Page 65 of Corrupted Empire

Gabriel

I look over at Alexis, admiring her long, swan-like neck and the animation on her face as she discusses her work with Grace VanKemp. Her eyes are bright, as though lit from the inside, and I can tell she really cares about the Bellucci Inc. charities. I have always looked after my own, but Alexis wants to help anyone who needs it, regardless of where their loyalties lie. Or if they even have loyalties at all.

“The system still needs a few tweaks,” I tune in to hear Alexis say. She ribs me playfully in the side. “Gabriel had a little too much on his plate before to be able to devote a lot of time to the charities. Now that I’m in charge, I get to clear the cobwebs off and really use our funding to take our initiatives to the next level.”

“That’s wonderful,” Grace says. “And don’t you two make the most beautiful couple?”

Alexis’ smile turns tense. I have to suppress a laugh, and cough into my elbow to do so.

“Would you excuse us?” I say, guiding Alexis away by the elbow.

Her smile slips away the second Grace is no longer in earshot. “Why is it that the only thing anybody at this stupid party seems to care about is how good we look together? Thank God the baby bump isn’t visible yet. They’d have a field day with that.”

“Come on, let’s dance,” I say, pulling her toward the dance floor.

She frowns but relents, and I pull her close and start to move in easy steps to the brass band’s lilting melody. I lean in and inhale her delectable scent, jasmine and honeysuckle. I brush my lips over the shell of her ear.

“Your problem is that you expect too much of these people,” I say quietly. “They’re shallow. They’re vain. You genuinely care about people, and they only care about other people thinking they care about people.”

“That sucks,” she remarks.

“You’re looking at it the wrong way,” I reply. “Look at this as a room of potential donors. All you need to learn is how best to manipulate them. Befriend them, talk about their vain interests, flatter their egos, lay on a thin layer of guilt, and soon enough, you’ll have them throwing buckets of cash at you and applauding you for the opportunity to do so.”

Alexis pulls back, lifting an eyebrow. Her mouth tilts slightly in amusement. “Is that what you see when you walk into a room? A flock of sheep ripe for manipulation?”

I chuckle. “That is the nature of my business. I won’t apologize for that.” I guide her out into a spin and then pull her back. “Life is all about knowing what you can get from whom and how.”

“And what is it that you think you can get from me, Mr. Bellucci?” she asks coyly, batting her eyelashes.

There are a number of things I want from her right now—none of which I can get. I dig my fingers tighter into the skin of her back and lean in until my breath fans her neck.

“With you, it’s not a case of what I think I can get, it’s what Iwillget.”

“And what will you get?”

I drag her an inch closer. “When we get home, you’re going to strip naked and wait for me on your knees while I decide.”

Alexis drags in a ragged breath. The sound of it is so sexy that I debate dragging her off to a quiet corner now for a little taste of what’s to come. I decide against it. Sometimes it feels like we are skating from scandal to scandal, and being caught fucking in public never goes down well.

“Mr. Bellucci!” a squeaky voice pipes from behind me.

Alexis and I turn around to find a tiny redhead bobbing into view, clutching a pen and a small notepad. She looks no older than twenty, with round, cherubic cheeks and big green eyes.

I cock a brow expectantly.

The woman clears her throat, suddenly looking nervous. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been looking for you all night. I’m Shannon Grantham, with thePeople’s Weekly. We’re a lifestyle magazine that—”

“I knowPeople’s Weekly,” I interrupt, failing to hide my irritation. A reporter. Of course.

“Uh, right, sorry,” Shannon sputters. “We do these fun his-and-hers interviews, and my editor said if I could get one from you two tonight, then he’d let me write a front-page story. So far I’ve just been working on the little mini blurbs and—” She grimaces. “Sorry, I’m sure you don’t care. Anyway, I don’t think he thinks I’ll actually pull through, so you’d be really helping me out.”

I open my mouth to tell Shannon to clear off when Alexis’ fingers dig into my side.

“We can make time for a short interview, can’t we, darling?” Alexis says smoothly.

I glare down at her, but she simply throws back a breezy smile. Shannon doesn’t notice the exchange. She’s practically vibrating with excitement and has already started jotting things down in her notebook.

“Great, amazing!” she exclaims. “Should we go to your table?”

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