Page 54 of Burn for the Devil
Ramone gave my two friends a tight-lipped smile before leaning over my ear, his scent tempting me to press into him. “Again, what did I tell you about other men?”
My skin prickled as I began walking away, my pulse thundering in my ears. He couldn’t be serious—John was nothing to me or much of anything to anyone else. Ramone was an idiot if he thought the generic man had a shot in hell with me. There were times I had to wonder if John was even human and not once had I been attracted to my stand-in date. He was just a friend.
It was all I could do not to turn my head as I walked away. The pressure of Ramone’s eyes on my retreating figure felt as if it were a living, breathing thing. I sensed his fierce gaze winding around my legs, caressing my hips, traveling upwards to slink around my neck, nearly leaving me in a stranglehold. I wanted to tell myself he wasn’t using his magic on me, but I would’ve been lying.
Caroline and Helen met up with me, after a moment, when I entered the larger hall where the majority were gathered. Immediately, the questions rained down. “You know him?” Caroline snatched my hand, tugging me closer.
“Not very well,” I insisted, dipping my hand toward a refill of champagne.
“He was practically drooling over you,” Helen said.
I tried not to roll my eyes. “We’ve met before, that’s all. Why does it matter?” There was no way I’d tell them the extent of our relationship.
Caroline gaped at me. “He’s the most wanted bachelor,ever. You know who he is, right?”
“Yes,” I answered patiently.
Helen chimed in. “His company,” she leaned in, “creates malware. It’s in the ads they make. Don’t repeat a word of this, please. And Fulgere Industries is also engaging in espionage andbuying up shares of other companies. That’s what I’ve heard.” Helen had always been one for unfounded gossip.
“So, you’re not interested in him?” Caroline asked, taking a sip of her drink. The look in her eyes told me my answer didn’t matter, she was considering making a play for him.
Nausea filled my belly and I set my drink down on a passing tray. “No.”I will kill her if she so much as touches him.The thought startled me, and I glanced around to see if Ramone was anywhere nearby. “I’m going to go find John.”
I’d gone to college with Caroline and Helen, and at one point the three of us had been relatively close. If I hadn’t met Ramone and been exposed to a new world of possibilities, maybe I’d have been more enthusiastic about running into them after all this time. There was this feeling of separation I felt in their company now, as if I were playing make-believe, and continuing our friendship seemed pointless and shallow. Maybe it always was? I knew my family would approve, due to their connections.
Pausing, I scanned the area, searching for Ramone while considering the fact that perhaps others had thoughtIwas shallow. It was an uncomfortable feeling but I’d embraced my role with enthusiasm until recently, leaving no one with a way to think otherwise, unless they were close enough to me to believe differently. My eyes moistened. I missed Zoey; I missed being a kid and having a sister.
Ramone seemed to have disappeared. I kept scanning the room, searching for the tall man in black, as I began my search.
31
Samantha
John was with a small group of people, standing by a display of taxidermized white-tail deer and holding a bottle of Bud Light. His choice of beverage threw me off, being used to seeing him with scotch or whiskey. “Hey,” I said softly, giving him a small smile as I planted myself beside him.
John returned the expression and resumed listening to the conversation. Caroline and Helen made their way to another cluster of attendees, and I saw Julia and Clint, Julia’s head thrown back in laughter, while Clint gazed lovingly at her.
It was as if she had never been manhandled by the scarred man in the other room, I noted. I cast my gaze around the room farther, searching, and noticed he was slinking about, observing everyone while sipping a beverage, an unlit cigarette in his other hand. If the upcoming marriage between Julia and Clint was based on anything other than love, Clint probably had someone else, as well, I guessed.
Turning my attention back to the gathering around me, I listened in. They were discussing a tennis tournament taking place in the Spring. Shuffling my feet, I glanced down, havinglost interest in the conversation almost immediately. Movement to my left caught my eye and I glanced over just in time to watch John trying to readjust himself. He noticed where my gaze had wandered and flushed. It was perhaps the most animated I’d ever seen him. Sympathetic embarrassment washed through me, and I turned my head.
Reminding myself that John was, in fact, human and male, I made an excuse and left. I made it maybe thirty feet before I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Samantha, do you want to get going?” John asked, appearing flustered.
“Sure. Is it too early?” He was acting so strangely it made me eager to leave.
He nodded his head. “I’m positive its fine.”
We said goodbye to our hosts and made our way to the waiting car, John’s hand at the small of my back. “May I speak with you about something?”
The driver stepped away a few paces, giving us privacy when my companion glanced at him. “Yes?” I answered, unable to imagine what could be on his mind.
John started fidgeting, another unusual occurrence for him. “Well, I... Would you like to join me for dinner?”
Tilting my head, I asked, “What? Now?” It was eleven o’ clock at night. Dinner wasn’t completely unheard of at such a late hour, but if we were leaving, I wanted to go home.
“No,” John shook his head. “I meant tomorrow?”
His eyes darted around the landscape and nowIwas becoming uncomfortable. This wasn’t how this was supposed to work—why was he ruining a perfectly good arrangement? “John... Please don’t ask me that.” There were currently multiple reasons why it wasn’t a good idea for us to be a romantic couple, and one was I simply was not attracted to him.