“So, you want to be the next Duchess of Kittridge faster now?” He quirks his eyebrows at me.

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

He barks out a loud laugh. I chuckle alongside him and finally lose some of the tension that has me wound tight.  I twist my head to the side and my eyes lock with the cool grey, green gaze of Damien.

Damien

“DARLING,” CELIA GUSHES. “You aren’t paying me the slightest attention tonight.”

She’s pretending as if the previous night didn’t happen. As if she didn’t try to trick me into sleeping with her. The woman’s a shark and she’s become way worse than I remember of her. Her hand snakes up my chest again and this time I hold it, squeezing it tightly as I remove it from my person.

Celia winces and I clasp her hand tighter. “Don’t pretend you have a right over me,” I whisper. “If you want to remain by my side tonight for the sake of propriety then behave yourself; else, I’ll happily remove you from here. Go on, try me if you dare.”

I release her hand, relishing the frozen look on her face. Celia remains rooted to her spot, staring at me. My lips flatten as the next set of guests reach me. I’m tired already of this long-drawn affair of meeting and greeting so many people. I have to make an effort to wipe out the scowl that keeps threatening to paint itself on my face. I can’t wait to return home and discard the bow tie knotted around my neck.

I sigh, thinking how much I’ve changed. In the past, I approached these society events as a hunting ground to attract more business. I was always at home amongst the high and mighty of England. Being the son of a Duke afforded me the respect that the title deserved, but being the primary architect and designer for many of the people attending tonight gave me a tremendous amount of power among this lot. Yes, I have designed their homes and estates and know some of their dirtiest secrets like who has a private pleasure dungeon in his home or which of them has a secret chamber behind the mirrors in their bedroom. It’s insane the kind of requests that these rich and privileged people make for their homes. But all their debauchery aside, the combined wealth of most people here would be enough to solve the debt of perhaps three third world nations.

And now I stand among them as perhaps the most powerful person in the room. Yet, every now and then I have to quietly inhale a large gulp of air to help me breathe better. I have to resist the urge to fidget with my bow tie. I have to force myself to stay in place and not walk away from it all.