Page 13 of Dangerous Men (Fortune City Mafia #1)

SYDNEY

I am a seductress. I am a siren, born of desire and sin.

I am sex incarnate.

At least, that’s how I feel tonight. In this dress, with my makeup done and my hair perfectly styled, I feel beautiful. Really, truly beautiful.

But even more, I feel powerful.

Sure, my dress is a little low-cut, showing off a bit more cleavage than I would usually flaunt.

And, yes, the slit up the side runs so high it practically hits the top of my thigh.

But that just adds to how sexy I feel tonight.

The way the midnight blue fabric sparkles like stars, slowly morphing into a shining silver hem, makes this dress a work of art.

It’s the most beautiful piece of clothing I’ve ever owned.

I never want to take it off. I might spend the rest of my life in this dress, shopping in it, doing chores in it, sleeping in it, the works.

Even food tastes better when you’re dressed like this. Or maybe that’s just a testament to the incredible catering they hired for the Sterling Children’s Foundation Annual Charity Banquet.

As they clear our plates away at the end of an outstanding meal, I’m pleasantly full, and only half listening to the keynote speaker as he winds down.

“And of course, none of this would be possible without the wonderful work of our biggest benefactor, Mr. Mason Sterling. Everyone, please give him a round of applause.”

Someone stands as we all clap, but our cheaper-ticket table is so far from the stage I can barely make out anything other than dark skin and hair. Plus, I’m admittedly a little distracted.

Jade hasn’t yet found a sugar momma to take her to Fiji, sadly. But she has attracted the attention of one of the wait staff.

“You should go talk to her,” I whisper, nudging Jade as I say it.

“And leave you here all alone? Hardly.” Jade huffs, leaning her elbow on the table.

Her purple hair has faded to a soft lavender, and it’s a perfect color match to the full-length satin dress she chose to wear.

Despite her objections, her eyes flick to the far wall as she says it, to where the cute blonde keeps glancing at her and blushing.

“Oh, please.” I roll my eyes. The speaker finishes detailing exactly how much money this event has raised for underprivileged children in Fortune City, and we all clap politely again.

“Just go talk to her, Jade. I’ll be fine.

I want to check out the orchestra and the ballroom, anyway.

Maybe grab a drink. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone to canoodle with, too. ”

I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and Jade smirks. A flurry of movement around the room tells me the speeches must have finally finished. The people around us have come to their feet and are filtering out of the elegant dining room, toward the live music and the ballroom. I nudge Jade again .

“Nope.” Jade scrunches her nose and shakes her head. “Not going to happen. I dragged you here. I’m sure as hell not abandoning you now.”

“Jade, it’s fine! Really. Go and talk to her.” This time, we both glance over, catching the blonde watching us. She tucks her hair nervously behind her ear and looks away.

I can tell she’s wavering by the way Jade’s foot taps incessantly against the table leg. Jade can’t resist a pretty face for long.

“I’m going to get a drink,” I announce, pushing my chair back and standing. “And maybe spend some time in the garden until some lonely old millionaire takes pity on me and asks me to dance. And you are going to talk to her.”

Jade throws her hands up in surrender.

“Fine!” she says. “But I’m coming to find you in thirty minutes, okay? So don’t let anyone sweep you off to their yacht before then.”

“I make absolutely no promises,” I say, running my hands over the fabric of my dress, luxuriating in the feel under my touch. I glide away from the table, but not before shooting her a wink. “Love you,” I sing, grinning over my shoulder as I navigate my way through the tables.

“To the moon and back!” Jade calls after me, loud enough to turn a few heads.

By the time I make my way out of the dining room and into the ballroom—stopping along the way to marvel at how beautiful and perfectly decorated everything is—I’m one of the last people out of the dining area, and the line to the bar is atrociously long.

It stretches along the far wall, easily fifty people deep.

Fine. My drink can wait a little. To the garden, it is!

