Page 23 of Secrets & Desires
The door opened and Nox led Livia into the room. The beautiful couple immediately took the attention of the guests, and as Nox began to introduce Livia to his friends, the man who would soon be her killer watched her—the way she moved, the curve of her body, her full breasts, the sweet smile on her lush pink lips. He smiled. He would enjoy her murder as much as he would enjoy Nox’s pain. And by the look on Nox’s face, he was alreadyindeep.
“Nox Renaud is in love again. Who knew?” He murmured to himself and went to join theparty.
ChapterNine
“Rules of societymean we shouldn’t be sitting next to each other at dinner,” Nox said to her and grinned at her stricken face. “Luckily, I’ve never been one forrules.”
She pinched his buttock hard and he laughed. “You’ll pay for that later,Renaud.”
“I do hope so. At last, Amber’s here. Come on, you’re guaranteed a warm welcomewithher.”
Livia followed him over to where a stunning redhead stood talking to Sandor. Sandor winked at Livia and she gave him a grateful look. Amber, too, smiled atthemboth.
“Well, at damn last. Hi, Livia, it’s great to meet youfinally.”
“You too.” Livia cursed the fact that her voice shook with nerves, but this was Nox’s best female friend, and she wanted to make a goodimpression.
Amber wassensational.There wasn’t another word for it. Tall, at least five-eleven, her long cherry red hair fell in waves down her back, her make-up was perfect, and her hourglass figure was poured into a red dress that should have clashed with her hair but worked perfectly on Amber. Amber watched Livia size her up with a grin onherface.
“It’s all artifice, darling. At the end of the night I’m in sweats, shoveling french fries down my throat and watching Netflix. I look like the SwampThing.”
Livia choked out a laugh. “Somehow I don’tthinkso.”
Amber grinned. “Let’s leave these dudes and go have some girl talksomewhere.”
Uh-oh.Was this the ‘you hurt my friend, and I’ll hurt you’ talk? Well, Amber was entitled, Livia thought, but she couldn’t help throwing a nervous glance back at Nox. He winked at her and mouthed, ‘Don’tworry.’
Whatever she expected Amber to start out with, it wasn’t, “Thankyou.”
Livia’s eyes widened. “Forwhat?”
“For putting a smile back on my friend’s face. It’s been a long time coming. Here,” she snagged two glasses of champagne and handed one to Livia, “drink up. Let me give you some tips on how to survive this party. Believe me, it’s nothing to be nervous about, just a crash course in who toavoid.”
Livia had just spotted Odelle Griffongy walk in with Roan. “Well, there’s one Idoknow toavoid.”
Amber followed her gaze. “Odelle? Well, she’s not the friendliest, but neither is she malevolent. Unlike Mavis Creek over there.” She nodded to a squirrelly-looking, rail-thin blonde who was making puppy eyes at Nox. “Now she has always had a thing for your man. Little does she know, we all call her MavisCreep.”
Livia smothered a snort of laughter as the woman shot daggers at them both. Amber pointed out everyone to avoid, which thankfully wasn’t too many. “Nox invites them out of politeness. I would have kicked them to the curb a while ago, but then I’m not as niceasNox.”
Livia grinned at her. “Isanyone?”
Amber grinned. “Oh, he has his dark side, the same as all of us. But,” she said in stage whisper as Nox approached them, “his weird fetishes are something we should discuss another time. Remind me to tell you about the thing he had for—ohdamn,Nox, you’re here and it was just about to get interesting. Sorry, Liv, we’ll have to talk about his peccadillosanothertime.”
Nox was grinning, clearly having heard her. “Liv, don’t listen to this one. Just go on pretending I’mperfect.”
“Oh, I will.” Livia winked at Amber, who grinned and excusedherself.
Nox kissed Livia, his lips soft against hers. “You okay,sweetheart?”
She smiled up at him as he slid his arms around her waist. “I really am. I love Amberalready.”
“Good. Seriously, there’s nothing to worry about. It may look elite, but really, it is just Thanksgivingdinner.”
Nox’s idea of ‘just’Thanksgiving dinner was a lot different than most peoples’, Livia thought a half-hour later as they sat down to eat. Three huge turkeys, perfectly roasted and ready to be carved by the wait staff, sat on the sideboard. Along the tables, huge silver platters of mashed potatoes, yams, bowls of cranberry sauce—sure, Livia thought, all the same food, but you could tell how rich the food was. How it was expertly made by the best chefs money could buy, and when Livia put the first piece of moist, beautifully seasoned turkey in her mouth, she almost groaned with how delicious it was. The meal had its luxurious touches—shaved truffle on the turkey, a sharp sorbet between each course as a palate cleanser—but the whole atmosphere was just as Livia, who had never had a family Thanksgiving, had always imagined. There was love between these people and she reveledinit.
Halfway through the meal, which she had to admit she was enjoying with Nox on her left and Sandor on her right, she felt someone staring at her. She looked up and saw Odelle gazing at her. “Have we met?” Odelle’s voice cut through the entire table’s conversation and Livia flushed red as everyone went silent and lookedather.
“Yes,wehave.”
