Claim Me(152)

He is looking at me with such intensity that I am certain he can see the lie inside my head. “All right,” he says slowly. “Now tell me the rest of it.”

I sigh, then drop my gaze. I count to five, and then look back up to him, my composure restored. “I was going to,” I say. “But I talked myself out of it. And then, really, I dropped the dispenser. It’s slippery.”

“You talked yourself out of it.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was going to break it with that,” I say, nodding toward the gooey mess on the floor.

“You were going to break a mirror in a public restaurant instead of talking with me?”

I graze my teeth over my lower lip. I don’t answer.

“I see.”

“I didn’t want to make it worse for you. But I guess I did that, anyway.”

“But you’re okay now?” He is speaking very carefully.

“Yes. Just a momentary glitch. System completely reset now. It was just that woman. That horrible woman.”

“All right,” he finally says. He takes my hand; his is warm and reassuring. “Let’s go. We’ll let the janitors worry about the mess.”

I nod and follow him. Already I feel better, just knowing that Damien is at my side. In the restaurant, I search for Jamie, but I don’t find her anywhere. “I’m worried about Jamie,” I tell him. “She was a mess.”

“Do you know why?”

“No, she was just—oh, shit. Is that who I think it is?” I point into the crowd, and Damien’s low whisper of “Well, hell” tells me I’m right. Bryan Raine is at the event, too, and he’s arm in arm, lips to lips, with a svelte, sexy blonde.

“That’s Madeline Aimes,” Damien says.

I remember Evelyn’s words. “A movie star? On her way up?”

He gives me a quizzical look. “When did you start paying attention to Hollywood?”

“I don’t. Lucky guess.” I look around the room again, suddenly worried. “Now I really want to find Jamie.”

I find Ollie, but he hasn’t seen Jamie, either. Whatever detente we’d reached earlier when Susan Morris attacked me seems to have shattered, because he is quiet and distant and keeps shooting Damien angry glances. I, however, am too worried about Jamie to call him on it.

It takes another twenty minutes before we learn that Edward took Jamie home.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark,” Edward says when we meet him in the parking area behind the restaurant. “She assured me that she’d cleared it with you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Damien says. “How was she?”

“I understand there was some trouble with a young man she’s been seeing. You might have to restock the limo’s supply of Scotch.”

Damien grimaces. “Shall we go check on her?” he asks.

I nod. It’s already after midnight, and now that Jamie’s gone AWOL, I’m ready to go home. I start to move toward the limo, but Ollie’s words hold me back. “Raine was just stringing her along.”

I turn back to him. “Well, yeah. Obviously.”

“Obviously?” He jabs a finger toward Damien. “He’s doing the same thing to you.”

I grab Damien’s hand, as much because I want his touch as to keep him right here beside me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“He keeps you around, but it’s not real.” He holds up his hands and flexes his wrists. “It’s just kink and fun and when he’s tired he’ll toss you aside.”