HIS STRIPPER, HIS WIFE novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Bianca

10 vouchers

I tapped Amanda from behind. “Hey there, sorry I had to do something.” I said as she turned slowly, her hand automatically stretching the ‘drink toward me. I collected it and downed it once. At least it would help with this heat I was feeling inside of me, and it did help. “Ahh, that was good.” I said, turning back to Amanda whose eyes were now widened.

“What? don’t start with your usual talks.” I said quickly, already trying to shut down whatever she was about to say.

“Is that not the auctioned necklace?” she asked before I could finish. My hand flew right to it again, trying to cover it, but it was pointless now. She had already seen it.

“How did that get to your neck??” she asked again, her voice raising. Amanda wasfar from calm at this point, her whole body practically buzzing with the need for answers.

“He…” I fumbled with my words a little, my brain scrambling for a way to explain something I hadn’t fully understood yet

“He gave it to me…” I finally said, my voice small.

“Ohh wow.” She was back to her sneaky, dangerous smile, the one that always made me speechless because it meant her imagination had already run three chapters ahead of reality.

“He wore it there, forcefully.” I added, thinking it would make some kind of difference to Amanda and whatever theory she had cooking in her head but it didn’t.

“Forty thousand?” Her eyes were fixed on the necklace like she was trying to calculate how many months of rent that could

cover.

“Can I touch it ma’am?” she said, already reaching a finger toward it, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. She laughed too, loud enough that a passing waiter glanced our way before continuing on with his tray.

“It’s so beautiful.” she said, finally pulling her hand back, her voice softening as she looked at it properly.

“Yes, I’m returning it tomorrow.” I replied.

“No you are not doing that.” she said, folding her arms now, standing her ground.

“Yes, I’m doing that and…” I started, but I didn’t get to finish what I had to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen, can we please make your way back to your seats for the second round of the auction.” the announcer’s voice cut through and Amanda pulled me by the waist, walking me back down toward where we had been sitting earlier.

“Don’t you dare return that necklace.” she said, giving me one last pointed look before turning off toward the row behind

/ mine.

I lowered myself into my seat and glanced sideways, half expecting to find Adrian already there waiting, his hand ready to find my thigh the second the lights dimmed again but the seat in front of me sat empty. I looked past it, scanning the room. and that was when I spotted him, walking toward our table from somewhere near the terrace doors, his steps unhurried, his eyes already finding mine across the distance.

I felt my whole body brace itself, my fingers tightening slightly around the edge of my clutch, waiting for him to close the gap and drop into that seat beside me but he didn’t.

Halfway across the room, someone called out to him, a man I didn’t recognize standing near one of the side tables, and Adrian slowed, turned his head, and after a brief pause, changed direction entirely, walking off toward the man instead without so much as a glance back in my direction.

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Chapter 80

10 vouchers

Part of me felt a small sting at that, sharper than I wanted to admit but a bigger part of me was almost relieved. It meant I could actually sit through this next round without his hand doing whatever it wanted under the table, without my whole body being distracted by the weight of him beside me. I could just watch the auction, breathe normally, and think in a straight line for once.

This second and final round turned out to be far more interesting than the first, mostly because a lot of the items being wheeled out were things nearly everyone in the hall seemed to want. The bidding climbed fast and high, numbers being thrown around so casually that I found myself genuinely stunned more than once.

It was in the middle of one of those bids, paddles rising all around me, that I felt it again, that same prickling awareness from earlier in the evening. I turned my head slightly and found her, the woman in red, seated a few tables over, her gaze/ already locked on me like she had been waiting for me to notice.

Our eyes held for a second too long, there was nothing friendly in her expression, the kind of look that made you feel like you were being measured against something you knew nothing about.

My stomach tightened, and I looked away first this time, turning my attention back to the stage like I hadn’t seen her at all “Who could that even be?” I thought.

I pulled out my phone under the table, thumbs moving quickly over the screen. “Is this how rich people throw money around?” I typed and sent it to Amanda.

A few seconds later my phone buzzed. “Maybe you should ask your sweet CEO.” I turned to glare at her over my shoulder, and she was already looking my way, grinning so widely I had to roll my eyes and turn back around before she could see the smile fighting its way onto my own face.

“This is the second to last piece and it is a.” the auctioneer began, but I lost track of whatever she said after that because someone had just lowered themselves into the empty seat beside me.

I turned and found Julian there, a small, easy smile already sitting on his face like he had been planning this the whole night.

5

“Hi there.” he said, leaning in close enough that his voice came out almost like a whisper meant only for me.

“Hi sir.” I said, straightening slightly in my seat.

“Julian.” he corrected gently, and I nodded, though I didn’t repeat it back.

“I hope you are enjoying yourself?” he asked, and I nodded again, my eyes flicking briefly back toward the stage before returning to him.

“What?” he said, his smile stretching wider now. “Use your words.” The way he said it made something warm crawl up my neck, and I was almost certain that had been intentional on his part.

I’m enjoying it.” I said, my voice dropping to something close to a whisper too.

“Good girl.” he said, and I had to physically resist the urge to reach up and hold my own throat, because his words were landing somewhere I hadn’t expected them to.

“Are you good?” he finally asked, his tone shifting back to something more normal, more casual, though the look in his eyes told me he was fully aware of exactly what he had just done a moment ago.

“Ohh, nice necklace” he added before I could answer, his gaze dropping briefly to my collarbone, and something in the way he said it told me he already knew exactly who had put it there.

“Well, I might do better.” he said, and before I could ask what that even meant, he was pressing something small into my palm

Eturned it over slowly, reading the neat print across the front. It was his business card. Julian Delacroix, it read, along with a ttle and a number underneath.

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