A Jade's Trick (Lilly Black's Jaded Series Book 1) (38 page)

"He was hoping for the Bugatti."

"Guess there are perks to this job beyond tips from rich assholes," I joke, making the doorman on my side snicker as two of them open the doors wide for us.  Inside, even the lobby is abuzz with activity, but Cain leads me straight through to the ballroom, which is larger than a football field, another of the wonders of La Jolla where somehow the rich have carved out more square footage than seems possible.

The ballroom is beautiful with a light wood dance floor in front an orchestra, and the tables are all set with sparkling crystal, china, and silver with fresh flowers in the center with white roses overflowing from their squat vases.  Overhead the chandeliers are dimmed, and though the light still causes faint reflections on the windows lining the far wall, I can make out the coastline in the distance.  This would be a beautiful place for a home.  In my dream house, I can see the cliffs of La Jolla from my bedroom balcony.

As I try not to stare or look overly impressed, Cain leads me to our table.  It's by the dance floor at the front of the stage, the first table on our side.  It's set for eight, and with their father, mother, Caleb, the harpy, Cain, and I, we're missing two guests.  I assume Cary will be one of them, and when Steph taps me on the shoulder from behind, I think with disgust that he must be our 8th.  He isn't.  He has come to ask me to dance.

And why the fuck would I do that? 
I hate the guy.  It's because of his big mouth that the other women at our table are at odds with me, and even if I wouldn't rather have my teeth pulled out with pliers than spend one moment in his company, there's the fact that I want to fade into the woodwork, not take to the dance floor and make a spectacle of myself!

"I promise you won't regret it," Cain whispers, brushing himself against me lightly, his lip grazing my ear, and now I have to dance with the jerk because I feel like I'm on display as Cain lures carnal thoughts to surface.

Well, there's nothing like Steph to kill a girl's hard on.

Putting on a happy face, I offer him my hand, and he leads me to the crowded dance floor, pulling me into a stance with one arm on his shoulder and the other in his hand.

"Relax and let me lead," he instructs, and with no real choice as I have no idea how to do all of the silly ballroom dances that I secretly want a man to know while openly making fun of those who do, I put myself in his hands.

"I just want you to know how sorry I am for what happened at Qualcomm," Steph whispers as he moves me gracefully around the floor.

"It's done," I say.

"But I need you to understand something.  When I said...what I said, it wasn't a slip.  I knew exactly what I was doing."

"If you're asking for forgiveness, you're not doing a very good job of it," I scoff, and he laughs.

"I'm a dog, and the night we met, you saw right through me.  I assumed Cain's intentions with you were the same as mine, so when I saw you at the game, I got jealous and acted like a jackass," he admits and pauses to dip me suddenly. "I had no idea how much you mean to Cain."

"What do you mean?" I fish.

"Don't be coy, Evan.  You know he's in love with you."  Then just after putting a wide-eyed, drop-jawed look on my face, Steph spins me around.

"What makes you say that?" I ask when we're face to face again.

"It's all over his face when he looks at you.  Anyone can see it."  The song ends and everyone on the dance floor begins clapping for the band as I stand staring at Steph, not knowing what to say.  He takes my arm in his and escorts me back to the table.

"I just want you to know that I'm on your side," he whispers as we walk.

"Thank you for the dance," I say politely as we approach the table, and all of the men stand.  I still don't trust Steph, but who knew he could be charming? 

"Evan," Cary says when we're seated.  "I think you know who everyone else is, but this is my date, Sylvia.  Sylvia, Evan is Cain's girlfriend."  I light up inside just hearing those words spoken aloud.

"It's nice to meet you," I say to Sylvia.

"Sylvia and I went to high school together," Arianna says, and I don't know if she's just making conversation or trying to out Sylvia for being about ten years older than Cary.  Everything is so strained at this table, it's hard to tell.  Uncomfortable with the silence that follows, I turn to Cain. 

"You didn't tell me Steph was such a good dancer," I say.

