Page 86 of Together We Burn
“What’s wrong, Emilia?” she taunted. “Don’t want anyone to know your daughter was abused, and you did nothing to stop it?”
Emilia chuckled. “Half of these people here would enjoy inflicting that sort of pain. And would pay an obscene amount of cash to do it.” Her eyes flitted over Stefany’s back once more. “Perhaps they will get the chance someday soon.”
She continued walking around Stefany until she was by my side again.
“No wonder you always ended up in my bed, Jacob darling,” she jeered, a venomous smile spreading on her lips as she stared at her daughter. “Needing to fuck away the memory of touching someone so deformed and disgusting with someone more…” She trailed off and cocked her head to the side, waiting for Stefany to snap.
But she laughed, blinking dangerously slowly as she unhooked her arm from Will’s. She turned to him and said with a tired expression, “Excuse me, the stench of desperation around here is becoming unbearable. I need another drink.”
Stefany turned her back, an act screaming that she found her mother not to be a threat. Her hips swayed as she glided through the dance floor toward the bar, and every single male eye-fucked her as they followed her meandering past them.
A muscle in my jaw tightened. They were oglingmygirl like she was a prize to be won, another conquest to chase and get into bed. But they would never claim what was mine.
Will cleared his throat, his obsidian eyes penetrating the side of my head, knowing I was watching Stefany’s every move too.
“Emilia, I must say I am flattered that you’d put in all this effort just to get a meeting with me.” Straight to the point, as always, Will narrowed his eyes at Stefany’s mother in contempt. “But it would have been cheaper to call my secretary to arrange an appointment.”
Emilia smirked. “Just like a Jones to assume everything is about them.”
A waiter walked by with a tray of hors d'oeuvres, pausing when he recognised Emilia. Not that it was hard in her poofy white gown.
“Seared foie gras on toasted brioche with caramelised orange, madam?”
Red flashed in the corner of my eye as Stefany made her way to the double doors from where she had arrived. Emilia and Will were in some weird stalemate as they both reached for the tray and picked up the small appetiser.
Emilia’s high-pitched voice halted me as I tried to step around Will.
“Jacob? Where are you going, darling?”
“I’ve seen a couple of my investors heading for the patio,” I snipped, gesturing toward the large glass doors overlooking the gardens. “I thought I would go and say hello.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” She smiled. “Hurry back. It would be unfortunate if you were to miss any of the party because you were mingling with the wrong people.”
My heart plummeted as her smile turned smug. There’s no way she knows. I nodded, hoping the action looked more casual than it felt. How did Stefany manage to act so calm during her assignments? One sniff of Emilia possibly knowing something’s up and I had begun sweating.
I could feel Will’s glare against the side of my head before I even got the chance to turn and feign a polite exit, his dark eyes silently wondering the same as me. His nostrils flared and the vein in the side of his neck pulsed like it was speaking to me in Morse code.
How the fuck would she know? I had never given her a reason to doubt me. Well, until ten minutes ago, when Stefany walked into the ballroom and then my sole focus was taking my girl by the hand and finding an empty room, somewhere alone where I could fuck her in that fire dress.
We were fine. No need to start panicking.
Swiftly making my way through the crowd, nodding politely at those I knew, I went in the direction I’d seen Stefany go.
Unaware to my approach, Stefany continued to talk to a little old lady dressed in a frilly black gown. With her back to me, I regarded her scars, visible and open for all to see in her backless dress.
Cigarette burns, whip lashes, glass slashes, everything her father–and her job–had put her through was bared for everyone to see. Tonight the real Stefany was out, and she wasn’t playing games.
“It is so nice to see you here to support your mother’s ventures, dear,” the old woman said, clutching Stefany’s hand and patting it lightly. “She must be so happy you’re here.”
“Doubtful, she’s too far up her own ass to care who’s here tonight,” she replied, and the old woman gawked. Appearing by Stefany’s side, I touched her elbow.
“Apologies for interrupting, ladies.” Curling my hand around her arm, I nodded at the slack-jawed woman. “Stefany, I need to speak to you.”
Giving a curt nod, I guided Stefany further down the hall, where near the end, a door was slightly ajar to an empty room. Shrouded in the darkness were several spare round tables, either leaning folded away against a wall or left standing, along with rows of stacked chairs.
Glancing over my shoulder, I urged her inside, quickly following in after her. Pushing her against the door, my mouth found hers in a hard, hot kiss. She groaned as I demanded entrance with my tongue, needing to taste her.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I asked, pinning my hands on either side of her head, caging her against the door and my body. “Have I told you how fucking beautiful you look tonight?”
