Polly stepped in front of me and grabbed both of my shoulders, giving me a little shake so that I would look at her and away from the free porn show happening across the room. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was how I saw it. “Lanie, I know Noah. He’s getting absolutely no enjoyment right now. He’s merely keeping up appearances for appearances’ sake. He’s probably doing everything he can to keep his dinner down at this very moment. So go easy on him and give him the benefit of the doubt. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I lied. I wasn’t going to make a scene, but I sure was going to make my presence known—with dignity and class. And if Noah had a problem with that, then it was his problem to solve. All my brain was processing was that Julie’s hands were all over my man, and Noah was doing nothing to stop it. In fact, he was smiling, looking damn gorgeous, and seeming to be enjoying himself a little too much. And that in no way sat well with me.
I needed a drink so that I could get my head straight and figure out my plan of action. Marking my territory was a really good suggestion, but as angry as I was at Noah in that moment, I’d probably mess around and yank his nuts off with my bare hands. And that would get pretty gruesome, thereby defeating the purpose of not causing a scene.
As I turned to look toward the bar, I saw David Stone standing there. All alone. A plan started to formulate in my head, one that I fully intended to implement, because I knew that if there was even one ounce of Noah’s possessive nature
for me left, what I was about to do would most certainly force him to pay attention.
“You two go ahead,” I said to Lexi and Polly. “I’m just going to grab a drink and take a moment to calm down before I hike up my skirt to piss on Noah’s leg.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Lexi asked with a look of adoration on her face, and then she bumped her shoulder into mine. “Grab me a shot of Patrón, will ya?”
“Sure thing, and thanks,” I said with a genuine smile before I turned and headed toward the bar. David Stone was my weapon of choice for making Noah Crawford feel just as insignificant as he’d made me feel.
“Patrón Silver, on the rocks, two,” I told the bartender when he greeted me.
“Well, hello there, little lady,” the scumball of an ass fucker said as he sidled up next to me—just as I’d hoped he would. He reeked of cologne that would have smelled good if it had been applied in a smaller dose. Plus, there was a lethal dose of obnoxygen spilling from his pores. I recognized the scent because Polly gave off a little bit of it, too. Luckily, she had been only mildly contaminated, whereas David Stone was obviously the poster child for it.
“Hi yourself,” I answered him, turning on the charm.
He introduced himself, extending his hand. “David Stone.”
I returned the cordial greeting, taking his offered hand. “Delaine Talbot.”
“Wow! Nice bracelet. A gift?” He examined the cuff bracelet that marked Noah’s territory like a jeweler sizing up its worth. “Crawford, huh? You related to Noah?”
“Thanks. And no, Noah is my boyfriend. You know him?” I asked, knowing he did, but playing the part oh so well.
“Yeah. We’re the best of buds, practically family. Funny, he never mentioned you. Must be his dirty little secret,” he said playfully.
“I guess you could say that. He doesn’t like to share, so he keeps me hidden away.”
“Such a shame. A diamond like you should be on display for the whole world to see.”
I almost gagged at his lame attempt at complimenting me, but I kept the smile on my face as I looked over and made sure Noah was watching, which he most certainly was. So I stepped closer to David and ran my fingers under the lapel of his jacket. Never dropping the pretense I was putting on for Noah’s benefit, I leaned in and said, “Well, see … I know all about you.”
“Do you, now?” He moved in closer, his voice deep and seductive. “You can’t believe everything you hear, you know. Jealousy can make some people very spiteful.”
“Mmm. You’re absolutely right,” I agreed. “But I don’t think that was the case here.”
He inched even closer and put a hand on my hip while ogling my cleavage. “Well, now you’ve piqued my interest. Do tell. What have you heard?”
“You were Noah’s best friend, but then you went and screwed that tramp over there behind his back. I guess technically it was from behind
her
back, but still,” I said with a shrug as my fingers followed his lapel up and around the collar to his neck. “So it would seem that Noah is absolutely warranted in wanting to keep me his little secret. However, what he fails to
realize is that not every woman is as easily susceptible to falling prey to the likes of you.”
