Page 74 of Monster

But, the more she popped up, the more I saw.

Like, the beautiful matching ring on her left ring finger. A cushion-cut diamond surrounded by those same emeralds. At one point in time, I even got close enough to realize that her eyes were a dark shade of green. Her teeth sparkled like her diamonds and her eyes sparkled like her emeralds.

Only, every time I caught her eye, she glared at me.

“Who is that?” I asked.

Teo leaned toward my ear. “In the middle of something, sweetheart.”

I nodded. “That woman over there. Who is she?”

He sighed. “What woman?”

I nodded again. “I don’t want to point, but she’s over there. She’s got green eyes. Black hair. She’s in the—”

“Oh. Her. Don’t worry about her.”

I slowly turned my eyes toward him. “So, you know her?”

He snickered. “Everyone knows her. She’s probably glaring at you because she doesn’t know who you are and that pisses her off.”

“Well, would you like to fill me in on who she is?”

“No one of importance to you.”

I scoffed. “No one here is of importance to me. That doesn't mean I don’t want to know who she is in relation to you.”

When Teo ignored my question, I knew exactly who it was: one of his other conquests. I mean, Teo had ‘playboy’ written all over him. And she was probably a jealous lover that had come to confront him before he walked in with another woman on his arm.

Then, a thought occurred to me. “You didn’t—you know… like you’ve done with me? To her?”

Teo scoffed. “Not even the slightest. She’s not my type.”

I nodded slowly. “And, what is your type?”

His eyes met mine. “You really don’t know by this point?”

This time, I was the one that ignored his question. “Why don’t I go get us some drinks? What would you like?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “A whiskey on the rocks. You can get yourself a nice glass of wine. I don’t want you getting too drunk on an empty stomach. You can go to that bar over there, so I can keep an eye on you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Dad.”

I slipped away from him and felt his eyes on me as I maneuvered silently through the crowd. And even though I knew Teo wouldn't let me out of his sight, it didn’t stop me from feeling incredibly nervous. Between Lorenzo’s threat and this woman still staring me down, I felt as if I were about to be assaulted on all sides.

Why the hell is this woman still staring at me?

The bartender’s voice caught my attention. “What can I get for you, miss?”

I put on my best smile. “A glass of your darkest, driest red wine and a whiskey on the rocks. Top shelf.”

The bartender chuckled. “That’s all we serve here, miss.”

“Wonderful. I’m glad someone knows how to throw a decent party around here.”

He started making my drinks. “And whose tab shall I put it on?”

“Come again?”

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