Surrogate for the Alpha Prince in a Coma novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Or I had thought he was teasing. In hindsight, he was likely mocking me openly.

Piers seemed different. He was listening attentively, like my opinion mattered.

“If you like paintings, then you must see the galleries here,” Piers said. “What do you say? How about you and I sneak out of this stuffy place for a while, and I’ll show you around.”

“Leave the party?” I asked. “But I only just arrived.”

“There will be time for celebrating later,” Piers said. “I doubt they even started making the dinner yet. These kinds of things can take hours. I doubt anyone would even notice our absence.”

I couldn’t deny that I was tempted. I wanted to talk more about art, and see some pieces in person. But it didn’t feel right leaving in the middle of the party, especially to do so unescorted with a man who was yet unmarried.

A man that Grayson warned me to be wary of, telling me he couldn’t be trusted.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Thank you for the kind gesture, but I would like to stay and celebrate with the other guests.”

Piers, still holding my hand, gripped it tighter. Too tight, his hold cramming my fingers together painfully. I tried to pull back but he wouldn’t let go.

“A pity,” he hissed, his voice low, only for my ears. “I guess you aren’t so different than the other women here, are you? Assimilated quickly into a bitch.”

I tugged my hand free and he finally let me go. Holding my hand to my chest, I backed up a step, almost running into someone. I turned to apologize, then looked back to Piers.

He had already recovered, moving to speak to someone else, his smile and charm back and place like he had never been ruffled at all.

My hand still ached, confirmation that I hadn’t imagined things. But I still felt crazy, the only one who had seen the shift in Piers.

Did Josephine know what he was really like?

I searched her out, only to find her in the middle of Ophelia’s group, with Ophelia whispering in her ear. As I came closer, Josephine shot me a glare so sharp that I froze.

Another place I was unwelcome.

Turning away from them, I tried to approach a few more guests, but everyone politely but abruptly ended any conversation with me before it truly began. In the end, I spent much of the pre-dinner time standing in a corner alone, ignored by even the servants who carried around trays of drinks.

Feeling foolish, I left the room to seek out a bathroom, if only so I would have a moment of purpose. No sooner had I turned a corner into a quiet hallway, than a rough hand grabbed my arm.

“Took you long enough to get away,” Piers said. He shoved my back up against the wall, and crowded me against it. He was uncomfortably close and moving closer still. “You were coy earlier, but I know what you want.”

“No, thank you,” I said, and pushed against his chest.

He was stronger than me, and laughed, not moving an inch.

“We don’t need to play these games, darling,” he said. Lifting a hand, he ran his fingers along my exposed

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+15 Bghus

collarbone, all the way to my sleeve. “Your lover is a vegetable. Wouldn’t you rather be fucked by an actual man?”

Red hot anger sparked and burned inside of me. With strength I didn’t know I had, I shoved him away harder. He gripped onto my sleeve as he stumbled back, tearing it free from my dress. He tore away some of my bodice at the same time, exposing the cup of my bra.

I raised my arms to cover myself, but not before I heard a gasp from the end of the hall.

Josephine was there, watching, with Ophelia beside her. Josephine’s face was twisted in horror and disgust. Ophelia, meanwhile, was smirking.

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hapter 10