Sam was just walking in with Drew on his arm, both dashing in black tuxedos. He saw her and mouthed his approval before she made it over to them.
“You look beautiful, Kyra.” Drew, ever the picture of politeness, leaned in to kiss her on the cheek then he surprised her with a wink and a smirk, “Sam tells me things should be interesting this evening.”
“That they will, Drew.” Kyra grinned. “It is a pleasure to see you again. You don’t look too bad yourselves.”
“Of course,” Sam smoothed his jacket, “it takes work to look this good - and about three paychecks.”
“Don’t let him take all the credit!” Reina sashayed up and looped her arm through Kyra’s. “I helped pick them out. I still think they should have gone with the scarlet and gold.”
“Gold is too flashy for Drew,” Sam explained to Kyra. He tugged at his own scarlet bow tie. “Besides, simple black is so classic.”
“Yes, yes,” Reina sighed, “this is a classy event and all that jazz.”
“Speaking of classy,” Bree chimed in, “that dress is gorgeous, Rey.”
Kyra had to admit, Reina did a wonderful job with their gowns. The emerald green of Reina’s dress complemented her hair, half swept up so that it cascaded down her back. They painted quite a picture to be sure, but there were more pressing matters.
Kyra pulled them all back into the moment. “Alright, we all look incredible. There will be many pictures this evening and we will be immortalized on film. But first, we have to get this show on the road.”
“What else needs to be done?” Sam surveyed the room. “It all looks set.”
“We need to get the film rolling and the bakery has not arrived yet.” Kyra rattled off the last few details, “and we need to be on the lookout for Bill. He and Kevin are not going down without a fight.”
“Oh, but there is definitely some going down involved…” Reina snickered. “When is that package set to be revealed?”
“During my speech,” Kyra stated simply. “I can’t be responsible if I’m addressing our patrons.”
“Nice.” Reina nodded her approval.
“This is going to be one hell of a night,” Bree added.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Sam and Bree flanked Kyra as she greeted the guests at the door. This was an unusual approach but it allowed them to survey the patrons and enabled Kyra to point out specific targets to her friends. They had developed the system to ensure the right people received special attention – and encouragement to contribute - throughout the evening.
When Bill and Kevin arrived with their wives, Kyra was extra sweet, especially to the ladies. She almost felt bad for what they were about to witness and how their lives would be turned upside down – until she overheard their critiques of her appearance, and even worse, Sam’s relationship with Drew. Thank goodness for vampire hearing. Kyra’s plan went from nagging remorse to guilt-free.
Everything was moving along according to plan until Liv arrived – on Patton’s arm. Bree stepped closer to Kyra and slipped an arm around her waist. “This doesn’t change anything, Kyra, you knew he was coming.”
“No, I didn’t.” Kyra hissed.
“Just smile and be polite.” Bree nudged her, harder than necessary, with her elbow.
Smile. Be polite. Tell that to the butterflies in her stomach. Why did he have to come? Why would Liv bring him? Why did he have to look so good in that tux? Kyra shot daggers at her new friend but Liv just grinned wider and complimented her dress. How could Liv act as if she hadn’t just arrived with the one person Kyra didn’t want to see tonight – or ever again for that matter?
“Ms. Donovan,” Patton inclined his head politely. “The gallery looks lovely.”
“Thank you,” Kyra muttered as calmly as possible. “This is my assistant, Sam.”
Patton shook Sam’s hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Sam managed to whimper something in response, and the tips of his ears turned bright red.
Kyra gestured toward her other side, “and you remember my friend, Bree.”
He inclined his head and smiled approvingly. “Indeed. It is nice to see you again.” Patton didn’t spare Kyra another glance, just turned on his heel and proceeded straight to the bar.
Liv lingered, “looks amazing in here, Kyra.”
“Why did you bring him?” Kyra seethed. “Why?”
“He insisted.” Liv shrugged. “Besides, I thought the name of the game was fundraising tonight? He’s loaded and a huge fan of the arts.”
