HIS STRIPPER, HIS WIFE novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Bianca

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She looked away first, and I let out a breath and by the time I looked towards the corner again. she was now looking at me

again.

“What are you looking at?” Amanda squeezed my arm and steered me further into the room, away from that woman’s stare, and slowly the tight knot in my stomach started to loosen.

The lights dimmed a little and soft music began playing through the speakers, it was giving a’slow vibe, the kind of background sound that let people mingle without having to shout over each other.

Waiters moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and small appetizers, and little clusters of guests broke off into/ conversations, laughing over drinks, exchanging pleasantries the way rich people do when they already know exactly who is worth talking to and who isn’t.

I found myself standing with Amanda near one of the tall windows, half listening to her talk about the woman in red we had passed, half still thinking about the way Adrian’s voice had cracked mid sentence when he saw me. I was mid laugh at something Amanda said when a voice came from just behind my shoulder.

“Hello there.”

I turned and found Julian standing close, a glass of something dark in his hand, his tie loosened just slightly at the collar. “Hi,” I said, smiling, but before I could say much else he leaned in and wrapped an arm around me in a quick, easy hug, it was not expected from someone I barely knew.

“You smell so good,” he said as he pulled back, his eyes so warm that I could see the amusement.

I felt my cheeks warm at that, not quite sure how to respond to something so direct. “Thank you,” I managed, still smiling.

“Hope you’re enjoying the evening so f…” he started, but he didn’t get to finish. A man in a dark suit tapped his shoulder from behind, murmuring something low near his ear, and Julian’s expression shifted into something more businesslike.

“Excuse me beautiful,” he said, giving me one last glance before turning and walking off with the man, weaving through the crowd toward the far end of the room.

I barely had a second to process the exchange before Amanda appeared beside me again, seemingly out of nowhere, her eyebrows raised so high they nearly disappeared into her hairline.

“Two brothers,” she said, drawing the words out slowly like she was reading the title of a movie. “Wow, what a script.”

C

“No. No, Amanda, no.” I said immediately, shaking my head hard enough that a strand of hair fell loose from the pin holding it back.

“What?” she asked, laughing now, clearly enjoying herself far too much. “He likes you. Did you see the way he was looking at \ you just now?”

“You are always seeing the weird things,” I muttered, tucking the loose strand behind my ear.

She laughed harder at that, and it drew a few curious glances from nearby guests, and I elbowed her lightly, trying to get her to lower her voice, though I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my own mouth.

Before she could tease me further, one of the event organizers stepped up to a small podium near the front and tapped the microphone twice, the sound echoing through the ballroom.

Ladies and gentlemen, you could please make your way to your seats, the charity auction will begin shortly.”

Chapter 78

10 vouchers

The crowd started shifting immediately, guests drifting toward round tables set up near the stage, each one covered in white cloth with small numbered auction paddles resting at every seat. Amanda grabbed my wrist and started pulling me toward one of the tables near the back, but I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when I spotted Adrian.

He was already seated at a table closer to the front, one seat beside him empty, and the moment his eyes found mine across the room, he tilted his head slightly toward that empty chair, it was such an unmistakable invitation.

I felt my whole body go warm and I shook my head at him, mouthing a quiet no, already turning toward the table Amanda had picked.

“No, I’ll sit behind.” I whispered to her, and though she gave me a look that said she clearly disapproved, she didn’t argue.

“You better move towards him before I help you do that. I will sit behind you.” She said walking towards the next row and I made my way toward Adrian’s table, lowering myself into the seat as gently and quietly as I could, hoping to disappear into the crowd of guests around me.

The lights dimmed further, the low murmur of conversation fading as the room settled, and just as the darkness fully swallowed the space. I felt his hand slide onto my thigh from the seat in front, his fingers curling lightly against the fabric of my dress.

My breath caught in my throat but I didn’t dare say anything, not with so many people seated around us, but my heart was hammering so loud I was almost certain someone nearby could hear it.

The auctioneer, a sharp looking woman in a black gown, stepped up to the podium as the first items were wheeled out on display stands, paintings, a weekend getaway package, a se of rare wine bottles.

The bidding moved briskly through each one, paddles rising and falling around the room, numbers climbing steadily higher each time.

Then the screen behind the stage lit up with a new image, and my breath caught for an entirely different reason. A necklace, delicate and shimmering, diamonds set in an cleap pattern with a deep blue stone at its center, the kind of piece that looked like it belonged in a museum rather than around someone’s neck.

“That’s a pretty necklace.” I said quietly, mostly to myself, my eyes fixed on the screen.

I hadn’t meant for anyone to hear me, but from somewhere behind, I felt Adrian looking at me but I could feel another person so I turned slightly and caught her, the woman in red, watching me from the corner of her eye, her expression unreadable, before she lifted her paddle smoothly into the air.

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