Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two
Bexley

I hoped he was talking about the prospect of dancing with me, and not the contents of his underpants. The thought made me internally dry-heave.

Malcolm advanced on me as I maintained an act of innocence.

“Excuse me, mademoiselle. You seem to have misplaced your dancing partner,” he joked flirtatiously. He didn’t even attempt to hide behind his mask. “Would you care to join me instead.”

I played coy, shying my eyes away in a bashful response. “Oh . . . thank you. I think my date ditched me for one of the waiters.”

“Well, then he’s an idiot. Someone who is clearly unworthy of a gorgeous woman such as yourself. I bet you’re a sight to behold underneath that mask.” He handed his champagne flute to one of his bodyguards and shooed them both away.

Then he turned to me, holding out his hand. “May I have this dance?” he asked, trailing his eyes all over my body like he was imagining me naked. I couldn’t stop imagining that he had a giant penis on his head and not a big nosed mask. It took all my effort not to burst out laughing. Maybe it was my nerves.

“Of course,” I answered.

“That was easy. Okay then . . . what if I told you that you have a nice body, would you hold it against me?” he told a lewd joke.

Swallowing down the bile in my throat, I forced a smile to mask my revulsion. “Maybe, if you play your cards right,” I replied.

Malcolm snaked one arm around my waist and used his free hand to lace with mine. His cologne swamped my airways, and it wasn’t awful at all. I recognised the Armani aftershave because my husbands wore the same fragrance, or something close to it. The pleasant scent calmed me, making it easier to carry out my task. Malcolm’s fingertips migrated south to graze my backside, and as I rested my chin upon his shoulder, I could see just how murderous my husbands looked. Dominic’s breath rattled through the earpiece, merging with the music. I knew I was treading on dangerous grounds the second I pressed my lips against Malcom’s throat. His breathing stuttered, and something firm manifested against my groin. This time, he palmed the left side of my arse and I faked a smile against his skin.

“I doubt it’s just a dance that you’re after?” I hinted.

“You guessed correctly,” he answered. “Why don’t we slip away for a little privacy?” He leaned back to gaze into my eyes. “Sex with a masked stranger has always been a fantasy of mine.”

Who even says that after five minutes of meeting someone?

And to think . . . his constituents voted him into Parliament.

I walked my fingers along his chest and drew circles around his collar bone. This was escalating as I intended, and now my fingers were free to roam wherever I chose because he’d assume I was flirting.

Asher looked on anxiously; I could see the trepidation in his eyes. Malcolm leaned in to kiss me, and I let his lips linger on mine. Now I regret not wearing the kiss of death lipstick. He pressed his tongue inside my mouth and I heard Dominic growl inside my ear. Braxton looked as if he wanted to throw the silver platter at him, and I could see Cruz’s jaw pulsing from where I was standing. The colour drained from Asher’s face as if he wanted to be sick. Goodness knows what Emilio was thinking.

My hands explored every inch of Malcolm like they were seeking out hidden treasure. He was too far gone in the kiss to notice that I’d invaded his jacket pocket. My fingers coiled around the cool thin rectangle and removed it from his possession. Asher reacted almost instantly, walking past and taking the phone from my grasp. His fingers moved fluidly, working against the speed of time as if they were mocking it. Before I knew it, he thrust it back into my hand and I slipped it back inside Malcolm’s pocket like nothing had happened.

“My cock is as hard as a rock,” he murmured against my lips.

I curled my fingers around his hand and let him weave us through the crowd. My husbands tailed us every step of the way. One way or another, even if the Chameleon pulled a no-show, we would get her one way or another. She was bound to make contact with Malcolm at some point.

“Oh wait,” I said, pulling back as soon as we broke free from the crowd and stepped out into the garden terrace. “I think you smudged my lipstick.”

I rummaged around in my purse and Malcolm huffed with frustration.

“Don’t bother trying to fix it. I’ll only smudge it again,” he commented.

