Page 32 of Hello Kitten

“Are you going to stop being a brat tonight?” he counters.

Neither of us answers and neither of us needs to. I almost expect him to grab me and ruffle my feathers in the elevator, buthe doesn’t. Instead, he just stands there, both hands shoved into his pockets.

It’s new. He glowers when other people get on, slowing us down, even if he’s pushed closer to me. I recognize my aunt and uncle and we talk about nothing. They ask how I’m doing preparing for law school and Adrian rolls his eyes.

I just smile and say my plans have changed, but I’m sure that they’ll tell my dad and he’ll be pissy about it. When we head out of the elevator, Adrian pulls me back against him despite us both walking forward.

“Don’t let people talk to you like that.”

“Yesterday you kept me from saying a word,” I hiss.

“Yesterday isn’t today. Be bratty with everyone but me ...”

“Or else?” I ask.

“If you’re a good kitty, I’ll make sure you come when we sneak off. And we’ll try something new,” he promises in my ear before kissing the side of my head.

“You and your deals,” I snort.

“I follow through on all of them, Emily. You know that. So, do you want a happy ending, or do you want me to edge you and spank you all night?” he growls. “You know I’m happy with both.”

“You’re happiest when—”

“Emmy! Look at you, beautiful. I want to introduce you to someone,” my mom interrupts, dragging me from Adrian.

I look at him over my shoulder, giving him a wicked smile. He rolls his eyes, but barely manages to cover his smile with hishand. If he wants to play games for another twenty-four hours, I’m more than happy to do it. One weekend. If that’s what we get and I’m going to enjoy every second of it.

fifteen

The rehearsal dinner is exhausting. The food is good, but I barely get a chance to eat it. Family wants to talk and what they want they get. I sass plenty, am as passive aggressive as I can get away with and I know that Adrian hears it.

He keeps brushing his foot against mine since we sat on opposite sides of the table so I could sit next to the man my mom chose for me.

Trever or Tanner or something. He likes to brag about what he’s got, that’s for sure. “Emmy—”

“Emily,” I correct for the tenth time.

“Have I told you about my yacht?”

“Twice actually, but I’m sure there’s more than two levels, aren’t there?” I ask before taking a sip of bubbly wine. I’m on glass four and starting to feel giggly.

“There’s four actually. I want the best, so I get the best,” he says as his hand brushes over mine. I look from his hand up to his face. I think he’s trying to look sexy, but he’s just leering at me. “And I like tospoilmy girlfriends.”

Nausea takes root at the pit of my stomach and I muster a smile. “Oh, so you can handle more than one woman at once?” I ask, taking another long drink.

“No, no. I mean my girlfriend, when I have one. I’ve had a few in the past,” he says with a shrug.

“So, you buy them pretty things, then they leave? That’s not fair to you,” I say seriously. “You know, you should be more careful with the woman you let into your life.”

“And that right there tells me you’re a different kind of woman. The right kind of woman,” he says, stroking further up my arm.

“You just met me,” I say before taking his wine. “For all you know, I could just be interested in the yacht you keep talking about. I wouldn’t mention it to other girls. I’m nice enough to warn you before I take it at least.”

Adrian coughs loudly, but I know he’s covering a laugh. I clear my throat. “Excuse me.”

I head inside from the courtyard, looking over my shoulder at Adrian. He arches an eyebrow at me and I shrug, hiking up my skirt a little on the way. The smile falls off his face and something hot and demanding fills his intense gaze.

With a smirk, I walk towards the bathrooms. There’s a nice, dimly lit hallway here and I’m tipsy enough to think it’s private enough for whatever Adrian might have in mind. I lean back against a wall and pull my skirt further up.

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