“Yes. But your brother kind of swooped in and saved me.”
“Yay!” she squealed.
“How drunk are you?” I whispered, leaning closer.
“Drunk. Definitely drunk. You?”
“Getting there, but another won’t hurt.”
We burst into laughter. A nearby table turned to look, and we both straightened immediately, smoothing our faces into faux composure as we tried to keep walking without cracking up again.
“Ooooh!” Lucia waved me over to a clipboard. “A million on this one!”
“Check the original Bayani painting!” I said, glancing over the cards. I heard Lucia curse under her breath.
“Over six million for the highest bidder!”
“Really?” I gasped. I had pulled some major strings to get the owner to donate it to be auctioned off for the event. Honestly, I’m still shocked she agreed to it, but it turned out the ninety-year-old Scottish woman had a soft spot for charity work and had no children to hand down the painting to. She herself had been friendly with Bayani himself. The painting was made for her as a gift when they were young, long before his art took off, making it rarer and sought after.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the silent auction winners will be announced in ten minutes. Please grab your drinks and make your way to the tables,” A foundation member announced over the microphone at the front of the stage. I steadied myself, sobering as much as possible. Lucia and I linked arms, walking together in a bit of a haze to try and find our table. I worked on the damn seating chart; this should not be so hard.
“Table is this way, Angel.” Alexander appeared with Matteo in tow. Lucia looked up to him with stars in her eyes, her arm leaving mine and going to him. I felt the small pang. While I was not one for physical touch, watching them was something else.
Matteo cleared his throat and held out his own arm. I replied with a glare, taking a step forward on my own. I didn’t need him. When I ignored his offer, I caught the tug of his lips in a poorly concealed smile. He walked by my side instead, Alexander and Lucia falling behind us. I’d sat us all at the same table with a few other drivers who’d attended as well. Theo Bauer was sitting already with his date, a pretty redhead I didn’t recognize. Anna was typing away on her phone. She looked particularly spectacular tonight in a deep blue satin gown. As both Alexander’s and Matteo’s manager, she was probably the most impressive woman I had ever met—another surprising friend I had gained in my time on the road with the team. An empty chair sat next to her, which was meant to be her space for a date,though I couldn’t remember if she RSVP’d for one.
“Hey, mate,” Alexander greeted Theo. Lucia bounded over to introduce herself to his date. They easily slipped into conversation as I slid into the open chair next to Anna.
“You look stunning.” I rested my head on my hand.
“I better, I’m wearing a contraption under this thing, and I cannot breathe.”
“Who’s…” I looked at the name card occupying the seat I was sitting in. “Dante?” Anna grimaced. “No!” I whispered in shock.NottheDante. The one who was some tech wiz and helped out Alexander, and who Anna hated with pure fiery vengeance.
“That would be me,” a deep voice interrupted. I looked up slowly, hoping my mouth didn’t drop open as well. In front of me stood a wall of muscle, suited without a tie, the top buttons of his shirt undone, with dark tattoos that creeped up his neck on display.
“Oh good, you’re back,” Anna said, rolling her eyes, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“I don’t want to be here either, Barbie.”
Barbie?I mouthed at Anna who shook her head looking a mix between mortified and heavily annoyed.
“Buzzkill Barbie, technically,” Dante corrected, crossing his hands over his chest, still standing directly behind Anna looking like a damn tower.
“Seriously, how did Alexander get you here?” Matteo asked, sitting down in his assigned seat.
“Lost a bet,” Dante gruffed.
I looked wide eyed around the table. Alexander smirked and nodded confirming.
“And they won’t share what the bet was,” Lucia added.
“Who’s the buzzkill now?” Anna glared. Dante replied with a grunt. A literal grunt. I moved over, giving him back his seat next to Anna, though that didn’t seem like the best idea.
“Fancy seeing you here.” I realized I was now sitting next to Matteo. That was wrong. I spent hours on the seating charts, and I very specifically planned it to not sit next to him, actually. My head snapped toward him.
“Did you switch the cards?” I seethed. He just smiled, dimples revealing themselves, much to my dismay. Before he could answer, the announcer was at the mic. Each item was described, and the winner with the highest bid was announced. The last would be the Bayani painting; it really was the prize ofthe night. We’d already raised more than our goal. When I first saw the number on the board in our first planning meeting, I thought it was a stretch, but here we were.
“Last but certainly not least is the original Bayani painting, graciously donated by Madame Marie Steward.”
