Page 60 of Tainted Love
The driver opens the door before I can respond and Elias slips out first, offering his hand to help me. I hesitate before letting him help me out. The flash of cameras from the paparazzi momentarily blinds me, and I blink rapidly, trying to clear my vision. I force a smile on my face as Elias guides me to the entrance of the building with a hand on my lower back. My skin burns under his touch.
He's right. I can’t deny the way my body reacts when he’s near, but I can’t disappoint my family because of sexual attraction. He said it himself the night he moved in—I’m hisplaything—and when he’s had enough who will be left to pick up the pieces?
“Can you do this, Duchess? Can you keep it together for tonight?” Elias murmurs in my ear as we enter the foyer. His warm breath washes over my body, causing me to shiver.
Unable to speak, I nod. I’ve been to a lot of fundraisers over the years with Dad and Hunter. It’s not that I’m overwhelmed by the grandeur of the event, I’m overwhelmed by Elias. He's like an addiction, and I’m seeking my next high, despite knowing it’s wrong.
Elias Vasilios has me questioning everything, but for now, I need to block it out. I can’t let him draw me in like a moth to a flame as I have no doubt, I’ll be the one who burns.
He hasn’t removed his hand from my lower back, and despite knowing I should put space between us, I find myself leaning into his touch as we follow the crowd to The Pavilion. I pull our tickets from my clutch and hand them to the attendant on the door.
The venue is crowded, but I’ve been here before with Dad, and I lead Elias across the room to the bar. He arches his brow when I order a double vodka, lime, and soda, but the bartender barely blinks. He’s used to the rich, bored housewives with alcohol dependencies who attend these functions. Not that I have a problem with alcohol, but after that little stunt in the limo, I need something to douse the flames of desire currently simmering within my veins.
I gulp down the drink the moment it’s put in front of me, and order another. I raise the second glass to my lips, but Elias steals it from me. “Hey,” I protest.
“Good choices tonight, right, Duchess?” He smirks as he finishes it for me. “You wouldn’t want to get drunk and slip up in front of your granddad now, would you? You might accidentally tell him you want to, oh, I don’t know, study fashion or something.”
Panicked, I glance around to see if anyone overheard him. “Can you shut up?” I hiss at him. “It’s not only my granddad here tonight. There are many people from his firm, and I don’t need anything getting back to him.”
Elias frowns. “I don’t understand why you won’t just?—”
I reach up and cover his mouth. “Enough. Please.”
“Bea?”
Dropping my hand like I’ve been burned, I turn to see Kingston standing to our left. He watches us with a guarded expression and a glass of amber liquid in his hand. His lips turn up into a smile when my gaze meets his, and he steps forward to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.
“You look stunning, Bea,” he says softly as he pulls away. He offers his hand to Elias. “Kingston Arblaster. I work with Bea’s father.”
“Elias Vasilios.”
Kingston’s jaw clenches and he glances down at their joined hands. I look up at Elias, surprised to see his eyes narrowed at my dad’s colleague.
“Have we met before?” my stepbrother asks, his voice low. “You look familiar.”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Kingston’s reply is steady.
Before I can say anything further, Elias’s phone rings and he releases Kingston’s hand to pull it from his pocket. Concern crosses his features, and he leans in close to me to murmur, “I need to take this.” Then he disappears into the crowd.
“That’s your stepbrother?” Kingston asks, his gaze follows Elias. “Elena’s son?”
My brow furrows, “How did you …” I trail off as I remember Dad met Elena at work. “Yes, he’s my stepbrother. Why?”
“No reason.” Kingston turns back to me, his eyes washing over me in appreciation. “Wow, Bea. You really look incredibletonight.” He shakes his head with a laugh. “It’s hard to believe you’re the same fourteen-year-old girl who used to keep me company while I spent hours preparing cases for your dad.”
I force a smile. I’ve waited six years for Kingston to notice me, but his words don’t excite me as much as I thought they would. Instead, they leave me feeling hollow.
“I should find?—”
“Honeybee!”
This time my smile isn’t fake, and I turn around. “Granddad!”
He grins wide, holding out his arms for me to step into. “Well, aren’t you a sight for these old eyes.”
“Mr Kirkland,” Kingston says from behind me. “Nice to see you, sir.”
“You, too, Mr Arblaster.” Granddad’s attention stays on me as I step out of his embrace. “Excuse me while I catch up with my granddaughter.”
