Spiraling Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

entrance
to the ballroom, which had been cleared of tables after the dinner
and show, and now had a live band playing classical pop songs.
    Jake pivoted to face me and growled. “What
the fuck happened out there, Charli?”
    Shit! I just knew Jake was going to ream my ass over what had
happened earlier. That’s why I’d avoided him as soon as we’d left
the stage.
    My hands lifted up in a placating manner. “I
know, I know. I’m sorry, Jake. I messed up and lost focus. But at
least I recovered in time and the rest of the routine was
perfect.”
    “ Focus!” His face flushed
red with exasperation. The vein in his temple pulsated furiously.
Clearly, Jake wasn’t ready to let this go. “How many times have I
told you? Shit, kiddo, that’s something you can’t afford to do when
you’re out there. What do you think would happen if you lost focus
up on the ribbon or trapeze? You’d fall and kill yourself—that’s
what! Thank Christ it happened on the floor.” When he finished his
tirade, his chest was heaving with effort.
    My hands balled at my hips, I opened my
mouth to respond but Courtney beat me to it. “Ah, guys…now is not
the time or place to be having this discussion. Besides, you’re
both missing the big picture here. You two totally nailed it
tonight. Let it go, for now at least.”
    Courtney had always been the peacemaker
between us. Whenever Jake and I got into our disagreements, as
siblings frequently do, Courtney would always charge in and smooth
everything over. She was always saying that we were two peas in a
pod—both stubborn to a fault. And she wasn’t wrong there.
    “ Charli.” Courtney grabbed
my shoulders and pulled me toward her. “You were hot out there
tonight, babe. From the second you walked out, I swear, all eyes
were on you and I even saw some of the drool. Drool!” she
exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers.
    “ Thanks, Court,” I
whispered and wrapped my arms around her to pull her in for a hug.
After a few seconds of rocking back and forth in each other’s arms,
she pulled back and grinned at me. I grinned back at
her.
    “ And you, handsome…” She
turned toward Jake. “Made me horny as hell just watching
you.”
    Jake threw his arm around Courtney and
tucked her into his side. “Court, babe, you say that after every
performance.”
    “ Yeah, well, because it’s
true.” She gave him a wink and added, “Now let’s party.”
    Catching Courtney’s eyes,
I mouthed thank-you to her, and the three of us made our way into the
ballroom.
     
    I stood to the side of the room as I watched
waiters dressed in white dinner jackets and carrying silver trays
with numerous bottles of wine atop flow fluidly among the chateau’s
guests. Courtney had coaxed Jake into dancing with her on the dance
floor, along with some of the members of the troupe, while the rest
were scattered around the room and enjoying the celebrations.
    Everyone appeared to be having a great time,
except me. I silently counted down the minutes before an acceptable
time had passed and I could finally leave. An antique claw-footed
bathtub called my name from several floors above and I couldn’t
wait to be intimately acquainted with it. At least the white wine I
devoured by the glassful was delicious: light, sweet, and
delectably fruity. Although I wasn’t a wine connoisseur by any
stretch, I did have one hell of a sweet tooth, so I was also
thinking another glass might hit the spot.
    “ Mademoiselle Charli.” The
sound of Henri’s voice pulled my gaze from the dance floor and I
turned toward him. “I would like to introduce Monsieur Knight, the
owner of Chateau Mon Desire and our host for this
evening.”
    With a small smile, my
gaze flickered over to the man who stood casually beside Henri and
immediately the smile dissolved. Involuntarily, my lips parted and
a small gasp escaped them. Heat fused up my neck and into my cheeks
as the sound of my heartbeat thundered in my ears, pumping in
double time. It was