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“Here, take this.”
When I dropped my hands, Julie was holding a few pain pills in her hand, a bottle of water in the other. Frowning, I straightened and took them from her.
“Where did you find these?”
She patted her clutch. “I brought some with me. I figured you might need some tonight.”
Tossing back the medication, I took a drink of the water. When I was through, I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know how I’d manage this without you. This is our biggest event by far, and while I know it’s going to be great for the company, I’ll admit I’m a little overwhelmed.”
She flashed me an understanding smile. “I’ll bet. Even just following you around listening is overwhelming. You’re looking really fatigued, though. I’m going to grab you some food. You take a minute here to relax, and we’ll start again once you’ve had something to eat.”
Before she could walk away, I grabbed her hand, kissing the back lightly. “What would I do without you?”
She ducked her head to hide her shy smile. “Let’s hope you never have to find out.”
I huffed out a breath, shaking my head as I released her. “Oh honey, after tonight, you’re going to be lucky if I don’t handcuff you to me. I need you to survive.”
Her face flushed, and her teeth worried her bottom lip. “I don’t think I’d say no to that.”
Lust flooded my system, knocking back some of the exhaustion, the image of her tied up now in the forefront of my mind. I knew for a fact that neither Bennett nor Luka would be opposed to that idea. I just needed to get through the rest of this godforsaken gala.
“A few more hours, Julie. Then we’re taking you home.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and her pupils dilated, the flush working its way down her chest. Before I could reach for her and drag her off somewhere private, she took a step back and drew in a breath, a stubborn look crossing her face.
“I’m going to get you some food. No working while I’m gone.”
Brat. I watched as she hurried off, disappearing through the crowds. I had no interest in working without her. I’d probably miss some important detail without her notes later on, so I leaned back against the column and closed my eyes for a moment while I waited for her.
“Grayson?”
My entire body went rigid at the familiar voice and my eyes snapped open immediately.
“Mother? What are you doing here?”
Chapter Forty-Four
JULIE
Grayson’s flirting had left me a little out of sorts. Okay, that was a lie. A lot out of sorts and really turned on. I’d pushed the plans for after the gala into the back of my mind, needing to focus on what was in front of me, but his reminder brought every dirty thought roaring to the surface. It took concentration to make my way through the crowds to find the caterer.
Most people got to sit down to eat, but not Grayson. He was almost constantly moving, greeting people, talking business. The few times he got to sit, he was too busy working to actually eat anything. I snagged a few small things for him, waving at the chef as I snuck back. I almost rolled my eyes when I saw Grayson talking to someone. I told him not to work without me, but he was addicted to his work.
As I came closer, I hesitated. He didn’t actually look like he was working, his charming smile missing. He looked almost furious, glaring at the elegant woman standing in front of him. I wasn’t familiar with her, with her jet black hair and short pink dress. As I edged closer, I heard the whine in her voice as she spoke to him.
“You have been dodging my calls and ignoring my messages. You are so cruel to me.”
Grayson growled so low, I almost missed it through the noise of the gala. “That’s because I have no interest in speaking to you. You made yourself clear on what you thought of my business when I was starting out. You can’t come slinking back now that I’ve made something of myself. How the hell did you even know about this event?”
When I stepped up to them, Grayson barely glanced at me, his gaze still locked furiously on the woman.
“I was invited,” she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.
Her accent was familiar, and it took me a minute before I realized who she was. “Miss Laurent?”
She spun, looking me up and down before beaming at me, all hints of her upset gone. “You are the secretary, yes? The one who sent me the invite.”
I nodded, shifting closer to Grayson. “Yes… I–”
