could.
“Thank you for coming. Please, enjoy
yourselves. The buffet is set up under the white tents.” She
gestured with an arm.
“Thanks, Angelina.” Nicholas guided us away
from the hostess and I resumed my silence. The cameras followed and
I ignored them almost as well as I ignored the man under my
hand.
There were tables set up across the lawn and
Nicholas nodded hello to several people that called out to him but
never stopped. I knew from Bluejay, Nicholas didn’t like to be in
the center of things. He was an observer not a participant.
“Nicky,” a woman’s voice crooned and
Nicholas’s arm under my hand turned to steel but he kept walking.
At least until the woman stepped out in front of him quickly
blocking his path. “Nicky, don’t you remember?”
“Dilynne.” Nicholas’s voice held no warmth
and even I shivered from the chill.
When she glanced me over with hard blue eyes
I lifted my chin and stared directly back. Her lips curled in
vicious amusement when she reached my face.
“I don’t recall seeing your friend before.”
I flicked her a disinterested glance over her
sadly lacking wardrobe and then leveled her with a cool, thin
smile. No taste. She was dressed like a desperate whore. While I
would love to tell her so, I wouldn’t stoop to petty. I was better
than that.
She glared but most couldn’t hold up to my
unwavering silent ridicule. When she fluttered nervously after a
few seconds, I smiled enough to show some teeth. She turned an
interesting shade of red but from embarrassment or anger I couldn’t
and didn’t care.
Nicholas coughed, and I could swear he
covered a laugh. “Dilynne, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to
entertain my friend. ”
Nicholas stepped around her and led us away
from the stunned actress. He patted my hand. “I think we’re about
even on the rude scale, Songbird.”
Like hell we were but I was still too angry
at him to speak to him directly. I let him bask in silence for the
rest of the party. By the look on his face, he wasn’t happy about
that. With every passing moment his anger bled a little more into
his eyes. Oh, fucking well.
Arc and Max grinned when I stepped into their
dressing room to check on status.
“Doesn’t someone look pretty?” Arc asked Max
and I rolled my eyes.
Instead of going back to the hotel after the
garden party, I had Henry drive us straight to the stage. Nicholas
had stage clothes already here, and I would have only changed into
a dress suit before coming out. The dress was too pretty to shelf
so quickly.
“Sure does.” Max winked. “Those shoes are
great, Stilts. Don’t think you’ve worn those ones yet.”
“What is your obsession with my shoes?” I
asked shaking my head. “They’re just shoes.”
“That make your legs look like a celestial
carving of alabaster.” Arc wiggled his eyebrows.
“Poetry, Arc?” I batted my eye lashes at him.
“Are you declaring your intentions?”
I had the great pleasure of seeing him
flush.
A loud crashing sound had me jolt and second
later, Guy staggered into the room, his head bleeding.
“Oh my God,” I raced over and pushed him into
the nearest chair. “Are you okay? What happened? Someone get me a
first aid kit.”
“Ah, Nick.” Guy’s eyes focused in for a
second then out.
The crashing sounds continued and I knew what
he didn’t say. Son of a bitch. Not when there was supposed to be a
concert in an hour.
“Max, clean up his head, get a wet cloth.
Guy, lean back and close your eyes. Take a few minutes.”
Arc grabbed my arm. “You’re not going over
there.”
I shrugged him off. “It’s my job.”
The vase of flowers smashed against the wall
next to the door when I stepped in. I deserved brownie points for
not flinching or dropping to the ground in fear. Nicholas stood on
the far side of the mess leaning against the broken, wall height
vanity mirror wearing only his stage pants.
“Nicholas Sebastian Walker! Don’t you dare
throw another damn
“Thank you for coming. Please, enjoy
yourselves. The buffet is set up under the white tents.” She
gestured with an arm.
“Thanks, Angelina.” Nicholas guided us away
from the hostess and I resumed my silence. The cameras followed and
I ignored them almost as well as I ignored the man under my
hand.
There were tables set up across the lawn and
Nicholas nodded hello to several people that called out to him but
never stopped. I knew from Bluejay, Nicholas didn’t like to be in
the center of things. He was an observer not a participant.
“Nicky,” a woman’s voice crooned and
Nicholas’s arm under my hand turned to steel but he kept walking.
At least until the woman stepped out in front of him quickly
blocking his path. “Nicky, don’t you remember?”
“Dilynne.” Nicholas’s voice held no warmth
and even I shivered from the chill.
When she glanced me over with hard blue eyes
I lifted my chin and stared directly back. Her lips curled in
vicious amusement when she reached my face.
“I don’t recall seeing your friend before.”
I flicked her a disinterested glance over her
sadly lacking wardrobe and then leveled her with a cool, thin
smile. No taste. She was dressed like a desperate whore. While I
would love to tell her so, I wouldn’t stoop to petty. I was better
than that.
She glared but most couldn’t hold up to my
unwavering silent ridicule. When she fluttered nervously after a
few seconds, I smiled enough to show some teeth. She turned an
interesting shade of red but from embarrassment or anger I couldn’t
and didn’t care.
Nicholas coughed, and I could swear he
covered a laugh. “Dilynne, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to
entertain my friend. ”
Nicholas stepped around her and led us away
from the stunned actress. He patted my hand. “I think we’re about
even on the rude scale, Songbird.”
Like hell we were but I was still too angry
at him to speak to him directly. I let him bask in silence for the
rest of the party. By the look on his face, he wasn’t happy about
that. With every passing moment his anger bled a little more into
his eyes. Oh, fucking well.
Arc and Max grinned when I stepped into their
dressing room to check on status.
“Doesn’t someone look pretty?” Arc asked Max
and I rolled my eyes.
Instead of going back to the hotel after the
garden party, I had Henry drive us straight to the stage. Nicholas
had stage clothes already here, and I would have only changed into
a dress suit before coming out. The dress was too pretty to shelf
so quickly.
“Sure does.” Max winked. “Those shoes are
great, Stilts. Don’t think you’ve worn those ones yet.”
“What is your obsession with my shoes?” I
asked shaking my head. “They’re just shoes.”
“That make your legs look like a celestial
carving of alabaster.” Arc wiggled his eyebrows.
“Poetry, Arc?” I batted my eye lashes at him.
“Are you declaring your intentions?”
I had the great pleasure of seeing him
flush.
A loud crashing sound had me jolt and second
later, Guy staggered into the room, his head bleeding.
“Oh my God,” I raced over and pushed him into
the nearest chair. “Are you okay? What happened? Someone get me a
first aid kit.”
“Ah, Nick.” Guy’s eyes focused in for a
second then out.
The crashing sounds continued and I knew what
he didn’t say. Son of a bitch. Not when there was supposed to be a
concert in an hour.
“Max, clean up his head, get a wet cloth.
Guy, lean back and close your eyes. Take a few minutes.”
Arc grabbed my arm. “You’re not going over
there.”
I shrugged him off. “It’s my job.”
The vase of flowers smashed against the wall
next to the door when I stepped in. I deserved brownie points for
not flinching or dropping to the ground in fear. Nicholas stood on
the far side of the mess leaning against the broken, wall height
vanity mirror wearing only his stage pants.
“Nicholas Sebastian Walker! Don’t you dare
throw another damn
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