"You looked great out there," Cain says, but Cary begins to speak over him.

"Mother made us all take lessons, including Steph.  You should drag Cain out there and see what he can do."

"You should," his father adds.  "I can't remember the last time I saw Cain on the dance floor." 

"I can't remember the first time," Cary jokes.

Really?  Didn't Cain dance with the exes at these events?

"Any time you're ready, my lady," Cain says, his thinly veiled reference taken as mere chivalry by all but me.  It makes me hesitate, and Catherine steals the spotlight.

"Come on, son," she says.  "Dance with your old mother."  Cain has no real choice if he wants to keep the peace, but before rising, he grabs my hand under the table, squeezing it reassuringly.  As soon as Catherine is gone, the mood at the table lightens.

"Evan, dear," Cain's father begins, introducing himself and asking me to call him Jack while on the other side of the table, Arianna strains to hear.  "I just want you to know how pleased we are that you've joined us this evening."  I thank him, and as he speaks, I can see so much of Cain in his face.  Cain looks nothing like his mother, but he could be a carbon copy of his father, an extremely handsome man in his late fifties.

"It's so nice to finally get to meet you," Jack says.

"You're all Cain ever talks about," Caleb explains, but as Arianna's lips become a thin line, he leans back in his seat, clamming up.

"And it's so good to see him like this," Jack continues.  "Cain has always been so...distant..."  As Jack says the word, he looks at his other sons for their input.

"Dispassionate," Cary says.

"Bored," Caleb adds, and I think he's talking about himself as much as Cain.  In fact, as I look around the table, those seem like good words to describe all of the Ballantyne men.

"Whatever it is, you mean the world to him," Jack says, and as I'm frozen, not knowing how to respond, Cary saves me by directing our attention to the dance floor where Cain is playfully dipping his mother just a few feet away from us.

As I turn in my seat to watch them dance, I'm mesmerized by Cain in his tux.  Tonight he's the consummate, black tie fantasy, and he's mine...all six feet, four inches of beautiful perfection...
mine
...

But he used to belong to the exes, who make me suddenly aware of their presence.  I realize why I haven't seen any of them yet.  I've been seated, probably deliberately, with my back to the majority of the other tables, but now I can see and feel their eyes upon me.  From the dance floor, a woman in a sparkling red, siren gown is boring holes into me, and at a table on the other side, a woman in blue scowls in my direction.  And they're not all just staring. A woman with long, dark hair in a black gown sits across the room as a blonde in a slinky, black and gold dress points straight at me.  I don't need a closer look to tell me who these two are.

The song finally ends, and Cain returns to me.  The men stand, and when Catherine sits down, Jack tells her how lovely and graceful she looked.  Caleb, like a robot, agrees as I compliment Cain on his dancing skills, then whisper about the women staring at me.

"Let's give them something to watch then," he says, giving me a long, sweet kiss that must be torture for Catherine to watch.  Good.  Fuck her.

As the evening wears on, Cain, Cary, and Jack keep the conversation flowing for the rest of us.  Dinner comes and goes, and everyone at the table remains civil except for one inappropriate dig from Arianna, which Cain shuts down beautifully, though disconcertingly.

"Those earrings look familiar," she says.  "Didn't you borrow those from Grohl's for Liz once?"

"Maybe, but they look so stunning on Evan, I bought them for her." 

"You shouldn't have done that," I whisper to him.  "You know I'd be more comfortable with cut glass."

"Which is why I want to bathe you in diamonds," he says, his eyes burning through me as I laugh nervously, and when the band starts back up, he takes me onto the dance floor so I can casually point out the women who have been staring at me.  As he would seldom ever dance at these functions, knowing how jealous they must be makes being on display like this a little easier for me, though I'd rather be pressed hard against him at Envy than be waltzing around this place...or whatever the fuck it is that we're doing.

