Page 3 of Meet Your Match
He was at least a foot taller than me even in my heels, so I stood a bit straighter, holding my chin high.
“Itisquite hideous,” he said.
That made me relax marginally, because at least we agreed on one thing. “And yet, some rich prick is going tomake an outrageous bid on it and pat themselves on the back all the way home.”
“Why does bidding on an ugly vase make them a prick?”
“Because they think being charitable means throwing their inheritance money at some absurd piece ofart,” I spat that part with a laugh. “And suddenly now they rest easier at night, feeling like God’s gift to mankind.”
Vince tilted his head a bit. “Well, I suppose that’s better than using their money on blow and hookers, right?”
“Oh, I’m sure they get plenty of that, too.”
“A lot of charities depend on financial support from events like this.”
“Sure,” I snapped without meaning to, my teeth grinding a bit. Livia had given me the tough love only a best friend can many times and told me I have the tendency to come off as a bitch to people who don’t know me well — especially when we got on the topic of the state of the world.
But that was the infuriating truth, wasn’t it? Any woman who wasn’t smiling and laughing and being amicably pleasant was a bitch.
I wore the insult with pride.
“And a lot of the people here will donatemaybeone percent of what they make in a year and brag to all their friends about howinvolvedthey are in the community.”
Vince angled himself toward me then, and I met his gaze with my chin still held high.
“So anyone who doesn’t dedicate their life and finances to activism is just a shit human, huh? You must be a perfect little angel — a modern day Mother Theresa.”
“At the very least, I don’t do community events for PR stunts,” I shot back, folding my arms over my chest. That called attention to the camera still strapped around my neck, and Vince arched a brow.
“Right. You just cover thestuntand pretend to be above it all.”
“Aw, were you expecting me to fall at your feet and fawn over how amazing you are like the rest of your doting paparazzi?” I asked with my bottom lip poked out. “That’s so cute. Go ahead.” I held up my phone and pretended like I was recording. “Tell me about all the charity work you do, and I’ll pretend you do it because youwantto and not because it looks good for the team.”
His eyes were hazel stone where they watched me, the corner of his mouth crooking like he wanted to smile. But his jaw was tight, brows in a hard line, like I was an opponent skating out onto his home ice.
“I guess you have me all figured out.”
“Wait, this is a perfect shot,” I continued, tucking my phone away and grabbing my camera, instead. “Tampa’s Hotshot Rookie and The Most Heinous Vase Ever Created.”
His lipsdidquirk up a bit at that, just a smidge, just enough for me to feel supremely satisfied when I snapped a photo of him standing in front of the auction table with his hands still resting easily in his pockets.
When I dropped the camera to hang around my neck once more, we were in a standoff, both of us watching the other. I wore a smirk that matched his. At least, until his eyes broke contact with my own and raked slowly down my body. He didn’t even pretend to be ashamed, just took in the deep V of my neckline with appreciation, his brow arching more when he noted the high slit of the dress that revealed a sliver of my upper thigh.
My neck burned furiously under his gaze, but not half as hot as my temper, and I was ready to lay into him when an arm looped through mine from behind.
“Sorry,” Livia said. “Got tied up telling gruesome stories to the crowd our GM was entertaining. Oh, I see you’ve met Tanny Boy.”
Vince turned his attention to my best friend, a wide smile spreading on his face. It was so different from the sly smirks he’d been giving me all night it nearly knocked the breath out of me.
“Hey, Livvy,” he greeted, leaning in to kiss the side of each of her cheeks. It brought him a little too close to me, considering Livia still had her arm threaded through mine. “Long time no see.”
“That’s a good thing for you,” she mused. “Take care of those veneers and avoid another puck to the jaw, and we can keep our time together in more fun settings like this one.”
He flashed his teeth again, and I found myself wondering which ones were real.
“Ah, but I miss your chair,” he said, and his eyes appraised her just the same way they had me. “You know we look forward to having a tooth knocked out knowing it means a trip to your office.”
I was tempted to scoff, but Livia seemed used to the blatant flirt. She only rolled her eyes and waved him off with a smile.