Already several couples have taken to the massive dance floor, waltzing close to one another, swaying to the rhythm of the live orchestra. I give the dancers plenty of space, keeping to the sides of the room as I make my way toward the open doors that lead to the garden.

Maybe my little joke about someone asking me to dance wasn’t that unrealistic after all. I notice a few heads turning my way as I walk. Just for fun, I swing my hips a little more than necessary, loving the feeling of my dress’s high slit and the way the fabric moves around my legs.

I am sex. I am beauty. I am?—

A voice calls out my name, and I freeze, a cold chill running over me.

Oh no.

“Sydney?”

Oh no, oh no.

I know that voice.

Pasting a smile on my face to hide my panic, I turn, counting to ten in my head as I do so. Think happy thoughts, Sydney.

I inhale peace and exhale worry , I say to myself, not believing a single damn word.

I am an ocean of calm.

“Chase,” I greet my ex-boyfriend as he approaches. Scratch that, my ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. My stomach sinks as I recognize the woman at his side, his arm wrapped around her waist.

Of course he’s here. After I’d begged him to come, and he’d still said no.

After I’d bought both our tickets with my own money, after he’d made me feel so guilty for expecting even the slightest amount of courtesy from him by wanting one special night.

One night for me. Of course, after all of that, he shows up here.

With her .

And just like that, my dream night has become a nightmare.

He even dressed up, something he’d consistently failed to do when we were together.

I recognize his suit as the same one he wore to his uncle’s wedding two years ago, and though it’s a little tight around the middle, it still fits.

And he looks good. He’s always been handsome, with his boy-next-door looks and charm, always been the sort of man to turn heads.

That was part of the problem.

Caroline gives me a shy smile, an unreadable expression on her perfectly contoured face. I wonder if she’s as uncomfortable seeing me as I am seeing her. Her dress flows down her body in mirror opposition to mine, high-necked with a low back, golden hued and sleek.

She looks good, too. Really good.

I hate her a little for it.

“You got a haircut,” I say to Chase, stupidly, regretting the words the moment they are out of my mouth.

“Uh, yeah,” he laughs, touching the tips of his short hair. “A few since we broke up, actually.”

His gaze rolls over my dress.

“That’s quite a look,” he says. If he thinks my outfit is too provocative—the neckline too low or the slit up the side too bold—at least he doesn’t say it out loud.

In fact, the way his eyes linger on my cleavage makes me think he approves.

Caroline makes a sound, clearing her throat to draw Chase’s attention back to her.

“Thanks,” I say reflexively. I eye the exit to the garden, glancing back over my shoulder. “Well, I should get going. I need to find my date.” The lie rolls off my tongue with surprising ease.

I say it to be cruel, wanting to hurt him. He doesn’t need to know I’m here with Jade, and I want him to think that maybe I have someone else too. Make them realize they aren’t the only ones that have moved on, even if it is a lie. But Chase doesn’t react. He doesn’t even look at me.

Acting like he wasn’t even listening, he plants a delicate kiss on Caroline’s bare shoulder, making her blush. My insides twist.

God, I’m pathetic.

Why am I standing here entertaining this? Why can’t I just walk away? My fists clench at my side, and just as I’m about to turn and leave, Chase finally glances back at me.

“Hey, listen, I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but you, uh…you haven’t returned any of my messages lately.” He says it so casually, like he doesn’t even care. Like he wasn’t messaging me constantly, day after day, without pause.

Does your girlfriend know how much you’ve been messaging me? I wonder.

“I blocked your number,” I say, the words tumbling from my lips before I can stop them.

That gets his attention, at least.

“I see.” His face hardens. He hadn’t expected that. Chase never dealt well with not being in control of a situation. The hand on Caroline’s hip tightens visibly, and she winces. “Well, I guess that explains it, then.”

I almost feel sorry for her, seeing that look of pain. I remember this. I remember the times when his anger got the better of him… when his touches were anything but gentle.

I remember what it was like to be afraid of him.

