Page 44 of Sinister Devotion

"Thank you, thank you. I just want to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate a special person to all of us. Happy Birthday, Claire," Julian's voice bellows around the room as he snatches a glass off a tray to raise it toward me. Everyone around the room follows the gesture. It's clear some of them had no idea this party is for me.

Julian continues his speech. "This event was never about my candidacy. But we cannot ignore the state of things around our city. Let's raise a glass to a better tomorrow by ensuring the right candidate runs for office, starting today, apparently."

People around the room laugh and clap.

"To the candidates of tomorrow and a very happy birthday to the woman of the night. Claire Anderson everyone." Julian says, but it's in a very political tone that's just vague enough where people might believe I'm the one running for office.

Applause erupts, people drink, and music plays. Danny leans toward me and whispers. "Hey, I'm not feeling too good. I don't want to be a downer at this thing and I should probably go. I promise to take you out. We can actually celebrate your birthday. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great, Danny. I'm sorry you don't feel well and wish there was something I could do to help. You can lie down in my room if you want. Didn't you come with Bonnie?" I ask her.

"Yeah, but I can call a taxi or UBER. It's fine. I swear. Have a great time. Later, girl." Danny leaves the party before she's even had a taste of the food.

It takes me a few minutes to move through the crowds. Some people are congratulating me while others are wishing me a happy birthday. A few of them are too sloshed to realize where they are. I'd guess we're going to need a few more taxis to get these people home.

Bonnie and Edward are skulking along the outskirts of the party, keeping an eye on everyone as they always do.

"You two are supposed to be happy and having a good time. You're not supposed to be working," I tell them.

Bonnie shimmies her shoulders for a few steps before going back to her rigid stance observing the guests. Edward chuckles beside her.

I wag a finger at both of them. "Don't encourage her. You're not supposed to be working either. What is the point in me fighting to get you on the guest list? Everyone I invited is doing everything I didn't want? I wanted people who knew me here to help me have a good time."

"Sorry, Claire," Bonnie says with a half a smile.

"No more apologies. I'm sick of them. Scarpella is a crime boss. Devon is an asshole. Danny's sick and going home, and you two are working. Charleston is here twirling his latest victims around in a circle and I'm certain Fiona's going to try to make me work if she ever gets here."

Edward grins. "At least the gifts are great at these things."

"What gifts?" I ask him.

He rubs his thumb and index fingers together. I shake my head. "Edward, I think I'm going to use that money to tip the servers and catering staff. I imagine if these people get any drunker, it's going to be an absolute mess to clean up."

"Speaking of messes to clean up," Edward groans. "Bianca just showed. Fuck, Armande's here, too. She looks like her party started before she got here. I'll be back, ladies."

Edward heads across the room as Julian meets him halfway. They lean into each other as Julian morphs into a CEO doing damage control and walks over to us as I feel like shrinking into the corner.

I have no idea what's on his mind, but he holds his hand out to me. "Claire, may I have this dance?"

Bonnie smiles when Julian leads me onto the dance floor where we draw the attention of his mother. Edward's doing his best, along with Julian's uncle, to keep her civil and away from us in her current state. I'm ready to bolt, but the firmness of Julian's hand pressing against my lower back holds me in place.

"Stop looking for the exits," he says quietly with a smile, talking through his teeth. "Smile, dance, say thank you and pretend you're having a good time like I am."

I copy and paste a similar expression onto my face as we move to the music. "I'm sorry, but this is all your fault."

"Oh, now you're apologizing?" he asks, his smile feeling far more genuine this time. "Are we going tit for tat on the pain of apologies?"

"We can. It should make this evening end far better than it started. So, Councilman, what the fuck?" I laugh with the question that draws a stern look from those eyes I love gazing into.

"Charleston's ready to get back into politics and since he's a disgraced judge, no one will touch him. But his golden boy, his successful CEO son, is the perfect candidate for whatever office he announced. I specifically told him that I don't like being tied down with the bureaucratic red tape?—"

"You're ranting," I sing to him as his smile disappears. "Everyone will see and hear how much you despise this idea."

Julian spins me to the beat, dipping me slightly as people watch us glide to the music. "I do despise it. This is not a family that should go into politics. We have too many connections to people like my father, and Scarpella. To open up our lives to that kind of scrutiny is asking for indictments and tabloids to rain down over the manor."

I shift my mind to ignore what he means by indictments. That's not a conversation we should get into here. "I'm sorry about Carmine, too. I didn't know. I was really mad at you that day and he used me to get to you. I see that now. I thought it was weird how he kept saying my whole name and the company I worked for."

Julian kisses my forehead briefly. However, the gesture is the last straw for Bianca as she storms toward us. Bonnie tries to intercept, but it's a fine line handling Julian's mother versus a stranger that poses an actual threat.

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