I kept his pace, easing around at his side as he skirted the edges of the ballroom. I clung to him, turning my head every which way, taking in the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. Caviar on crackers passed by us and I did my best not to wrinkle my nose. I couldn’t stand the smell, much less whatever it may have tasted like.
“Not a fan?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“Caviar. I take it you’re not a fan?”
I shrugged. “Well, I’ve never been around it.”
“And now that you are?”
I grinned up at him. “I think I’ll stick with sushi, thanks.”
“Ah, another sushi lover. Good to know.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, but he didn’t offer any sort of explanation, and that piqued my curiosity. I went from paying attention to my surroundings to paying attention to him and the way he focused on the world around him. Dante was the most unassuming of them all, with those shimmering natural reds mixed into his chestnut hair and those hunter green eyes of his. His height made him stand out, sure. He was at least a head taller than everyone else in the room, and if I had to take a guess, that was most likely the reason why we were sticking to the shadows.
I swear, with all these men in black suits, I would have absolutely pegged them for cops. I mean, they had earpieces, for fuck’s sake!
Uncanny.
“Dante!”
He paused at the sound of his name as I peered over my shoulder.
“Dante, there you are. I was wondering when I’d catch you.”
An older man in a navy-blue suit with a light pink button-front jogged up to us.
“Mr. Calvin,” he said with a nod of his head.
The man stopped just shy of us and held out his hand. “I wanted to thank you personally for providing the security for our fundraising event.”
“It’s not a problem, Mr. Calvin.”
“I swear, it gets risky sometimes with this many big diamonds and jewels in the same room.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Dante said.
“Dante, is that you?”
A woman’s voice appeared next, and I didn’t know why it made me bristle. Dante quickly shook hands with the man before a tan-skinned woman in a skin-tight red dress came up to us. Her curly brown hair fell well past her shoulders. The diamonds glittering around her neck held my gaze hostage. They sparkled in the light of the chandeliers, and I couldn’t help but admire her stiletto Louis Vuitton red bottoms.
Of course, they matched her dress exactly.
“Long time, no see,” the woman said as she slid her gaze down Dante’s body as if I wasn’t standing right the fuck there with my arm linked with us.
“Has it been?” he asked.
“I was wondering if they’d hit you guys up for protection for the event. I’m glad they did.”
“So am I.”
The woman giggled. “And why’s that?”
Dante shrugged. “I always like getting paid for what I do best.”
