An announcer calls from the front,“Ladies and gentlemen, the auction will commence shortly.”
CHAPTER 5
AVA
Ilean against the wall in the hallway, my hand to my chest, forcing my breathing to slow down. I was trying to be an ice-queen, Grade-A bitch, when we were standing toe-to-toe, but the truth in my heart was much more complicated. My body too, honestly, which is still a little sore from pregnancy and very sore from breastfeeding and sleeplessness.
There was desperation in his eyes, a savage sort of hunger and need for me to understand.
But that line? He thought I wasdead? And that fake name.
I wasn’t born yesterday.
I return to the main hall as everyone drifts toward the seats at the front. The auctioneer is taking his place on the stage. Adrian walks over, gently touching my arm and leaning down. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” he replies. “But if you need, I can handle this alone.”
“Why would I need that?” I snap.
His lips flatten into a line.
Great, now I’m getting prickly with my boss.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I add quickly. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
Adrian looks across the room toward the place where several people are already looking. Rafael, tall, broad, and dominating the room without even trying. He glares at us like he hates the fact that Adrian is standing so close, as if he thinks there’s something going on between us and is intent on putting a bloody end to it.
“Do you know him?” I ask.
“I knowofhim,” Adrian replies.
“Who is he?”
“A man you should avoid,” Adrian says. “Let’s focus on work.”
He clearly doesn’t want to talk about it any longer, though I’m brimming with questions. What is his job? Why are people looking at him like he’s important? Why does every woman in here seem like she’d throw herself at his feet just for one second of his attention?
Okay, maybe I’ve got the answer to that last one in the way his suit grips his muscular body.
“Remember,” Adrian says, as we take our seats. “Athena Gravestone, but if the bidding gets too high, abandon ship. We don’t need her that badly. I’ll let you take the lead on that one, since you’ve been briefed. I’ll handle the rest.”
I clear my throat, tugging my mind back to work, thinking of Theo and the future and the need not to have to rely on anybody. “Okay, let’s do this.”
We sit in the third row, at the end, and Rafael sits at the front on the far side. That means I can turn my head and see him towering over everyone. I feel bad for the people behind him. It’s like sitting behind a suited brick wall.
The auctioneer stands at his podium, a short man with a white comb over and a silver tooth that catches the light. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he says into the microphone. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the great art for which this city is famous. This is an exclusive gathering of connoisseurs and artistic entrepreneurs…”
“Because we all came here for the preamble,” Adrian says in my ear. I laugh softly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. Rafael has turned his head to glare at the quiet laugh as though it’s a personal attack on him. I don’t let him know I’ve noticed, though I feel his stare on my skin. It’s like fuel quickening my heartbeat, even as I fight the reaction.
“The pieces here today, as I’m sure you’re all aware, have been carefully selected for their likelihood of increasing in value. We are at the forefront here, folks, so, without further ado…”
“That’s a lie,” Adrian quips quietly.
I laugh again… and again, Rafael turns, seething, eyes blazing. I try not to let a smile touch my lips. It’s petty, sure, but maybe I’m feeling petty. Giving birth to a man’s child, then having him show up out of the blue with some phony story about a fake death will do that to a person.
