Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88447 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88447 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“What?”
“Nothing,” Diego said quickly, grabbing my arm and hustling me down the hallway at a faster clip.
I tried to slow him down, but he ignored me, and I was going to trip in my sparkly crystal heels if I didn’t keep up with his pace. The last thing I wanted to do was fly face first into a room where Mark waited.
Oh my God, I was finally going to see Mark.
After I’d offered him my heart and he’d rejected it.
The sick ache of nausea slid through me again, and I took a few deep breaths to dispel it.
The kids, the kids. I had to focus on the kids. The ones lost in the foster care system, the ones with special needs who hadn’t been as lucky as I was to find a good family. Compared to the shit they were going through on a daily basis, my freakout over a guy seemed petty. Stupid even.
I could do this.
I could make a difference.
I had bigger priorities than my silly heart.
Vali rubbed against my bare leg as we walked, and I let my love for him bolster my courage.
When we made it into the vast, open space filled with people, my agoraphobia didn’t even make a blip on my internal mental radar.
The room had to be at least two stories high, and spectacular chandeliers that looked like a million bubbles glowed overhead. Venetian plaster with tasteful gold embellishments decorated the walls, while an amazing gold and black tile mosaic on the floors shone like a mirror.
Despite the opulence around me, my mind was focused on one thing. Mark. I scanned the multitude of faces, the noise of the music and voices an indistinct roar at the back of my mind. When I didn’t see him anywhere, I let out a breath I’d been holding. Then I noticed for the first time a circle of personal space had cleared around us in the packed room.
Blinking, I tried to take in the five-foot bubble that extended around us like an invisible force field. Well, maybe not invisible. The men, and a couple women, in dark suits that were part of our security detail stood in a rough circle around us, keeping the glittering throng back. People, of course, stopped to see what the fuss was about, and I moved closer to Diego’s side, practically clinging to him.
“Easy, baby bear,” Diego murmured, using Mark’s nickname for me as I gripped him tight. “No one is going to hurt you here.”
Hannah joined me on my other side, moving so she partially blocked out the crowd. “How are you doing?”
“Love,” Leo murmured to his wife, “give her some space. If Layla needs us, she knows we’re right here.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes at her husband, then sighed and nodded. “Sorry, I can be a little…mothering at times.”
I gave her hand a squeeze then forced a smile. “You’re fine. So, um, what do we do now?”
“I see Mrs. Cordova on the other side of the room,” Hannah said as she stood up slightly on her toes. “We’ll slowly make our way over there. It’ll take a while because everyone and their brother are going to try to butt schmooze my husband and Diego.”
“Butt schmooze?”
“It’s a combination of kissing ass and kissing up.”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
“Don’t worry, they’ll kiss our asses as well.”
I jerked my head back a little. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah.” She lowered her voice and said, “Welcome to the world of the uber rich, where everyone is judgy as hell and twice as fake. You’re with us, so to the ass kissers in the crowd—well, they’re going to wonder who you are and if your ass is worth kissing. To anyone watching, it’s obvious you’re friends with all three of us, which is rare. That alone will make the butt suckers pucker up to you.”
My stomach soured as I whispered, “Nice visual image, thanks.”
Hannah laughed then looped her arm through mine, whispering back, “Don’t worry, there are some really cool people here as well. I’m just jaded by this whole crowd. I deal with the high society set every day at work, and I rub elbows with some real catty bitches and douchy assholes. While some uber rich do charity events because it’s expected of them, due to their social station, many of the people here tonight genuinely want to help. Those are the people I’ll introduce you to.”
Like her husband, Hannah worked for the Cordova Corporation, but in their charity department instead of security. Yes, the Cordova Empire gave away so much money every year they had to have a full-time staff running an entire department dedicated to giving away money. It was really quite awesome, and I was super proud of Hannah for all the great work she did. She’d already made a hefty donation to A Kid’s Best Friend on behalf of the Cordova Corporation, but more importantly, she helped me tonight by lining up some big spenders.