“Oh ...” Darla’s hand slides back down. “Is he … gay?”
I open my mouth to respond, but my mother answers for me.
“Oh, God, no. He just hasn’t found the right girl, yet.”
For fucks sake, I hate that they talk about me like I’m not sitting between them, while one feels me up.
I twist in my chair, catching sight of Solange, who stands off to the side, ready to clear plates, fill drinks, whatever is needed of her. She slides her gaze to me, only briefly, and the tightening of my stomach comes as a surprise.
I shouldn’t feel this way toward her. The help, as my mother calls them.
We arranged to meet down in the cave later this evening, and the sooner this party ends, the faster we can sneak away together.
Darla’s hand slides over my thigh again, squeezing too close to the growing erection that I’m certain she’ll happily take credit for. Clearing my throat, I straighten in my chair, drawing her hand down to my knee.
“Mayor Boyd! So good to see you!” Pushing up from her seat, my mother stands to greet yet another dinner guest, and when she nudges my arm, my shoulders sag, and I follow suit. For once, I don’t mind playing polite, if it gets this woman’s hands off me.
Beside Mayor Boyd, whom I’ve only met once before, stands a blonde, maybe around my age, with a bright smile and blue eyes. The smooth shine of her hair, coupled with a poufy dress, reminds me of one of the dolls my mom keeps imprisoned in her sitting room.
No doubt my mother is thinking the same, as she takes the girl’s hands, holding them out to get a good look at her dress.
“My, aren’t you a vision! Look at this dress, Lucian, isn’t it gorgeous?”
The girl’s doe eyes fall on me, her smile turning demure with the blush of her cheeks.
“This is my daughter, Amelia.” Mayor Boyd sets his hand on the girl’s shoulder, and I spot the slight twitch of her arm. “Her mother fell ill this evening, so she’s graciously decided to be my date for the night.”
“Amelia, this is my son. Lucian.” Another nudge is a cue from my mother to play the role I’ve been bred to play since I was old enough to shake hands and kiss knuckles.
“Nice to meet you, Amelia.”
“Not so much enthusiasm, Lucian.” My mother chuckles, but I know better. It’s a warning that I’m not playing nicely enough. “After dinner, perhaps you can show Amelia the grounds. Take her for a walk in the gardens.”
“I’d like that.” Once again, the girl’s eyes sparkle like those of a well-bred politician’s daughter.
“Sure.” I can’t bring myself to fabricate the enthusiasm my mother is expecting from me, but at the same time, it was only two weeks ago that I nursed a black eye for my insolence.
“Excellent. Now, which school do you attend, Amelia?” It’s a trick my mother has developed over the years. She can gauge how much money and pull someone has by which school their son, or daughter, attends, and no doubt, she’s reading Mayor Boyd like one of the many bodice rippers she tears through a week in her sitting room.
“We, uh … opted for public schools. I thought it would establish rapport with the locals to know their mayor’s daughter attends the same schools as their children.”
“Of course.” Not even her best smile can hide the disgust riding on her voice.
I have to hold back the snort trapped in my throat. Suddenly, Amelia Boyd isn’t so fascinating to my mother, which means she’s just stepped up a notch in my book. “I’ll look for you after dinner.”
The smile on her face reveals perfect teeth that have undoubtedly seen their share of orthodontic work.
We settle down to eat, and between Darla’s hand on my thigh, the shy glances from Amelia, and the sultry, jealous stares from Solange, I’m ready to blow this fucking popstand by the time dessert is served.
“Lucian is quite the athlete!” Darla says with enthusiasm beside me, having worked her way up my leg, where her knuckles have brushed my balls twice. “Does he get that from you, or his father?”
“Oh, God, Griffin never played a sport in school. I, however, twirled baton in gymnastics up until my senior year.”
“You were a gymnast?” Mayor Boyd says from across the table, raising a glass of wine to his lips. “Fascinating.”