Page 36 of Professional Liar
Thirteen
Pierce
Despite several argumentsand a round of protests from both me and Gerry, Kat insisted we attend the five families party. She called it “the inauguration.” Sometimes, it sounded like a joke. Others, I couldn’t be sure.
The invite directed us to the Aristo compound for the party. Any place labeled a compound also didn’t get my vote for a visit. I straightened my cufflinks for the fifteenth time while I waited for Katherine to come out of the bathroom. The finger of whiskey I poured had long since disappeared, and the wait bordered on ridiculous at this point.
“Kat, we are going to be late if you don’t hurry it up,” I called through the door. The smile spread across my face unbidden. Two months into marriage, and we were already waging meaningless domestic battles.
The sound of water shut off, and I held my breath she’d exit this time. The door jerked open and stepped back to let her out. It took time for my brain to catch up with my eyes. Her dark hair curled and hung loose to her shoulder blades, covering only a portion of the bare skin on display. The emerald green dress cut almost to her ass in the back, and a deep v bisected the front half way down her belly.
I popped my mouth open and closed like a fish for a few second before my brain fired back up. “You look incredible.”
She smiled and crushed a curl behind her ear. “You look amazing too. All the ladies are going to be offering to cook for you tonight.”
“Is that an Italian thing?”
She shook her head. “It’s a woman thing, I suppose. A way to get in your door to get in…” She dropped her eyes to my crotch.
I pressed my lips to her forehead, careful not to muss anything. “No one is getting in any doors of mine, except you.”
She bit her lip and mocked surprise. “Doors?”
“Get out there.” I pointed to the living room. “Watch your mouth, young lady.”
She spun around and walked backward through the hallway. “But just to be clear, though, how do you feel about…” She wiggled her fingers at me.
I captured her wrist and dragged her close to whisper in her ear. “I’m willing to try anything once. How about you?”
When I let her go, she winked and grabbed her clutch from Patton who stood waiting by the door. My choice of guards were limited with them split between us and Bianca, who refused to get rid of the five-families-appointed Rodrigo. I assigned a team to her until the situation could be sorted. After Kat told me about finding them together, I almost stormed into her apartment myself to tear the kid a new…door.
“Ready?” Kat called, stepping into the entry.
I followed her out, once again pulling on my cufflinks. I hated wearing suits. Once my father dictated I needed to stop dressing like a “rale Bulgarian” whatever the hell that was, I started wearing my usual uniform. But never a tie, not unless the Pope dropped by or I happened to get married and then was required to dress for an apparently important event.
When I broached the subject of not wearing the tux, the look she gave me could have melted the skin of someone who wasn’t fortified with a decade’s worth of experience.
The ride across town took a half hour, and every time I tracked my hand down her bare leg to run it under her dress, she slapped it hard.
“Be a good boy, and maybe I’ll give you a treat after the party,” she said.
I dropped a bite to her tiny shoulder leaving a red ring and fresh teeth indentions. “Be nice, Baby Girl.”
When we arrived, holt helped her out first, and I followed, Patton on my heels. A red carpet lay rolled out. A crowd milled to one side with cameras and flash bulbs. I gripped her waist and whispered quickly, “what the hell is this?”
She pasted on a wide, toothy smile. The kind for magazine covers and post-scandal photo ops.
“I explained what I do for the families. This is it. I’m the public face for our organization now. So stand up tall and smile.” She gritted out low, a weird grin still in place the entire time she spoke
I jerked her tight to me, so we walked side by side up the red carpet. She waved at a few of the photographers. We stopped and allowed them to snap pictures, and then I dragged her through the gleaming double doors.
My pulse pounded in my ears as we made our way into a large ballroom. Gold and black décor dominated the tables and lighting. On the far end of the room, an empty dance floor sat waiting.
We were on time, but the party only seemed about half full. My heartbeat started to return to normal as we squeezed through ordinary people. I caught sight of Bianca at the bar and pointed her out to Kat. We aimed straight toward her, two birds, one stone.
Bianca’s blonde hair sat high on her head in curls, her violet dress hugged her curvy figure, but paint stains down one arm did not complete the look.
Kat frowned, but hugged her sister close anyway. Bianca greeted me with a sharp nod, still not over my refusal to help her get back in school.
