Page 23 of Beg for You

I gave him my best sad-puppy eyes. “There’s this gala I have to attend. I could use a date. Plus, there’ll be loads of cute girls there.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“You know you want to,” I said, batting my lashes.

“Last time you said there’d be hot babes, you lied. It was a sea of gray hair and pearls.”

“Not this time, I promise.” I fluttered my lashes faster.

He shook his head. “You’re going to give yourself an eye injury.”

“Is that a yes?” I really didn’t want to go alone. Spencer would be there, and if Ted was with me, he wouldn’t be able to corner me.

“Fine,” Ted said then narrowed his eyes again. “But if I walk in and it’s wall to wall fur coats and bifocals, I’m never trusting you again.”

I tugged him in for a hug. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

He grunted and walked off.

“See,” I said, giving Ted’s arm a squeeze. “Not a pair of bifocals in sight.”

A smile curved his lips and he grabbed a crab cake from a tray as it was carried past. “And the hors d’oeuvres are pretty good as well.” His sparkling brown eyes slid down to me. “Did I tell you how hot you look tonight?”

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Ted looked gorgeous. No one wore a suit like him. Sometimes I thought life would be so much easier if the idea of kissing him didn’t squick me out.

And the feeling was entirely mutual.

Our feelings leaned more toward brother and sister than anything else. Always had.

His grin got wider. “I should hope so. This suit cost a bomb.”

I felt a grin stretch my lips when I thought it was impossible. Another reason I asked Ted to come with me—he knew how to cheer me up. Not that he knew I needed cheering up. “No one could ever accuse you of being coy.”

“They definitely couldn’t. Now, do you want another glass of champagne?” He waved his empty glass.

I glanced across the room to where I’d last seen Spencer. Maybe he’d left? Wishful thinking. I needed a clear head, not only in case Spencer tried to talk to me but also for my appointment later in the night with Cal…if I actually went. I still hadn’t decided.

“Juice for me, thanks.”

I moved back to the edge of the room to wait while Ted grabbed the drinks. It was darker, which meant less chance of being spotted. I pulled my phone from my purse and checked the time. My appointment with Cal was at eleven.

We’d be alone.

My breasts tightened against the silk of my dress. Could I do this, go back, let him touch me, let him do all the things I’d wanted from him since the moment I saw him? He was gruff and blunt, and kind of terrifying. He was also intense and the sexiest man I’d ever met. How many times had I touched myself thinking of him this week, remembering the way it felt to have his hands on me, cupping my breasts, the way his fingers felt inside me?

I shivered.

More than I cared to admit to myself.

“Cold?” a familiar voice said close beside me.

I spun to face Spencer, stomach sinking.

Twice in two days. Lucky me.

He was quite a bit taller than me, and I guess some people would call him handsome. Not me. His personality shone through loud and clear. There was always a calculating look in his eyes and lines around his mouth that made him look mean. No, I knew far too much about him to find him attractive.

I wanted to tell him to get lost, to stick his sick deal where the sun didn’t shine. I couldn’t do that, though, not when my family’s future was at stake. I had to play the game and hold my cards close to my chest, at least until I could find a way out of this.