Page 90 of The Lies of Bryn van Doren

When everyone is called to their seats for the dinner hour to begin, Jessica is relieved to have a reason to sit. She and Khalohn are seated at a table with Porter and a handful of other businessmen and businesswomen along with their spouses. She’s, quite obviously, the youngest at the table, but she tries not to dwell on it. It’s during the first course when someone asks Jessica what she does for a living. Not at all prepared for the question, she hesitates just long enough for Khalohn to inform the table she’s been spending all her time caring for her ailing mother. She’s relieved only until a follow-up question leads her to confess, she buried Beth a few days ago. For what it’s worth, this stops any and all questions from being tossed in her direction for the duration of the meal.

Dancing commences shortly after dessert is served. Jessica watches as the guests couple up and sway to the sound of music and the hum of chatter. She tunes out the conversation at their table and allows her thoughts to wander. Unintentionally, memories of Beth crowd her mind. She wonders what her mother would think if she saw her now—all dressed up in a room full of the wealthy and powerful. It’s a completely different world than the one in which she was raised.

“I feel compelled to rescue you from whatever it is that’s on your mind,” says Porter, appearing at her side. Jessica looks up as he extends a hand and asks, “Shall we dance?”

She hesitates, glancing at his outstretched hand before looking at Khalohn. It’s his eyes she’s staring into when Porter says, “He snoozes, he loses. I asked first.”

Khalohn tilts his head to one side, as if to say,he’s got me there.Taking this to mean he doesn’t mind, and appreciative of the distraction, Jessica decides a dance might be nice. It feels strange being in another man’s arms, with Khalohn across the room watching, but she tries to relax and let her body feel the music.

“Are you having a good time?”

“I guess,” she replies with a slight shrug. “I don’t exactly fit in here.”

Porter chuckles, the sound emanating from deep within his chest, causing a vibration between them. His dark eyes smiling down at her, he says, “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Nobody fits in here. We just like to pretend.” Pulling her a little closer, he leans down until his lips are grazing her ear. “As the most beautiful woman in this room, you were never going to fit in.”

Warmth spreads across Jessica’s cheeks, and she pulls in a deep breath as he straightens to full height. Not entirely certain how to feel about his compliment, she instinctively looks back toward their table. When she doesn’t spot Khalohn, her nerves start to get the better of her again. That is, until she feels a second warm hand graze the small of her back.

“I think I’ll cut in now,” says Khalohn, stealing her right out of Porter’s hold.

He lifts his hands in surrender, winking at Jessica before he goes in search of another partner.

“He’s harmless, but he’s still a shameless flirt.”

Resting both hands against Khalohn’s chest, Jessica melts against him and confesses, “I’d rather dance with you anyway.”

He tightens his hold, and she turns to rest her cheek between her hands. As she does so, she inadvertently finds her gaze aimed at Christina. A chill races down her spine at the sight of her pale green eyes staring right at them. Fortunately, Khalohn’s steps guide them in a different direction, putting his back to the woman. Before they come full circle, the current song comes to an end. A round of applause erupts a second later as Naomi makes her way out on stage. For the next fifteen minutes, no one dances, too transfixed by the hypnotizing sound of her uniquely amazing voice. Jessica loves every minute of the performance. Partly because it’s Naomi Gray; partly because she’s listening to Naomi Gray while tucked into Khalohn’s side.

It’s then that it hits her…

This is some first date.

After Naomi finishes her short performance, Jessica excuses herself to the ladies’ room. She’s not surprised by the elegant design of the bathroom, but she is taken aback when she finds the pristine space all but empty upon her entrance. While she’s closed in a stall, someone finishes up and takes her leave while someone else occupies the stall next to hers. It’s after she handles her business and is at the sink, washing her hands, that the second woman appears. Jessica doesn’t notice who it is until she picks up a paper towel to dry her hands. When she sees Christina’s reflection cast in the mirror, she jumps a little in surprise. This only causes a snide smirk to cross the woman’s lips before she reaches up to swipe at her nose.

“You don’t remember me,” she says, speaking to Jessica’s reflection.

Jessica doesn’t move, staring in an attempt to place her face in a memory.

Christina sniffs, tilts her chin up, then looks down her nose as she says, “He pretends like he doesn’t remember me, but that’s part of the deal. Clandestine’s is likeFight Club. Then again, I was one of many—and I only had him twice. Maybe I’d need to be naked for him to remember me.”

Jessica’s fingers clench the paper towel in her hands tightly, but she tries not to give away any signs of a reaction. She doesn’t want Christina to know her heart is racing, her lungs are shrinking, and all she wants to do is run away. She’s about to open her mouth to speak when the reflection of the blonde turns into a memory. Then she remembers.

She’s seen those pale green eyes looking down that nose before, her first night at Clandestine’s.

He must not have liked you.

Jessica didn’t understand it then—how or why this woman knew she’d been with Khalohn and for how long. As the faded memory becomes clearer, she sees the way Christina looked her up and down that night, not altogether different than the way she eyed her a couple hours ago.

Thinking back on the way Christina had been staring at her and Khalohn on the dance floor, she says, “He’s hard to forget—even if you’ve only had him twice. I can understand your jealousy. But if you think you’re going to screw with my head about him, you picked the wrong girl. Needless to say, he’s never pretended to forget me.”

“Yeah, well—I’m going to see to it that he remembers me.”

Turning to face her directly, Jessica boldly asks, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means fuck boy should have stayed out of my business. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to sully my name to get what I want. Guess that’s what he gets for taking home thetrash.”

Jessica’s head snaps back at the thinly veiled threat. Admittedly, she can’t fully comprehend what the woman is saying, but it doesn’t take a genius to surmiseJessicais the trash to which she’s referring. As much as she wishes she could come up with a dig just as biting as hers, she can’t. She’s had enough, and the last thing she wants is to get into a verbal sparring match with someone whose beauty and privilege has made her ugly and desperate.

Without saying another word, Jessica snatches up her clutch, tosses her used paper towels, and hurries out of the restroom. She spots Khalohn almost as soon as she returns to the party, and she hurries to close the distance between them. He’s in the middle of a conversation at their table, but she doesn’t care. Whatever Christina is planning, she doesn’t want to be anywhere near her.

---