Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Emery
Once the new dress I’m wearing, Adrian leads me back to his car.
“The place we’re going is only about twenty minutes away.” He says when he opens the door for me.
I sit, and he closes the door behind me. He climbs in and pulls us out onto the main street.
“So what do you need me to do exactly?” I ask him.
“Just stand by my side and look beautiful.” He says, glancing my way for a second before turning them back on the road.
My face heats when I remember the way he touched me and looked at me before that employee interrupted us. I’m not sure what else to say, so I stay quiet. Apparently, he is having the same problem because he doesn’t say anything either. It isn’t until we pull up to a huge building that I speak again.
“Uh, is this where the party is?” I ask as he pulls up behind a line of cars.
Expensive cars…
There are valets helping people out of their cars, and it doesn’t take long before it’s our turn. My heart is racing like crazy, and I have an urge to make a run for it. Adrian quickly gets out and walks around the car before the valet can reach for my door and opens it instead. He holds a hand out to me, and I look up at him with pleading eyes, but he just gives me a small smile. I sigh and accept his outstretched hand. What I don’t expect is for him to bring it to his lips and kiss it. I’m thrown off by the move that I don’t realize the valet has taken the car away.
“Don’t worry, I got you,” Adrian says before tucking my arm through his and leading me up the stairs.
Stairs covered in a red carpet.
Lights start flashing all around us, and people start calling out. I was too panicked to notice that there are people taking pictures of us.
“What-“ I try to pull my hand away from him, but he covers it with his other hand and keeps me stuck to him.
“Just ignore them.” He says.
I lower my head and tilt it more in his direction to hide my face from the camera, but I doubt it will matter. I’m sure they’ve taken at least a dozen pictures of me already.
When we finally walk inside the building, I lift my head and glance around. My mouth drops open at the sight of the entryway. It's huge! The ceilings are so high and lit up so brightly that you can see every detail of the mural painted on the ceiling. It looks like something you’d see in an old opera house, and one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever seen. On either side of the room are giant staircases that lead to a second floor, but we continue forward toward a pair of large double doors. They're held open, and inside is a huge crowd of people talking and walking around with drinks in their hands.
“Here we go.” He says, and when I glance up at him, he looks genuinely annoyed, but the expression fades, and a cocky smile appears on his face.
Immediately, a waiter walks over to us with a tray of drinks. Adrian waves him off, and then they’re on us. At least six people walk over to us and start talking. It all happens so fast that I’m lost. Adrian smiles and chats with everyone of them like he’s a pro. I can believe it with how excited everyone is to talk to him. While they talk, I look around the room at the other faces in the room. A few people I recognize from social media, like celebrities and influencers. I gasp when Adrian’s hand wraps around my waist and he tugs me closer to him.
That’s when I realize the crowd that had been there before is gone, and another group has taken their place. This group is made up of several beautiful women looking at Adrian like they’re ready to eat him.
“Ladies, this is my beautiful date, Emery. She’s my girlfriend.” Adrian says, and my head snaps in his direction so fast that I feel a quick twinge of pain.
“Girlfriend?” One of the women asks with a scoff. “I've heard you don’t do girlfriends.”
I look back at her and see she has her arms crossed over her chest and is looking at me with disgust. What’s her problem? I glance down at myself and can’t find anything wrong with my dress, but still feel a little self conscious.
“That was before I met Emery. She’s finally made me want to settle down.” Adrian says before leaning down and kissing the top of my head.
My smile is tight when I look up at him, but when he raises a brow at me and gives me a playful look, my worries disappear. This is why he wanted me to come here with him. For some reason, that makes me happy, and I turn my head to face the women with a smile on my face. I’m playing a part here.
“Sorry, ladies, but he’s off the market,” I say, resting my hand on his chest and start to lead him away. “Enjoy your evening.”
Adrian lets me lead him away, and we walk toward the refreshment table. I reach for a glass of champagne as soon as it's in reaching distance and nearly chug the whole thing.
“Easy there,” Adrian says, but I ignore him and drain the last of it.
“This is why you wanted to come here? To get a bunch of women from flirting with you?” I ask sharply before I turn to look at him.
He’s got a drink of his own now, but sets it down when he sees me glaring at him. “Partially.”
I scoff. “And what was the other reason?”
He sighs and sets his glass down. “I hate these parties. They’re tiresome but part of the life. I have to come here to show face for my family, but if I had the choice, I wouldn’t step foot in places like this.”
“Oh, really? Poor rich boy has to go to big fancy parties. What torture.” I say sarcastically.
He shakes his head. “It can be when I have to deal with people buttering me up to get close to my family. They don’t give a shit about me other than what I represent.”
A twinge of guilt tightens in my stomach, but seriously, if that’s the worst thing he has to worry about, then he isn’t getting any sympathy from me.
“Why don’t your parents come instead?” I ask.
“Because they’re in Russia right now. My grandmother is sick and they went to be with her. Normally, my mother enjoys these things, but since she couldn’t be here, they sent me. It’s important for one of us to be here.”
I want to ask more, but he curses and wraps an arm around me and tugs me against his chest, and crushes his lips on mine.
