“You’re asking me out?” I hated how shrill my voice sounded.
“It’s a bit noisy in here. And the champagne is a little off. I’d love a real drink, and I’m fascinated by your work. Your talent. That’s all. Nothing too serious.” He tilted his head and smiled for the first time.
A dimple in his cheek weakened my resolve, even though a voice within reminded me that he bought desperate girls for sex.
I glanced over my shoulder, looking for Lilly, and found her leaning up against a wall, wearing an unshifting smile and engrossed in whatever her Prince Charming uttered.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Okay. I could eat something. I’ve been busy all day and haven’t had much time.” I bit my lip. “Um… should we say something to Marius?”
He lifted his large hand. A sapphire ring stole my breath. The blue stone accented his eyes, and I fell into a trance. As a painter obsessed in color, I tried not to drool over its beauty.
He smiled gently. I couldn’t believe he was the same man. His face had changed completely. I wasn’t sure which I preferred—the brooding, inscrutable version or the charming, sensitive one. Both.
“I’ll quickly have a word with Marius. Don’t go anywhere,” he said.
“I won’t.” My smile quivered.
For some reason, I thought about my dull underwear. Why that came into my fraught mind, I couldn’t tell. Maybe it was because after he passed me his scent lingered and traveled into my nostrils and all the way down to my crotch, which throbbed against my very unsexy cotton panties.
I watched him move through the crowd. Now that he wasn’t so close and robbing me of air, my senses returned. Firstly, I had to tell Lilly. Considering her tipsy state, I needed to know that she was okay, even if I would have preferred a quiet exit.
I looked over at Sheldon, who was chatting to an older couple, pointing up at his work.
I waited until Blake returned, and as he walked toward me, my legs weakened, and my heart sped up again. I didn’t know how the hell I could eat, especially with his eyes plowing into mine and those sensual lips, which his tongue had a habit of brushing, ravaging my faculties.
Wearing a faint, almost uncertain smile, he returned to my side.
“I need to see that my friend Lilly is okay. Do you mind waiting?” I asked.
“Of course not.”
I paused. “Can your friend be trusted?”
His brow gathered as he studied me. “If you’re asking if he’ll try to seduce your friend, then he probably will.”
“She’s a bit fragile, that’s all. What I meant to ask is…”
“Is he a womanizer?” He tilted his head.
I nodded.
“James likes his girls. He’s not really the marrying kind, by his own admission.” He stared at me. “Didn’t I see you both the other night?”
“Huh?” Fire pumped through me, waking me out of my schoolgirl crush. “Are you implying that I visited that place?” I paused for a moment to collect my words. “I saw you too. You were there. Exploiting desperate girls, I might add.”
“What are you talking about?” He frowned.
“Just that you attended that sleazy place.”
“Now, look, Penelope. I was there only because James asked me along for support.”
“But you looked?”
His head pushed back. “I didn’t. And why are we discussing this?”
“Because Lilly had a bad time.”
“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” He paused. “In all honesty, I’m not surprised. It’s that kind of place.”
“And you should know, right?”
“Excuse me?” His eyes darkened to a deep shade of anger. He lifted his cleft chin. “And what about you?”
“I left just as you were entering.”
“Why are you suddenly judging me?” he asked.
“I suppose it’s your prerogative to exploit desperation. I’m sure you’ve never experienced hunger and mounting bills and a life that offers no way out.”
“That’s where you’re very wrong, Penelope. Be careful. Don’t be fooled by appearances.” His low, grave voice sank deep into my gut.
“I might be young, but I’m not a fool.” I turned my back on him and stormed off, like an idiot.
Fueled by anger, more at myself than Blake, I got to the other side of the room.
Fifteen minutes earlier, I’d been staring at the promise of a new life, and now here I was—the same Penelope Green, living in a stinky estate with a mother who could barely open her eyes.
I noticed Blake leave. Shit. I’d blown it. I kicked myself.