I knew she wanted to go over there about as much as I did.
I weighed my options before deciding that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter. Grabbing Annie’s hand, I gave it a squeeze before leading her over to the group of men.
“Evening,” I said, jumping straight into the conversation.
