Page 70 of Bourbon Sins
“You look . . .” he cleared his throat and continued, “You look beautiful, Lo.”
“Thank you,” I said, right before he pushed me out to the ballroom.
I couldn’t think too much about the short moment of vulnerability I’d just shared with Kace, because I had to focus on the event, but all I wanted to do was hang back with him and ask him what the hell all his little looks, touches, and moments of weakness meant. Damn men!
I was instantly struck by the wealth permeating the room. Men in suits, holding tumblers of dark liquid, milled about the polished marble floors of the ballroom. Male waiters in tuxedos with white cloths draped over their arms passed around finger foods, while classical music drifted through the warm night air. Lights dangled across the ceiling, providing a rather electric southern ambiance. The French doors that led to the backyard were propped open, bringing in the warm air of a quaint New Orleans night. I couldn’t help but be impressed with the way everything had come together, and I also couldn’t help but notice we were the only women in the entire house. Fantastic.
Entering the room, I noticed the men part ways as I slowly but stealthily walked about. The slit in my dress luckily didn’t run up the length of my thigh like Tootse’s, but it still gave me plenty of leeway to move about freely.
Scanning the room, I noticed some important men who I’d seen splashed across the papers or on television. Senators, high-powered businessmen, moguls, and city officials owned the room and glanced our way as we walked about. There were five pedestals around the room that we were supposed to rotate through. I found my first pedestal and stepped up. It was only a couple inches off the ground, but given my height and my heels, it gave every single man in the room a straight on view of my barely-there dress.
I could feel the silk fabric brush against my already-hardened nipples, sending ripples of pleasure straight through me. I looked over at Tootse, who was smirking at me, knowing exactly how uncomfortable she’d made me. Bitch. All I wanted to do was flip her off, but knew the gesture would most likely be looked down upon.
Tootse. She knew exactly what she was doing when she designed my dress. Well, I was just going to have to own it, so I did. Cocking one hip out to the side, I showed off my leg and stood in the middle of all the wandering-eyed men with pride as my nipples tried to poke every last man who walked by me.
Standing still in my heels for a long period of time was going to hurt, but we were only on the pedestals for five minutes, then we walked around for a while, and then got back up on the pedestals. The event wouldn’t be too bad, at least I hoped.
The ballroom doors that led to the entryway both opened at the same time as light blared through the entrance. It felt like the room stopped and started playing in slow motion as a shadow of a man walked forward wearing a finely-tailored suit that would make any woman’s mouth water. I couldn’t catch a glimpse of the man until the doors closed, due to the light, but once they did, I lost all ability to breathe.
Jett.
Standing there, in the most mouthwatering black suit, black shirt, and black tie I’d ever seen was Jett Colby. He fastened one of the buttons on the front of his jacket as he stepped forward and observed the room. His dirty blonde hair was combed back and slightly to the side, and his face was perfectly shaven and begging for my touch. His eyes stood out against the light bronze tan that caressed his skin, something I never noticed before, in the dim light of the Bourbon Room. He was perfection—fuck me in the ass, all finger huts in the room are weeping, my lady cactus drought is over, panty pudding overload, kind of perfection.
As he walked into the middle of the room, his swagger commanded the attention of every important man there. He adjusted his cufflinks as he sidled up next to the bar and ordered a drink, while shaking hands with the men who’d stepped up to say hi. He was such a stark contradiction sometimes, domineering and demanding in the Bourbon Room, but approachable and personable with his comrades. He intrigued me.
Easily, he stood out amongst the men in the room, not because of his sensuous appeal that would make any woman weak in the knees, but because of the way he owned the room. He didn’t need money or power or fame, all he needed was the quirk of an eyebrow and the tick of his jaw and he owned every single human in the vicinity.
Trying to slow down my heartbeat, I focused on the task at hand, and that was being completely still as men walked around me and observed what I had to offer as a Jett Girl, well, Jett Girl in training, but they didn’t have to know that.
The color around the walls changed from a deep purple, to a gold, signaling it was time to walk around the room. I stepped down from my pedestal and started walking the room in a clockwise manner, as I’d been told. The task was rather easier than I thought, given the fact that the men parted like the red sea when I approached them, giving them a better opportunity to take me all in.
I smiled casually as I walked around, feeling a little uncomfortable and maybe a little stupid for not interacting with anyone, but I just did as I was told; I didn’t want to get in trouble. Although, going into tonight, I thought that maybe, since it was a social, we could have a little drink and do a little dancing, but apparently that wasn’t in the plans.
Seeing another light change, I found the closest pedestal and started walking toward it. Right when I was about to step up, a familiar warm hand pressed to the small of my back. I smiled to myself as I turned around, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist me in this dress for too long.
“You’re going to have to wait until later to—”
My words were cut short when I connected with a pair of molten brown eyes, not blue.
“I’ve been searching up and down New Orleans for you, kitten. If I’d known you were right under my nose the entire time, I would have come sooner for you.”
Rex Titan stood in front of me, looking sexier than ever with fury and lust blazing through his eyes. I thought for a second of denying that it was me, telling him that he was talking to the wrong person, but there was no use; he spotted me easily, but how, was my question?
“How did you know . . .?”
“Oh, kitten. I know your body like the back of my own damn hand, plus it’s hard not to recognize your heart-shaped birthmark that is so prominently on display tonight,” he said, as he caressed just above my ass where my trademark rested.
Shit, I didn’t think about covering it up.
“I can’t talk to you.”
“I know. That is why you’re going to meet me on Sunday at Café du Monde at noon. I will be at the back table to the right, next to the hedges.”
“I can’t.”
Rex leaned down and brushed his stubbled jaw across my cheek as he spoke into my ear. His hand was dangerously close to my ass as he spoke softly, “Kitten, please do not say no. I need to see you, talk to you. I have so much to say, and I can’t do it with the almighty Jett watching so closely over you.”
“Rex . . .”
