Fallen Woman(11)

“What?” I asked, turning to him.

“You asked which one got burned—Willum did.”

“Holy crap, I said that out loud?”

He must’ve seen the horror on my face.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, none of them heard it. Right after college, he married the first woman who paid any attention to him. Slone Harway—holy shit she was gorgeous, like put the memory in your spank bank and recall it often, gorgeous. None of us had a clue what to do with a woman like that, and Willum was still a virgin. Once they had sex, that sealed the deal, and nothing anyone could’ve said would’ve gotten him away from her. Thank God his father had the wherewithal to insist on a prenup with an adultery clause, because that whore violated it every way from Sunday and crushed him in the process. It was enough for all of us to take note and put up tall walls. But trust me, we love women.” He winked at me with that half smirk that melted my panties, and I about came undone. He didn’t have a clue what he did to me.

The mingling lasted more than an hour, and Jase introduced me to countless people, but I found myself retreating to the safety of his troop. I didn’t know them, but they were protective, and somehow, even though everyone in the room wanted their attention, they maintained solidarity in their own little bubble. Finally taking a seat, I was surprised we were all seated at the same table—front and center of the room.

I leaned over to Drake, who was next to me, and said, “You guys must be pretty special to get this table.”

His raucous laugh caught me off-guard. “Did Jase not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“He’s the guest of honor.”

I imagined he got that invitation based on the size of his contribution, and my heart swelled with pride knowing my friend cared this much about less fortunate people.

“What does that make all of you?”

“Honorable mentions.” Drake gave me a huge toothy grin, and I instantly marked him as a friend mentally. He was ruggedly good looking and seemed uncomfortable in his monkey suit, but I loved that these men were here supporting each other. I held his stare for just a moment, taking in the humor in his crisp blue eyes. My attention was called away by the waiter offering wine selections, and the rest of the night became a blur.

When Jase was recognized, I was dumbfounded by the number of zeroes in his contribution. I couldn’t fathom wealth like that—Ryan and I were well off, very comfortable, but Jase and his friends were stupid rich. He stood and gave a short speech about how the Literacy Guild saved his youth, and I was beyond touched by his heartfelt sentiment. People laughed, but I believed every word he said. He wasn’t making up lines to get a reaction. People were drawn to him and couldn’t fathom he’d ever been anything but successful.

He wasn’t terribly interested in staying to socialize, so after dessert and coffee, he asked me if I was ready to leave. Only along for the ride, I nodded my agreement, but I would’ve rather spent the entire evening staring into those steely gray eyes than move a muscle. His friends offered their goodbyes, and we waited outside for the valet to bring his car around.

“Thank you for coming tonight, Gia.”

I would’ve been this man’s slave if he just kept saying my name.

I leaned into his shoulder playfully. “Thanks for having me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and your friends are awesome.”

“Yeah, they’re good guys. Although I think they’re a little jealous,” he commented as he got in the driver’s seat and I took my seat opposite him.

With the doors closed, I continued the conversation. “Of what?”

“You.” He put the car in gear and kept his eyes on the road. I couldn’t tell if there was irritation or humor behind the solitary word he spoke.

“Me? Why?”

“Women like you don’t come along often, Gianna. Surely you know that.” Irritation. But I didn’t know why.

I scoffed, which probably further rubbed him the wrong way. “Yeah, nothing like white trash from the wrong side of the tracks to be envious of.”

With no warning, he whipped the car across three lanes of traffic and came to a sudden stop on the side of the highway. I gripped the handle on the door until my knuckles turned white before daring to face him. Anger radiated from every pore in his body.

“Why do you do that?” he growled at me.

“Do what?” The look on his face had me retreating as far as I could get from him, but the door prevented me from moving much.

“Talk about yourself like that.”

I turned to stare out the window. He didn’t know me or anything about me. He had no right to tell me what to think.

“You’re an amazingly strong woman, Gianna. Why don’t you see that?” He waited for me to respond, but I didn’t even turn to face him. “I don’t know anyone who’s struggled the way you have and continued to push. Every day. And you never complain. Not one time have I heard you utter anything about what you need, but you were concerned about not being able to do for someone else. Who you are at the core has nothing do with the house you grew up in or the parents you were given.” He panted the words as they spilled out. “Damn, Gia—look at me!”

I couldn’t have stopped the tears regardless of how hard I tried. My face was an utter disaster before I ever met his eyes.