Chapter 3 : Be My Companion Tonight

I couldn’t believe I’d just allowed this man to kiss me. And even worse, I actually enjoyed it. It was the best kiss of my life. I tried to tell myself that I wouldn’t have allowed the kiss to happen if I’d known who this man was, but to be honest with myself, I think I would have.

It just felt too damn good. And he was even more handsome in person than in the picture I had of him in my office desk.

But it didn’t matter how good his lips felt on mine. This man was bad news. Dante had something to do with what was going on here and I couldn’t allow him to distract me.

My initial instinct was to demand answers from him and interrogate him about what was going around here. But of course, I couldn’t. I had to stay in character and act like a good escort trying to win his affection.

“I think you’re breaking the rules, sir,” I said, fluttering my eyelids at him. “Isn’t anything beyond emotional companionship off-limits unless the escort initiates it?”

Dante simply smiled at me and stepped even further away from me. “I apologize, miss. But I should warn you about wandering places you shouldn’t,” he said with an unreadable expression as he looked over at where Leonel was walking the other way.

Did he know something he wasn’t letting on? Dante’s voice was teasing, but the look in his green eyes was dark and serious. What was he playing at? Why was he really a part of this secret society? For some reason, he didn’t seem to fit. He looked somehow different from the other members, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

We studied each other for a moment. It bothered me that my body was so attracted to him. I had always loved tall, lean men. I wondered if he was a swimmer; he had the ideal body for it. Dante was dressed in a black suit that hugged his body perfectly and a white shirt that looked amazing against his skin.

Damn it.

Here I was, ogling over some man who was a person of interest on the case I was undercover for. I wouldn’t let him distract me. He was just a handsome face. I could handle him and use him to find out what was really going on around here.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening, Miss…”

He trailed off.

“Gabrielle,” I filled in for him. "Gabrielle Taylor."

He held out his hand and I shook it. I ignored how pleasant his warm hand felt on mine. "Dante Faust,” he said.

'I know who you are, motherfucker,' I thought to myself.

Of course, I didn’t say that. Instead, I smiled shyly at him.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” he noted. “I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

With a wink, he was off and soon, he blended into the crowd.

I would have to watch out for Dante. I wondered why he had helped me out by creating a diversion and kissing me so I didn’t bump into the police chief. I was sure that it was obvious I was trying to avoid someone and that’s the reason he did it. But why help me out in the first place? Was he simply trying to win my affection? Or was it something more nefarious?

Damn it, this case was going to be my hardest one yet. I imagined Sara's missing poster and reminded myself why I was going undercover in the first place. I would find out what was going on. No matter what. I wouldn’t let a good-looking billionaire stand in my way. If he proved to be useful, I was going to use him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any more contact with him.

I went to the restroom to check my makeup. I reapplied my red lipstick, ignoring the mental image that popped into my mind without my permission. It was a small red smudge my lipstick had left on Dante’s mouth after our heated kiss. I wondered if he would have the forethought to wipe it off or if he was walking around the party with my mark on him. I hoped so.

No, I didn’t!

Focus, Gabrielle.

Once I was ready, I rejoined the party. I steered clear of Leonel, always standing on the other side of the room from him. I mingled with every man there, trying to memorize their faces so I could identify them later if need be. I asked questions that were disguised as nonchalant, but I was trying to dig deep into what information they knew about the organization they were involved in.

I picked some faces out of the crowd. I recognized two judges, one police officer, and a well-known doctor. I thought there were also a famous actor and a mayor from somewhere, but I couldn’t be sure without looking them up online.

This ran deep. The Golden Hive had connections that made it even more dangerous. This wasn’t good. It would make it even harder to take their scheme down with so many powerful people a part of it.

As I was talking with a bulky red-haired man, I saw Valerie studying my interaction with him. The older woman and I made eye contact, and she gave me a subtle thumbs-up. That was when I realized what this party was for.

