Page 58 of Savage Prince
Mouths around the room drop open.
“She’s a terrible liar.”
“And a felon.”
Valentina bursts out laughing. “Only if she got caught. I have a feeling Temperance is too smart for that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yve, the shop owner, pipes up. “Sure thing, Temperance who hasn’t seen enough penises in her life. Now, tell us about the club. If I can rustle up more business catering to these ladies, I need to know.”
I bite down on my lip, but the wine has loosened my tongue. “I can’t. It’s against the rules. You don’t talk about it.”
The blonde, Vanessa, reaches for the wine. “Wait, so it’s like fight club?”
“No, it’s ... probably way more dangerous than fight club.”
“So, who’d you bang? How many?” This question comes from Yve.
“Just one guy. I don’t know his name.”
“Youwhore. I think I love you,” Vanessa says and turns to Valentina. “She’s in the girl gang, by the way. We needed an actual rule-breaker instead of a pretend rule-breaker like you. Who knows when we might need to commit a felony and not get caught. But I vote that Temperance doesn’t talk to the cops. You get to do that.”
The women all nod, and a wave of acceptance engulfs me, but I know I shouldn’t get used to it.
“He was at the auction,” I tell Valentina. “That was the only time I ever saw him outside the club.”
Her eyes sparkle with interest. “What did he look like?”
“Besides gorgeous in a suit? Dark hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders.”
“The asshole who outbid me on your piece? Are you joking?”
My mouth drops open this time. “What? He did not.”
She nods. “Dark gray pinstripe three-piece suit. Light blue shirt that made his eyes pop. Uh, yeah. That was him. I contemplated sketching him for Rix so I could track him down to buy it from him.”
The knowledge sends me reeling.My stranger bought my artwork?
“That’s ... no way.”
“Yes. I swear.”
“Then I have his company name somewhere. I wonder ...”
Ariel pipes up. “If you have the company name, I can track him down in less than five minutes.”
“Ari, I’m pretty sure Rhett told you no more hacking.” This comes from Valentina.
“This is barely hacking. It’s for the sisterhood. Shouldn’t she at least know the name of the guy she fucked? I mean ... what if she got pregnant or something. It’s practically required.”
“I’m definitely not pregnant.” I look down at my wineglass. “I don’t think. I hope. No, definitely not.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Ariel says. I can practically see her fingers twitching, like she wants a keyboard in front of her. “So, what’s the company name?”
My mind goes blank as I try to remember it, but all I can picture is his glacier-blue eyes. “I don’t remember.”
“Get it for me tomorrow and I’ll go digging.” She glances at Valentina. “This one doesn’t like it when I bring my computer, so I left it at home.”
