Fred smiled. “I can take her upstairs now and fuck her in the privacy of my bedroom. Or you can bring her over to the table and force her onto her knees in front of this crowd.”
“Fuck you!” I spat. “She’s not blowing you or fucking you.”
“Fine, I don’t care. I fucked my maid before my guests arrived tonight. This isn’t about sex. It’s about knowing your place. Bring her over, Sebastian. Now that I think about it, it’s best you show her just where her place is. On her knees.”
Chapter 32
Evie
The Power Mixer
“I’d really rather you not.” Sebastian groaned when he opened his front door and saw me on the porch, bouncing on the heels of my boots.
I pushed inside and was welcomed by the dogs. I crouched down to soak in their affection.
“I don’t care. I need to see who he hangs out with—AKA, who is guarding him.”
“Do you plan on killing them too?” he scoffed, walking past me after shutting the door. “This isn’tKill Bill.”
“If I have to. Following orders isn’t a valid excuse to do bad things.” I stood and followed him through the house. He went right up to his room and began removing his clothes.
“If you’re coming, you can’t wear that.” He looked me up and down as he stood in his tight boxers and socks.
“I didn’t bring anything else.” I raised my arms and looked in the wall mirror behind him. I didn’t think I looked terrible. I was in my best jeans, a black blouse, and a leather jacket. “This will have to work.”
“Yeah, it won’t, though. I’ve been to these. There’s a dress code. Call your assistant and ask her to bring you a short dress with a low neckline and tight waist.” He walked into his closet, and I—slightly salty—reached for my phone and shot a text to Raissa with my size, Sebastian’s address, and told her to bill me.
He came out a moment later in an all-black suit. He’d styled back his hair with gel, creating a look that had me clenching my thighs and focusing on my breathing. He was stunningly handsome.
“I see. This is just for a simple poker night?”
He turned to look at himself in a nearby mirror and adjusted his jacket. “There’s no such thing as a simple poker night in Hollywood, Final Girl. You’ll see. Just know, you’re not going to like it.”
I tried to get more out of him, but he didn’t want to elaborate. Anytime he replied to a question, it was purposefully vague.
Raissa was at the door in an hour with three different dress options and heels. I thanked her and brought them in for Sebastian to assist me in deciding.
“The puffy one and get rid of the boots.” He pointed to the shortest dress with the deepest neckline.
I reluctantly put it on, along with the heels that went with it. The neckline plunged nearly to my belly button, and the skirt barely covered my ass. I wasn’t thrilled, but it was all black and the softest material of the three. I joined Sebastian downstairs and looped my arm through his.
“Let’s go. How far away does he live?” I asked as we stepped outside.
Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck and scrunched up his nose. We walked down the driveway and took a left.
“Here.” He pointed to the estate right next door. I stopped short and looked up at the grand, three-story mansion. It was smaller than Sebastian’s but was farther back from the street, and his front yard was full of bushes shaped like animals. In the dark, the cute little bunny rabbit trees were almost menacing.
“Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded. “I could have already killed him!”
“Beep beep, Ritchie!” he hissed. “I didn’t tell you because I don’t want my property value to go down. Now, I’m not going to let you go in there fisting your fucking knives like you’re inPlanet Terroror something. You need to keep your shit together. Our time will come. You cannot go in there knives drawn. Understand?”
I rolled my eyes. While I had put my knives in the bralette of my dress in case the situation came up, I knew something like that wasn’t reasonable for survival. I still had four men on my list.
“Fine.”
“Groovy.” He took my arm, and we finished the brief journey to the house next door.
We were greeted by a woman in a short French maid costume. Sebastian shot me an eye roll as she took us through Frederick’s house and down to the basement, where a party was already underway. It was designed as a modern speakeasy. There was an impressive bar on the back wall with a bartender in a tuxedo. To the right were several poker tables, with games already underway. Closer to the bar was a lounge area, where women dressed like me were sitting with drinks, socializing. The lighting was dim, and the music was loud enough to be heard, but not so loud that you had to yell. Smoke filled the room, creating a thick fog. I breathed in the familiar scent of cigars, unable to get away from it. A waiter greeted us, offering drinks and an escort to the poker table.