“He’s an asshole,” Kyra glowered.
“He’s gorgeous,” commented Sam. “Look at that hair. How do you know him, Kyra?”
“I don’t,” Kyra snapped.
“Kyra!” Bree scolded. “Don’t make a scene. Liv’s right, Patton is one of the wealthier donors and you need all the money you can get tonight. I’ll deal with him so you don’t have to, but don’t take it out on Sam because you have issues with the guy.”
“Fine.” Kyra frowned. “Sorry, Sam.”
“It’s okay, we’re all a little tense.” Sam patted her arm. “It looks like things are slowing down here, maybe we should split up and mingle now?”
Kyra watched the entrance, greeted a few low level donors and agreed that things were definitely slowing down. “I guess now’s as good a time as any to start working the crowd. I think most of the heavy hitters are already here. Everybody knows what to do, right?”
“Yep,” Bree agreed and took off with Liv. They disappeared into the crowd, hopefully to keep Patton far away from her.
“I will make sure the video is ready to play on cue,” Sam assured her and ducked away as well.
Kyra surveyed the room. The turnout was even better than expected and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. A lot of the attendees were pointing at the videos projected onto the black-out fabric. She felt that she might actually pull this off.
“Wine, right?” Patton appeared at her side with a glass of red wine extended to her.
Stunned to silence, Kyra accepted. Her legs felt surprisingly heavy all of a sudden and she fought the urge to cover her chest with her arms. Patton’s tuxedo highlighted his broad shoulders and probably cost more than Kyra made in a year. His hair was loose and fell in waves over his shoulders, shiny and at odds with his hard expression.
“Nice dress,” Patton replied.
“Thanks,” Kyra whispered, disconcerted. “I have to go.” She blurted the words in a rush, spun on her heel, and practically sprinted to the other side of the room before even realizing what she’d done.
“Smooth,” Reina noted as she caught Kyra by the arm. “What the hell is wrong with you? He was trying to be nice.”
“I don’t care.” Kyra regained her composure. “He wanted nothing to do with me and now that I have a million things on my mind he wants to try being nice? Screw that.”
“When did you become so unforgiving?” Reina asked quietly.
“You didn’t see him. You didn’t hear him. He basically called me a whore. He told me that somebody else had to have done this to me because he couldn’t have possibly stooped so low. So, please, stop defending him.”
“I just thought maybe you could work things out. I saw you after that night, Kyra, he’s under your skin.”
“No. He isn’t.”
“Whatever you say. I guess we were all mistaken.”
“Yes, you were,” Kyra nodded. “Just keep him away from me tonight.”
“If that’s what you want.” Reina sounded unconvinced.
“It is. I have to worry about saving my job and my museum.”
“Then get out there and raise some funds.” Reina grinned. “Oh, and I think the videos are a hit. People keep commenting on them.”
“I think you should give the speech now,” Sam popped out of nowhere, “Bill and Kevin are trying to duck out early.”
“What about the video feed?” Kyra asked. They had a time table and she didn’t want to mess with it unnecessarily.
/>
“It’s all hooked up. Liv is waiting for her cue to play it,” Sam assured her, “but the plan isn’t going to have quite the same effect if our subjects are not present.”
“Shit.” Kyra downed the glass of wine and handed it to Reina. “Let’s do this.”
“Good luck. This is going to be spectacular.”
Kyra threaded her way through the gallery to stand on the small platform they’d set up in front of the video wall. She picked up the microphone and flipped it on. There was a bit of feedback but it worked to quiet the room.
“Hello and thank you all for coming.” She beamed at the crowd. “We know that tonight’s gala is a little unorthodox but we hoped to make a different sort of impression with this one.”
Kyra paused for the applause and noted Liv slip over to the video projector and then glide away into the crowd. “This museum means so much to me and those who know me best will tell you how much of my life I have given to maintaining the wonderful collections we’ve built.”
