Page 15 of The Wicked

“My grandma likes peonies. So, Cinderella, what’s your story?”

“My…story?”

“You’ve taken more than one or two lessons as well.”

Now I wished I hadn’t started along this path. “That was in another lifetime. Can’t we just dance?”

“Do I get to lead this time?”

On any other day, I’d have made an excuse and left, but today… Today was different. I had a front-row seat to the twins’ screw-ups, plus Charming was taking me on a trip down memory lane, and strangely, I was enjoying the journey. As long as he kept his feet moving, I could ignore the frat-boy aura.

Although his cocky smile did soften as we improvised our way through song after song. Several people gave us weird looks, and Frankie Flux perfected his glower, but I took Charming’s advice and tamped down my sensitivities. Nobody knew who I was, and after midnight, I’d never have to see this man again. Which was a good thing.

Right?

Even if he offered me his number, I absolutely wouldn’t take it.

Iwouldn’t.

“Hydration break,” he announced. “And there might be some of those cake pops left. Let’s go and liberate them.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“People will think I’m greedy.”

“Name one person here whose opinion matters to you.”

You.

“I…I can’t.”

Charming steered me toward the remains of the buffet with a palm on my lower back. His hand hadn’t strayed toward my butt during the whole time we’d been dancing, which I was kind of surprised about, and definitelynotdisappointed. No siree.

“Strawberry or chocolate?” he asked.

Why was that even a question? “Chocolate.”

He handed me a cake on a stick and took one himself, also chocolate. I didn’t argue. Nico Belinsky’s pastry chef was an angel in human form, and who knew when I’d come back here? My budget didn’t run to the Peninsula’s prices at the moment.

“The food’s better than I expected,” he said, passing me another glass of champagne. “I heard on the grapevine that this place was one to avoid.”

“That probably came from a bitter local. There are still folks who wish the hotel hadn’t been built.”

“Why?”

“The previous owner let everyone use the land. People walked their dogs here and picnicked in the summer.”

“Maybe I’ll come back here for dinner someday.”

“I’d recommend it. The head chef trained in Paris.”

Jacques had a temper, but Nico once told me that the occasional smashed dish was a small price to pay for soufflés more addictive than crack.

“One time, I had to chaperone my brother at a party on some French guy’s boat, and we both got food poisoning.” He rubbed his chin. “That might even have been one of Hadley’s shitshows. She’s fond of fucking around with European assholes. How do you know Hadley, anyway? You don’t seem like one of the usual suckers from her entourage.”

“Suckers? Isn’t your brother in her entourage?”

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