“Why were you messaging me, anyway?” I ask Chase, tearing my eyes away from where he’s touching her. “I thought we?—”

“I was only messaging you because I was being nice,” he says, cutting me off. Always cutting me off. “Caroline is thinking about moving in with me, and we’re just not comfortable having your stuff around anymore. I wanted to return the last of your things.”

With those words, a flicker of surprise appears in Caroline’s bright blue eyes, and she looks decidedly uncomfortable. Did she ask him to reach out to me, I wonder, or is this the first she’s hearing of it?

He did that to me, too. Made decisions without me. Made inferences without my input and treated them like they were fact and not just his opinions.

“But if that’s how you’re going to act, I have no problem just tossing it all in the trash where it belongs,” Chase finishes. His lip twists up into a hostile sneer, and I don’t doubt for a second that he’d do exactly that.

I shake my head, frustrated tears welling in my eyes. Of course, he would ruin this night for me. Of course . I don’t want to cry in front of them. I can’t let them have this power over me. I can’t keep letting him get to me like this. I can’t keep letting him win.

But I don’t know how to get out of this situation. As always, he’s taken away all of my fight, all of my will.

Just walk away! a voice inside me screams. Tell him to fuck off and walk away!

But I can’t.

“I guess I can stop by and pick them up,” I say, resigned and just hoping for this interaction to end. Defeated by him once again.

“Great,” Chase says, a cruel edge to his voice. “Well, maybe you can stop being dramatic and unblock my number so we can talk like adults. You can be so difficult when you?—”

“Ah, there you are,” a deep resonant voice interrupts, speaking over him. Someone touches me, taking my hand in theirs and wrapping a thick arm around my waist, mirroring the couple in front of us. “I lost you for a moment there, Red. ”

I blink in surprise as I stare up into the face of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome himself.

Alec.

Now this? This is a man who was born to wear a tuxedo. The one he’s in right now looks crafted just for him, hugging every delicious muscle in his body. He looks perfectly in his element here, like he was made for this ballroom. Or like it was made for him.

I stare up at this handsome creature, speechless, my mouth partially open in shock. Dark eyes locked on mine, Alec brings my hand up to his face, and places a soft kiss on my knuckles, sending a flutter of excitement through my body.

“Alec? What are you?—”

“And who is this?” Alec interrupts me, pulling me close enough that we’re standing hip to hip, my body pressed flush against his.

Oh. Right. For a moment, I’d forgotten all about him.

Them . Caroline’s eyes are tracking Alec up and down, her mouth agape.

She looks genuinely stunned. And while I know Alec is attractive—possibly the most attractive man I’ve ever seen, if we’re not including his muscular friend Ash—her reaction is still over-the-top.

“Babe, why don’t you go grab us some more drinks,” Chase urges, pushing Caroline away without looking at her.

Chase’s posture has stiffened, and for the first time tonight, I know I have his full attention.

A muscle in his jaw tightens as he stares at Alec’s hand now resting casually on my hip.

Caroline is clearly put off by the request, but she takes a deep breath, schooling her features.

Not wanting to start a fight with Chase she’s sure to lose.

I remember that feeling vividly. Without another word, she walks away, glancing back at us over her shoulder a few times before she reaches the line to the bar .

“Chase,” my ex introduces himself, holding out his hand for Alec to shake. I’ve never seen him so obviously jealous of another man. It makes me feel strangely powerful. “I’m Sydney’s… was Sydney’s fiancé,” Chase finishes, awkwardly.

“Ah, well, better luck next time,” Alec purrs, his fingers tightening on me in a gentle squeeze. Chase’s eyes track the motion, and his scowl deepens.

“And you are…?” Chase prompts, hand still outstretched, waiting.

Finally letting me go long enough to take Chase’s hand, Alec smiles widely.

“Mason Sterling,” he introduces himself. My heart skips a beat. “How kind of you to come to my little charity event this evening.”