Page 36 of The Chase
“Are you going to give me a clue?” I asked as I followed him down a series of endless corridors.
“No,” he said brightly. “I want to see your reaction.” The intrigue spurred me to run faster.
We rounded another corridor and right past a masked couple who’d also strayed from the party. When they faded from sight we paused at the door at the end.
Tobias opened it.
He stepped in partially and then quickly backed out, closing it again.
“Wrong room?” I said.
“No, there’s a couple. Well, a ménage. To be accurate.”
“In there?”
He looked thoughtful. “Full-on.”
“Oh, well that’s inconvenient.”
“Certainly is.”
“We’ll wait here, then?”
“They’re almost done. From the sounds of...”
A woman’s wails of pleasure flooded out into the hallway.
“We can wait,” I agreed.
“Sure.”
“We have the time, right?”
“Are you warm enough?”
“Yes, thank you. I can’t wait to see the painting.”
He glanced upward at the ceiling, hinting we were probably being watched.
“Isn’t this place incredible?” I whispered.
Tobias forced a smile and gave a nod, proving he was in no mood for small talk.
It made my heart sink a little as I realized we had nothing to talk about, proving we had nothing in common. Standing here now with him staring at the ground and me leaning against the wall, I imagined what kind of woman Tobias usually went for.
Hearing those rising moans wasn’t helping.
I avoided his gaze and admired the arching stained glass windows, and beyond them sprawled a large courtyard and in the center sat a fountain and around it elegantly arranged benches positioned just so to catch the morning sun. The old me would have loved to have visited during the day and brought a picnic and a good book and sat on one of those benches and savored being there.
I’d stepped behind the veil of the elite, beyond the safety of my world, having never explored this sensual side of me before, never allowed myself to imagine ever taking part in such a daring escapade, like searching out masterpieces in ancient castles, with an orgy as a backdrop.
And with a man like Tobias as my guide, who made me feel as though wildfire was burning me from the inside out.
Falling for his enigmatic charm would be so, so easy.
“What was his name?” Tobias looked at me.
“Who?”