A few people were pointing at the screens behind Kyra at this point but she kept talking. “I hope that you will share my passion and give generously to our museum so that we can keep it fresh and…” Kyra’s speech was cut short by a shriek of indignation.
“You bastards! How could you?”
The entire gallery fell silent. The security videos of Bill and Kevin engaged in a variety of compromising positions – all over the museum and even on top of some paintings – formed a scandalous patchwork quilt behind Kyra but it was nothing compared to the drama playing out on the floor in front of her.
Kyra couldn’t be sure which wife started it, but both were prepared to finish it. The women closed in on their prey, their shrieks blended into a cacophony of curses and insults. Bill and Kevin backed away, their matching expressions somewhere between horrified and embarrassed. Their mouths opened and closed several times and then they made a break for the exit with their wives close on their heels.
“Well, that was…” Kyra paused as if searching for the right word, “enlightening. I do hope you will continue to enjoy the evening and please excuse my bosses for their early departure. I fear they will be occupied for the remainder of the evening.”
The crowd laughed and devolved into animated discussions. Kyra turned off the microphone and stepped off the platform. Half of their plan was complete, her bosses were ruined – much like some of the paintings that had gone missing. At least Kyra found out what happened to the missing pieces.
“That was brilliant.” Sam gushed. “Better than I imagined it would be.”
“We still have to raise the funds to make up for what they’ve pissed away,” Kyra reminded him.
“The donations are rolling in, Kyra.” Bree walked up and handed her a glass of wine. “I told you we should have made a visual to show our goal and chart the progress.”
Kyra rolled her eyes, “if you post a goal then you’re more likely to just meet it. We want to surpass it. I don’t want any wiggle room for Bill and Kevin.”
“Fair point.” Bree conceded. “But, I think they are going to have other things on their mind than you taking the museum over.”
“Ahem.” Sam coughed and gestured toward two people emerging from the crowd – the President of the Board, Randolph Vandenberg, and his wife, Suzanne.
“Miss Donovan, could we have a word?” Randolph addressed Kyra formally, his back stiff and shoulders squared to emphasize how little he appreciated the slideshow.
“Yes, sir.” Kyra nodded to Sam and Bree as they melted into the crowd once more.
“Were you aware of any of this?” He gestured toward the video wall, no longer showing the sexual exploits of her bosses. His wife stifled a snicker with a faux cough then took a drink of wine from her glass to hide her smile.
“No, sir.” Kyra shook her head. “I cannot believe this was happening here and nobody knew! They had excuses for all of the missing paintings, I simply had no idea!”
“Clearly somebody was aware,” Mr. Vandenberg observed, “or else the videos could not have been made public.”
“I can certainly investigate, sir,” Kyra offered.
“No, I think it is best we drop the entire affair.” He looked down his nose at her, “we would request that you step in as interim Director until such time as the Board is able to vote on your permanent appointment. Do you accept?”
“For heaven’s sake, Randolph. Must you be so formal?” Suzanne teased. “Kyra, will you please step in and fix the mess those two idiots made of this place? You clearly know how to run things around here.”
Kyra beamed, “I would be honored.”
Randolph looked relieved, his shoulders relaxed. “If there is anything we can do to help you through the transition, please let us know.”
“Actually,” Kyra figured there would be no harm in asking, “would it be possible to promote my personal assistant, Sam, to Assistant Director? None of this would have been possible without him.”
“Done.” Randolph extended his hand. “Submit the paperwork to the Board and we’ll approve his appointment with yours.”
Kyra shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
“You earned it, Kyra.” Suzanne smiled warmly, “and you look stunning this evening. Whatever you did on vacation definitely worked for you.”
“Thank you.” Kyra inclined her head respectfully – if they only knew. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some fundraising to do.”
“Of course,” Randolph slid and arm around his wife’s waist and stepped aside. “Good luck, Miss Donovan.”