I found the item I’d been searching for and flashed Malcolm a dazzling smile.

“Yeah, but I want to look my best. After all, I want you to remember me in a good way.” I pouted.

If he knew who I really was, he’d be yelling for security.

“If you want to try something a little risqué, we could fuck inside that pergola,” he suggested.

Only one of us was about to be fucked right now, and I would do the fucking. Malcolm didn’t raise an eyebrow as I took out my powder compact from my bag. It looked like a regular cosmetic item as I checked my reflection in the circular mirror, noticing my men approaching.

“Get a move on then,” Malcolm spoke forcefully this time. “Or are you just a little cock tease?”

He made a move to grab me, but I managed to disturb enough of the powder to blow a dust cloud in his face. I held my breath, not wanting to inhale any of the particles.

Cruz and Braxton were there to grab him before he hit the ground.

“It’s time we got out of here,” Asher asserted, steering me away from the scene of the crime.

Emilio took his place at my side and we made our way back to the entrance hall. Something was wrong. The security guards pushed through the crowds as if they were searching for someone.

“Uh . . . guys,” Dominic spoke through the earpiece. “We’ve got a problem.”

“What problem?” Braxton rasped into his watch.

“Ulrich noticed several agents bursting through the main gates like they were the fucking S.W.A.T team. They are heading your way,” he informed us.

“Copy that,” Cruz replied. “I can see them approaching.”

“We need a diversion,” Asher advised.

“I’m thinking,” Dominic responded, and I heard him tapping away on his computer keyboard.

“There’s no time,” I cut in, having had an idea, albeit a wild and crazy one.

I removed the watch from around my wrist and yelled, “Bomb!” at the top of my lungs.

People dove to the floor, covering their head with their hands, and the sound of shrieking and wailing filled the room.

The agents ran into view and caught us like we were a bunch of rabbits who were trapped in the headlights of a speeding vehicle. We looked as guilty as fuck — a mismatched band of miscreants who had no business being together. A servant, a security officer, an aristocrat, a Spaniard, and a frightened young woman.

“It’s them . . . they’re here!” an agent announced, pulling a gun on us.

I acted fast without stopping to hesitate, clicking the side button on the watch and tossing it at the agents. A bright red flash dazzled my eyes as the ticking timebomb detonated. The ground shook beneath us as Cruz threw himself on top of me. My ears rang with aftershock bells, drowning out everything that Dominic was yelling. Smoke billowed before my eyes, masking the devastation surrounding us. I just hoped that no one got hurt, but I couldn’t guarantee that they didn’t. As much as I keep telling myself it was all for the greater good, it was a hard pill to swallow.

“Move . . . come on . . . get up,” Cruz grunted, yanking me to my feet.

We scrambled through the debris and out into the crisp night air. Shots were fired from both sides of the driveway. My men fired back; Emilio included. Uncle Teddy came screeching around to shield us with the stretch limousine, and we all dove inside. He spun around the fountain in a tight semi-circle, then floored it before they got the chance to close the gates. It was a miracle we got out of there alive. I clung to Cruz as the car jerked from right to left, weaving though the traffic. Yet again, we’d had a brush with death and escaped within an inch of our lives.

“Mission accomplished,” Asher leaned back, grinning.

“Now all we have to do is wait,” Cruz advised. “If Mr Lewis is working with Susan, we’ll know when she makes contact.”

I remained silent, and feeling slightly unsettled from hearing her name spoken among us instead of her alias. Calling her by her name seemed to humanize her. The Chameleon suited her best. This wasn’t a woman who was capable of showing remorse no more than she displayed a maternal instinct. She murdered my mother for knowledge and power. Through my eyes, she was nothing more than a reptile.

“I’m hacking his phone records now,” Dominic shared, and I could hear the keypad clicking away.

Moments passed before we heard a euphoric gasp through our earpieces.

“Well, fuck me sideways . . . I think I’ve found her,” he exclaimed.