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Charlesworth mumbles something about catching up later and shuffles off, leaving behind a stale scent of arrogance.
I look at Naomi and raise an eyebrow. “Loving girlfriend?”
She sips her champagne. “Oh, now you complain?”
I snatch her glass and finish it. “I thought you were going to let me drown here.”
“You looked like you were swimming just fine.” There’s a flicker of something in her eyes. Concern, maybe. Or pity. I can’t tell with her. “He’s a creep.”
“He’s a fucking dinosaur,” I say. “But he’s a dinosaur with a lot of stock.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?”
She rolls her eyes. “About how much you hate this.”
Like that changes anything. “It’s just one night.”
“I don’t get it. You have everything these people want. Money, power, connections. Why do you care what they think?”
“I don’t.”
“Bullshit.”
I exhale slowly. “It’s not about them. It’s about… keeping up appearances.” Being perfect.
“Appearances…”
A firm grip on my shoulder nearly makes me jump out of my skin.
“Look what Naomi managed to drag out of his cave.”
I turn to find Sebastian and Connor in perfectly tailored suits. Bash’s trademark smirk makes me want to punch him. Lovingly, of course. We’re best friends, sadly.
“Bash.” I give him my best grin. “Kindly go fuck yourself. Please.”
“There he is.” Sebastian’s lips twitch. “The Brandon we know and tolerate.”
And there’s the Sebastian I like.
“Naomi worked her magic again?” Connor’s eyes drift to her.
“Had to drag his ass out of bed,” Naomi says.
Sebastian whistles. “Bet that was fun.”
“About as fun as you can imagine.”
I glare at her. “You loved every minute of it.”
“In your dreams, Milton.”
Connor snorts. “You two should take this act on the road.”
“Speaking of acts…” Sebastian’s eyes narrow, scanning the crowd. “Your brother’s been looking for you.”
My stomach clenches. “Let him look.”

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