Deke got straight to business beside her. He sat stiff in his chair, his voice low and clipped, and she knew he hadn’t missed the looks she’d gotten. She kept her focus on him. It was either that or make small talk with the mean girls across from her.
“Alex, isn’t it?” Tammy said, forcing her to look over at them.
Here we go. The cow knew damn well what her name was; Deke had only introduced her five minutes ago. Alex plastered a smile on her face, as fake as the bulging cleavage exploding from Tammy’s dress. “Yup. That’s me.”
Tammy tilted her head and flicked her hair over her shoulder in a move she no doubt practiced in the mirror. “So, how long have you known Deacon?” There was a note of triumph in her voice, and something else, like the woman had some nasty secret and she was just dying to pull that shit out of her ass and fling it across the table at Alex.
“Since I was ten. Me and Deke go way back. You?”
The woman’s eyes widened, then narrowed, lips lifting on one side in a calculated way. If Tammy’s face wasn’t frozen from a crapload of Botox, she’d no doubt have an I-just-won-the-motherfucking-lottery expression on her face. “Ah, I know you. You’re the poor unfortunate orphan girl who hung around the Wests. Yes?” She turned to her friend. “You know, the one Emily told us about.”
Emily? What did Deke’s ex-wife have to do with this?
“Well. How nice of him to bring an old friend. He’s a great philanthropist. Never misses a chance to expand his charity work.”
Tammy’s friend giggled.
Nice.
These women knew all about her, somehow knew of her past and her connection to the Wests. Alex didn’t share that part of her life with anyone. They were obviously friends of Deke’s ex. Why would Emily waste her breath talking about her?
They were watching her like sharks circling a dying seal, waiting for an opening to take another bite. Alex grinned—it hurt to do it, but she was pretty sure she pulled it off. “Yeah, Deke’s a prince among men.”
The woman’s sharp blue eyes narrowed farther, obviously unhappy Alex hadn’t crumpled into tears or stormed from the bar. “So…” Tammy’s gaze moved over Alex’s upper arm. “You like tattoos?”
Was this bitch for real? She felt Deacon stiffen beside her and rested her hand on his thigh, silently asking him to leave it. “No, my pimp held me down and made me get it. You?” Deacon made a choking sound but didn’t say a word.
Tammy forced a laugh. “Oh, you’re funny. And no, I don’t. I’ve always found them to be rather common.” The superiority she managed to slip into her high-pitched voice was impressive.
Alex sat back and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Body piercings?”
Tammy’s eyes widened, then she and her friend laughed. “Ah…no.”
Alex leaned into Deacon, who had turned in his seat and was openly listening now, tension rolling off him. “Deacon loves my nipple piercing. Don’t you, baby?”
To her surprise his lips twitched, and when he looked down at her, humor danced in his eyes. He slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. “It’s sexy as hell,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.
Poor Tammy nearly choked on her pinot gris. “See, Tammy. You should totally get one.”
Deacon actually chuckled, earning him a frosty glare. He stood then and shook hands with the men at the table, then he took hers and with a stiff nod at the ladies led her from the bar.
“Hey.” He slid his hand around her waist, fingers digging into her flesh in a possessive way that felt really good. “I’m sorry about that. If I’d known Tammy would be here, I wouldn’t have made you come. She’s never come to these dinners before.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “She’s actually a friend of Emily’s.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
He chuckled. “You handled yourself amazingly back there.”
She knew how important this particular charity was and was just glad she hadn’t messed things up for him. “Hey, it’s not like I’ll see any of them ever again, right? So no skin off my nose.”
His smile slipped. “No. I guess you’re right.”
They climbed into the waiting car, and his hand moved up her spine and slid into her hair before he pressed a kiss to her throat. “Let’s go home. I’ve been desperate to get you out of that dress since you put it on.” He brushed his thumb over her nipple, teasing the piercing. “And all that talk back there has made me desperate for a taste of those pert little nipples. I’d like to tug on that sexy bar and make you scream out my name.”