And we’re only getting started.
“But do come in,” she continued, gesturing at the interior of the impressively large penthouse.
To my utter annoyance, she seized the opportunity to touch my bare upper arm, giving it a shameless caress while pretending to be nudging me forward. I pulled away from her touch in a way that wasn’t flat out rude but also left little doubt that I did not appreciate the contact.
She licked her lips, her wheels spinning as to how she was going to get me to give in to her. Far from offending her, my reaction only made her even more determined to have her way. To Angelique, my resistance wasn’t sincere. The wretched female believed I was merely playing hard to get and issuing a direct challenge to what she deemed herself entitled to.
I couldn’t wait to crush her spirit a bit more with each of her disrespectful attempts.
“Everyone, this is the very handsome Vazul, gracing us with his presence. Please see to it that you make him feel very welcome,” Angelique shouted to all the attendees.
Like properly trained pets, most of them approached us, giving a polite greeting to Coral before excessively fussing over me. Saying I wanted to crack each and every one of their skulls would be quite the understatement.
The only thing that made it bearable was how relieved my Mistress felt about having less focus on her. The guilt she felt about me sustaining the brunt of all that unrequited attention might have been problematic. But it soon gave way to almost malicious enjoyment as she watched me squash every overly flirtatious overture the other guests made me. It was obvious enough to recognize it for what it was, but also not so blatant that you could openly call them out for it.
Merely moments after I finally finished being introduced to all the attendees, Angie invited everyone to follow her to her workshop for an exclusive preview of her collection. I frownedwhen Coral instantly tensed. Why would she be so worried? I didn’t know what Angie might have concocted, but my Mistress’ collection was absolutely stellar. By the time I finished polishing what she had already put together, it would be very hard to rival.
With a theatrical gesture, our hostess opened wide the double doors located at the other end of the penthouse. As one, the crowd started moving forward. We followed, lagging a bit behind as I took in our surroundings.
The place was flawless in a very clinical and calculated way. Everything was in shades of dark blues, black, deep burgundy, and little hints of silver. That latter color surprised me. I would have expected gold instead. The clever balancing of so many dark colors with white ceilings and much lighter furniture kept the place from being gloomy. The countless immense windows also made the place more luminous. During the daytime, it had to be wonderful. And the evening was nothing to sneeze at either, as it offered a breathtaking view of the illuminated city at night.
However, this entire place had no soul. The modern furniture with sharp edges and polished surfaces didn’t beckon you to just sit down and relax. You constantly felt like you had to check yourself not to break anything like in a showroom. We might as well have been transported into one of those interior decoration magazines. Chances were that was exactly where this entire design came from.
In sharp contrast, my Coral’s house boasted warm earthy tones, with lots of beige, cream, and little blasts of color that made it inviting. But above all, her decor had personality to it and said something about her. Whether some quirky mask on the wall, exotic sculpture on her shelf, or various literature from over-the-top comedy to very serious encyclopedias, with the occasional murder mystery and even comic book, everything revealed one of the many mesmerizing facets of who she was.
As soon as we entered the workshop, the stench of impmagic slapped my nose. I couldn’t repress a snort as I approached the rather impressive collection. Coral peered up at me with curiosity and more of that nonsensical insecurity. The silly female thought that my reaction might have been prompted by the fact that I was blown away by her rival’s collection—although Angelique clearly was no competition.
I gave her a reassuring smile laced with smugness that had her eyes widen in surprise. She didn’t know what thoughts were coursing through my mind, but the way her shoulders relaxed indicated she at least understood that my thoughts were positive on her behalf. I couldn’t wait to get back in the car and tell her why she should pat herself on the back.
The collection was as well executed as it was unimaginative. Where my Coral had created her own story of a haunting wreaking havoc on the Victorian city, Angie had fallen back on a safe classic. Her collection revolved around the story of Dracula. Every building and outdoors scene featured key moments of the tale. Although she also had a variety of miniature items as standalones, she didn’t have the furniture with embedded miniature inserts.
I highly doubted anyone else would, aside from maybe some book nooks.
While I couldn’t fault Angie for not necessarily possessing the storytelling talent that my woman did, it was the fact that she hadn’t performed the work herself that irked me. Did she even possess any crafting abilities? Because she clearly had not done any of this work. I could almost see the residual magic that had woven these objects into existence. My Coral had done all the work herself, and I had just stepped in to polish it. Granted, there were no rules requiring that the exhibitors do all the manual labor themselves, but it underlined how my female was the superior miniaturist.
I struggled not to roll my eyes as Angelique strutted her stuff and preened under the praises people were showering her with.We also politely complimented her on her collection. It wasn’t even a lie to the extent that it was indeed decent. It just didn’t live up to my woman’s work—not that I was biased in any way.
But as we reconvene into the living area, the other guests constantly appeared to have a reason to try and lure Coral away to discuss something in private. By purecoincidenceno doubt, Angie always conveniently happened to be lurking nearby and strolling over to strike a conversation with me. Avoiding her was becoming a most infuriating challenge.
At one point, when Myrtil, the Head Priestess of Angelique’s coven requested a word with my woman, I nearly snapped. This time, she didn’t just take her a few steps away just out of hearing distance. Myrtil flat out dragged Coral onto the immense terrace and closed the glass doors behind them.
I didn’t even have to look to feel our hostess barreling down on me from behind. The gleeful, predatory emotions radiating from her shouted her intentions loud and clear. Pretending not to be aware of her approach, I headed towards the bar with all the refreshments to get myself a drink and a second one for my Mistress. Before I could even grab a glass, Angie bumped into me, acting as if she’d lost her footing.
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, clinging to me as if for dear life. “You’d think I’d be less clumsy walking in these heels. After all, I’ve pounded many catwalks on even higher heels than these ones.”
She added that last part while straightening and lifting her leg to show me. Naturally, it was the leg on the side of the insanely high slit of her skirt. The silky fabric of her black dress slipped sideways, showing the flawless skin of her slender thigh all the way down to her feet.
“Maybe you should change into something less challenging then,” I said in a neutral voice while gently but firmly removing her hands from me.
“And ruined my attire?” she asked, eyes wide with fakeinnocence and surprise. “Impossible. Those shoes are perfect with this outfit,” she added, running her hands down her sides in a caress that highlighted the curves of her body.
“Then make sure you are more careful. It would be unfortunate to be stuck with a twisted ankle right before a major exhibit,” I said with a cold smile.
“Unfortunate indeed,” she said, trying to hide her irritation with my distant behavior. “How come I’ve never seen you before? I flatter myself to know every remarkable and influential individual in this city. How come I’ve never run into you before? Such a handsome man would be heavily talked about among the fairer sex. How did Coral snag you under our collective noses?”
“Coral didn’t snagme.Isnagged her. The moment I became aware of her, I knew she had to be mine, and I had to be hers. So I came to her and refused to take no for an answer until she honored me by claiming me as hers,” I said with a smile, my eyes locked with hers.
She scrunched her face as if she had bitten into something sour before quickly regaining her composure.