As Cain flawlessly leads me, I direct his attention to my spectators, and I learn that the red dress is Victoria, blue is Lourdes, and I was right about the twins.  When he notices the dark-haired sister wearing a formal dress with a black leather waist, he remembers something about Lorraine he had all but forgotten.  Toward the end of their relationship,
though already adventurous, she had
developed curiosities that he wasn't ready to consider in high school...bondage curiosities, but she wanted to be Dominant.  Even at seventeen, Cain knew he was no one's submissive.

"She may have planted the whole idea in my head, but only you could make a slave of me," he whispers, and as I feel my nipples tighten beneath the very thin fabric of my dress, I have to make light of his comment.

"I don't know.  Lorraine looks like she could probably teach me a thing or two if we hooked up for that ménage à trois you're always talking about."

"Don't mix my worlds," he says firmly.

"You brought me from your secret world to this one." 

"Evan, you are my worlds," Cain says, gently touching my face with his fingertips.  I'm stunned, so in love with him at this moment, but before my defense mechanisms even have a chance to ruin the beauty of it, the music comes to an abrupt halt.  Everyone pauses as a tipsy, elderly man takes the stage and rambles about the cause for which we've all gathered here, which is human trafficking, not unwed mothers, though I'm only giving him partial attention.  What brings me back down to Earth is hearing Cain called to the stage.  By the look on his face, he wasn't expecting this, but he shakes off the surprise before the spotlight ever hits him.  He looks around for his brothers, who are nowhere to be found, and though he doesn't want to leave me, I don't want the spotlight on me any longer than it has to be.

"Go," I urge him.  "I'll be okay on my own for a minute."  He smiles and kisses me under the spotlight, earning us an awww from the crowd that makes me wish I were invisible, then he walks casually across the dance floor, one hand held aloft as he meets thunderous applause.  I think vaguely how awkward I must look standing here in his wake as he plays his role expertly.

"He's like a rock star around here," I mutter to myself.

"He
is
a rock star around here," says a voice from behind.  I turn and find the dark twin, Lorraine.

"Excuse me?" I ask, politely, though inside I'm anxious as hell.

"Lorraine Meriwether," she says, extending a hand quickly.

Rain, sister of Sunny Merry-weather?

"You've got to be kidding me," I blurt out.  "Oh, God, I'm so sorry.  I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"It's a dumbass name, but we can talk about that later," she says, her tone growing urgent as she speaks.  "You're going to want to come with me.  Now."

"I don't think..." I begin as I turn back to look at Cain up on the stage to see if he's aware of her attempt to abscond with me, but I can't see him at all now because the crowd has closed in around the dance floor. Worse than that, a small group of women led by the blonde twin is coming at me.

What the fuck?

"It's her or me.  Who do you trust?"

Lorraine tugs at my right hand, and utterly alone, I go with my instinct and follow her.  Quickly snaking through the crowd, she leads me across the lobby, down a partially lit hallway, and into a vacant, out of the way ladies' room.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" I demand as soon as the door is closed behind us.  She slumps down in a pink, velvet chair with gilded arms by a side table, offering me the opposite chair, and now that we're not rushing around, I get a better look at her dress.  The leather Cain and I saw from the dance floor is actually a corset over a severe black, taffeta gown.

"So you know who I am?" Lorraine asks. Faintly, I can still hear Cain speaking from the ballroom, and worried that he'll freak out when he doesn't find me waiting where he left me, I take out my phone to text him.

"When you said
you've got to be kidding me
..."  She draws my attention back to her.

"I'm so sorry.  I didn't know your last name until you said it, and I just couldn't believe your parents called your sister Sunny Meriwether."  She laughs.

"We were named after our grandmothers.  Our dad's mom was named Madison, and my mother thought it would be cute to call her Sunny. Lorraine sucks, too, but it only got truly stupid when I started going by Rain to piss my sister off."

"Was that before or after you started fucking her boyfriend?" I snipe.  "Oh, God!  I don't know where that came from."  Yes I do.  I just shouldn't be acting like this.

"It's okay.  It was a long time ago, but just like back then, Madison and I are both here because of Cain."

