Page 58 of Hawk's Sapphire

Sergio comes back and hands Matteo two glasses.One with whiskey for Matteo and another with wine for me.“Drink.”

I do as he says, sipping my glass of red wine while he and Sergio speak among themselves.A few men approach the table and ask Matteo about his business, looking for an opportunity to work with the Parisi family.

I’m halfway through my drink when I start to feel a bit buzzed.Far more than I should from only a half a glass.Matteo is deep in conversation with a woman named Clarissa Rothchild.She’s eye fucking the hell out of him as they speak.Matteo show’s no real interest, but when she asks if we’re together I hear him tell her, “We’re together for the time being.”She must like the idea that I’m not a permanent part of his life because she turns up the charm, raking her nails over his suit and laughing a little too hard at his jokes.

It’s strange how unaffected I am by this woman touching him.Not like I was when I saw Agent Galina putting her paws all over Nathaniel.I wanted to cut the bitch from throat to navel for having the audacity to touch him after she willingly tried to set him up as a murderer.I’m no fool.I know Hawk has blood on his hands.I’m not naïve to the way they handle things when the justice system fails.But she was going to send him to prison just to get herself one more rung up the ladder.

My stomach rolls, and my face feels hot.I know better than to drink on an empty stomach, but I was nervous for tonight and thought it was best not to eat before we came.I reach for Matteo’s hand and his eyes immediately come to meet mine.

“Dolcezza?”He frowns.His eyes are full of concern.

I smile politely.“I think I need the restroom.”He nods to Sergio who stands grabbing my elbow and begins escorting me to the restroom.

“Stay with her.Do not leave her alone.”

“Yes, sir.”Sergio responds.As we move through the crowd, my eyes begin to blur a bit and my mouth feels dry.“Are you all right, girl?”

“I don’t know.I think there was something in my drink.”My words are a little slurred.

“Impossible.One of our own men got your drinks for you and the boss, and the boss seems fine.Maybe theirs is the cheap ass wine and not the good stuff we have at home.”Sergio attempts to joke.I don’t smile.I can’t.

He knocks on the restroom door.When no one answers, he pushed the door open and ushers me inside.“I’ll wait right here for you.If you need anything, shout my name.”

I nod, pushing past him to get to the sink.Turning on the cold water, I splash some on my face and neck.My body feels like it’s on fire and I can’t seem to get cool enough.Cupping my hands, I drink some water, trying to soothe the flames from inside my belly.

The collar of my dress feels too tight.Reaching around, I begin untying the bow at my waist and unhooking the buttons that run down my back until the dress is a pool of fabric at my feet and drop to the cold tile floor and sit.

After a few minutes, maybe an hour, I honestly don’t know, I begin to feel a little better, but my head still feels fuzzy.

“Are you all right, my dear?”A woman’s voice says from somewhere above me.It’s a familiar voice, but I can’t quite place it.

“I’m n-not feeling well.”I keep my eyes closed to keep the world from spinning.“I need to go home.”

“All right, then.Let’s help you up, and we’ll get you some place where you can be more comfortable.”The woman says.“Here, let me help you.”

I take her offered hand, but don’t look up, keeping my eyes on the ground away from the harsh lights of the bathroom.Once I’m on my feet, she places her hand on the small of my back, then opens the door.The music is still playing loudly.The party still in full swing.When we step out of the door and into the hallway, Sergio is no longer standing there.

“Come, dear.Follow me.I’ll take you to a room where it’s quiet and you won’t be disturbed.”We make it about five steps when a familiar voice calls my name.

“Sadie!”

“Nathaniel?”

“I’m here, baby.What the fuck happened?Where are your clothes?”He grips my arms holding me steady.I must be hallucinating if he’s here with me.Right?

“The woman was going to take me to a room.I don’t feel well.I need to lie down.”

“What woman?There’s no woman with you.You just walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a bra and panties and stumbled your way into the bar area.”I chance a glance at his face.Placing my hands on his cheeks to make sure it’s really him.

“What are you doing here?”I ask him, still not certain I can trust my own eyes.

“I came with…a date.”His words come out gravelly.“Who are you here with?”

I bite back the hurt I feel.The pain of knowing he’s chosen someone else already.Moved on from me.I answer his question with a painful whisper, “Matteo.”Hawk lets out a disapproving growl.“Where’s Sergio?He was supposed to stand at the door.”

“We’ll figure it out.”Hawk takes off his suit jacket and tosses it over my shoulders.I grip the lapels and inhale deeply, getting lost in the scent of cinnamon and smoke that is all Nathaniel.I feel him place his arm over my shoulder as he ushers me through the crowd.We come to a sudden stop in the center of the dance floor when a woman’s voice shouts for Hawk to take his hands off me.The sound is shrill and full of jealousy.She must grip his arms or start assaulting him because my body gets tossed aside, making my head feel worse.My pulse picks up, my body feels clammy, and my knees buckle.My ass hits the floor with a hard thud.I hear the shuffling of feet and the slight breeze across my skin as people begin to move away from us.

The woman shouts again, and this time I look up to meet her glare.She’s pointing at me.Screaming about me being a whore and her feeling betrayed.It’s that moment I recognize who she is, and though my words are slurred, I still feel the need to tell her off.

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