Page 17 of Gilded Lies

“Gentlemen. Ma’am.” A beautiful woman in an elegant emerald dress made of crushed velvet greets us at the end of a hallway. The N’awlins mediator isn’t a local, but she looks at home here and in tune with the calmer energy, but there is no missing the fiery spark in her eye as she extends a hand to me. I take it.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Lafleur.” She’s no older than me, and looks to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. I know because I recognize the untold pain in her eyes. I see the exact shadows in the mirror every morning.

My lips form an O of surprise. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

She slips another hand over our clasped ones. “I doubt it. I’m new here. I’ve only been part of the Golden Key Society roster for a couple of weeks now. I’m Bailey. The Autumn ball was a sensation I had to see for myself. The women in edible glitter were brilliant.”

“You were there?”

“I was long enough to see the dramatic coordination of their moves. I went with a friend from Chicago before I asked to work here for a while. Now, if you will follow me, please.”

Oh, her story merits more than a quick brush of words. I want to pull her to the side, hug her, and then sit down over ice cream and make a new friend. I am not really an outgoing person, but Bailey makes my protective instincts come to life.

Maybe I can ask her for her number before the night is up.

Black carpet muffles our footsteps as we follow Bailey to a table set in the middle of an empty foyer.

“Club rules state every member must sign in before taking part in our exclusive events. Sorry to make you do this twice,” she offers with a kind smile, covering all her bases.

“I understand.” I take the pen and this time there are no rules holding me back from signing since I don’t work here. I put my name in the leather-bound ledger without a second thought and then Danika, Oliver, and Rune do the same.

They stayed oddly quiet while I spoke with Bailey, but not once did the three drop their hands from my body.

Bailey notices too. Her eyes are on mine, but her attention is on how Rune holds my hand. The way Danika stands with his weight leaned toward me and his arm around my waist.

And then there is Oliver. He’s more subtle. He stands so close I can’t tell where my personal space starts and his ends. But it’s the small kisses to my shoulder and neck that drive me wild.

Bailey cants her head and gathers up the ledger. “My job here is complete. And with that, I leave you all to your evening. Please enjoy your stay with us.” Her smile is polite, but hollow. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I follow my gut, and pull her into a hug.

“Thank you for your kind words. I’m so used to judgment and ridicule.” I pull back but her hug back gives me hope in people again.

“You are welcome, Miss Lafleur.”

“Magnolia,” I correct her.

She gives me a parting smile before leaving us.

“Amore mio.”

Sweet Jesus. My nipples instantly turn rock-hard. I shudder at the sound of Oliver speaking his native language. Italian has always been on my list to learn and now I have a man who is beyond gorgeous calling me his love in the most beautiful language.

I turn to the brush of warm hands on my skin.

“You are truly amazing. You make friends everywhere you go, don’t you? We don’t deserve such a kind soul, but we are greedy bastards, aren’t we, Danika?”

Oliver is talking to Danika, but looking at me. He gathers my hand in his and kisses the back.

“Bastards to the core,” Danika mutters.

Rune leans his substantial weight into me and kisses the top of my head. “Are you ready for your early Christmas surprise, petals?”

“Will I ever get you to stop calling me that?”

“Never.”

Another kiss and we follow a short corridor that opens into a lavish round room with a dome overhead that lets in copious amounts of moonlight through stained glass. Colorful light throws the room into a multitude of shades. Reds, pinks, golds, and blues.

It’s beautiful, but I lose my train of thought at the sight of the stage toward the back wall.

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