The bartender puts the drinks on the bar in front of us.
“Shall we toast?” Lauren asks. “To new beginnings and to letting go.” She smiles at Barbara, who winks at her and clinks her glass. Both of them sipping and smiling as I take my whiskey and down it in one shot.
“Picture time,” Scarlett announces.
“Picture time?” Lauren asks next to me.
“We always take a group picture before the opening of the club for the wall,” Barbara explains.
I grab her hand in mine, our fingers intertwining as I walk us over to the red carpet where the photographer is waiting.
She tries to shake her hand free, but I don’t let her. I take my place in the middle, next to John. I let go of her hand, bending down to whisper in her ear, “Don’t fucking move,” I tell her through clenched teeth. “Not one fucking inch. Don’t test me.” She rolls her eyes at me.
We spend the next forty minutes snapping pictures. Finally done, we walk back inside and each grab a champagne glass, with which we toast our hard work.
I drink my glass watching Lauren watching me. I smile at her, watching her eyes dilate, knowing she wants me just as bad as I want her.
I walk over to her. “You look beautiful.” I rub her cheek with my thumb. “Come home with me.”
Her eyes on me are smiling. She steps closer to me, then her eyes go over my shoulder and she stills. Her face changes, her smile is gone, her spine is straight. “Jake?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
LAUREN
I knew showing up tonight dressed like this was going to cut him at his knees. I’ve never felt as sexy as I do in this outfit.
But I’m not the only one dressed to kill. Austin is in a custom-tailored navy blue suit and a crisp, stark white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and no tie. Silver cufflinks rest at his wrists next to where his name is monogrammed and his silver Patek Philippe watch peeks out. Polished brown Ferragamos—what can I say, I’m a shoe girl—complete the whole package, and what a package he is.
I tried not to watch him from my spot at the bar, but I saw him heading my way out of the corner of my eye. When he grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers, I knew I would be going home with him. Well, that and when he told me not to fucking move. I was almost tempted to move just to see what he would do.
Looking at him while we toasted, I was so proud of everything he did. I watch as he walks over to me. “You look beautiful,” he tells me while he rubs my cheek with his thumb. “Come home with me.” I step closer to him, ready to tell him I’d go anywhere with him. Smiling at him, I glance over his shoulder for one second, and that one second changes my night.
My smile fades, and my spine stiffens as anger rushes through me. “Jake?”
Jake walking in with Camilla on his arm brings me back a bit. I didn’t attend many of his functions when we were married, because there was always something going on at home.
Austin turns to see what I’m staring at, watching Jake and Camilla walk toward us, his hand holding hers. “What the fuck?” he says under his breath.
I don’t have a chance to tell him everything I need to.
“Hey, Lauren, what are you doing here?” Jake asks when they stop in front of me.
“Um…” The words stay lodged in my throat.
“She helped make tonight happen,” Austin answers for me, putting his hand on the exposed skin at my lower back. “Austin Mackenzie.” He offers his hand to shake Jake’s.
“Jake Watson, Lauren’s husband.” He shakes Austin’s hand.
“Ex,” I say, gulping down the rest of my champagne. “Ex-husband.” I look to Jake and then to Camilla. “Gabe’s former teacher. Lots of exes in the room.” I laugh nervously.
“Oh, wait.” Jake snaps his fingers. “Are you the Austin who took the kids skating?”
Austin grabs champagne from a passing waiter and hands it to me before he places my empty glass back on the tray. “That would be me. We took the kids out last Friday. They had no school.”
“Are you two dating?” Jake asks, surprised, his eyebrows going up.
I don’t know how to answer this. We’ve never really discussed the status of our relationship. Having sex, yes, driving each other insane, yes. Dating, um… it’s complicated. “We are,” Austin states. “If you’ll excuse us, I see someone we need to say hello to.” When he grabs my hand, I nod at them and follow him wherever he takes me.
He walks over to a couple who just walked in the door. From the shouting that wafts in and the flashing cameras, I know it’s someone important. “Cooper,” Austin greets, raising his hand to him.