Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
He rubbed his nose and dropped his hand.
“Sorry…I wasn’t expecting you to stay.”
He dropped his hand above his head and closed his eyes like he could go back to sleep. “I hope this is as romantic as you pictured.”
I scooted closer to him in the bed and slipped my leg between his. My arm draped over his stomach, and I rested my head on his shoulder, suddenly warm without the sheets. “It is.”
He clasped the diamond necklace around my throat before he let the cold jewels touch my skin. They had a distinctive density whenever they sat on my skin, a weight that belied their size. I never got used to the frigid touch of their surfaces. I also had diamonds in my ears, diamonds around my wrist.
I basically walked around covered in millions.
In the tight dress that I had picked out and my heels, I was ready to go.
“Ready?” He was in a tuxedo, looking fit with his broad shoulders within the material.
“Yes.”
We were at his apartment in Paris, and we took the elevator down to the bottom floor before the car took us away. A couple minutes later, we arrived at the Four Seasons and entered their private ballroom. Crystal chandeliers, banners along the wall for the charity organization hosting the event, and waiters carrying beverages moving across the elaborately decorated hall. We were right on time, but it was already a packed house, like people chose to come early.
“This is pretty elaborate for charity.”
“You gotta spend money to make money, right?” He kept his hand in mine as he walked me forward and parted the crowd. Mr. Popular saw people he knew immediately and struck up conversations about their lives as if he’d memorized every detail. Every time he introduced me to someone new, he always said, “This is my woman, Camille.”
It was nice.
We made our way through the crowd and continued the endless chitchat. My mind started to glaze over, to think about other things besides the conversations the men were having. It was usually about finance or golf, two things I couldn’t care less about. My eyes turned rigid when I saw someone I recognized.
Grave.
In a tuxedo that emphasized his large frame, he sipped a glass of champagne as he spoke with a man I didn’t recognize. His arm was around a woman—someone else I didn’t recognize. She was pretty. Really pretty.
Seemed like he’d forgotten all about me.
When Cauldron came up for air, I grabbed his arm. “Grave is here.”
His expression didn’t change. “I assumed he would be.”
“Oh, okay…just wanted you to know.”
We continued to make it through the party, and of course, the diamonds were the biggest subject. Constantly admired around my neck, they were like a lighthouse beacon shining to shore. Moth to a flame, everyone came to see.
My job was to smile and say nothing, to let the jewels do all the talking.
Right in the middle of a charity gala, Cauldron sold my diamond necklace for ten million dollars.
Didn’t have to do anything other than strike up a conversation about the weather.
We walked away, and I absentmindedly touched the necklace I’d have to part with.
“You’ve sold more diamonds than any other marketing scheme I’ve ever implemented.” He grabbed another glass of champagne and handed it to me. “Should have started this a long time ago.”
“Maybe you should start paying me,” I teased.
He grinned before he took a drink. “I should start paying you for other things too, then.”
TWENTY
GRAVE
Elise wore a tight black dress that attracted attention the entire night. Men stared at her like I wasn’t even there, and jealous women gave her dirty looks. She didn’t look like a woman who had two children, and she didn’t look like a woman who ate a single carb once in her life. Her arm was hooked through mine, and despite being a whore, she played the part of a refined woman well.
“What charity is this for?” she asked, sipping a glass of champagne.
“I don’t know.”
“Does anyone know?” she asked as she looked around. “Just an excuse to go out and flaunt their riches.”
“And do business.”
She turned to look at me, tilting her head back to meet my gaze. “Are you doing business?”
“I’m always doing business.” My eyes spotted her across the room. Long blond hair and brightly colored eyes. Her eyes were even brighter than the diamonds around her neck. Her hand was in Cauldron’s, trailing behind him like an obedient dog.
She chose wrong.
“What do you keep looking at?” Elise was shrewd, always aware of her surroundings and always reading people. She was street-smart. That was how she’d survived this long.
It could be annoying, but I respected it, nonetheless. “You see that man with the blonde wearing the diamond necklace?”
“Yes.”
“That’s my brother.”
She stared for a while, studying him from across the room. “The resemblance is faint.”