Cain!  I still need to text him.

"I don't follow," I say.

"Rumor had it that the unconquerable Cain Ballantyne was bringing someone he's serious about tonight."

"Serious?" I ask, wondering who started that rumor as I finish my text.

Just in the little girl's room.  Sorry I'm missing your speech,
I type.  Good enough.  I hit send, and the muffled sounds of his speech stop for a second.  It makes me smile.

"Just telling you what I heard..."  Rain says.

"So you came to see me?"

"No.  My sister came to see you.  I came to stop her from whatever shitty thing she planned to say or do to you.  If I had any idea she had assembled a posse, I would have warned you earlier.  Cain being called to the stage wasn't on the agenda.  The drunk, old guy up at the mic?  Aldous Meriwether.  Our grandfather.  I think Sunny arranged for Cain to receive this award just to get him away from you."

"Why would she do that?"  It's not that I'm not used to girls acting like scheming bitches; it's just that we're not in high school anymore.

"Because Sunny still thinks of Cain as hers.  It's been ten years since he dated her, but even though he's been with some of her closest friends now, she believes that he'll get it all out of his system and marry her in the end." 

Where have I heard that before?

"If she thinks she'll have him in the end, then why does she care about me?"

"Because she can't see you as a substitute for herself, and she can't call you up and tell you what Cain likes in bed like she did with Victoria, Liz, and all of her other bitch friends he's hooked up with, like she has any idea what he likes in bed."  Rain rolls her eyes, then she realizes what she said.  "Oh, shit!  I'm sorry."

"It's okay.  Cain actually said that...you're the one I have to thank for some of his, uh, talents," I admit sheepishly, and Rain laughs.

"Well, instead of thanking me, just promise not to tell anyone, okay?  Sunny still doesn't know about Cain and me.  I've been saving that one for over ten years."  Rain's smile is positively evil, and as I realize I am starting to like her, I hear the signal that I have a text coming in.  It's Cain.

Speech over.  Where are you?
he asks.

Still in the ladies' room.

Say something to prove this is Evan.

You like me to leave my heels on,
I type.

Everyone knows that about me,
Cain replies, making me laugh.

Fucking Pervert! 

So it is you.

Of course.

I can't wait to get you out of here.

Then don't,
I reply.

"Cain's looking for me," I explain to Rain.

"Tell him to meet you at the table.  I'll check to see if the hallway is clear, then I'll take you the back way."

"Okay.  Thanks," I say and begin typing the text, but as Rain reaches for the door, it gets pushed in on her.  Sunny enters, and her friends file in behind.  I recognize Lourdes, Victoria, and a couple others whose names I can't remember, but it isn't until I notice Elizabeth trying to hide herself behind them that the anxiety hits.  I could handle what the rest of these bitches have to say, but after the way Cain threw her out at Qualcomm, I'm afraid of what Elizabeth's bruised ego might make her do.

"You must be Evan," Sunny says as I stand with Rain at my side.  "We're here to welcome you to the club."  Sunny extends her hand, but then she retracts it immediately.  "Oh, wait!  You can't be in the club yet."

"Leave her alone, Sunny," Rain hisses.

"Shut the fuck up, Lori!  The club is only for women who've been fucked over by Cain Ballantyne."

"I'm not interested in your club," I say, stern and stiff on the outside, rattled as hell on the in.  "If Cain and I stop dating, none of you will ever see me again."

"I guess that's true...unless we go to Prometheus for a cosmo," Victoria mocks.

"Oh, that's right!" Sunny says, howling in laughter.  They all join in.  "Cain's been slumming."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Rain shouts at her sister.  "You disgust me."

"You're just jealous!" Sunny shouts, pushing her sister, and Rain drops her clutch.  When it falls open on the floor and her keys fall out, I notice a little black, leather whip on her key chain.

"Pick it up," Rain demands, unashamed, and surprisingly, Sunny does.  She hands her sister the clutch, keeping the keys.

