Page 63 of Playing A Risk
Dorothy steals my attention when she starts down the stairs. I lose my breath and have to hold on to the wall to stop myself from falling over. She’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen her.
Her hair is in a wavy chiffon bun, her dress sits off her shoulders and is cut low between her breasts. Her strategic lingerie pushes her mounds together and a long diamond necklace lies upon them.
“Close your mouth, Hunter.” She smiles wide. “I’d hate for you to ruin your tux from the drool dripping down your chin.”
“Beauty. You’re absolutely stunning.” I step to her and kiss her on the cheek. Her emerald eyes set my soul on fire.
“You look amazing yourself.” She takes a peek at Melanie and Jonah. “I bet we end up being the best-dressed group attending this ball.”
“There’s no doubt about that.” Melanie’s gaze hits each one of us. “Thank you all for making my wildest dreams come true. No matter how this ends, I’ll cherish this forever.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, baby girl.” Jonah takes her face in his hands and presses his lips hard against hers.
It should be a great moment, but I hang on to her words.
How this ends.
She doesn’t believe this will last. And something deep in my gut tells me I should heed her warning or else the impact of the blow will blindside me and knock me out of this world.
CHAPTER 16
JAMISON
Isabella slides into the limo.“You look amazing this evening, Jamison.”
Fidgeting with my cufflinks, I stand next to the door of the car. “As do you.”
She looks great in her black form-fitting ball gown. It’s too bad, I barely react. I’m sure it’s a small blow to her ego.
I join her in the backseat with firecrackers exploding in my chest. Isabella swore to me Dori would be here tonight. I’ve asked numerous times, and the answer is always a resounding yes.
Our drive to the ball is relatively short. Thankfully, we keep our conversation to a minimum because I’m too nervous to focus on anything but finding Dori.
We pull into the event center’s entrance. Limos line the street. I’m taken aback that this many people would attend an event three days before Christmas, but who am I to judge? This is the gambling industry and betting never stops.
We get into the check-in area about ten minutes later. Isabella excuses herself to use the bathroom. My guess is she’s searching for Hunter. It’s no skin off my back because I’mscanning the check-in tables as soon as she leaves, looking for any sign of Dori.
I make my way to a common area where the ballroom and bathrooms adjoin, and wait for Isabella to come out of the restrooms. I glance at my watch. It’s only ten o’clock, so the night’s still young.
The holiday music from the ballroom spills out into the waiting area. The rooms have been decorated in red and white with silver accents.
Classy.
The area is also dimly lit like only candles illuminate the place. It’s not in my favor because it’s hard to make out people in the distance.
I turn on my heels as Hunter comes out of the washroom. He’s alone, but I need to get his attention so Isabella can entertain him.
I’m desperate to find Dori and speak to her for a moment without Hunter interfering. I hurry to get to him before he’s sucked up into the larger dancing hall.
“Hunter. Can I have a word?” I tap his shoulder to get him to turn around.
He stiffens, then slowly faces me. “Jamison. Happy Holidays. I’m surprised to see you.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on coming, but Isabella needed a date, so here I am.”
His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows. “Isabella’s here?”
“Yeah. I’m waiting for her to come out of the restroom. She should be out any second.”
