Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Court just laughed. “It was time.”
“It fucking was, man.” His gaze slipped to me. “Now, introduce me to your beautiful woman.”
I opened my mouth to object, but Court was already there. “This is English.”
Robert winked at me as he took my hand. “Pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Court Kensington is a friend of mine. But he does always find the loveliest woman in the room.”
“Thank you,” I said with a laugh. “I remember you from something. When I saw you at St. Regis, you were Robert something. Just on the tip of my tongue.”
“Ah, yes, next to a Kensington, Robert something is about as good as it gets, isn’t it?” He waved his hand with a flourish. “Robert Dawson, at your service.”
“Dawson! I knew it. I think we met when I was at Columbia. You’re friends with Lark.”
“Indeed, I am. Larkin St. Vincent is one of a kind.” He grinned at us both. “Well, I know most of New York is saying their last hurrah in the Hamptons this weekend, but I think it’ll pick up tonight.”
“Pick up?” I asked softly. “It’s already packed.”
“Robert fancies himself a bit of a Gatsby,” Court said.
Robert grinned at Court. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Kensington.”
Court just shook his head. Suddenly, a buxom woman with a sheet of mahogany hair appeared at his side.
“Hey, Court,” she said with big doe eyes accented with eyeliner.
“Poppy Arlington,” Robert crowed. “You were a maybe on the RSVP list.”
She winked at Robert. “I’d thought that I’d still be on my yacht in the Mediterranean, but I took one too many pills in Ibiza, if you know what I mean.”
“Sent you back to rehab?” Robert asked with a laugh.
“As if I didn’t have anything better to do,” she said with an eye roll. “How have you been, Court? I haven’t seen you around.”
“He’s working at Kensington Corporation again,” Robert interjected.
Court just shrugged and sipped his drink, oblivious or purposely ambivalent to Poppy’s flirtation. “Just busy.”
“Ooh, taking after Daddy,” she cooed. “I like.”
Court’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation. “Poppy, if you’ll excuse us.”
He took my arm and hauled me away from them.
“What was that about?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I like Robert. He’s good people. He went to boarding school in Europe and loves high fashion and elaborate parties. He makes Gavin look tame,” he said with a laugh. “Poppy is just…”
“Aggressive?”
“You could say that.”
We meandered to the edge of the living room that had been converted into a dance floor. I eyed the crowd of people. All so rich and carefree. I needed to drink more to feel like that.
But I drifted back to Court’s side. His eyes were on me. And I tried not to blush at the intensity of his look.
“Why did you let Robert think that we were together?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He stepped forward and drained his drink. “Aren’t we?”
I gulped. “No.”
“We came here together.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
He grinned at me and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind my ear. “Okay, Anna.”
Anna.
There was that name again. The one that no one ever used unless they didn’t know me. The one he somehow laced with so much desire.
“It’s… it’s English,” I murmured. “Everyone calls me English.”
He shrugged. “I’m not everyone.”
“Court, please,” I whispered, half-rebuke, half-plea.
He laughed gently as if my unease amused him. “Relax. Have a good time. I’d say we’ve both earned it.”
I nodded. We had. Then, I tipped the drink back and drained it.
“I’ll grab us another,” he promised. “Don’t leave.”
I watched him disappear back the way that we had come. This was dangerous territory, being here with Court. It was probably pretty stupid. But I’d just figured we’d put in so much work this week that it would be worth it to cut loose. That didn’t mean we had to do anything stupid. We could just hang out, especially since all of the rest of our friends were currently in the Hamptons. I’d rather do this than go back to the empty apartment, all alone again.
The music carried me away as the drink finally caught up with me. In Hollywood, I used to go out dancing with Winnie all the time. We’d ditch our respective beaus and dance the night away. Sometimes, we’d do it to keep up with clients, and sometimes, it was just for ourselves. Lark was too busy to go dancing all the time. Whitley was a hot plastic surgeon. As much as she wanted to go out all the time, it was too draining. And I still couldn’t get a full read on Katherine. She was loyal to a fault, and I was just getting into her good graces. This New York life was so different. It felt good to just let loose on the dance floor.
My hands were over my head. My eyes closed as I swayed my hips back and forth to the beat. Everything else just disappeared.