Understanding dawned on her features when we got inside. I placed my palm at the base of her spine and led her inside, greeting the hostess with a cursory nod.
Stephanie turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. “What is this place?”
“It’s the Blackstone Club. We’re here for a fundraiser for a charity that works in combating human trafficking from developing countries.”
She raised her brows but didn’t say anything. Taking in our opulent surroundings, I tried to see the place through Steph’s eyes. Rich wood paneling and real crystal chandeliers, plush red carpeting and wide, arched doorways. It didn’t impress me anymore, but her eyes grew wider until it looked like they might pop out.
“Is that…?” She trailed off, pointing discretely at a hotel tycoon’s socialite daughter.
I nodded, amused by her reaction to a girl I’d known all my life and could personally attest to not being very impressed by. “There will be a lot of people like that here. They smell events like this like blood in the water. Ten bucks says most of them don’t even know what they’re here for.”
“They?” She raised a brow at me.
I chuckled, hooking my arm around her waist. “They. Just because I’m a member here doesn’t mean I’m the same as them.”
“Yeah, you actually know what you’re here for tonight,” she teased, her eyes sparkling as brilliantly as any of the crystals in the chandeliers.
I tapped my nose before snagging two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. “Exactly. See, I told you. Not like them at all.”
“Absolutely nothing alike.” She smiled, accepting her glass as she followed me into the wolf’s den. People descended on us as soon as we stepped into the main room. Most of them wanted to talk business with me, which I avoided by saying I’d get in touch on Monday. I introduced Stephanie as a friend and kept her close by my side all evening.
I’d been worried it would all become too much for her. The fake small talk, the schmoozing, the catty glares and the leery men. But she navigated it like a pro. She smiled politely, shook hands, made small talk of her own and charmed the pants off just about everyone. Myself included.
My worries had been for nothing. Stephanie beamed her way through the entire evening. While I was committed to coming to this event on my father’s behalf, I really didn’t want to come, but having Stephanie here made it all worthwhile.
Having her so close to my side for hours on end put me on edge. She looked like a dream, acted like she was the one born into this life and fit beside me like a damn puzzle piece falling into its rightful place. Add the faint scent of her perfume and my view of the very top of her cleavage, and I was tempted to drag her to a storeroom I knew at the back of the pretentious club and claim her in every way I could think of. It should only take about eight months.
Dinner was served in a dining room with high ceilings and large round tables with elaborate centerpieces. After we ate, we were subjected to speeches from the organizers and the organization the fundraiser was for. I ignored the boasting of the people who organized the event only to be able to say they had. But I paid attention to what the organization’s representatives had to say and vowed to make a generous donation to their cause before my attention redirected to Steph.
It was pushing midnight by the time I excused myself from the conversation I landed in the middle of about reliable investment. Biting back a yawn, I turned to my gorgeous date. “Are you ready to go home?”
Despite the long evening, she looked as beautiful as she had when we arrived. She smiled as she leaned toward me, looking up at me from beneath her lashes. “I’m ready to go, but we don’t have to go to my house.”
Searching her eyes, I felt like someone had launched me into a parallel universe. One where she was the one suggesting we take this back to my place. Barely contained lust flooded my body. I took her hand, pulling her flush against me.
Her lips parted, her breathing hastened. Pupils dilated, she seemed to be waiting for my answer. All traces of feeling tired melted away in an instant. My lips pulled up into a crooked smirk. “How would you like to see my house then?”