Page 85 of The Biting Bargain

Now it's my turn to blink.

Happy? Me? Yeah, right. I am the corporate prince of darkness. I’m not designed to be happy.

But that strange little moment in my living room pops up again. Polly sitting on my couch, wearing that prancing pony shirt and those dangerously short pair of shorts, watching Korean dramas and... beaming at me with her mouth full.

And that possibility opening up like a passageway through space-time.

It could always be like this...

Aidan sighs. "In my humble opinion, you made a big mistake sending Ms. Bukowski away, sir."

I shake my head.

"Thank you, Aidan," I mutter "But it's better for her if she and I stay away from each other."

"I understand, sir." Aidan turns back to the cabinet, pulls out the brush, and starts working it over my shoulders to make sure the suit fits to perfection.

"You will, of course, take this into consideration tonight, as Ms. Bukowski will, after all, be present at the ceremony."

It’s like someone slammed time into a standstill.

"What?" I wheel around. Aiden blinks at me in what looks like earned astonishment.

"I thought you knew, sir."

"About what?"

"I received a call an hour ago from someone named Marigold Barr, apparently a good friend of Ms. Bukowski's," Aidan tells me, putting down the brush. "Ms. Bukowski once gave her my number for emergencies."

I stare at Aidan, dumbfounded. "And?" I ask.

Aidan holds my gaze. "Ms. Barr informed me that Ms. Bukowski is apparently being blackmailed."

"What?" I step forward, grabbing my assistant by the collar. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I thought you’d know, sir. Stellan DiAngelo approached her," Aidan says, turning white around the nose. "That's why I thought you knew. That he'd let you know personally."

There’s that horrible feeling of the floor vanishing underneath my feet.

"What would that nouveau riche bastard have told me personally?" I groan out.

"Apparently he knows about your secret, sir," Aidan whispers. "According to Ms. Barr, he threatened to expose you. Telling everyone you're a werewolf. If Ms. Bukowski doesn't accompany him as his companion tonight."

ChapterForty

Polly

I fiddlewith the collar while Stellan — my new master straight from hell — is leading me through the crowd. Or rather, parading me. Because you can clearly see from his smug expression what he's doing here: showing off his brand new possession to all the filthy rich vampires present at the soiree of theSocieta Vergilii.

The shocked delight in those ancient, beautiful faces is almost worse than their remarks.Oh, isn’t that Vincent Renard’s companion? But not anymore, it seems. You don’t say! How scandalous!

His hand in the small of my back has my skin crawling. Not enough that I'm on the other end of his leash, he has to touch me all the time. Ugh.

I stagger along on my three-inch heels. The dress I’m wearing is covered in thousands of tiny crystals that makes me feel like I’m a living disco ball. And I wince every time I notice a dark shadow out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't worry,bella," Stellan next to me mutters, because of course not the slightest thing escapes this smug asshole. "Your sweetheart lover will show up. This is his big night, remember?"

I press my lips together and stare into the crowd of swirling ball gowns and tuxes, trying to channel myself into my happy place to get through this night in one piece.

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