Page 72 of Insatiable Park Avenue Prince

“Donovan, good to see you.” The first man in the line was striking, and he couldn’t be older than his early forties. Impeccably groomed with dark blond hair, a chiseled jaw line, and a charming smile, he was attractive but somehow not at all what I expected the president of a social club like this to look like. Weren’t they supposed to be old guys with cigars and a permanent glass of bourbon in their hand?

“Thanks for having us,” Donovan said, shaking the man’s hand, and then he gestured to me. “This is my date, Kelly Sinclair. Kelly, this is the president of Elysium, Archer Carrington.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Archer’s grip was firm, but his smile was welcoming. Then again, it would have to be. Couldn’t have a grumpy ass in charge of a club like this, which meant Daire would never be up for the job.

I managed to bite back a laugh at that visual and smiled back at him. “You too.”

“Mr. Carrington is also Serena’s dad,” Donovan said.

That made sense. I couldn’t place which guy he looked like, but now that Donovan mentioned Serena, I could see a little of the resemblance between father and daughter.

We continued down the line, and it didn’t shock me one bit when East’s parents were every bit as arrogant as their son. Not rude, necessarily, just a little aloof. Meanwhile, West’s father was a delight, down to his French accent. I was hoping for a glimpse of Daire’s family, but Donovan said they traveled a lot and never showed up at these things. Maybe that was why Daire felt he had to? Hell, if it were me, I’d use that as an excuse to skip out.

Donovan reached down to squeeze my hand briefly before letting go, and as we came to the end of the line, I tried not to let the surprise show on my face. Because fuckin’ hell, he hadn’t mentioned who his parents were.

“Mom, Dad, this is Kelly,” he said, proudly turning toward me, and his mom’s smile as she looked my way lit up the room. Of course it would—she was a supermodel. Kimberly Thompson, who had long blond hair, a face even a twentysomething would be jealous of, and the same hazel eyes as Donovan. It never would’ve occurred to me that they could be related, especially with different last names, but he was the spitting image of her.

She didn’t shake my hand, instead putting her hands on my shoulders and kissing both cheeks in greeting.

“Wonderful to meet you, Kelly. Van couldn’t wait to introduce us.”

I wasn’t usually fazed by anyone, but the fact thatshewas Donovan’s mom had me feeling a little off-kilter. He could’ve warned me, but the sly look on his face told me he was enjoying this.

“Your son seems to like surprises,” I said pointedly, and she and the man beside her chuckled.

“I’m guessing he hasn’t told you about us in the same way.” She turned to the sophisticated man beside her. “Should we be offended?”

“We should,” he agreed, before winking at me and shaking my hand. “Arthur Truitt.”

“Great to meet you, sir.”

It wasn’t until I let go of his hand that the name niggled in the back of my brain, and I realized why. Wasn’t he the guy whoownedCBS?

I put that tidbit of information in the back of my head to ask Donovan about when we were alone, and then made polite small talk with his parents. But I couldn’t remember what the hell was said, only that Donovan had reached out to lace his fingers with mine when I heard them ask what I did for a living.

“He’s in entertainment,” Donovan said, and then squeezed my hand. “We’re holding up the line. We’d better keep moving. We’ll find you later.”

After saying quick goodbyes, Donovan hauled our asses out of there, something I was grateful for, because meeting a lineup of parents was not my usual thing.

Once we were out of earshot, I let out a breath, and he did the same before laughing.

“Fun, right?” he said, pushing back the blond strands that had fallen over his forehead.

“You’re evil, I’ll give you that. You neglected to mention your parents are kind of famous.”

Donovan held his hands up. “I swear, it never even occurred to me you would know who they are. Besides, it’s not like I’m thinking of my family when I’m with you.”

“I would hope the fuck not,” I said. It took everything in me not to reach for him then, because the picture he made in that tux, his cheeks still tinged with pink from our interaction, was almost impossible to resist.

But this wasn’t the time or place to act on that desire.

“So,” Donovan said, one of his eyebrows kicking up. “Ready to grab a couple of drinks and join the real party?”

TWENTY-FIVE

donovan

I WASN’T ONE to brag, but I definitely had the hottest date here tonight.

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