Page 30 of Savage Seduction

I cracked the changing room door and poked my head out. Marco was sitting on a chair in the waiting room outside, his eyes closed as if he was asleep. It struck me that maybe he’d also not slept very well last night.

His eyes opened when he heard me.

“Can you pass me my handbag?” I pointed to where I had left it beside his seat.

His eyes darkened when he saw how I was hiding myself behind the cover of the door. He smirked. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.”

A giggle came from somewhere nearby. No doubt one of the assistants was within earshot. He looked annoyed, and purposefully went to the waiting room door and shut it.

“That’s rude!” I whispered.

He shrugged. Picked up my handbag and tossed it in my direction. I reached to grab it and squealed as this exposed my entire bare body to him.

“You brute!” I slammed my cubicle door shut to the sound of his laughter.

It had been stupid of me to leave my phone and bag beside him. Imagine if it had beeped, and he had decided to check it! It was a good job I had left it on silent, because Toby had indeed messaged me.

Several times, in fact, asking where I was.

His last messages were very frustrated.

Toby:I’ve been waiting around for you all day, and now I have a meeting!

Toby:I’ve an important social event later that I can’t cancel. You will have to meet me there.

Toby:Tell me where you’ll be. I’ll send a car to pick you up.

Even if this event of his was in Central London, it might as well be on the moon. Marco had made it clear we would be spending all evening at his party. I had a feeling he was not going to let me out of his sight again. How the heck was I supposed to escape?

I frowned. Worse, what if the thugs from earlier were following us? Marco had said that he’d asked his security team to trace their movements to try and find out who they were. But there had been no news yet.

What if they would be waiting for me if I left the party on my own?

I messaged Toby back.

Beth:I have to go to The Banqueting House in Whitehall tonight. I can’t come to you. Please can you come to me?

I contemplated the glitzy party dresses Marco had chosen for me with the help of an assistant who seemed to know his taste well. Perhaps because he brought girls here all the time, I thought sourly.

The dresses were all fit for the catwalk and practically non-existent. One was nude and completely sheer except for some dotted sparkly spangles. The cream one had a lovely long, ruffled skirt but, again, the bodice was transparent. The gold one’s back dove so deep it was halfway down the buttocks—on purpose! And the scarlet one was fit only for a sultry diva.

Other women might have been flattered that he thought they could pull them off, but I was not having it.

I shoved each aside one by one until I found the least revealing one and held it against myself. It was midnight black satin, with a daring plunging back and a deep V down the front, both encrusted with glittering crystals, and a split all the way up the thigh almost to the waist. It would have to do.

Before I could step into it, my phone screen lit up.

Toby:What the hell are you going there for? That’s where I will be tonight. Find me.

The same party? I bit my lip. Then I had a flash of panic. Was Toby going there to stalk Marco? Was this all part of Toby’s dodgy investment scheme game plan?

Once, I had thought it was sweet that Toby supported several charity events, even though he did it to impress his parents. Now I suspected he went for other reasons.

I had discreetly googled tonight’s party in the car after Marco had told me about our evening plans. It was an exclusive charity gala for the glitterati, being hosted by an Indian steel magnate, supposedly to raise funds for earthquake relief in the middle east, but really to schmooze.

I did not like the thought of Marco and Toby being in the same room together tonight, but at least it would be a very large room. I would steer Marco away from Toby. And then I’d have to find some way to sneak off to speak to the blackmailing piece of crap.

I texted him back:Ok.

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