Hand of Thorns

Read Hand of Thorns for Free Online

Book: Read Hand of Thorns for Free Online
Authors: Ashley Beale
hour, but for the most part the two of us stand together and gossip about who we see and the clothing people are wearing. "I need to use the restroom," I tell her, after we finish off our second glass of champagne.
    "Yeah, I do too. Let's go." She takes the glass from my hand and sets it on the table next to us, along with hers. Then we walk to the back where there is a long hallway lined with full body mirrors. Everything is trimmed in gold along with the fixtures. I get lost staring at everything until Sumner pulls slightly on my arm towards the women's powder room.
    Walking through the door, Sumner widens her eyes with surprise. "Holy crap, I don't feel so well." She rushes into a stall.
    I stand outside of it for a moment. "Are you okay, Sumner?"
    "Um. I will be." She kind of chuckles, off putting me from her reaction two seconds ago.
    "What's the matter?"
    "I'm assuming it was the champagne, it ran right through me. I'm going to be a few minutes."
    I start to chuckle as well. "Gross," I joke. "Well I'll meet you outside the restroom when you're finished, I only have to pee."
    "No problem, but I'm warning you, I think I'm going to be a few minutes."
    I hurry with using the bathroom and washing my hands, because poor Sumner causes it to smell in no time at all. Rushing out of the restroom, I round the corner to sit on the nearby bench, but I'm blocked by someone whom I almost run into. His back is faced towards me, but he's a tall man.
    "Oops," I mutter out.
    I start to walk around him but he turns to look down at me. I'm frozen in place by the penetrating gaze of his sharp, silver eyes. They're... alluring. Demanding. Fascinating.
    They slowly narrow as the side of his mouth lifts into a crooked smile. I can't help but to be entirely mesmerized by the intoxicating sight of him. His voice is deep and slightly husky when he speaks. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to be in your way."
    Clearing my throat, I give him a nervous smile in return. "It's... it's fine."
    He continues to stare at me, that half smile of his melting my panties right off. I'm waiting for him to say something, but he doesn't. After a few seconds, I take in the rest of his appearance. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place from where. His dark hair is smoothly combed back, probably to match the suit and tie he currently has on. He's extremely tall, at least six feet.
    He cocks his head to the side while my eyes roam over him. Once again I'm perplexed by his mere existence. "You have yourself a nice night."
    His obvious goodbye unsettles my stomach, because for some reason I want to stand and chat with him, but from his looks, he's probably already snatched up- either that, or highly sought after. I know I'm practically drooling over him. "Yeah, um, you too," I sputter. It's undeniable I just made a complete ass of myself.
    His smile doesn't fade as he walks away, leaving me alone. Suddenly I'm unsure what to do with myself, so I turn to look around, but the mystery man is already at the end of the hall, rounding it to go back to the mass of people. Looking to my left, I glance at the mirror closest to me. My reflection stares back at me, my cheeks a little rosier than the blush made them be, but otherwise I look like myself. With more makeup than normal and a fancy dress. I wonder to myself if he thought of me as attractive at all.
    Which is completely deranged, since there are many gorgeous women in this building right now. I live in Los Angeles, there are women more beautiful than me on every single street. I couldn't compare, so I rule his flirtatious intensity as his normal nature and nothing directly towards me.
    Sumner finally comes out of the bathroom, fixing her dress strap. She looks up at me and sighs a breath of relief. "That was horrifying. Maybe I should stay away from the champagne."
    "Or the shrimp," I add in.
    "Yeah, probably not a good combination. I feel much better though." She stands tall, as if she wasn't just wrecking the toilet bowl

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