Chapter 2

The air inside the converted warehouse turned on itself, heavy with the scent of spilled champagne, expensive perfume, and the low, humid breath of three hundred bodies packed into the cavernous space. Above us, the massive vintage neon sign buzzed with a dying electric hum, casting a pulsating pink glow that washed over the polished concrete floors and the scattered tables where guests lingered long after the film had ended. We had escaped the main throng, moving deeper into the event space toward a quieter corner, a secluded alcove framed by velvet ropes and towering ferns that seemed to swallow the noise of the party. I was perched on the edge of a low, tufted velvet settee, my legs crossed at the knee, the silk of my dress whispering against my skin. I had shed the heels earlier, letting them kick off into the shadows, but my feet still ached with the memory of standing for hours in those pointed stilettos. I shifted, the fabric of my slip dress riding up just an inch, exposing more of my thigh to the cool night air that filtered in from the open side of the warehouse. I could feel his eyes on