“Is that right?” he asked with a confident smile, baring his canines, which only proved my point.
I nodded, still maintaining a flirtatious smile. “I see you for what you really are.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
“You’re a leech, a parasite, a common remora.”
He shifted from one foot to the other, clearly not liking my assessment. “What the hell is a remora?”
“Remoras are those little fish that cling to sharks and other stronger, more powerful species in the seas. They use them to get around that big ol’ ocean without having to do any of the legwork themselves. They feed off the leftover scraps of food from their host, and sometimes even the host’s feces,” I explained in a voice that reminded me a lot of a kindergarten teacher talking to her students.
“See, in this equation, Noah would be the shark; working hard, fighting for every meal, making his own way. But you … you’re the parasitic remora, feasting off his shit and doing your best to gather up his leftovers while you wait for everything to be handed to you.” I smiled broadly, my expression a total contradiction to the words I spoke.
“You prey on a person’s weaknesses and twist them until you find a way to capitalize on them, thereby filling the empty void in your own life, if only for a moment. I feel sorry for you, truly, I do. But if, for even a millisecond, you see me as a potential chink in Noah’s armor that you can use against him, you better think again. Unlike you, and that ex of his, my loyalty
to Noah Crawford knows no bounds. I live and breathe for him and him alone.”
He swallowed hard and then chuckled. “Goddamn, woman. You just gave me a hard-on the size of California.”
“California, huh? Not bad.” I nodded. “But Noah wins again. He may not be Texan, but his cock obviously is. And you know what they say: everything’s bigger in Texas, darlin’.” I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye of Noah on the fast track toward us, so I took a step back.
“I’m glad I got to meet you, David Stone. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but I’d be lying. Toodles!” I tucked my purse under my arm and then grabbed my drink, along with Lexi’s before I turned and walked away.
I’d only made it about ten feet before Noah reached me. And boy, was he pissed. His hazel eyes had turned steel gray and his nostrils flared slightly in anger as he gave me a death glare. He grabbed my arm and pulled me right next to him so that he could talk without being overheard by everyone around us. His body gave off waves of malice, and he shot daggers in David’s direction. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“You’ve got about two seconds to let go of my arm before I start screaming bloody murder,” I warned in a calm voice.
He turned me loose and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Answer the goddamn question.”
“I was thirsty. I went to the bar to get a drink. And that kind gentleman struck up a conversation,” I said nonchalantly. “I didn’t want to be rude.”
“Yeah, well that kind gentleman …,” he growled, and then stopped.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. He looked down at the floor and then back at me. “Look, just … I don’t want you to talk to him anymore. In fact, I don’t want you to talk to any man here. Do you hear me? You’re mine.”
Well, well, well. And the little green monster comes out to play
.
My turn.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You sure don’t act like I’m yours,” I snapped, and then stepped around him to walk back toward Polly and Lexi, whose rapt attention was on our little display.
He growled again, and then I heard his hurried footsteps as he attempted to keep up with me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I huffed. “Oh, don’t play me, Noah. You know exactly what it means. Who is she? Huh?”
“Who?”
I spun on him, nearly sloshing the liquid out of one of the low-balls I was holding. “Really, Noah? You think I can’t see? And don’t try to tell me she’s another one of your relatives or some sort of business associate, because relatives and business associates don’t feel you up like that unless you’re from some messed-up colony of incest freaks.”
He ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “She’s … no one. Look, we’ll talk about it later.” He made a move to step around me, but I blocked his way.
“I want to talk about it now.”
“Don’t make a fucking scene, Delaine. I work with these people,” he warned.
“Oh, well, since you put it that way, no worries. No scene
from me,” I said, making a show of clamping my mouth shut while I continued on my merry, obedient way.
“It’s about time,” Lexi said when I handed her one of the glasses.
Polly looked at me with her brow furrowed in question, then back in the direction where David was now standing with Julie—who had apparently scurried away when Polly and Lexi made an appearance—and then back to me once more. I shook my head almost imperceptibly to let her know it wasn’t a big deal.
