Read Online Marked: City of the Damned Book 1 by Everly Drummond - Free Book Online Page B

His
well-defined jaw bore what looked to be at least a day of stubble,
and a pair of deep-set eyes, brilliant and full of life, now stared
back at her.
    Blushing, Jaden quickly turned to face her
dinner companions and felt Tasha watching her. “What?” She shrugged
innocently. “He’s cute.”
    “Damn right he is. Go talk to him!” Tasha
laughed and passed Jaden another glass of wine.
    “Yeah, right,” Jaden responded. A guy like
that would never give her the time of day.
    “Drink up, girl! It’s your birthday, and the
night is young.” Tasha encouraged her with a smile.
    Conceding defeat, Jaden sipped from the glass
and sat back in her chair, allowing her eyes to once again fall
upon the spectacular sight at the opposite end of the tent. She
couldn’t help but notice how the designer suit hugged his muscular
chest. A hundred bucks said his body was even more magnificent than
the rest of him, and Jaden found herself imagining what was hidden
beneath all those layers of fabric. She wasn’t usually forward with
men, but if ever one so fine as this approached her, there’d be no
holding back. A blush reddened her cheeks and warmth pooled in the
bottom of her belly, quickly spreading to her limbs and leaving a
trail of fire in its wake. Certain the wine was going to her head,
Jaden brushed aside her lustful thoughts and focused on the lively
conversation around her.
    “Your friend tells us it’s your birthday,” a
stout lady sitting in the chair to Jaden’s right announced. A large
hat festooned with colorful feathers sat atop a mass of graying
curls, and a royal blue evening gown draped her abundant form. The
woman looked a bit like a distressed peacock.
    Slightly taken aback by the woman’s
boisterous voice, Jaden stammered her response, “Yes, ma’am. I turn
twenty-six today.”
    “Oh, to be young and carefree. I remember
when I was twenty-six…”
    Jaden cast a sidelong glance at Tasha and
chuckled as the older woman launched into a detailed description of
her younger years. Jaden took note of the relieved look on the face
of the woman’s male companion, her husband most likely. He seemed
thankful his wife had someone else to talk to, relieving him for a
few moments from the constant chatter.
    When the waiter returned, delivering plates
of Waldorf salad that resembled miniature works of art, Jaden was
once again glad for the interruption. Sensing it was going to be a
long dinner—and an even longer evening—she quietly asked him to
bring another bottle of wine. With the simple wave of his hand a
waitress appeared and refilled Jaden’s glass, leaving the bottle
for the table to share.
    Tasha jabbed Jaden in the arm and pointed to
the front of the dance floor where six tables sat apart from the
rest, three on either side of the stage. “What’s with those
tables?”
    “That’s the VIP section,” Jaden said. “And
the table on the far left, beside the bar, is the chef’s table.
Only the bigwigs sit there, and they must pay quite a bit for it.
The cost of a regular ticket to this event is
fifteen-hundred dollars.”
    “Well, your Mr. Oh So Sexy must have
connections or some serious cash,” Tasha reported, “because he has
one of the best seats in the house.”
    Jaden snapped to attention and trained her
eyes to the spot where Tasha was pointing. Any remote hopes of
finding a way to meet this man vanished. The people at those VIP
tables were celebrities, politicians, and others with very large
bank accounts—far above her social status.
    “I wonder what he does for a living,” Tasha
mused, still intrigued by the group of people sitting at the front
of the tent. “He must be an athlete or something, because guys who
look like that don’t rely on their intelligence, if you know what I
mean.”
    Ignoring her roommate’s obsession with
celebrities and stereotypes, Jaden picked up her fork and looked
for a way in to her salad. She must have lost herself for a moment,
trying to figure out what