Page 34 of Sinful
I stare at her. Has she not been listening to a word I said? “We are going home.”
“Fine. Let’s go home and you can speak to Reginald another time... if you get the chance.”
It irks me that she’s using his first name as though she knows him. Anger courses through my veins as I realize that she’s got me and she knows it. Reginald Letterman is the reason I came here tonight. He’s the head of the company and if I want to make any kind of impression and get out from under my father’s shadow, this is the only chance I’ll get. It’s well known that he isn’t seen much at the company anymore.
“Fine,” I concede. “But no more alcohol.”
“I’m not making any promises.” She licks her lips and offers the ghost of a smile that has my cock throbbing and my blood on fire at the sheer gall of her.
Fuck her! I take her hand and pretend that venom isn’t running riot through my veins as I guide her across the dance floor. If the people here are vipers, Lucinda is a fucking cobra.
“Alexander, Kiranna. I wondered where you two had gotten to.” I grip Lucinda’s hand tightly, urging her to keep her mouth shut as Letterman approaches. His ruddy cheeks have reddened in the hour or so since I left him, and he reeks of brandy. It’s clear he’s been enjoying the bar. Some kind of sauce is spilled on his tie.
“I was hoping to talk to you, sir. Is now a good time?”
He tears his eyes away from Lucinda and looks at me as though he’s only just realized I’m here, despite calling my name out less than a minute ago.
“Didn’t I tell you that tonight is all about fun? I wonder, would you mind if I took Kiranna here for a spin around the dance floor?”
Lucinda’s hand grips mine back, squeezing it deliberately. I don’t want to give up my chance to speak with Letterman no matter how drunk he is, but it’s clear I’m not going to be able to talk to him about anything until he gets what he wants. He’s not known for backing down. The old fucker always gets his own way.
“I’m sure Kiranna would be delighted, Mr. Letterman, sir,” I say between gritted teeth. “Then after, perhaps we can talk business?”
Lucinda lets out a small yelp as I push her toward Letterman. He gives me a wink that turns my stomach as he puts his meaty hands round her waist. “I think we can manage, eh?”
I turn and stride to the edge of the dance floor with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. Having Lucinda dance with Letterman solves all my problems as long as she keeps her trap shut, but the lascivious look in his eye as he took her in his arms has left a feeling of distaste in my mouth. I grab a whisky from the bar, my first drink of the night, and drag it back quickly, letting the warmth drown the bitterness.
“You know, in our youth, women used to be envious of me dancing with Reginald.”
I turn to find a beautiful woman with gray hair swept up into chignon and sapphire earrings at her lobes. I’ve never met her, but I know this is Tina Letterman. It’s been said that she’s been running the company in the background while her husband remains the face of it. I give her my most charming smile, pleased at my good fortune. Letterman is a drunk, but Tina has a sharp shrewd look about her. Maybe I’ve been planning to suck up to the wrong Letterman.
“I’m sure they were envious of him dancing with such a beautiful lady, not the other way around.”
She gives me a laugh. “Back then, Reg was quite the catch. And it had nothing to do with his fortune. Back then we barely had two cents to rub together, but, oh, he was a handsome fellow.”
I can’t picture Reginald Letterman as being anything other than the rounded red faced man he is.
“Now it seems that everyone is jealous of him,” she continues. “It’s the men who are jealous. Your cousin is very beautiful.”
I follow her line of sight to where he and Lucinda are dancing. Then I glance around. She’s right. Everyone is watching them, but could they be jealous of him or do they just want to talk to Letterman like I do? His time is precious.
“I’ve not really thought about it,” I lie chugging back the last of my whisky and ordering another one. I don’t want to look at the pair of them and I don’t know why. I’m the one that encouraged Lucinda to dance, but now it’s turning my stomach.
“She’s blind?”
I nod. “Has been since birth. Another lie. I hadn’t planned on coming here and lying about everything. The evening is unraveling around me. I’d wanted to talk business and get my foot in the door, not discuss Lucinda’s fake history.
“She’s dancing beautifully, but you can see how nervous she is. It must be quite difficult for her to come here without her cane.”
Shit. I’d not even thought to bring a cane for her. It never occurred to me because she doesn’t have one. She kind of feels her way around the apartment and she managed to run through the forest to the cabin without a cane. At least I don’t remember seeing one in the cabin. It’s another oddity that a blind person wouldn’t have one. It only strikes me as odd now that it’s been pointed out. Why doesn’t she have a cane? Her father can certainly afford to give her anything she needs. Hell, after all the modeling contracts and acting credits to her name, she’s independently wealthy enough to pay for everything herself.
“I think she wants to be normal for one night,” I say, watching her dance. It’s clear Letterman is leading her, but she’s following his lead as though she can see where her feet are going. She really is beautiful. In her white dress, she looks like an angel being spun around. If she still had her long blonde hair, I’d almost expect her to fly away. Fuck. She’s way too pretty for her own good. Even in the amazing disguise, men can’t keep their eyes off her. Jealousy punches me unbidden in the gut as I take in their stares, desire obvious in the way they look at her. It’s not a surprise to me that men desire her. Hell, she’s been on the cover of most fashion magazines for years and I’ve never taken much notice, but watching her now, how gracefully she moves and knowing how skin tight her dress is beneath the shawl has me thinking about her in ways I shouldn’t. I’m not Mercier who can’t keep his dick in his pants or Nix, who is crazy over her despite the front he puts up. She’s a fucking pay check and nothing more. I pride myself on my control, but watching the way she’s being coveted has me feeling agitated and something else entirely. I watch as Letterman cups his hand under her ass and my blood boils.
I leave Tina with a sharp goodbye and storm across the dance floor, ready to punch Letterman for being a disgusting old letch. I’m furious, but as I sidle up to them, I see my future in crystal clarity. If I punch my new boss out, I’ll never be able to make it on my own. I’ll be blacklisted before I even start. Fuck it. I stand, stiff, my hands curled into fists, but it’s only when Letterman shoves his hand right between her legs, that I can clearly see her ass cheeks through the thin silk and she cries out, that I make the move I know I shouldn’t.
“May I cut in?” I hold my hand out in a way that offers no other answer than yes. Letterman gives me a disappointed stare as he reluctantly lets go of Lucinda. Fucking asshole.
I take hold of Lucinda before he can put up a fight. He’s not an idiot. He must have seen the anger in my eyes. It might have cost me my chance to talk with him, but I’m willing to bet he’s so drunk he won’t remember any of this in the morning. I watch as he walks toward his wife, who passes him another drink.
