Page 46 of True Honey
“We’re going to be late,” she whispered when I stopped moving, looking over my dirty hornets polo and pants. “Shower,” she added, “you stink.”
“Trust me where we're going tonight they won’t notice how I smell.” I laughed before jogging back to my room to get changed. I pulled on a clean black suit with a black shirt buttoning it to the top and shrugging into a matching jacket.
I pushed my hair back, freshened up my cologne and rejoined Drew in the living room. Her legs had been elongated by the dark heels she’d slipped on and my breath caught in my throat as she looked over her bare shoulder at me.
“Better?” I asked her.
“Better,” she practically purred.
“What did you tell Auggie?” I asked her.
“I just told him that I started doing assistant work at the stadium and it requires me to join you at events for the team,” she explained. “No tie?”
“Not tonight,” I said, reaching my hand out to her. She eyed it for a moment before stepping forward when I rolled the diamond ring between my fingers. Islipped it onto her hand, lingering a little too long and giving her reason to pull back with a scowl on her pretty face. “You’re going to be pissed though,” I said to her.
“Why?” Drew cocked her head to the side, exposing the length of her neck and I fought to keep myself in place when what I really wanted to do was put my lips on her throat.
“We have to take the bike.”
“You’re seriously making me ride that death trap…” she looked down at herself, “in this?”
“We’re not going far,” I assured her.
In reality, Arlo had offered me the keys to the fast back, but I selfishly wanted Drew wrapped around me, even for ten minutes. I needed it.
“Fine,” she agreed, collecting her things and following me out to the garage. I helped her with the helmet, tucking her hair behind her ears before sliding it over her head. Fighting the urge to be a mindless idiot with every glance and touch.
The ride over was exactly as expected, a balm to my frayed nerves with her arms wrapped around me and her body pressed to my back. I handed the keys over to the valet as she straightened herself out.
“Still beautiful,” I whispered, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close as we ascended the stairs into the museum. It had been rented out for the evening so we could host a collection of shareholders and investors from across the country.
I had given Drew basic details but kept the pressure of everything going exactly right off her shoulders. Tonight was about convincing those men that I was responsible and had my life on track for a wife, a future. That I could be the stable and trustworthy primary shareholder they were looking for.
Everything had to go perfectly tonight and I knew that Drew wouldn’t be the issue.
It was me they were watching.
“Silas.” My Grandfather's voice boomed across the marble floors and I felt Drew turn it on beside me. A bright smile pulled against her cheeks and she tucked herself against me, small, unthreatening, perfectly poised.
I hated every second of it.
“Seymour,” Drew said, holding out her hand to him. He was already into the scotch and the overwhelming cigar smell seeped out of his clothing and into the air.
“You look lovely tonight,” he said to her, his demeanor very different in public. He looked over at me and I could feel his icy, judgemental gaze. He was going to make tonight hell. “Come, I want to introduce you to some people.”
“I’ll go get us drinks,” I said to her, not quite ready to release my grip around her but knowing I had to. She could handle my grandfather on her own, I knew she could. She had spent the week handling me and I had far more issues sober than he did drunk.
“Whiskey?” I asked her and she offered a small, polite chuckle that was filled with annoyance before nodding and allowing my grandfather to pull her from my grasp. My side was cold without her and I watched them disappear across the room to a group of men I recognized. The Harbor Six. Every single one of them were legends in their own right, business men now but once they were all elite athletes that had gone through school at Harbor and came home to watch the town flourish.
Evan Poly was the most notable of them all. Harbor’s most prolific hockey player in the last fifty years. The only person that’s ever come close to his statistics was Kenji Carter. He held investments all over town but the majority of his riches came from real estate holdings. The man to his left was a concerning addition, Darby William, who had been a heavy hitter for the Hornets in the sixties. He was a racist, homophobic asshole who treated everyone worse than the dirt beneath his feet.
I watched from the bar, my hand finding the highball glass without taking my eyes off Drew as she was led like a lamb to the slaughter. She introduced herself and stayed close to my grandfather, but I could tell by her body language that she was uncomfortable beneath all that show.
COURTNEY
“I’m a teacher,” I said when asked what I did for a living. I wasn’t going to tell them I was a waitress no matter how long ago it was that I stepped inside of a school.
“Raising our youth!” Mr. Poly praised. “That’s not an easy job,” he said, “I was an asshole in school and I sure know Darby was too!”
