Page 58 of Titus

I continued to study him as he walked through the room. His dark hair was neatly smoothed back, and an expensive watch caught the gold light as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. Everything about his presence was controlled, powerful, and infuriatingly attractive.

The most annoying part about the man was that he was fully aware of the attention he commanded without needing to acknowledge even a second of it.

“From the look on your face,” Jim said with humor in his voice, “I’m assuming you were the one who rejected the proposal he offered you?”

I immediately stopped staring at the man and forced my attention back to the group I was standing with.

“I did, but I’m fairly positive I’m not the only event planner the man could’ve hired.”

“Oh, please, honey,” Nat said with a laugh. “You two are playing a powerful game of cat and mouse. I’m just curious to see how it turns out in the end.”

“Cat and mouse?” I said, knowing I needed to drop the conversation and refocus on the event.

“Sure,” Nat answered. “He hires you; you reject him. He brings you to his place; you reject him. He keeps planning shit, and you keep rejecting him.”

“Cat and mouse,” Avery stated as if Titus and I were somehow making it to couples’ night talks inside everyone’s houses these days.

“Well, I know I’m not talking about this to anyone,” I answered. “So there’s only one person who’s made you aware of it.”

“The man himself,” Spencer answered, the look on his face making it clear that Titus was telling everyone about our interactions.

“Listen,” I smiled. “Before I get back to work, whatever that man is saying to all of you, it is strictly business between him and me.”

Titus’s gaze swept across the terrace and settled directly on me. Heat climbed annoyingly up my spine.

As a welcome distraction, Evelyn Laurent appeared beside me, and I instantly shifted back into professional mode.

“Evelyn,” I greeted her warmly.

She looked stunning tonight in a silver-gray couture gown that draped elegantly over her tall frame, the beading subtle yet impossibly expensive beneath the terrace lights. Diamond earrings caught softly in her dark hair, styled into a sleek twist at the nape of her neck.

Everything about Evelyn Laurent radiated old-money sophistication and controlled grace.

But for some strange reason, she looked emotional right now, which immediately caught my attention.

I was immediately concerned that we may not have met her expectations in some way.

Shit.

“Darling,” she said softly, touching my arm. “There’s something I wanted to tell you personally before I make the announcement later this evening.”

I smiled, grateful that her tone didn’t express her being upset.

“Announcement? I wasn’t aware that you would be on stage tonight?”

“I wasn’t planning on it, no.” A slow smile touched her lips. “But we received an extraordinary donation tonight.”

“That’s wonderful,” I answered with a smile.

“It was made in your name.”

I stared at her in confusion. “In my name?”

Evelyn’s expression warmed further. “The donor wished the contribution to honor the work you did for this evening and your commitment to keeping your word in planning it for us.”

Confusion hit me first. Then, I had a feeling I knew exactly who the donor was. It had to be Titus. Maybe this was a silly little game of cat and mouse that Titus and I were playing, but I wasn’t trying to play games at all. And now he’s donating to this event in my name because I wouldn’t cancel on Evelyn and plan his yacht event?

“Mr. Hawk truly appreciates your dedication to my evening and foundation, which inspired him to make his donation in your honor,” she said.