Page 25 of My Wildest Obsession

“Do you want to sit down?” He asks, and I shake my head.

“Not yet.”

Our drinks are placed in front of us and I nod for Theo to tip the bartender as I grab my drink and wander over to the first table.

Theo is silent, my shadow, as we walk from one table to the next.

“See anything that you want to bid on?” I ask as I eye a weekend trip to a villa in Aspen.

“No,” Theo says grumpily, and I laugh.

“You’re not even looking.”

“Are you ready to leave?” He asks me and I glare at him.

“We just got here. We’re staying. Now, bid on this for me.”

He sighs but grabs the pen and scribbles down his name and a bid. We finish looking at the tables but don’t bid on anything else. I finish my drink and Theo grabs the glass from my fingers.

“Let’s find Cheryl. We can talk to her for a minute and then slip out.”

I turn to him and notice how uncomfortable he looks.

“A few more minutes, okay? I’m looking good, not that you said anything, and I want to hang out for a little bit longer. If you really want to leave, then go ahead. I can get a ride home.”

“No, I’ll stay,” he sighs. “And you always look good.”

I smile, turning back to take in the room.

“There’s Adrien and Goldie!” I say, taking off in their direction.

They’re with Levi and Pia and a few more couples and I smile as we join the group.

“Hey, you all look beautiful,” I say as I hug Goldie and then Pia.

“You too! I love that dress. The green really brings out your eyes,” Goldie gushes.

“Thanks. Where are you guys sitting?” I ask her and she points to a table nearby.

“Perfect. I need to get out of these shoes for a minute,” I whisper and she nods knowingly. “I’ll see you guys later.”

I head off to the far wall where there’s a hallway and a few doors. I peek into one to find the bathrooms and I try the next door. Two more doors down, I find what I’m looking for. It’s a little sitting room and I sigh as I head inside. I kick the door closed behind me.

“Omph!” Theo grunts and I spin.

“Jeez! I didn’t know you were there,” I apologize and he frowns as he closes and locks the door behind him.

“Are you trying to ditch me?” He asks and I laugh.

“I was just going to sit down for a little bit.”

I head over to the loveseat along the far wall and sigh as I sit down.

“Why don’t we just head home now?” He asks and I sigh.

“We just got here. We should stay a little bit longer.”

“I could be working,” he argues and I roll my eyes.

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