Page 28 of Sugar (Gilded #1)

Not bothering with pleasantries, Easton abandoned our plan to stick around. He practically lifted me from my seat as he stood. “Time to go, baby.”

It was miraculous—and not in a good way—but Jerry’s smile turned more lecherous. He doubled down on the creepy by slowly scanning down my body.

I figured Easton would ignore the blatant ogling—that was what I was doing—in favor of his typical even-tempered and blank nature.

I was wrong.

Snaking an arm around my waist, his large hand splayed just under my breast was searing and possessive. As was the harshness in his voice when his low, gravelly voice bit out, “Watch yourself, Jerry.”

The other man lifted his hands in a placating surrender, but there was an odd mix of amusement and loathing in his expression. He didn’t get the chance to say more when Easton bodily propelled me to the exit without so much as a glance to our hosts.

Once we were out in the entryway, I extricated myself from his grip. Or tried to. I avoided meeting his eyes as I gestured behind me. “I need to use the restroom if you want to say your goodbyes.”

It wasn’t a lie. The drive home would be long without the added Saturday night traffic we were sure to hit. Since I was no longer in the mood to stop for a burger or extend my night with Easton in any way, I would need to go before we left.

And possibly check for a window to slink out of like his dirty little secret.

He tried to catch my chin, but I dodged him. His voice held the same confusion as his expression. “The fuck?”

I took a retreating step backward.

And he took an even larger advancing step forward. “What’s going on?”

“Like I said, bathroom. Go say goodbye.”

“I’ll wait here.” Only he wasn’t waiting there. When I took another backward shuffle, he followed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to accompany me into the bathroom with the way he hovered.

The jerk.

Offering one of those tight, awkward smiles to another couple who was making their hasty escape, I kept my voice low and my expression locked down before it broadcast my inner thoughts for me.

“I’m not going to talk to anyone. I won’t say anything embarrassing.

You’re fine to take your eyes off me for two seconds. ”

I might’ve been trying to not make a scene, but Easton clearly didn’t care. His voice carried without a hint of discretion. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Shh,” I hissed, lifting my fingers to press against his loud mouth.

It was his turn to dodge my attempt. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. That’s not how we work, Madeline.”

My cheeks erupted in red heat like the fiery flames of hell themselves were surrounding me.

Since he wasn’t going to be quiet, I contradicted my earlier desire for him to stop following me and instead dragged him along down the narrow hall that led to bathrooms and an emergency exit.

I still had no intention of telling him what was up.

“Fine. Whatever. Wait here if that’s what you want. ”

Shockingly, he didn’t trail me into the room. Ready to be done with the night of bad food, dull conversation, and stark reminders, I hurriedly did what I needed and washed my hands before exiting.

“Do you want—” My question of whether he wanted to be polite and say goodbye was cut off when he gripped my upper arms and spun me. Like in Gilded’s hallway, he put his palms flat to the wall to cage me in.

Unlike at Gilded, the positioning stood out and was borderline inappropriate.

He dropped one hand to curve around my throat and used his thumb to tilt my chin up as he dipped his face closer. “Where did those comments come from?”

“Nothing. Nowhere. Are you ready to go?”

“I don’t like repeating myself, and I’m not going to do it again, Madeline. I thought you were upset at that prick, but I obviously pissed you off.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Do you feel like I didn’t defend you?”

“What? No.”

“Because I’m happy to go lay him out anyway, but especially for the way he was looking at you.”

“No, I don’t care about that.”

“Then what?”

“Not—”

Easton’s voice was stern as he ordered, “Tell me what I did.”

“You’re embarrassed by me.”

He staggered back like I’d pushed him. At the incredulous look twisting his handsome face, I was tempted to. It was insulting after everything I’d sat through. “What the hell are you talking about?”

That was already more than I intended to say, so I kept the rest disconnected and brief.

At least, that was what I meant to do. Instead, it came out in a breathless ramble.

“You hover and answer for me and wouldn’t even leave me alone to go to the bar and then you lied about what I do because you don’t want anyone to know I’m just some college student. ”

As soon as the final word left my mouth, I wanted to rewind time and swallow them back down.

Mortification swirled with devastation because I knew I’d just made a colossal mistake.

One that signified the beginning of the end before I’d even gotten to enjoy being Easton’s sugar baby for more than a few hours.

I scrambled to backtrack and form a defense for my unfortunate emotions. “Which is fine. That’s not what this is.”

“The fuck it isn’t.”

I continued talking over him. “But I don’t enjoy being made to feel like your dirty secret. The specifics of me or our arrangement are our business, and we don’t have to broadcast my age or life. I just would’ve appreciated a heads-up that you wanted to keep those details?—”

“Hey!” he shouted down the hall, earning curious looks from everyone in the lobby. Someone even stuck their head in from the other room to see what the ruckus was. “This is Maddie. She’s omphh callllempge scmuuufffeeent.”

His words came out muffled under my palm as I tried to hush him. “What’re you doing?” I hissed.

He jerked his head to shake me off, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and yanked him down.

