Page 81 of Dealing Dirty
“I’m listening,” he drawls, flicking a piece of lint off his suit.
I shoo the server away, ignoring his grumbles about not getting paid enough for this.
“What about asking the police chief to help?”
He squashes my hopes. “Chief Barron won’t do a damn thing. It’s been difficult for me to tell whose side he’s truly on.”
“But if he’s being threatened too, then wouldn’t Bruce know he’snoton his side? Call it a hunch, but I think he’s putting the squeeze on him.”
Jackie glances toward the doors. “It’s possible.”
At this point, the chief may be our only saving grace.
“I’ll get you out of here, Juliana. But for now, we’ll play Bruce’s little game. There’s been a divide recently, and I get the feeling I’m not the only one who’s ready to see this all come to an end. If we can find those people who are willing to help, then we can use them to our advantage. There’s power in numbers, my sweet.”
With a snap of his fingers, the doors before us open wide. A portion of a large ballroom greets us, and a crowd stands just outside, waiting for us to make an entrance.
Through clenched teeth and a plastic smile, Jackie whispers, “Bruce is confined to the upstairs office with out-of-town business, but I want you to stay close. We don’t know the snakes from the worms here.”
I nod, taking a few steps out into the grand space.
Men and women rush us, gushing over the incredible evening, and some of them even comment on my beautiful borrowed gown.
“Mayor Williams!” A plunky young man hollers before rushing Jackie. The slide of my arm being guided into the loop of his makes me jittery. I want to bolt, but I do as he’s asked and stay by his side. For now. They carry on a conversation about the welfare of our town and other boring economic issues.
Older women with designer dresses and gaudy hats flock to my side, assaulting me with questions that make my head spin. I do my best to hold a smile as I answer them, but it’s a chore to keep their ramblings straight.
“Are you two an item?” one of them asks. Multiple strings of pearls swoop down her neck, hanging over her busty rack. There’s a sneer on her wrinkled lip, and quite frankly, she could use a wax.
“I, um…” Panicking, I search the room. I stop, stunned as I huff a laugh.
The masquerade is casino-themed.How fitting.
Bodies crowd a roulette table in the center of the incredible ballroom, and beside it, two stickmen run a rowdy craps table. My eyes glide over the massive floral arrangements scattered about as the sound of the old hag beside me turns to a blurry jumble.
Then I see him.
The man who burns me. The only beast my lioness will bow to. Who’s wrapped his hands around this rusty heart and given me a glimpse of what it could be like to acceptusand every beautiful thing we’ve become.
His unruly blond hair is tied back in a small half bun, leaving only a few wisps hanging against his temples. Derrick wears an all-black suit that hugs his long, lean body, and the silver mask around his piercing eyes gives me new ideas for the bedroom.
I eagerly drink my fill, wishing for the first time in my life that the world would stop spinning and time would stop ticking. People breeze between our blistering gazes, and my lips quiver to speak. I refuse to let another godforsaken hour slip through our fingers where our mouths aren’t pressed together in a passionate flurry and our hearts aren’t singing a melody only they are privy to.
Derrick has changed me. There’s no going back to the old Juliana because I buried her last night as I fell asleep on the cold wooden floor, pleading for the love of this man before I even knew what I was asking for.
Derrick’s one in a hundred million, and he’s all mine.
From thirty feet away, through a river of bustling bodies, he watches as I fall for him. I hold nothing back, telling him with a single look that I belong to no one but him.
Awe, desire, and satisfaction collide in those deep brown eyes I’ve come to love. The answering promise he makes me is loud and clear—he won’t be leaving this party without me.
With a curt nod, he falls back, leaving me to entertain the biddies.
Jackie is a sight to behold as we move through the groups of his employees and friends—charming as the devil himself and as smooth as the material of my gown. They cling to his every word like it’s the gospel, and now I understand why Bruce felt he was the right fit for the job.
I’ve tried to keep my sweating palms away from Jackie, not wanting to alert him to Derrick’s sudden appearance. He seems none the wiser, leaning into his people for hugs and kissing cheeks.
Those who were gawking have returned to ignoring me. Guess I’m not as interesting as they thought. That’s fine by me. Makes sneaking off to shove cheese and olives down my throat a little easier.
