Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
I narrowed my eyes, trying to decide how pissed off Mila would be if I got kicked out of this event for fighting.
“Why don’t we step outside?” I asked Darrell.
His eyes widened slightly. “Step outside? Should I bring my dueling pistols?”
“Just your fists.”
People were stopping to watch us now. I knew I should walk away, but I couldn’t.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Mila asked, her gaze on me as she approached.
“Just having a talk with Darrell.”
Darrell seized the opportunity to walk away, but I followed him. I wasn’t letting go of this.
“Ford,” Mila called from behind me.
“Get the fuck away from me,” Darrell yelled out to me, panic in his tone.
Mila caught up to me and put a hand on my arm. “Hey, don’t. He’s the Hamptons’ son.”
“I don’t care whose son he is. He shouldn’t be grabbing the asses of women he doesn’t even know.”
Mila sent a disgusted glare in Darrell’s direction. I was about to go after him when Elle approached.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Setting Darrell straight on a few things.”
She slid her mask up and off, her expression softening. “You don’t have to do that, Ford.”
“I want to do it.”
“Just great,” Mila muttered. “Eleanor Lawrence. This whole thing will be in the paper now.”
I gritted my teeth, biting back the urge to lash out at Mila for saying Elle’s name with such contempt, and making her sound like a trashy gossip columnist.
“It won’t,” Elle said softly, her gaze remaining on me. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
Mila looked between the two of us and then shook her head and spoke in a low tone.
“Ford, if you’re banging Eleanor Lawrence, we’re going to have a problem.”
I was about to say something that might get me fired when Elle beat me to it.
“Hey Mila?” she said sharply. “No one’s banging anyone here, and I’d appreciate you showing me some respect. I’ve never done otherwise to you.”
Mila scoffed, a crowd gathering. “Are you serious? You’ve made the new arena an uphill battle at every possible opportunity.”
“I’ve never made it personal.”
“There’s nothing more personal to me than my team,” Mila said.
Now that Darrell was out of sight, my good judgment finally took over.
“Let’s not do this here,” I said to Mila.
I approached Elle and said, “Let’s go.”
We left the dance floor behind, walking back toward the entrance of the Hamptons’s home.
“She’s always a delight,” Elle said under her breath.
I couldn’t deny that Mila was a battle-ax, which made her a great team owner. She didn’t back down, and I’d always admired that about her.
Elle didn’t deserve to be disrespected, though. And Mila had no business asking me if I was “banging” someone when were surrounded by people at a charity fundraiser.
“I’ll be having a talk with her,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet.”
“I checked my shawl and bag. Should I get them?”
“Yeah.”
She led the way to the coatroom, tipping the attendant when he passed her shawl and bag to her.
“Do you feel like walking?” I asked her.
“That sounds nice. It’s hot in here.”
We went outside, the fall air chillier than I’d expected. Elle put her shawl on, but it was too thin to really keep her warm.
“Ticket, sir?” the valet asked me.
It wasn’t just cold. Elle also had on those ridiculous—but sexy—shoes with sky-high heels. I looked at her. “Why don’t I drive you home? We can come back for your car tomorrow.”
She held my gaze for a second. “Are you sure?”
Something told me she wasn’t asking if I was sure about coming back for her car, but about something else. Something more.
“Positive,” I said.
She nodded. “Okay.”
We stood in silence until my Range Rover arrived. I passed the valet a twenty and thanked him, then got into my car, where Elle was leaning back against her seat.
“What just happened?” she asked lightly as I drove away.
“If you’d just danced with me when I asked, all of that could have been avoided.”
She shot me a glare. “Are you serious?”
I grinned. “Kind of. What possessed you to dance with Darrell fucking Hampton?”
“The same thing that possessed you to dance with that woman whose dress was so tight she could barely walk.”
Satisfaction and arousal pumped through my veins as I looked over at her. “Jealousy. In my case, it was definitely jealousy.”
“Are we teenagers? Do you really think that was your best option?”
I put my hand on her knee. “I’d ask you the same thing. Why don’t you just admit you like me?”
“I never said I didn’t like you. I said I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Even though you want to.”
She laughed lightly, her cheeks pink. “You’re more attractive than the average Joe, I’ll give you that.”
I forced myself to reign in my thoughts of undressing her and focus on the road.
“What was with you tonight?” I asked. “Why did you shut me down when I asked you to dance? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”