Great, we went from making a scene with his yelling to making one because we look like we’re about to go at it.

“What’re you doing?” I repeated.

“Telling everyone you’re a college student.

Something I’m sure as shit not embarrassed about.

And it’s not exactly groundbreaking. No one in there is under the misconception that we’re close in age.

Based on the envious way they stare, they’re wondering how an old fucker like me got someone like you. ”

“You’re not an old fucker,” I whispered.

“I am. Just like I’m far too old for you. But you’re not too young for me.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No.” He didn’t explain before moving on. “The only person I didn’t want to know those details about you is Jerry.”

“Yeah, I gathered that.”

There was a pointedness in his stare and his silence that I wasn’t understanding. Not until he asked, “Do you not know who that was?”

I bristled at his tone. “No, and there’s no reason to be a condescending jerk that I’m not as well-informed?—”

“Whoa, hey. It’s not like that. Anyone who thinks you’re not well-informed has never talked to you or read one of your articles. I just assumed that your standoffishness when Jerry showed up was because you recognized him.”

“It was because he gave me the creeps.”

“Good instincts.”

I focused on the more important thing he said. Okay, not actually more important, but it certainly was to me. “You’ve read some of my articles?”

“No,” he said, and I wasn’t sure whether I was relieved or disappointed.

I landed on some odd and unsettling mix of both.

Right up until he admitted, “I’ve read all of them.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” A smile curved his mouth, small but genuine. “They’re good, guppy. You’ve got a gift, but more than that, you clearly work hard at it.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, blushing in a different way. I gave myself an internal shake—and a few mental face slaps—to clear my head. “Okay, so who’s Jerry?”

He shot me a look that said it wasn’t the time, and for once, I was okay with waiting—mostly because I was more than ready to leave.

But he wasn’t done.

“In regard to your other points,” he started before ducking back into my personal space.

Way into my personal space.

Even as close as he was, he kept his voice low.

“I didn’t want to leave you alone at the table last week because I knew there were men who would take you being alone as an opening to try to weasel their way into the place I’m lucky enough to be.

More than that, as I’ve previously stated, I like your company.

I told you I would be greedy about it, and I am.

” He ran his thumb along my jaw. “Just like I told you why I answer for you.”

I wasn’t sure if he was referring to his control issues or when he’d reminded me at Gilded that he’d bought me. Either way, the effect was still the same.

Feeling flustered and overwhelmed and thrown off my game—one I was no longer sure I should or would be playing—I wished I could undo the previous hour. Actually, the whole night could be scrapped, and I would be okay with it. I pushed away from the wall, but Easton didn’t immediately back up.

He stared down at me like he could read my thoughts. Maybe he could because the way he read me was disorienting.

Just in case, I forced a smile and tilted my head. “Should we say bye before we go?”

“No.”

He took my hand in his and didn’t speak as he hightailed it to the exit.

Once we were in the privacy of his SUV, I tried again. “Who is Jerry?”

“Jerry King used to be a real estate developer. About five years ago, he used his city connections to secure grants and funding from the government to revitalize some areas in need. Only nothing ever got done. At least nothing more than a shiny varnish. Turns out, he was pocketing the money from the city and other suckers dumb enough to invest.”

Between him and Wren’s piece of shit bio father, maybe she needs to shift her grudge from lawyers to realtors.

“You were a donor,” I surmised from the scorn in his tone.

“Correct. And then he held a grudge that I wouldn’t represent him after he scammed me out of money because he’s never met a consequence he couldn’t buy his way out of.

” He shifted his focus from the windshield to look at me as he reached over to give my leg a reassuring squeeze before removing his hand again.

“I wouldn’t have given a fuck if you said you were a college student.

But if you would’ve said you were a journalism major, he would’ve started spewing his bullshit.

He blames the media for his downfall, insisting he was tried in the court of public opinion and didn’t get a fair shot. It would ruin Dave’s night.”

I vaguely remembered the story, but not many of the details. The fact a con-artist was a party attendee was surprising. “Doesn’t it look, uh, improper for the Deputy District Attorney to associate with someone like that?”

He lifted his chin. “I doubt Jerry was actually invited tonight, but since he’s Violet’s brother, no one was going to upset her by kicking him out.”

“That must make holidays interesting.”

“Dave does his best to not attend any King family gatherings to avoid any impropriety.”

“And the food.”

“And that. Speaking of, I believe I owe you a burger.”

I felt better about where we were, but it’d been an exhausting night. I was mortified at my outburst. And I got the feeling that when Easton thought about the very real feelings I’d allowed to seep in, he would quickly realize I wasn’t sugar baby material.

It was better not to drag things out any longer.

Not that I was being the bigger person by telling him so. Not right then at least. That would also be a problem for Sunday-me.

Unless he broke things off first.

Either way, I shook my head at him. “Raincheck? I am wiped, and I’ve got a full day of assignments tomorrow.”

He gave me that weighty stare. “Which is why you’ll do your work first next time. Correct?”

If there is a next time…

“Right,” I said instead.