TouchNode | Complete

39 | Trust is a Commodity

Your mistrust was never misguided. Perhaps that’s why we never got along.

“You don’t seem surprised.”

Ballarina raised her green eyes to my face and smirked, bringing her glass of red wine to her lips for a sip. She sat the glass down and leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. It pulled her slit open, exposing the smooth skin of her leg from the ankle to the hip.

“Nothing surprises me anymore, Devani. Surely you must know that by now?”

It had been two days since the incident in the restroom. My head was spinning when I finally left the party, something Euphrates wasn’t very happy to see, especially when I refused to reveal the reason. I had to talk to Ballarina. I had to figure out what was going on.

So, I invited the reigning queen of MPD to the Charleston Salon, a restaurant situated at the crown of the downtown Corellis-Scott historical building. The views were said to be spectacular and the food, unparalleled. It was pleasing to find that Euphrates’ surname worked wonders; the host had practically thrown himself over the podium when I requested a table. Sweat was streaming down his face and neck when he finally walked away and my waiter appeared a split second later.

Swathed from head-to-toe in diamonds, Ballarina Overt walked through the main dining area as if she owned the place. A pair of sunglasses were perched on her nose, and her thick coal hair was twisted on top of her head in a complicated bun. She wore a simple, off shoulder navy silk floor-length dress with sparkling stiletto heels. Ballarina Overt never dressed down.

“Then what are we going to do about this?”

Her eyes widened, and she seemed to bite back a laugh.

“We?” She stressed, leaning over the table. “We aren’t doing anything. I am handling it.”

“You’re for sale, Ballarina.” I whispered, pushing my iPad across the table for her to see for herself. The tablet was unlocked and the Seductions website was open on her feature page. “For sale! Do you understand that?”

An unimpressed scowl pulled her eyebrows downward. Her fingers lightly tapped on the screen, flickering through the few dozen photos of herself. Pale and slightly shaken, Ballarina flipped the iPad face down and swallowed the rest of her wine in a single gulp.

Slowly, the tips of her fingers tapped against the cold wood tabletop. Her face twisted as she thought, and the facade that was carefully crafted and affixed across her features finally fell. A vulnerable woman sat in front of me, beautiful, fragile, but determined. With a single nod, Ballarina squared her shoulders and caught my gaze.

“I am going to tell you something, Devani.” Her voice faltered, “yes.” She whispered under her breath, “this is the right thing to do.”

“Ballarina?” I sighed, pressing my fingers to my temple. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”

“You didn’t know this and…” Her hands shook. “Look… what I am about to say cannot under any circumstances leave this table, is that understood?”

I nodded.

“Yes or no, do you understand?”

Annoyed, I nodded again, but still voiced a low. “Yes.”

“I’ll start with what you do know. Carter has wanted you from some time, Devani. I believe since the day he first laid eyes on you.” She paused, gauging my reaction. “Good, you knew. He pursued you differently than the others before you. My husband has always… wondered to the company of other women and men. He would romance them, seduce them, and then throw them away. It’s a part of who he is. I didn’t think the man was capable of desiring a single individual until you came into the picture.”