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“Is that a threat, Miss Romano?”
I tower over her menacingly, but to her credit, she doesn’t cower. She simply shrugs before stepping back.
“No, of course not.” Her smile is overly sweet as she moves to leave. “I only wanted to try one last time. To be sure that the right decision is being made, that’s all.”
I narrow my eyes as she walks toward the open side door toRisqué, calling over her shoulder. “Drop byRavishtonight, won’t you?”
“Actually, I’m covering Jules's shift.”
And beginning to wish I hadn’t given him the night off.
She stops in her tracks, slowly pivoting on her heel, a wide smile on her face. “How serendipitous. We’ll see you then.”
“Who’swe?”
She shrugs flippantly. “Ollie Creswell is in town tonight. You know he can’t say no to a good fetish night.” My shoulders openly drop as she laughs. “And tonight’s is promising to be one that won’t soon be forgotten.”
She holds my stare for a beat before turning and weaving through the crowd without a backward glance.
CHAPTER21
WREN
My stomach dips as Lucia slides in the door, her face glowing as her body hums with energy.
“We’re off to an excellent start. Vaughn will besoimpressed if you can keep it up.”
I swallow heavily as I step closer to her. “Okay, I can do this.”
She grips my upper arms, rubbing gently. Encouragingly. “You can. You will.” She smiles then, her pupils dilating as she smooths her palm across my temple almost reverently. “And it will be nothing less than spectacular.”
Her eyes find mine as she steps back, taking in her handiwork. “You truly have no idea how much your involvement tonight means to me.”
I blow out a breath as I nod, allowing my eyelids to close softly.
Find your calm, Wren.
I focus on how I felt when Vaughn’s arms were wrapped around me the night I’d worn the lingerie. How serene. At peace.
Whole.
And when I open my eyes, I stand taller, resolute in my participation. “Let’s do this.”
Lucia grins easily as she tucks her arm into mine, leading me out into the backstage area that’s much quieter than it was before Kendra’s appearance.
There are fewer people than I’d have expected, so I turn to Lucia with questioning eyes. “Where is everyone?”
She continues to draw me closer to the curtain leading onto the stage. “It gets quieter during the auction process. Only one lot at a time, remember?”
I furrow my brow as uncertainty trickles through my veins, my feet faltering slightly as we reach the curtain. “M—maybe Ishouldspeak to Vaughn first—”
“No.” Her tone is harsh, like when she’d spoken to Kendra earlier, and a chill of unease races up my spine. She smooths her palms down along the front of her dress before facing me with a soft smile.
“What I meant to say is, it’s too late now, Wren. He’s already in the crowd with his paddle in hand. If he doesn’t bid for you, he’ll bid for someone else…” She trails off with a knowing shrug. “And then, who knows? Maybe she’ll break his dry spell…”
I blink rapidly, glancing around aimlessly until my eyes land on a tiny split in the curtain to Lucia’s rear. I step past her, peering through the gap for my eyes to land unerringly on Vaughn, standing tall and silent behind an elegantly dressed mixture of men and women.
I nod to Lucia as I draw strength from Vaughn’s presence. “Okay. I’m okay.”
