Page 53 of Tipping Point

I raise my eyebrows at him. “You’ve seen me in this dress.”

“Not like this.”

My belly swoops.

He’s looking at my lips and licking his own.

He steps up close, voice low and intimate.

“You should be wearing diamonds with this.”

I laugh, but he isn’t smiling. He’s serious.

“I don’t have diamonds.”

“It’s a fucking travesty.”

“So is whatever it is that’s holding you back,” I challenge him. I think it’s the dress, or the oxblood lipstick, because it doesn’t feel like me.

His face turns to stone.

He licks at the corner of his mouth, steps up close.

He’s going to challenge me back.

I’m saved by the announcement of dinner, and he walks away to take his seat. Back with the group, we talk softly as a few speeches are made and then an army of servers serves a gourmet dinner, each course paired with its own wine.

For the duration of the meal, an orchestra strikes up and a voluptuous black woman sings an opera song on the stage.

After dinner, the guests mingle and make their rounds in the ladies’ room and the bar area and they take up their seats again shortly after to bid on a selection of items all donated by wealthy people.

I watch as a painting gets sold for two and a half million dollars.

It takes my breath away, the wealth.

We watch as two women bid ridiculous amounts of money for a date with Matteo Severini, Bianchi’s top driver. He’s a little drunk and removes his jacket, unbuttoning his shirt to show off his muscled abdomen. Laughter travels through the room as more women join in on the bidding.

At the last moment, a well-known theater producer raises his paddle and wins the bid. He’s wearing a too large satin shirt with ridiculous sleeves that billow as he claps, delighted at his victory. To everyone’s delight, Matteo gives him a wink before walking off the stage.

Next is a ridiculously expensive diamond collar.

“The Celestia collar embodies the pinnacle of luxury and craftsmanship,” the auctioneer announces. “This breathtaking work of art contains over two hundred diamonds totaling a total of one hundred and seventy-five carats, excluding the rare thirty carat cushion cut diamond at its heart, known for its depth and clarity. The central gem is encircled by pure white diamonds and from there it branches into the intricate smaller lattice, expertly mounted to create a seamless design, optimising movement to allow it to conform to the wearer’s neck, drawing attention to the jewel at the center.”

The audience, all at varying degrees of drunkenness, is enthralled. The auction kicks off enthusiastically and at a hefty price. As people fall out, the tension rises dramatically. We are craning our necks to see who would spend such a ridiculous amount of money on a trinket.

My stomach drops clean out of my body.

It’s Finn.

The auctioneer’s cadence ramps up as Finn bids against another man, a heavyset middle-aged man across the room. They are ignoring each other completely, lifting their paddles to ace each other’s bets.

“Going once,” the auctioneer cautions.

Finn has the winning bid.

“Going twice.”

Holy shit.

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