“You don’t want the attention that comes from dating me, Kathryn. Trust me on this.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “When it’s just me and you, nobody else can fuck this up,” he whispers.
I smile; he’s right. I nod, feeling a little better.
“Let me out here, Andrew, and drop Kathryn at the door please.”
“Yes sir.” The car pulls up to the curb.
Elliot takes a ticket out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket and passes it to me. “Go inside, check the seating, and I’ll meet you at our table.”
I nod, my nerves beginning to thump. “Okay.” He kisses me quickly and gets out of the car and Andrew pulls back out into the traffic; we go around the corner and up the street and he pulls into a large circular driveway. He turns and smiles. “Here you go, Kate.”
“Thank you.” I get out of the car and walk up the oversized sandstone steps, hand my ticket to the doorman, and walk through the large archway. The ballroom is huge and extravagant, with big, round, candlelit tables and beautiful fresh flowers in arrangements. I walk through to the seating map and make my way to the table.
The table is already full except for three seats. “Hello.” I smile as I sit down beside a kind-looking couple.
“Hello,” everyone replies happily, and they all introduce themselves one by one. The waiter walks past with a silver tray full of glasses of champagne. I take one—hell . . . just leave the entire tray, please.
“Hi.” A man across the table smiles at me. He’s around thirty, with fair hair, very good-looking, actually. “Are you alone?” he asks.
“Yes.” I clutch my purse with white-knuckle force on my lap. Damn Elliot, this is the first and last time I’m doing this.
“Me too.” Without a word the man gets up and swaps his name tag with Elliot’s.
He slinks into the seat beside me. “That’s better.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Charles.”
I smile and shake it. “Kathryn.”
He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “Lovely to meet you, Kathryn.”
I feel him before I see him. Elliot slinks into the chair opposite, his eyes find mine and I pull my hand from Charles’s lips.
Crap.
“Mr. Miles,” someone from the side splutters. “How lovely to see you again.”
Elliot turns and fakes a smile. “Hello.” He does the honors and shakes everyone’s hands at the table.
“Charles.” The man reaches over to shake Elliot’s hand.
Elliot raises an eyebrow in a silent you’re in my seat signal. “Elliot Miles.”
“I know who you are.” Charles smiles broadly. “Doesn’t everyone.”
Elliot rolls his lips as he stares at him flatly, clearly unimpressed.
Awkward.
I tip my head back and take a gulp of champagne.
“I switched seats with you,” Charles jokes. “I saw beautiful Kathryn here and simply had to sit next to her. You snooze, you lose, old boy.”
Elliot’s eyes hold his and I bite my bottom lip to hide my smile—oh, this is priceless.
Charles turns his attention back to me. “So, Kathryn, we were meant to meet tonight. I feel like the gods have shone down on me—tell me all about you.”
Good grief.
My eyes flick to Elliot, who raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his champagne.
What’s going through that control-freak head of his?