Page 25 of Divine Sense
What’s the big deal? It’s your people who will be running security anyway. It’s not weird if you show up.
It’s weird if I show up essentially uninvited, flower. I thought you told them I would be there seeing as how I don’t attend client functions unless otherwise asked.
But you *were* asked to attend. Just, not by my parents.
Don’t worry about it, they won’t even notice.
I rubbed the back of my neck as I read her text and knew that I was sinking deeper into hot water. I wasn’t going to the party because the family invited me to come, I was going to the party becausesheinvited me to come. And the more I talked to her, the more I wanted an excuse to see her in person again. To see her long hair falling in loose waves behind her shoulders. To be close enough to inhale the scent of jasmine and lavender that seemed to follow her everywhere. To be able to look into those sage green eyes that haunted me in my dreams. And the shoes—I couldn’t wait to see her in the shoes she sent me a picture of a few days ago.
When I hadn’t answered her after a few minutes, she texted me again.
Are you upset with me for not telling them?
As I thought about it, I knew that I wasn’t. I wish she would have let her parents know that I’d be coming, but she’s right to say that it’s really not a big deal. I was technically covering for Hank, so it wouldn’t seem out of place for me to be there. Truthfully I was more upset with myself for getting into this situation. I needed to be staying away from her at all costs but instead, I was doing anything I could to get myself in the same room as her.
I think you should wear your hair up.
When she replied with a smirking emoji, I blew out a breath and knew that I had sunk even deeper into the boiling hot water she was quickly pulling me into.
16
KOLBI
Ipulled up in front of the hundred year old home promptly at seven Saturday evening as the invitation had instructed me to do. I knew my men had been here for the last few hours setting up the proper parameters to ensure the evening didn’t go sideways. Since I trusted them to do their jobs, I didn’t see the need for me to arrive any earlier than when the party started. Handing my keys to the valet and making my way up the front walkway, I took in the sight of the estate which had been decorated to the nines for the evening’s event.
The three-story mansion had garland hanging from the banisters and each of the old, slightly warped windows had large, pre-lit wreaths with massive red bows hanging from them. Around the old oak door that led inside was more garland made from Magnolia leaves which was a tradition here in the Lowcountry. The front yard and driveway had been tastefully lined with Christmas lights to lead guests toward the home and every few feet were small, candle-lit lanterns that illuminated the pathways to the garden. The night sky was dark and youcould see the stars hanging in it like ornaments. A chill rolled through the air due to the late winter season.
Once inside, I looked around to find that the main entryway and foyer were full of people. The Sinclairs were expecting close to 200 guests this evening, many of them from some of the wealthiest families in the city. Looking around the room, I could spot a few of my guys wearing earpieces and dressed in black-tie formal as they had been instructed. I gave the ones I saw small nods to let them know I was here. Hank’s number one guy, Parker, was standing just inside the door and I stopped to say hello.
“Parker.” I nodded and shook his hand.
“Hey, man, welcome to the party.” He returned the hand shake and kept his head on a swivel. Several of our other private clients were here and raised a polite hand when they noticed me.
“How did things go earlier, everyone in position?” Parker blew out a breath and cleared his throat at my question. My eyebrows met in the middle of my face and I looked at him directly, waiting for him to explain his exasperated demeanor.
“Yes, everyone is in position. I’m stationed here, Smith is taking care of the outside perimeter, Mendez is trailing Susan and William, and Clark and Spencer are on patrol. Things went fine after their daughter got what she wanted.”
“And what did she want?” My lips curled around my teeth and I tried to keep my voice even when hearing she had caused my men problems. Turning over my shoulder, I looked to see if I could spot her anywhere and waved to another client I recognized.
“Well, it’s what shedidn’twant. Her mother insisted that we have a tail on her throughout the evening, but she refused. When we gave her the option to pick who she wanted to be her tail, she announced that her choice wasn’t here yet and that she ‘didn’t need a babysitter.’” I pressed my tongue into the side ofmy cheek and let out a heavy breath.For once could she just not be so difficult?“None of us understood what she meant by ‘my choice isn’t here yet,’ but we weren’t about to cause a fight half an hour before the guests arrived.”You don’t know what she meant but I sure as shit do because she’s talking about me.
“So did you figure it out?” I continued, trying to keep the conversation casual.
“Yeah, she’s currently on her own but I told Spencer to keep eyes on her from a distance.” Parker continued to watch the sea of people filing into the house and I nodded in agreement with his decision. This is why I never worried about my men or the people who worked for me. They always did the best they could, even with the most difficult of clients.
Even with the clients who currently have me in a chokehold.
I made a mental note to talk to her about not being a pain in the ass when it came to letting my people do their jobs.
“Good man.” My hand clapped him on the shoulder. “I will talk to Miss Sinclair about proper protocol. Keep up the good work, Parker. If you need me, you can get me on my phone. I’ll be here all night.” He nodded before speaking into his earpiece to the other men who were strategically scattered around the grounds letting them know I was here.
Walking through the grand halls, I ran into several clients who we worked for and said hello to many important figures of the city. Several members of city council were here as well as the county sheriff, two local judges, and the mayor. I spoke to each one, shaking their hands and listening to them tell me about their Christmas plans and how much they appreciated the work my people did for them. I gave them all my warmest smile and did my best to pay attention to the things they were sharing with me, trying to keep my eyes from wandering around the room, searching for her. I’d circled the lower level of the home for nearly thirty minutes and was standing in the livingroom holding an Old Fashioned, and speaking to the wife of a councilman, when I spotted her coming down the stairs out of the corner of my eye. Once I caught a glance of her, I couldn’t look away.
She floated down the stairwell wearing a dark emerald gown that came in around her small waist. It was off the shoulder with a large slit up the side so that when she kicked her feet out, you could see the shoes she had sent me a photo of earlier in the week. As instructed, she had her hair up and twisted behind her head and around her neck was a diamond studded tennis necklace that danced in the light of the ornate chandeliers. I tried to keep my eyes from drifting below her neck, but the way her dress lifted and framed her breasts made them hard to ignore. I turned to the older woman who had continued to yap in my ear even though I’d clearly stopped paying attention, and politely excused myself before meeting her at the bottom of the steps.
“Hello, Jack.” She batted her lashes as a sultry smile bloomed across her face from a few steps up, creating the illusion that she was taller than me. With her closer, I could see her skin had been coated with something that made it shimmer in the warm party light. Between the dress, the shoes, and the way the diamond necklace highlighted the smooth angles of her neck, she was absolutely radiant.
“I heard you were giving my people trouble.” I started, keeping my voice low so only she could hear, causing it to come out as more of an accusatory growl. She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes before holding out her hand for me to help her down the last few steps. I studied it for a moment before taking it and when our fingers met, I could feel a heat growing under my collar again.
