Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 94834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I nod and he watches me a second longer before looking down at his clipboard, scanning through the list of names. “I’m not seeing your name on the list, Miss Quinn. Please move aside.”
He goes to look over my shoulder, preparing for the next guest, but I hold my ground. They’re not kicking me out that easily, not after all the effort I went through to get my hair to cooperate. I hold out the invitation, clearly with my name scrawled across the front. “I have a personal invitation,” I tell the guard before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Look, I don’t want to be here any more than you probably do, but someone inside that building wants me here tonight. I’m not leaving until I figure out why.”
The guard looks at me with a blank stare. “You’re the type to cause a scene if you get refused, aren’t you?”
A wide grin stretches across my face. I don’t need to respond; he knows damn well that I will.
Letting out a heavy breath, he waves me in and my grin turns into a genuine smile. “Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you,” I tell him, only to receive nothing but a blank stare in return, clearly lacking in the sarcasm department.
Hurrying in before he changes his mind, I come to a startling halt, finding a breathtaking ballroom before me. I stand up on the top level, a grand staircase leading down to the stunning ballroom below. It’s absolutely everything, fit for a queen on the most important nights of her life. The top level circles the whole room with arched balconies overlooking the ballroom below.
Chandeliers hang from the roof, filling the room with the brightest lights—a perfect contrast to the dark, intricate designs across the marble floor. High-arched windows line the walls, showcasing gorgeous gardens decorated with breathtaking fairy lights with the cityscape in the background, and I realize that despite everything, tonight might just be one of those magical nights I’ll never have the luxury to experience again.
Despite my desperation to have my grand Cinderella entrance moment, I slip straight past the elaborate staircase and around the top level of the ballroom, overlooking the crowd below. There are people everywhere, and as I scan over the faces of the guests below, I realize there are more than just a few familiar ones.
Politicians, council workers, and the chief of police. Hell, even the local hospital administrator has a champagne glass in hand as he mingles with the crowd. Many of these faces I’ve seen splashed over the front of magazines and newspapers, boasting about their accomplishments in the community. Most of them have pockets lined with gold and silver, more cash than they know what to do with, and I can’t help but feel this isn’t a good thing. These are prominent figures of the Faders Bay community, the type of men who shouldn’t have anything to do with the likes of Zade and his friends.
As if on cue, my gaze sails over the four boys, and my stomach all but drops out of my ass.
Good Lord, take the wheel.
These men. Holy shit. It was one thing seeing them in my apartment complex, stalking me like the creepy fucktards they are, but in their five-piece suits, looking sharper than ever before . . . I’m a goner. They’re channeling David Beckham at the royal wedding, only in different shades, their jaws nearly as sharp as their suits.
My knees shake and my core clenches. This isn’t fair. How am I supposed to concentrate on getting answers when they look like that? The only thing keeping me from making a fool of myself is the knowledge that these aren’t the kind of guys I should be screwing with. Only then, Dalton turns around—holy fuck. Why does he have to be such an asshole? The way he looks tonight, damn. I’m ready for round two, though I will never give him the satisfaction.
I wonder if I could somehow trick him into taking a mold of his dick . . . you know, for scientific reasons of course.
Wanting to get this over and done with, I make my way around the top level before discreetly skimming down the far stairs and moving into the crowd. I keep my head down, but as I make my way through the ballroom, I can’t help but feel the stares of the people around me.
I glance up and meet their curious gazes, some looking at me as though there’s something familiar about me, something they can’t put their finger on, while others watch me with sneers of disgust, knowing I don’t belong. Either way, I don’t like it.
Shuffling past them, I keep my eye on the prize. The boys are over toward the far corner, near one of the many bars, and wanting to be as discreet about this as possible, I slip deeper into the crowd, doing what I can to keep my head down.