Page 94 of Burning Deceptions
He nodded once. “Very well, sir, thank you.”
I introduced Asher, uh, Ashley, to Marcus and handed over our coats.
“Is he a butler or something snooty britches like that?” Asher whispered as I led him toward the front sitting room with my hand at the small of his back.
“Basically. He’s part of the staff here at the house.”
Rumbles of conversations and the occasional laugh reached us before we reached them. I expected Asher to tense at the reminder of what we were about to do, but he didn’t. He was excited and jittery, but not stressed. He wasn’t sweating with heart palpitations as I was. Essentially, I was walking into the lion’s den with a man at my side. No matter what they saw in Asher, I couldn’t drop the fear completely.
We stepped under the archway, and dozens of eyes turned to us.
Asher, my wonderful, perfect, stunning boyfriend, smiled wide and nodded. “Hello.” His voice didn’t carry loudly, but it didn’t have to because the room had quieted. Mother had apparently spread the word, and all were aware I was bringing a date tonight. Something that had never happened before.
“There he is,” Mother said, and I stiffened.He?
“Darling, you’re late. Was the traffic dreadful?” Mother added when she reached us and curled her arm around my free one.
She meant me. Of course she meant me.
Asher squeezed my hand slightly, reminding me I wasn’t alone. Maybe it had meant something different, but that was how I took it. I wasn’t alone in this.
He was mine. In my corner, at my side, mine.
“No, Mother,” I said and didn’t elaborate.
“No matter. You’re here. Ashley.” Mother peeked around me to Asher. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Thank you for the invite,” Asher said with the soft voice he adopted as Ashley. The masculine inflection he hid now rang crystal clear in my ears.
“Darling, go speak with your father while I introduce Ashley to everyone.”
I was already shaking my head. “I don’t think—”
Asher patted my arm and squeezed my hand. “It’s fine.” With a show Mother would hate, he cupped my cheek and breathed over my lips for only me to hear. “I’ll be fine, old man.”
I narrowed my eyes and warned, “Behave.”
He winked and stepped to Mother’s side. “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Dorset.”
“Thank you, dear.” Her pleasant demeanor was all a front, but Asher was well aware of it. “Do you know the Jamesons?” Mother asked as she steeredAshleytoward them.
“Nope, not at all.”
I stood in place, not seeking out my father, and stared as Mother did exactly as she said, introducing Asher to everyone. After the Jamesons with their son, William—not my best friend, who would’ve loved to have been here tonight instead of in Aspen with his family—Mother moved on to Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael and their two daughters, Sofie and Emmaline. Both women Mother had pushed me toward at one point in time, along with so many others.
“She’s very pretty,” Mary said, startling me from gazing at Asher as he moved throughout the room.
“Thank you.”
“How long has this been going on?”
Did we have an officialstart date? “Uh, a month or so.” Sounded good.
“So mysterious. I didn’t believe Mother when she said you were bringing a date tonight. Actually, I thought it might be Georgina, then Mother assured she wasn’t.”
I snickered and resumed watching Asher make the rounds with Mother. “No, she isn’t Georgina.”
“She’s the one, huh?” Mary asked.
