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I spotted her all the way across the ballroom, of course, like she too wanted to keep her distance from Blake. She was surrounded by people, and I felt the ever-present band of tension in my stomach tighten. I thought I recognized Meagan Kinney, CEO of an up-and-coming brand development firm herself.
I wanted to make a beeline for Holly now, but Layla was wrapped up in a conversation with Blake and two other people. I was less and less interested in keeping Blake happy, but we were at an industry party. I couldn’t very well pull my girlfriend away from him. But I couldn’t leave without making an effort with Holly Bernstein either.
If I didn’t at least get an interest call with her, Maureen would know I hadn’t tried that hard. And if Maureen knew I hadn’t tried that hard, she would wonder why I’d had to be the one to go to New York.
And then she might figure everything out before I was ready.
CHAPTER29
LAYLA
If I hadn’t felt Blake’s eyes on me like leeches, I would have been impressed by the event. The ballroom was beautifully appointed with gilt and crystal chandeliers, plush velvet settees, and a dance floor that gleamed under the biggest chandelier of all, the one suspended just in front of the stage by swooping, glittering ligatures. A string quartet was playing a mix of classical and pop.
I wanted to just dance with Aiden and forget why we were here, but that wasn’t an option. It seemed that just standing beside him, taking on the brunt of the shop talk together, wasn’t even an option. Somehow, he always ended up embedded in conversation with someone else. And increasingly, I ended up in conversation with Blake.
And only Blake.
“Let’s dance,” he urged.
I laughed awkwardly, stalling for time. The first time he asked, I’d made the excuse that no one else was dancing. That had changed though. Seven or eight couples were moving across the floor in time to Sia’s “Chandelier.” “I don’t know,” I responded now. “I’m supposed to be working, right?”
Blake shot me a grin that I’m sure would have been considered devastating to anyone else. To me, though, it felt like a steel trap. His teeth gleamed like pointed barbs. “I do my best work on the dance floor,” he said quietly.
I felt beads of sweat forming at my hairline. I wanted to look around and find Aiden, but I didn’t want him to think I needed him. I’d told him enough times I could handle Blake; I wasn’t going to look weak now.
“One dance,” I allowed. “And then you said you’d introduce me to Holly Bernstein.”
Holly Bernstein was another rising YouTube star that Maureen had specifically instructed me to connect with at this event if I could. I knew she was here because I’d seen her come in, but I hadn’t been able to break away from Blake long enough to introduce myself. I could tell that Aiden was feeling similarly thwarted. There seemed to be no shortage of people monopolizing his attention.
Even with the tall, intense man with slashing black brows standing too close to him though, Aiden saw Blake lead me out onto the dance floor. I shot him a reassuring smile.It’s fine. No big deal. I’ve got this.He wasn’t reassured though. I felt his gaze on me as Blake walked us to the very center of the dance floor and put his hand on my lower back, drawing me into him.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The glamorous setting with its gleaming beauty suddenly felt like a trap. As Blake began spinning me around, every glint gilt made me think of bars on a cage. I’d never liked small spaces, and I hated being trapped in them even more. Though this room was nearly as large as a football field and the ceiling rose to cathedral heights, Blake made it feel small. Or maybe he mademefeel small. Either way, it was a discomfort I had never experienced before. I couldn’t see any of the typical danger signs, but they were there all the same. They were just hidden by velvet draperies and thousand-dollar champagne.
“Do you like this?” Blake asked, but he didn’t say it like a question. In his oiled smooth tones, it came out like a statement of fact.You like this.
“It’s impressive,” I said honestly. Itwas, but the impression that it was making on me was the opposite of what he clearly thought.
Blake grinned, and I had the wild idea that his teeth weren’t really in his gums, that he was gnashing on pearls. That he was a monster that ate beautiful things. It was feral and fanciful and absolutely nothing like me. I wasn’t given to fits of imagination.
But Blake was suddenly defying all my logical boundaries. What else could explain how he went from an innocuous, irritating lech to seemingly dangerous? It didn’t make sense. We were in a crowded room. Aiden’s gaze was still wrapped around us, narrow and dangerous in its own right. There was nothing to be unnerved about.
I blinked and reset Blake in my vision. There he was, just a blandly handsome man who couldn’t take a hint. Maybe it was time I stopped hinting.
“I have a boyfriend,” I said bluntly, apropos of absolutely nothing.
“Of course you do,” Blake agreed. “Look at you.”
I tried not to be thrown by his cavalier reaction. I wasn’t going to question whether I’d misread his intentions. Iknewhe’d flirted with the line between appropriate and inappropriate. Even now, his hand was on the very base of my spine. Another millimeter and I’d have cause to yank away, indignant.
Who would have thought a millimeter could be so big?
“It’s serious,” I said. “We’re in love.”
“Lucky guy.” Blake spun me around, a move that required him to move his hand. “Is there a reason you’re telling me this, Layla?” he asked when I came back to the cage of his arms.
“I just thought you should know.”
“Now I know.”
