Kyle looked vaguely horrified at that confession.
Jamie reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.“Don’t worry.You’d only ever have to go to the ones I’m required to go to.”
“That’s what scares me because Iknowhow moms are when they want you to do something.”
Jamie couldn’t help but laugh at that, his amusement drawing several appreciative glances from the women around him and one or two men.“I’d make it worth your while to join me.”
“And on that note, I’m off,” Katie said, patting Jamie on the arm as she swept past him.“Try not to embarrass yourselves or my company tonight.”
“No promises,” Kyle said with a leer directed more at Jamie than at her.
Trevor followed after Katie while Sean led Alexei in a different direction, Annabelle a shadow they couldn’t shake.Donovan and Madison stayed less than an arm’s reach from Jamie and Kyle as they slowly made their way forward.
The rotunda just past the entrance was awash in glittering lights, all reflected by the vast crystal chandelier hanging above the reception desk currently manned by high-ranking museum representatives.Jamie brushed past their attempts to greet him, swiping a glass of champagne off one of several floating drink trays a server—not one of their people—was monitoring in the crowd.He threw it back, making a face at the vintage.He’d never cared much for champagne, preferring whiskey over wine, but he’d drink it.Handing the empty glass off to a different server, he grabbed two more glasses from a different tray and passed one to Kyle.
Kyle stayed by his side, a quiet, unobtrusive presence who smiled winningly at the first two people Jamie smoothly and politely insulted before moving on to a French-Somali businessman who barely got a handful of words in before Jamie cut him off with “You have nothing to offer me.”
He left, and maybe the man would’ve tried to follow, except Donovan blocked his way with an unfriendly smile that promised to stop the man if he tried.Jamie ignored the insults in French being spat at him from behind, grabbing Kyle by the hand and walking through a pair of pillars into the wing directly ahead, where other guests were gathered.
Jamie made eye contact with several UMG metahumans as they mingled through two galleries, commenting on design artwork he had no interest in.The clothing on display in one room was a special exhibition for a designer who peaked thirty years ago; Jamie loudly decried the representation lacked taste before leaving for the next room.
“Admit it,” Kyle said as he popped a piece of filet mignon wrapped in bacon into his mouth, pulling it off the metal skewer it was stuck on using his teeth.“You like pissing people off.”
“Useless people annoy me,” Jamie replied.
“I must say, I do agree with that mindset.It’s so refreshing to hear one speak so plainly at an event like this,” said an older woman decked out in a white evening gown and enough diamonds to blind a man.“You must be the American irritating my contemporaries.”
Jamie smiled indulgently at her.“I see no reason to coddle people who aren’t worth my time.”
She laughed, the sound smooth and rich, and extended her right hand to him in a delicate way.Her left held a flute of champagne, the diamond on her ring finger larger than her knuckle and covering the secondary marriage band beneath it.As Jamie watched, the white of her column gown changed color to a gorgeous blue before fading into a multitude of deep purples and gray and then back to white.She’d gone with a tech gown over one with cutouts, and it suited her tall, lithe form.
“My husband says the same thing.”
“A smart man, Mrs.—?”
“Dame Caroline Wallace.I’m in the business of acquisitions.”
“My apologies, Dame Wallace.Jamie Callahan, at your service,” he said with a smile, taking her hand and making a show of kissing the air above her knuckles.“I’m in the business of money.”
Dame Wallace’s eyes sharpened at the sound of his name; Jamie could almost see her racing thoughts reflected in her eyes.“Well, the buzz going around about an American in our presence didn’t mentionthat.”
“If the people complaining about my opinions don’t know who I am, then they don’t deserve to be in my presence.”
Dame Wallace arched a brow at that, nodding agreement.“Do you know, I believe I’ve met your parents before.Several years ago, by my count.It was at the reopening of Empyrean’s launch station after renovations in the South East of England.I don’t recall you being there.”
“I was deployed at the time.My absence was unavoidable, though I’m working on rectifying that now.”
She didn’t have to feign her curiosity, though it came off more blatant than was probably considered polite for a woman of her standing.“Are you no longer with your country’s military?”
Jamie waved off the question.“Once a Marine, always a Marine, but deployment is no longer in my future.I’m looking for other ways to pass the time.”
Jamie made a point of tugging Kyle closer.Dame Wallace’s eyes strayed to Kyle’s silent presence, full mouth quirking just a bit in a vaguely condescending way.“I can see you’ve found one already.”
“He does entertain me,” Jamie agreed, a smirk on his face that was easy to interpret.“Is your husband here tonight?”
Dame Wallace took the opening for what it was and chatted about things Jamie had no interest in, but he took her contact information with the promise of a meeting to discuss what security Root Source, Inc.could provide her family’s business.
“I entertain you?”Kyle asked as they walked away, chewing on the metal skewer.
