Page 46 of Faithless
“For us, yes. We’re guests of the resort, so we’re in the VIP boxes, remember?”
“Right.”
Paige stepped forward. “I can call a male staff member to assist with your clothes and makeup for the event, sir. We have several who—”
“No, that’s alright.” Torr turned to leave, presenting his wide, muscular back to us. “I can manage on my own.”
He left the room, and Paige and I both let out sighs at his departure, albeit for different reasons.
“Sorry about him,” I said. “He’s a fucking grump lately.”
“It’s no problem, ma—um, Rori.” She gave me another salacious smile. “You’re very lucky, if you don’t mind me saying so. He is, well, very nice to look at.”
“Don’t I know it,” I mumbled, my own mood now souring. I’d enjoyed looking at Torr so many times over the years I’d known him, even before he packed on all the muscle. Always looking, always yearning. Never having.
It felt especially cruel now that we were posing as married, and he couldn’t even pretend to like me. We had this gigantic suite to avoid each other now. For a moment, I missed the little bed we were forced to share in the tavern. I missed how easy it was to distract myself with riding, drinking, and other guys back home.
I sure as shit didn’t feel lucky.
17
RORI
Torr and I walked with our arms linked to a section of VIP boxes on the colosseum’s floor level.
Just outside of our box was a lounge area with a bar, a few tables, and plush seating. We put on fake smiles as we mingled and made introductions with some of the other guests, lying through our teeth about who we were. It was easy, really. Everything was a subtle power move, a sly one-up to show you were better than the person you were talking to.
Torr held me against his side with his arm around my waist, spinning all kinds of bullshit about who we were, where we came from, and how he proposed to me with the exact, rare black diamond I’d wanted. He was a natural at charming people, and I just followed his lead. I leaned into him and extended my hand to show the ring off, letting everyoneoohandahhover the rock. I hadn’t taken it off once since he’d put it on my finger back at the tavern.
I’d been sitting and staring at the thing a lot more than I’d like to admit, especially since things had gotten awkward between us. I felt like an idiot for even entertaining the idea that his vows had an ounce of truth to them. We’d only been here a matter of hours before he stormed off. So much for guarding me at every turn.
We settled into our box after roughly a half hour of mingling. The drinks and appetizers we’d ordered waited for us on a low table in front of a pair of chairs that looked more like thrones. Beyond the massive window and a short barricade, we had a perfect view of the entire fighting arena.
Torr sighed with a groan as he sank into his seat, letting his body slide toward the polished tile floor.
“It’s fucking exhausting dealing with these people,” he said.
“You were a natural out there,” I told him. “You’re really good at that.”
“Acting like a rich asshole?”
“No, just schmoozing, networking. Whatever you want to call it. You just know how to work a group of people.”
There was a beat of silence. “Thanks, Ror.”
I reached for my champagne glass, mainly to keep my hands occupied. “Are you gonna be okay watching this?”
“I’ll get through it.”
He grabbed his own glass and downed it in one gulp, then pulled the bottle from the ice bucket to top himself off. Then he threw back his second glass just as quickly as the first. If by ‘get through it’he meant becoming completely obliterated by the time the fights started, he was well on his way.
Part of me wanted to comfort him, to reach for his hand or shoulder. But he was still treating me coldly in private. It was like a light switch, how he flipped on the charm and affection when in front of others, then shut me out the moment we were alone. He’d even scooted his chair away from me, keeping a good few feet of distance between us.
As tempting as it was to try breaking down this barrier between us, I wasn’t going to capitulate to his mood. I was his only ally here. If he wanted to shut me out and stew in his own head about this fucked up place, so be it.
I sipped daintily at my drink and watched the colosseum seats fill through the large window of our box. The sky darkened and huge floodlights cranked on with a hum of electricity. Torr and I had to shield our eyes and blink while the lights were adjusted, pointing directly at the sandpit to illuminate it like a spotlight.
There would be two main fights tonight, according to the schedule. The second one, featuring the Butcher, was the most highly anticipated. The program didn’t give any details about who his opponent was or what the fights would entail. Surprises were the best part of the fights, as some of the other guests had just explained to us.