Yes, it was so new recruits like myself could meet the men who were paying large amounts of money to be in the society. But it was also so Miss Valerie and the people running this whole shitshow could see how the new girls interacted with the men around us. They were studying what kind of escorts we would be, as well as keeping an eye on us.

It all made me sick to my stomach. But I had to play along.

At the end of the night, Valerie had all the escorts lineup in front of the crowd. Some of the other girls seemed excited for this part of the night and others had nervous looks on their faces. The men were assessing all of us like we were property. Like we didn’t have thoughts or feelings. Like we weren’t human. I had to stop myself before my face could give away how angry this made me feel. To be judged just by my physical appearance.

“What’s going on?” I whispered to Charlotte who was closest to me. She was fiddling with her long blonde hair, and adjusted her boobs so they showed better in her low-cut dress.

God, I wished I could be myself and tell her she didn’t need to do these things to get the attention of any man who was worth having.

“Oh, yes. I forgot it’s your first night. Well, all of the guests are allowed to choose one escort as a companion for the night. I hope I get picked. It’s the first step toward gaining a sponsor,” Charlotte told me in a low voice.

Oh, my God.

So, these sickos were really about to auction us off like cattle? I knew the rules stated that no physical contact was expected of the escorts unless we initiated it. But the whole thing just felt wrong and dark.

Except, this was my job now and I was going to have to act the part.

So, I wore a smile, made eye contact with all the men, and tried not to act like they all disgusted me greatly.

Miss Valerie stepped in front of the crowd with a microphone in her hands.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you all had a wonderful time tonight. Now, it’s your favorite part of the night,” Valerie began, then swept her arm to showcase the escorts like she was a game show host. Ugh, this woman was just as bad as the men standing in front of us. “Choosing which of these lovely ladies you would like as a companion for the night.”

Was she serious? Why was everyone okay with this? It made my stomach hurt just thinking about the men picking who they wanted to spend the night with, as if we were nothing more than objects in a store for them to choose off the shelves.

“The first person who gets to choose a companion is a man who needs no introduction. He is one of our greatest benefactors, and we are lucky to have him as a part of our society,” she told the crowd. I knew who it would be before she even said his name. “Dante Faust!”

The audience cheered and the other girls began to applaud, so I did as well, even though he was the last person I wanted to cheer for.

Dante stepped forward, his imposing posture something no one could ignore. Damn it, why did he have to be so attractive? It wasn’t fair how his suit fit him so well or how his bright green eyes looked so intoxicating, yet intimidating.

Fuck, why did the devil have to have the face of an angel? It made things so confusing.

All the other women around me stood up straighter, anticipating what was going to be his choice for the night. I was sure that Dante was a hot commodity around here because of his money and influence. If Dante were to choose you as an escort, I was sure that he would shower whoever with expensive gifts.

But I didn’t want him to choose me.

My undeniable attraction to him wasn’t a good thing. It would distract me from my real goal. My lips were still tingling from his kiss and I couldn’t keep my eyes from his handsome face. These things would not help in an investigation.

I needed a sponsor who I could easily manipulate and gain information from. Not someone who I felt a confusing amount of appeal for. Usually, I wasn’t one to fall for a handsome face, but Dante just pulled me in on a very basic, animalistic level. I would steer clear of him throughout my investigation and learn things about him from other members.

Dante walked to the line of women and spoke to us.

“Although I would love to spend more time with all of you lovely ladies and get to know you better, I can, unfortunately, only choose one of you,” he explained, his voice soft and charming.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“If she’ll have me, I would like to invite the lovely Gabrielle Taylor to join me,” Dante said, looking directly at me.

Oh, shit.

Did I hear him right? Why did he want me? Even though we kissed, I was sure that he wouldn’t choose me. I was certain that Dante had kissed many girls in his life. So why did he single me out?

The crowd around us applauded, and Dante stepped in front of me and extended his hand. I couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes. On the surface, it was playful, but underneath, I could tell that he knew something he wasn’t revealing.

What the hell did he know? Was he going to tell me tonight? Was it a smart idea to accept his invitation?

“Gabrielle, would you do me the honor of being my companion tonight?”