Kyra slipped into the crowd, moving from person to person to offer encouragements and compliments, whatever it took to earn the donations. She worked the room, glided from group to group to offer assurances on the stability of the museum and share some of her ideas for upcoming collections. Kyra had no idea how much money awaited her in the lockbox but her encounter with the Vandenbergs had significantly bolstered her confidence. Everything seemed to be falling into place – maybe even better than she could have dreamed.
“Miss Donovan?” A familiar voice preceded a hand at the small of her back.
“Go away,” Kyra whispered, knowing he heard her.
“We need to talk.” Patton leaned close, his loose hair tickling her exposed neckline.
“No, we really don’t.” Kyra slid away from him but he took her by the arm and guided her away from the crowd anyway.
“Yes, we do.” Patton pushed her toward the salon.
*
Kyra whirled on Patton the second he shut the door behind him. “What is your problem?”
“My problem?”
“Yeah. Why are you here?” Kyra stepped up to him, poked at his chest, fury flared in her core. “You made it clear you want nothing to do with me. Remember? You called me a whore and said I belonged to somebody else.”
“I did not say any of that.”
“Yes. You did,” Kyra said coldly. “Now, let me out of here. I have guests and I need to…”
Patton slanted his mouth on hers effectively ending all discussion. He pulled her in until she didn’t know where her body ended and his began. Kyra’s body tingled from her lips down to her toes, his body hard against hers as he opened her mouth with his tongue. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Now, stop talking and listen.”
Kyra stepped back and opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again when Patton gave her a hard look.
“Dammit, just let me say my piece and then I’ll leave you be.” Patton stepped back but stayed between Kyra and the exit. “I did not call you a whore. I apologize for how I treated you. Liv insinuated that perhaps I was out of line with you.”
“Ya think?” Kyra blurted.
“Anyway, I did not remember biting you when we were together,” Patton continued. “It was disconcerting for me.”
“It was disconcerting for you?” Kyra practically screamed. “You turned me into a vampire!”
“No, I didn’
t.” Patton’s shoulders slumped, “I mean, it was not my intention. I had no way of knowing you would actually go and feed on somebody to complete the transition.”
“You pissed me off. You were a bit of a dick, remember?” Kyra retorted.
“Yes, and now I’m apologizing.” Patton seethed. “I don’t normally apologize. To anyone. Ever.”
“Shocker,” Kyra muttered.
“Listen, you don’t have to see me ever again.” Patton reiterated. “I just wanted to say my piece. Liv can be very persuasive for such a tiny thing.”
Kyra looked away from him. She couldn’t bear the weight of his gaze on her, the way it made her feel self-conscious and alive all at once. Liv told her there was more to the man but he’d already rejected her – more than once. A few words couldn’t change that, could they?
“Well, I will leave you to your event,” Patton said quietly. “I understand tonight was quite a coup.”
Kyra heard his hand hit the door knob. “Wait.”
Patton didn’t turn to face her. “Yes?”
“Did we really spend an evening together, before the other night?” Kyra asked.
His shoulders slumped. “Yes,” he whispered.
“And you wiped the memories from me?” Kyra continued.
“Yes.” Patton’s response was barely audible.
“Why would you do that?” Kyra asked.
“I did not want this life for you.” Patton did not face her at first but then slowly turned, his hair half covering his face as his jaw flexed with the admission he did not want to make. “I tried to stay away from you because I knew then that I wanted you, that I would not hesitate to turn you just to keep you with me. I am sorry I could not refrain.” He turned to leave.
Kyra stayed his hand. “Why didn’t you say all of that before?” She leaned up, stretching her body against his and kissed him.
His hands flew to her hips pulling her into him. Kyra arched her back as his lips moved along her jawline and down her neck to the swell of her breast. Patton deftly untied her dress and slid it off her, without missing a beat. He buried his face between her breasts before taking her left nipple in his mouth. Kyra pulled his head back and slanted her mouth over his. She fumbled at his pants, groaning in frustration before tearing them open. Patton growled low in his throat and grabbed her ass as he put her up against the wall and entered her.
Bitten By The Bad Boy: A Bad Boy Vampire Romance Page 8
