The driver opened the back door and took his time helping us out. At the entrance, the guard smiled as we approached.
“Welcome to the Housing Authority’s Annual Gala,” he said. “Chloe Sterling and plus one—Marie, correct?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “How do you know that?”
“Mr. Hudson described you very well. You’re at table seventeen.” He winked and ushered us past the velvet rope.
“Don’t you dare,” Marie whispered under her breath. “Dare what?”
“Don’t read into what that guard mentioned about your boss,” she said, but my mind was already speeding down that road.
Did he give him a picture? Describe me that damn well?
Why the hell hasn’t he called…
Like a desperate girl I didn’t recognize, I pulled my phone from my clutch in hopes of finally getting a reply.
Hey…Can we talk for a second?
Can you just RESPOND?
Once?
Nothing.
We made our way to the sea of white-clothed tables that were standing under a canopy of trees—all dressed in fairy lights. Matching white tents and black glass domes dotted the forest, adding to the supposed “Life in the Woods” theme.
Our table was right next to the stage, but there was no waiting nameplate for Hudson. Just his executive assistant and Anthony.
I swallowed my disappointment and forced a smile as Marie insisted we walk around and mingle with the celebrities.
While we were in the middle of listening to the governor tell a story, I spotted Dante out of the corner of my eye.
With a beautiful blonde in a bright red dress at his side, he was slowly becoming the center of attention. The woman smiled up at him, blushing, and I sucked in a breath when he smiled back at her.
“See?” Marie asked. “He has an entire secret life you know nothing about.”
I nodded, feeling my heart ache in my chest. “I need to go get some air.”
“We’re outside already, Chloe.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah...” She shot me a sympathetic look. “Text me if you end up leaving, okay?”
“Okay.” I took one last look at Dante smiling at the other woman in the same way he smiled at me all these weeks.
I let myself feel the humiliation of getting attached to a man like him, let my chest experience the ache of getting its hopes up, and before I could turn away, Dante’s eyes landed on me.
His gaze swept over me slowly—his lips parting as he took in every part of my sleeveless cream dress.
I could practically feel him pulling down the sparkling top, grabbing the cinched waist, and pushing up the trailing fabric to make me feel him again.
Suddenly, it was just the two of us here, and that naive feeling of him possibly being into me returned.
I refused to let it stay, though.
“Fuck. You.” I mouthed, obliterating the moment and making his eyes widen.