“Oh really, could we?” she forgot herself for a moment and covered my face in kisses. “Oops sorry, forgot where we were.”
“That’s okay Kitten, you may kiss me anytime you wish.” She hugged me closer and seemed a little more relaxed.
We stayed there through two more songs before I was dragged away to talk shop and it was at that moment I noticed Marion off in another corner of the room.
My first inclination was to have her thrown out, but then I realized as a past employee it was possible she had a legitimate reason for being here. Not too many people knew the circumstances surrounding her termination, so it was within reason that an invitation had been sent out.
My next thought was to confront her but then what? What could I say, that I suspected her of having something to so with the cut cables, or the woman that had shown up at the museum, where was the proof? Still I decided to keep a closer watch on my babygirl.
Marion followed me around the room with her eyes but I pretended not to notice. I barely heard the conversations that went on around me as I watched Kitten with her new friends laughing and having a good time. I don’t think she had seen her ex-benefactor as yet and as long as the two women stayed on opposite sides of the room I was fine.
I felt her as soon as she slithered up to me. My eyes were trained on Kitten and as though she had a sixth sense she turned and looked at me at the same time Marion’s hand came down on my shoulder.
I shrugged her off subtly not wishing to cause a scene and beckoned Kitten to come to me. She came to me a little tentatively at first but her step grew more confident the closer she got.
Marion meanwhile, blissfully unaware that Kitten was on her way over, broke into what sounded like a well-rehearsed spiel.
“Well Callan fancy seeing you here.” As lines went it was a stupid one, we both knew why I was here after all. “Don’t tell me you’re still mad at me because of that little slip in judgment.”
She tried trailing her finger down my arm suggestively and my skin crawled. “Are you really this stupid? We have nothing to say to each other?”
“Why because of that little…”
“Careful, you’re about to tread on very dangerous ground and unless you want me to embarrass you want me to embarrass you her and now you’ll leave well enough alone. Hello baby.”
I reached my arm out for Kitten and pulled her in close as we both faced the other woman. As far as I knew this was also the first time they’d seen each other since Marion had struck her.
We’d never spoken of her after that day so I wasn’t sure how Kitten was feeling, but I knew it couldn’t be easy for her. Her heart was rather soft yet and she had once thought of this woman as a friend if not more.
Marion’s eyes were glued to the mark on Kitten’s neck and the collar that laid there bearing my name. Her suspicions were now confirmed, her accusations justified. She now knew without a doubt that I was fucking Kitten, and more than that, I had not only marked her but claimed her as mine.
The look that came over her face told me that had I not been there she would’ve struck my woman again. “Hello aunt Marion.” I squeezed her waist gently; her voice had been so soft and uncertain as though she expected rejection.
Marion had enough sense to pull herself together and plaster one of her fake smiles on her face. “Hello Gabriella it’s nice to see you, I never got the chance to apologize for that day, you know I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said, why you’re my best friend’s daughter I would never hurt you…”
“Cut the shit Marion we’re not interested. Now if you’ll excuse us I want to dance with my woman.” I took Kitten away before the bitch could convince her that she was human.
Not that I would ever allow her near the woman again in this lifetime, but like I said, that loyalty thing runs deep with her and her family so I wasn’t taking any chances on giving Marion an in.
Chapter 26
As if that encounter hadn’t put enough of a damper on the evening, I saw her friend Josh enter the ballroom. He scanned the room and I knew without a doubt who he was looking for. He pulled a face when he saw me but the look was quickly gone.
I wasn’t about to feel threatened by the little fuck so I carried on to the dance floor taking my woman into my arms and holding her close. It was going to be a ling night and it had only just begun. I couldn’t very well drag her home like I wanted to, it was she night and she was basically the guest of honor.
For some fucked up reason everyone wanted my attention that night, from the state senator and the mayor to some of the old men and women who’d known my grandpa for years.