Page 71 of The Charmer

Chapter Seventeen

Georgie

I cleared my throat. "What?"

"Stay."

I wanted to ask him why, but it was truly impolite to hold up the line for any longer.

"Okay," I replied, taking a step back.

It had been a very thinly veiled command, but it also felt like a plea. How both things could be true at the same time, I had no clue.

The more I thought about it, the jitterier I became. To give myself something to do, I went to the buffet and poured myself a glass of champagne. Sometime in the past few hours, the waiters stopped circulating with trays. Instead, they'd put big buckets with ice on the buffet table. I took a large sip, and the bubbles did the job. I relaxed instantly.

Now that the room was emptier, I could take a good look at the decor. My God, it was exquisite. Very old money. Not quite historic, but classic. As a lover of old things, I was fascinated by the couches and the cushions. They seemed right out of a French museum.

I sat in an armchair, glancing outside. It was dark, of course, so I couldn't see much past the lights of the buildings on the opposite side of the boulevard. But for some reason, this soothed me.

After emptying my glass, I put it on a nearby table. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head on the backrest.

Oh, this is so comfortable. Not quite as perfect as my nana's armchair, but it was a very close second. I could snuggle up right here and sleep.

"Georgie," Julian whispered. "Georgie. Wake up."

I opened my eyes. "Holy shit. I fell asleep?" I immediately straightened up and then jumped out of the armchair. The room was completely empty.

Julian smiled at me.

"Everyone else is already gone?"

"Yep. The crew as well."

My body temperature instantly heightened. We were alone.

"Let me take off your mask."

"I can take it off myself," I said quickly, then reached behind my head, pulling at the bow. I must have pulled it wrong, though, because I only managed to fasten it tighter.

He grinned, then twirled his finger for me to turn around.

What choice did I have?

I felt him come up behind me, and his fingers fumbled in my hair. He tugged at the other end of the bow, but it wouldn't budge.

"This isn't going to work. I'll just cut it."

"Just pull it over my head."

"Some of your hair is stuck in it, and I don't want to hurt you."

"Okay."

Julian walked away, and I didn't dare move, for some reason. I was rooted to the spot, drawing in deep breaths.

He returned far quicker than I expected and immediately cut through the fastening at the back. He removed it carefully, still tugging a bit of my hair, but that was quite all right.

"You're free!" he exclaimed after a moment.

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