attention to the judge. The color that bloomed on the older man’s face at the snub was very gratifying to see.
“All the money in the world won’t make you respectable,” the judge spat by way of greeting.
“Respectable like you, you mean? What an aspiration,” Lucien replied.
“Buying your way into society won’t work.”
Lucien’s fingers tightened on the stem of the glass as he worked to control his anger at the arrogance of the man before him to presume to know anything about him. Unlike half of the people in this room, Lucien wasn’t looking to enter society; he was only helping those who needed it. None of the people in here knew what it was like to be cold, to be hungry, to feel forgotten. Having been there and having survived it, he would continue to do all he could to give those kids a fighting chance.
“I’d bet my bank account that if you scratched at the shiny exterior of the society you praise, you’d find that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Take you, for instance. Those black robes can’t hide the skeletons in your closet. You have almost as many as I have in mine.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” It wasn’t what the judge said, but how he said it; Lucien had hit a nerve. He was intrigued far more than he wanted to be. Was there really something that would give Lucien the leverage to get the judge off his back? He was going to damn well find out. More than eager to leave the man guessing and seething, Lucien changed the subject.
“As much as I would love to stand here and continue this riveting conversation, I’ve better things planned for my evening.” His eyes moved to his date; she wasn’t hard to spot since she looked like a porn star. The judge’s startled breath almost made Lucien laugh with pleasure. Kelly or Kelsey—he never could remember her name—was currently talking up one of the judge’s respectable colleagues: old enough to be her grandfather, but richer than the Queen. Even from their distance he could see the old coot staring at her rack.
It was with genuine pleasure and more than a little sarcasm that Lucien said, “To aspire to be as respectable as you and yours, a life mission.”
And then Lucien turned and walked away, feeling the judge’s glare burning holes into his back. He didn’t stop for anyone else, offering his regrets as he moved with purpose to the door. Once he was outside, he took a few minutes just to breathe deeply.
“Where do you want to go now?” his date purred after magically appearing at his side to press her body up against his. He knew what she wanted, but what Lucien found disturbing was that he didn’t want the same thing.
Probably frustrated since he hadn’t answered her, she moved her hand down his body to drive the point home. It seemed unwise for the newly honored humanitarian to get a hand job right outside of the event, so he called for his car.
As soon as the car appeared, he pulled the back door open before the driver could and gestured for his date to get in. His eyes found the driver’s.
“Take her home.”
He heard her protest as the car drove away, but he just didn’t care. He walked for a bit to clear his head before hailing a cab and heading to Sapphire, a local club. The place was packed when he arrived, but he easily moved through the crowds to Trace’s table: being friends with the owner had its perks. Rafe, his friend since they were kids, and Kyle, Ember’s best friend, were in the middle of a conversation when he settled into a chair across from them.
“Hey, Lucien. How did it go?” Rafe signaled to the waitress and pointed to Lucien.
“I think a root canal would have been more enjoyable.”
“You didn’t enjoy hobnobbing with the rich and powerful?” Kyle laughed because he knew damn well that Lucien detested all of it.
Lucien responded by flipping Kyle off. “Where are Trace and Ember?”
Kyle gestured to the dance floor and Lucien turned his attention to where their friends were dancing. Trace’s head leaned against Ember’s as he played with a lock of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder. They moved like one body: seamlessly and without thought.
He was happy for Trace even as jealousy twisted in his gut. Who would have thought the hard-as-nails player would lose his heart