Page 24 of Layne Closure Ahead

“It’s not much, but I like to come here when things get too heavy.”

Layne smiled at her memories replaying in her head. The recollection of their first date together stirred up a warmth deep inside of her chest. She started up the engine of her car and drove off. Maybe a trip over to that quiet little spot in Brooklyn would do her good.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Saturday night of the party came a lot quicker than she wanted. A pit had been growing in her stomach since the moment she woke up that morning.

All day she had been pacing her house wondering what the hell to do with her time. She had tried everything from reading, streaming a bunch of shows she needed to catch up on, and even attempted cleaning the house. None of it lasted very long before she felt compelled to move on to the next thing.

She stared at herself in the mirror and murmured. “Get your shit together.” Her father had always been able to sternly direct her to what she needed to do, even if she didn’t listen all the time. Now, she was left without that looming guidance in her life. It was only the lingering memories that haunted her, serving as a reminder of whose daughter she was.

One of the silver linings of having a wide open schedule for the first half of the day was that she could take her time getting ready. It also served as a perfect storm to overthink everything right down to the most meaningless details.

Layne preferred her hair down but kept it styled so one side of the dark chestnut locks was pulled back away from her face with some strategically placed pins. She brushed on some makeup, going for an elegant evening look with a seductively smokey eye and a flirty shade of dusty pink on her lips.

Pulling her dress off its hanger, she shimmied into it. The silky fabric was unforgiving in how it adhered to the curves and lines of her body. The regal shade of purple complimented her fair skin, which there was plenty of it exposed to capture the attention of any wandering eyes.

The dress was a halter-style gown that left her back fully open, down until the material wrapped around the roundness of her ass. The strap around her neck was embroidered with tiny shimmering crystals that dove down into a steep neckline.

The remainder of the dress fell into a narrow skirt with a slit just high enough to be considered a classy display of the flesh of her leg and, more practically, allow for more ease of movement.

Lastly, the outfit wasn’t going to be complete without a little bit of safety insurance. She latched a thin strap to her upper thigh where a dagger was slid into the sheath. If shit went south tonight, she refused to be playing a game of ‘could this random item be used as a weapon’?

After picking out a small clutch and strapping on her heels, she met her driver outside of her house. He held the door to the back seat of the SUV open for her with a heartwarming smile. “You look radiant, Ms. O’Reilly.”

The older man with silvery grey hair, Artie, had been working for her family for years. She didn’t make a habit of using his services too often, but on a night like tonight where appearances were everything, she opted for the car service.

From everything she had heard about the guests in attendance, there were going to be some of the most important names in criminal organizations across the city coming together under the guise of raising funds for charity. It wouldn’t be all the big bad guys there, of course. Politicians, financiers, judiciaries, and others amongst New York’s social elite would also be in attendance.

“Thanks, Art. You’ve always had the kindest things to say.” Her hand gave his arm a gentle squeeze while she sweetly smiled at him before sliding into the back seat. The door shut behind her, and moments later, he was driving her to the Ellis residence not too far from where she lived. It was only about ten minutes further uptown. A little too close for Layne’s tastes, but she wasn’t about to pack up and move on Eric’s account.

By the time Artie pulled up where others were also unloading from their vehicles, she was a solid ten minutes late. Still socially acceptable in her mind and by elitist standards. Layne wasn’t in a rush to kick off this evening which she had been dreading ever since she agreed to it.

While she sat in the back seat, she wrestled with her nerves that refused to settle down. This should be like any other job she had ever had a hand in. Joey’s presence should have been inconsequential. However, she still found herself spending far too much time thinking about his involvement in tonight’s affairs instead of thinking about Eric’s proposition to salvage the O’Reilly family business.

The back passenger door swung open, and instead of being greeted by her driver, she noticed Joey standing there with his hand reaching out to her.

Her breath caught in her chest as she saw him dressed in the sharp lines of a tux, a crisp white shirt underneath the black jacket, and a corresponding black vest and tie. The way it fit the muscles of his upper body reminded her of the delicious gift underneath all that packaging. The creep of his neck tattoos peeked up past the top of his collar, and the ink on his hands was easily visible. It was the only indication that he wasn’t in the same class as the rest of the pompous assholes in attendance.

Layne did her best to remember to breathe and not appear as shell-shocked as she felt seeing him all cleaned up for once. But, damn, could that man wear a tux.

Stubbornly, she ignored his offer of assistance, gathering the lower half of her dress and stepping out onto the sidewalk on her own accord. The length of her dress fell around her legs down to her feet which were set in a sparkling set of heels encrusted with shimmering crystals that matched the shine of the crystals on her halter straps.

He dropped his hand back to his side, but his eyes never left her. Joey didn’t usually break the serious façade when it came to his work, but in this case, Layne did manage to pick up on the subtle shift in his brown eyes. A shift that told her she wasn’t the only one with a view worth appreciating. His tongue subtly swiped across his lower lip, an act that one would expect while eyeing a particularly decadent dessert.

“You’re late.” A slight edge of frustration could be heard hanging off the end of his words.

Layne gave a nonchalant shrug with a smile knowing how it was eating away at him and how she was not bothered in the least about her tardiness to this little affair. “I guess you should have come picked me up if you wanted me to be on time.”

After she was out of the car, he shut the door and stepped up to join her at her side. His arm wrapped around her lower back, pulling her in close to his side as he leaned in and whispered, “Remember, I’m still here as part of your security detail. Which, as I recall from the last time I kept my eyes on you full-time, you were extremely satisfied with my services.” His charismatic smirk stretched across his face.

As people walked past them on their way up to the front door, Layne plastered an over-the-top saccharin smile on her face. Tonight was all about wearing an invisible mask that told a story that not only did she want to be here, but she belonged here. That included upkeeping the premise of Joey being part of her security.

She didn’t even look at him as she quietly responded. “I’m in four-inch heels, a dress that wants me to be ten pounds lighter, and my escort is breathing down my neck. You’re asking a hell of a lot right now for me to look satisfied with any of your services.”

His voice dropped down to a dominant tone with his words teasing along her skin. “You used to like it when I did things to your neck.”

Uncontrollably, her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink before her hand slapped his chest and she managed to slither away from his arm that wrapped around her. “Stop dicking around.”

---