Sighing, she forced herself forward. When did Blake ever act the gentleman? Pretty much never. She approached two men in tuxes who were guarding the entrance of this fancy hotel, and they didn’t even try to smile.
“Invitation?” one asked.
“I…uh…I don’t have one. I’m here with someone,” she said and the answering look in his eyes clearly said he didn’t believe her.
Before she could speak again, Max stepped up next to her. “She is here with Blake Knight.”
The man’s attitude changed instantly, and he held the door open for her. “I apologize, Ms. Weston. He’s waiting for you inside.”
Wow! Jewell couldn’t imagine what it would be like to possess that much power with nothing but a name. She had refrained from sneaking into Blake’s computer to run a Web search on his name, but maybe she would try to find out all she could after she was free of him.
Then again, maybe she wouldn’t. Once their time was over, it would be best for her to forget all about the man, to forget all about their time together.
After stepping through the front doors of the hotel and being escorted to the site of the fundraiser, Jewell was taken aback by the luxury before her. Sparkling light fixtures hung throughout the room, and the round tables were set expertly with the finest china, crystal, and what she was sure was real silver. These people clearly didn’t worry about thieves — they probably didn’t have to.
Waiters moved silently through the room, making sure that everyone had a fresh drink, which couldn’t be easy task — the crowd was much larger than she had expected. How was she ever going to find Blake in this throng of people?
When a woman’s tinkling laughter drifted toward her, she looked toward the sound, and then felt her stomach take an instant dip. Finding Blake hadn’t been so difficult after all. She just hadn’t expected to find him with a woman clinging to his side. It didn’t matter to her, of course. But why in the world would he ask her to get all dressed up for this glittering event just to leave her standing there alone, looking like a fool?
As if he could sense her presence, he turned his head in her direction, and their eyes collided from across the room. She must have still been frowning, because the smile on his face vanished and his eyebrows rose quizzically, and then he held out his hand and gestured for her to join him. But that woman stayed right there with him.
It wasn’t awkward enough for her, no doubt, so he had to throw another woman right down her throat. But who cared, right? She was just his weeklong fling. After the week was over, she would go on to the next man, and then the next, until she had enough saved to ensure her brother could come and live with her.
That thought stopped her in her tracks. Relinquish Control wasn’t a cheap place to find an escort. What if the next man attended the same parties that Blake did? How awkward would that be?
As if the thought had magically summoned unwanted people, a man bumped into her, and when he quickly turned to apologize, he stopped and stared, his words trapped in his throat.
“Um…excuse me,” Jewell finally said, and she tried to brush past him.
He took hold of her arm to keep her there. “Your name is Jewell, right?”
She gulped. This was so not good. She’d seen this man at the agency only a day before Blake had arrived. He’d come and spoken to her, but when Ms. Beaumont had told him that she wasn’t quite ready yet, he’d winked and promised to be back as soon as she was available for purchase.
Was one of the other girls there with him now?
“Yes. I really need to get going,” she said, trying to pull her arm away.
“What’s the rush, honey? Why don’t you have a drink with me?” There was something about this man that she’d instantly disliked, and seeing him wearing a tux and holding a glass of vintage wine didn’t improve that first impression.
“I’m here with someone,” she said as she tried again to get free.
“I thought you weren’t ready to escort anyone,” he said, his smile evaporating and the tone of his words displaying a piece of his temper.
“I’m sorry for any misunderstanding, but if you could release me, I should find my date.”
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, making her shudder in fear and loathing. “I don’t see why a whore would want to rush off. It doesn’t matter who you’re here with tonight, because I guarantee you I’ll be purchasing you and your services next.”
She didn’t know how to respond to such a man, and she felt her throat close. He was right. She didn’t own herself, not as long as she worked for Relinquish. She was owned by whichever man paid the right price. And she would end up attending parties where multiple men knew exactly who she was. This nightmare would never end as long as she lived in Seattle.
When she got Justin out of foster care, the two of them would move far, far away, because if her brother ever found out what she was doing, he would be so disappointed in her. She would never be able to handle him looking at her the way this man was doing right then.
“Why don’t we just skip all the paperwork and you come home with me now? You’ll make far more money that way,” he said with a smile that told her he thought he now had her in the bag.
“The lady is with me.”
Jewell almost felt relief when Blake broke in and put his arm possessively around her, easily taking her away from the other man’s grasp. The rage shimmering off him didn’t seem to be directed at her for once.
“I’m sorry, Blake; I didn’t realize she was here with you…on a…date,” the man said with a wink.
“Be really careful what you say next, Steve.” Blake’s words were quiet, but that didn’t lessen the threat.
“I wasn’t saying anything,” Steve hastily replied, but the leer he sent Jewell’s way made her skin crawl.
“Good.” With that, Blake pulled her away, and she didn’t feel her heart start slowing until they were halfway across the room.
Then the beat picked right back up when the woman she’d seen him with a few minutes earlier interrupted their escape.
“Blake, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Blake stopped, and to Jewell’s utter amazement, his expression softened, causing instant jealousy to rush through her veins. Who was this snake-charming woman, a woman who could enchant even Blake Knight? Not that it mattered… He wasn’t hers, and she didn’t want him to be.