Page 73 of Monster

23

Charlotte

I came down the stairs.“All right, I’m ready to go. Does this mean you’re going to tell me what this party is all about?”

I expected an answer as I came down the stairs, but I was met with silence. So, I lifted my head and glanced around the grand foyer of Teo’s beach house before I clocked him at the doorway. He stood there in his suit with his hands still slid into the pockets of his pants. But, the look on his face shocked me.

“Teo?” I asked.

His eyes slowly migrated down my body and I felt my skin flushing. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled back up my body, and when they found my own, he softly shook his head.

“Don’t tell me you want me to get changed again,” I said.

He slid one hand out of his pocket as he made his way for me before his hand fell against the dip in my waist.

“You look astounding, Miss Pettigrew.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “Guess you know how I felt when I saw you in this suit, then.”

He grinned. “You like it that much?”

I smiled up at him. “Let’s just say if you weren’t holding me hostage and trying to manipulate me every step of the way, I might actually want to see if this suit matches the flooring of my room upstairs.”

His arm wrapped around the small of my back. “That can still be arranged.”

I winked. “So can my freedom, yet you still haven’t given me that.”

His arm dropped away from my body as his face hardened. Good. I was glad for it. I wanted to prove a point just so he knew exactly where he stood with me. Because as long as he forced me to be at his side, I’d forcefully remind him that I wasn’t here of my own volition.

“Come. We have a party to attend,” he said.

There was anger in his voice. As if I’d done something he disapproved of. How the hell was that possible? He literally bought me off a stage, but I was the disappointment.

This man has some issues.

Still, I couldn't ignore the feeling in my chest when he looked at me the way he did. For a split-second, it didn’t feel like I was being held against my will. It didn’t feel like I was his hostage. For a moment, when he regarded me as his equal, I felt almost beautiful.

Cherished, even.

The ride to the party was long and silent. We both sat as far away as we could from one another. But, once we arrived at the beachfront property that was lit up and bustling with gorgeous human beings, I put on the bravest face I could.

“Ready to go stick it to them?” I asked.

Teo didn’t bother looking at me. “Let’s head on in.”

He walked around and opened my door for me before offering his hand. And the second I took it, I felt electricity wafting up my arm. Goosebumps prickled the nape of my neck as he linked my arm with his, and together we started up the driveway. Women and men of all shapes and sizes poured in and out of the front door. Women dripped with jewels and men flashed their diamond-studded watches as they drank and ate and laughed with one another. I had no idea what the hell kind of party this was, but it almost looked like some of the charity events I attended with my mother back in the States.

So, I put on my best smile and rolled my shoulders back.

“You’re good at that,” Teo murmured.

I nodded at people as we walked in. “Have to be, with the life I lead.”

He shook someone’s hand. “Sounds like a story to be had.”

I waved at a lovely stranger across the room. “Always.”

The entire night moved at lightning speed, but there was something I just couldn’t shake. Every once in a while, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman staring at us. A woman dressed in all black, with raven hair to match, and a slim form that would have caught any man’s eye at the drop of a hat. I noticed the necklace around her neck first: massive sparkling diamonds interlocked with glistening emeralds that sat close to her neck. Like a choker, almost.

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