“Here she is,” Noah said, putting his hand on the small of my back. The scowl was gone, replaced by a beaming smile of pride as he introduced me to the beautiful couple who stood across from us. “Delaine, this is my uncle, Daniel, and his wife, Vanessa.”
God, his family had to be directly descended from angels themselves. That’s how gorgeous they were. Daniel’s hazel eyes smiled just like Noah’s, only they had a more pronounced version of the crinkles of time that had already begun to grace the corners of Noah’s eyes. Their lips were the same shade of pink in the shape of a bow, and their hair was the same shade of chocolate, only Daniel’s was peppered with gray at the temples. Distinguished and magnificent, not that I had expected anything less.
I put on a happy face, smiling as brightly as my cheeks would allow. “Hi. I’m so glad to meet you,” I greeted Vanessa. I said nothing to Daniel. Noah had instructed me not to talk to any men, and he was most certainly a man. I was just following orders like a good little subordinate, after all.
Daniel cleared his throat, attempting to ignore the fact that I hadn’t said anything to him in greeting. “So is Patrick being a gracious host?”
Oh, yeah. He took my virginity, threw out all my clothes and then purchased a whole new wardrobe for me—sans panties, of course—and allowed me to suck his cock on more than one occasion. But I have received multiple orgasms out of our little arrangement, and if that isn’t the very definition of a gracious host, then I don’t know what is
.
That was what I could’ve said, but lucky for Noah, I wasn’t allowed to talk to men, so I didn’t. Instead I just nodded with a smile. Noah gave me a disapproving scowl. Polly stared at me bug-eyed. And Lexi covered her giggle with an inconspicuous cough.
“How do you like Chicago, dear?” Vanessa asked.
I perked up and answered. “Oh, I simply love it! What I’ve seen of it, that is. Noah keeps me preoccupied most of the time.”
“Oh really?” Daniel asked. “And what exactly does he have you doing?”
Uh-oh. How was I going to answer that with a nod or shake of my head?
Aha! I shrugged my shoulders.
Daniel and Vanessa looked confused. Brad, Mason, Lexi, and Polly turned their backs like they were suddenly interested in the crowd. But I saw their shoulders shaking, a very clear indicator that they were laughing.
Noah cleared his throat. “Will you excuse us? I’d like to trip the light fantastic with my date.”
“Yes, of course, sweetheart,” Vanessa said with an uncomfortable smile.
Noah took the glass out of my hand and sat it on the table next to us. “Dance with me?” I caught the underlying tone. It was an order, not a request.
“Why, Mr. Crawford, it would be my honor,” I said with my best southern belle impersonation.
Noah said nothing more as he took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. We faded into the crowd and he spun me around, pressing me tightly to his body before leaning down so that his warm breath was at my ear. Then we began to sway back and forth.
“What the hell was that all about?”
“What?” I asked, his scent invading my senses and making me forget what he was talking about.
“You were being very rude to my uncle. If it weren’t for the fact that you were actually talking to his wife, I’m sure he’d think you were a mute.”
He lightly pressed his lips to the spot below my ear. It was a good thing he was holding me so tightly, because my knees suddenly turned to Jell-O, and I was sure I would have fallen.
“You told me not to talk to any men, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe your uncle is a man,” I answered breathlessly. “Either that or he’s a very convincing cross-dresser. Or—gasp!—is he a hermaphrodite?”
“Very funny,” he said in a dry tone, and then he playfully bit my earlobe. “Do me a favor, and knock off the sarcastic shit.”
“Yes, sir. Whatever you say, Mr. Crawford, sir.”
Noah pulled back and looked at me, obviously not amused by my tone. “What’s your problem all of a sudden?”
“Problem? No problem.” I shrugged. “Just being myself. The only one here with a problem is you.”
He sighed. “Whatever. I should’ve known better than to bring you here. My fault.”
“Why?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to pull out of his hold. “Because I’m just something you purchased? One who doesn’t quite fit into your social class?”
Noah pulled back and looked into my eyes. “You’re kidding me, right?” When my expression didn’t waver, he leaned down and whispered into my ear. “You’re the most beautiful woman at the ball, Delaine.”