"Freak!" she says as she dangles the keychain in the air.  "We all see how you look at Cain.  You've always wanted him, but he would never want anything to do with your sick perversions."  Elizabeth and Victoria just watch the whip, mesmerized as I pray Rain chooses this moment to unveil her secret.  She doesn't.

"You're pathetic," Rain says as she grabs her sister's wrist and violently yanks the keys out of her hand.

"You're the one who's pathetic, Lori! Standing here defending this gold digger!" 

Oh, my God!  What is it with rich people always thinking everyone is after their money?

"I don't give a damn about Cain's money, Sunshine," I say.

"Then I suppose you bought that $5,000 dress yourself?" she snarls, and I don't have to wonder how she knew what my dress cost for long as she steps out of the way and shoves Elizabeth to the front.  Cain's ex-fiancé stands before me wearing the same, pewter satin gown.

Fuck that lying Miss Peirce!
 

"Who gives a goddamn if they're wearing the same dress, Sunny?" Rain hisses in disgust with her sister, but Sunny just prods Elizabeth toward me.

"She doesn't have anything that I don't have," Elizabeth says, softly, almost meekly.  "They even had to give her a smaller size because her boobs were too small for this dress.  Cain likes at least a D-cup."

Oh, yeah, he's mentioned how much he enjoys fake tits, honey,
I think as I remember what Miss Pierce said about my chest in that dress...then it occurs to me; Pierce didn't necessarily know
everything
that took place in that dressing room.  It brings a most evil smile to my face, and having held my tongue long enough, I pick this moment to bring these bitches down a notch.

"The dress is lovely on you, Elizabeth," I say, inching toward her, emboldened by her meekness.  "And you're right.  I don't have the disgusting sacs of saline to fill up the size six, but Cain seems to like them just fine.  I guess Miss Pierce forgot to mention that he was in the dressing room with me, zipping and unzipping, mostly unzipping, and if you take a good look at the hem of your dress in the back, you'll find a small, curious stain.  I'll give you a hint.  It's not from wiping away the tears because my tits are too small."  Rain bursts out laughing and follows me as I pass the dumbfounded X-Bitches and head to the door.  It's slightly ajar already, and when I push it, I run directly into Cain.  He's beaming at me.

"You're fucking amazing, baby," he says, pulling me to him.  He whispers a thank you to Rain as he moves to go into the ladies' room after them, but I stop him.

"It's been handled.  I'm good."

"You are," he says, then he leads us down the hallway with his arm around my waist, but before we make our clean getaway, I hear Sunny's voice.

"If you ever come around here again, I'll make sure everyone knows what you are!" she screams desperately down the hallway, and the rise of Cain's anger is palpable as he comes to a dead stop, turning slowly around.

"Goddamn it, Sunny!" Cain growls.  "If you say one more word..."

"You'll what, Cain?  What will you do if I say one more word?"  She spits the words out of her mouth, but instead of getting angrier, which I would have expected, Cain's demeanor changes and he gives her a smug laugh.

"Come here, Sunny.  I have something I've needed to tell you for a very long time."  He's speaking softly now, and Sunny is easily drawn in and walks toward him as he meets her half way.  He puts his arm around her, turning to face me, and the effect he has on her is astonishing.  She goes from being irate with jealousy to thoroughly pacified, looking up at him doe-eyed.

"Sunny, I haven't been as happy as I am with Evan since you and I dated.  You remember how happy I was?  Do you know why?" She nods "no" as a catty smile spreads across her face.  "Because the entire time..." Cain's tone goes instantly from sweet to cold as ice "...I was fucking your sister."  Sunny's eyes nearly pop out of her head, and in her bewilderment, Cain kisses her hard on the mouth with his lips closed tight, then leaves her standing there, fuming as he returns to me.

"I'm sorry, Lorraine," he says as we walk away to the sound of Sunny's shock and fury.

"I couldn't have picked a better time to tell her myself, but I'm probably going to need a ride home now."