Black Tie Billionaire by Naima Simone

Author:Naima Simone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-06-06T20:59:20+00:00

* * *

Shay breathed deeply as she washed her hands in the Creightons’ bathroom. This moment alone, without the narrow-eyed glares from both Madison and the senator, or the microscopic attention of the other guests, was a mercy.

She hated being the subject of all that speculation. They’d reminded her of vultures, waiting to see who’d get their pick of carrion. Gideon seemed unfazed. But all those sidelong, greedy glances and not-so-quiet whispers... They’d crawled over her like ants attacking a picnic. By the time dinner concluded, she’d nearly raced to the bathroom. To be free. If only for a few moments.

“Can’t stay in here forever,” she said to her reflection.

That was the first sign of losing it, right? Talking to oneself. She smiled, shaking her head as she headed toward the restroom door. Her mother used to do the same, mumble to herself as she puttered around the kitchen when Dad wasn’t there to catch her. God, Shay missed her. Missed her hugs, her quiet assurances, her confidence in Shay.

Well, one thing Leida Neal would’ve reprimanded her about was hiding like a coward in the bathroom during a dinner party. Snorting lightly, Shay exited the powder room...and nearly collided with Madison.

Damn.

“Hi, Madison.” She greeted her brother’s fiancée with a smile. “I’m sorry if you had to wait. The bathroom’s all yours.”

She shifted to the side, prepared to walk around the other woman, but the futile hope of avoiding a confrontation died a quick death when Madison stepped to the side as well, blocking Shay’s escape. Madison smiled in turn, but it didn’t reach her chilly brown eyes.

“No hurry, Shay. I was hoping to catch you alone for a few moments,” she purred. “We have so much to catch up on, seeing as we apparently have more in common than I thought.”

“I’m assuming you’re referring to Gideon,” Shay said, resigning herself to this conversation. It wasn’t one she could’ve circumvented, but she hadn’t anticipated having it outside of the guest restroom.

“You’re a cool one, aren’t you, Shay?” Madison asked, slowly shaking her head. “The other night you never mentioned you knew him. And when I told you about our past, you pretended to be dumb. It seems I underestimated you. I won’t repeat the mistake.”

Anger flickered to life, crackling like dry wood set ablaze. “I didn’t pretend to be dumb, as you put it. Discussing my private life while you were at the table with my brother, your fiancé, didn’t strike me as appropriate. And like I told your father, I don’t need approval for my relationships,” she said, working to keep the bite of rising irritation from her tone. After all, this was her future sister-in-law. Even if more and more she was beginning to question the wisdom of Trevor’s choice. “Now, if I’d known you were attending this dinner party, I would’ve informed you so you weren’t taken by surprise. But I wasn’t aware.”

Several silent moments passed, and a fury-filled tension thickened between them.

“Your brother always brags about how smart you are.

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