Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her mother exchange grins with Linda. The two women were prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, Victoria realized. And she would be left with a man who still kissed women’s hands.

“Katherine, could you introduce me to the guest of honor? I haven’t met him or his wife yet.”

“Of course,” her mother said, all too thrilled to continue the charade. “Let’s leave these two to get acquainted.” Before taking her leave, she pulled her daughter close and whispered, “No more champagne.”

Victoria couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face as her mother shot a departing glare. “Matthew, could you be a dear and get me a drink?”

“Sure,” he said, grabbing two glasses from another passing waiter. As he handed her the drink, Katherine’s eyes scolded her while Linda pulled her away.

“Thank you,” Victoria said between sips.

“So you’re a teacher?” he asked, peering over his glass at her.

The way his gazed roved down her body made her uncomfortably chilled. She gave an involuntary shudder and hugged her arms around her middle. “I am.”

“What grade?”

“College students,” Victoria said, finishing her last drink of the night. It would have to be her last; she was having a difficult time focusing her eyes on Matthew. The dim lights and smooth jazz were about to put her to sleep as she wove on her feet.

His mouth quirked into a feline smile. “That’s hot.”

Victoria frowned. “Is it?”

“Oh yeah,” he said with an appraising nod. “If you were my professor, I would have showed up to class every day.”

Gross.

“And what do you do, Matthew?” Victoria needed to steer the conversation anywhere else. She’d learned a long time ago, the best thing you could do at a party was make people talk about their occupations. Good or bad, everyone liked talking about their jobs. Matthew seemed like a man who liked to talk about himself in general.

“I’m in corporate law,” he said with a little shrug. “It can get a little rough, but it has its perks. I’ve got a downtown loft on State Street. It’s still mine after the divorce.”

She nodded. “That’s nice.”

Matthew moved closer and whispered, “If you want, I could take you there when this is over.”

She shrank away from his proximity and forced a smile. “I have to get up early in the morning.”

He arched a perfectly threaded black brow and grinned. “I can have you back before curfew if you’d like.”

Gross.

“How gentlemanly of you,” she said with a fake laugh. Victoria searched the crowd for her father, who was supposed to rescue her from this creep, but he was nowhere to be found. “So have you had any interesting cases lately?”