An unwanted hand snaked around her waist suddenly before the middle-aged man’s breathy voice loomed close to Tiffany’s ear, “That kind of sleaze won’t give you the time of their day, my dear. But I will. I know girls like you very well, like the back of my hand. You’re all looking for a sugar daddy, aren’t you? How about I be direct with ya—let’s spend some time together tonight. If you make me a happy man, I’ll make you a happy woman, starting from a luxury apartment.”
Tiffany’s face twisted into a glower a split second before she decked the man’s face hard. As a stark, scarlet handprint surfaced on his cheek, she shrieked hotly, “Fat chance if I’ll sleep with a disgusting horndog like you!”
Their altercation silenced the room instantly; every pair of eyes was now turned to the pair. At a distance, the conversational smile on Jackson’s face froze before he approached them quickly, “What’s the matter?”
The look on the middle-aged man’s face was of one desperately evading scrutiny. “M-Mr. West! N-n-nothing’s happened! I was just pulling her legs… Is she a friend of yours, by any chance?”
Shadows crossed into Ethan’s eyes. Silently, he shuffled his half-started step back to himself. At the same time, Jackson tilted his head slightly and bristled, “The door’s over there.”
The middle-aged man’s face was bright red. Too embarrassed to stay, he glumly dashed out of the banquet.
Tiffany was not any less embarrassed. After all, she had come to the party as Jackson’s companion, yet she ended up causing a scene. “God, how much longer are we going to stay here? I don’t wanna be here anymore,” she whined.
Jackson combed her silky hair with his fingers and replied gently, “Give me ten more minutes. Don’t worry, just stick close to me.”
Blushes — red enough to raise eyebrows — stained her cheeks. She snaked her hand to an elusive spot on his arm and gave a meaningful pinch. “You better not try to take advantage of me, bigshot,” she growled through clenched teeth. “Touch me like that again, and I’ll have you for breakfast.”
Jackson could only mask his annoyance under an “everything-is-fine” look. Drawing her hand into a hook around his arm, he said, “Let’s just go.”
Jackson brought Tiffany back to his spot before the commotion, and the men resumed their discussion. Ethan stood to Tiffany’s left, but she avoided his eyes by staring at her shoes.
She fidgeted with Jackson’s sleeves to stave off her self-consciousness, but the more she felt Ethan’s gaze, the less she wanted to raise her head.
Then, out of the blue, she heard Ethan announce, “I still have some matters to attend to tonight. Please, carry on without me.” With that, he turned and headed for the entrance.
Barely ten minutes later (or possibly only about five), Jackson fulfilled his promise, as he too abandoned the conversation. “Excuse me as well, lads. There’s somewhere else I need to be,” he declared.
Tiffany was nonplussed. “I thought you said ten more minutes?”
“Ten minutes as the max, really. Pragmatically, it’s not so different to end this within ten minutes and at the tenth minute. Look, weren’t you whining about leaving just a few moments ago? Can you appreciate me being considerate for once?”
She rolled her eyes. “Quit bullsh*tting and pay up.”
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