“Should we join Miranda on stage?” Uncle Chase asks.
Waleed claps his hands together. “But of course! Lead the way, Mr. Adler.”
Uncle Chase gives me a wink, then leads Waleed into the crowd.
“GoodLord, that Waleed guy talksa lot,” Julian says, then comes to stand next to me.
I laugh. “He’s eccentric for sure.”
“Trymoot.”
I laugh again. “Well…that, too.”
“You doing okay?” Julian asks.
“Yeah,” I look at him. “You?”
He shrugs. “Same old.” He takes a drink from the glass of bourbon he’s holding. “I haven’t seen you atLurein a few days,” he says. “And now I seethis,” he gestures toward my cheek, “on your face. You really sure you’re okay, Cigs? In case you didn’t know, I’m well-trained in taekwondo, and can take a fucker out with a neat roundhouse kick or two if you need me to.”
I chuckle and give his arm a grateful squeeze, overwhelmed by the kindness in his eyes.
“Thanks, Julian,” I say with a smile. “Seriously, it means a lot. But I’m good, I promise.”
He smiles back. “I’ll take your word for it.”
A loud screech of a microphone silences the entire room. Julian and I look ahead, and I watch as my mom, uncle, and Waleed take the stage. The massive screen behind them lights up, and every eye in the ballroom is focused on the three of them.
I feel my phone vibrate in my clutch. I pull it out, just as Uncle Chase starts speaking to the gathered crowd, thanking them for attending the gala and being generous with their donations. I’m pretty sure he knows Mom isn’t going to give a dime from tonight’s collection to the women and children in our foundation, but again, he’s going to ignore her shortcomings by brushing them under the rug.
I sigh and look down at my phone. Gavin has texted me, which immediately makes me scowl.
Gavin:Baby, you’ve been avoiding me for days now. Did you find a better cock for that eager pussy of yours, or are you just playing hard to get?
Wow…
I can’t believe I fucked this dense asshole.Multipletimes.
But then again, I was only looking for pleasure, and not substance, and he’sverygood at providing the former, so I didn’t really care at the time.
Not until recently.
But given how Gavin cheated on Varsha with Nicole, and on Nicole withme, no one should expect any kind of substance from a guy like him anyway.
I glance sideways, and notice that Julian is busy listening to Mom, who has now taken the mic from Uncle Chase, and is rambling about the hard work she put into creating this new winter-wear collection.
What a joke.
I glance at the balcony, and find that it’s occupied by a few elites who are smoking and vaping whilst chatting among each other. They have no interest in Mom’s announcement, and I can’t say I blame them.
I once again look at my phone, and type out my response to Gavin.
Me:The former. And, if you like your cock attached to your body, you’ll refrain from being so fucking candid with me next time.
He begins typing seconds after reading my text.
Gavin:Dorran will chew you up and spit you out. You’re better off with me.
Again: WOW.
