Unhinged by Timberlyn Scott

people get naked and dance on the tables?” Aaron questioned.
    Aaliyah gave my arm a
gentle squeeze and laughed. “God, I hope not.”
    “It’s very nice to meet
you,” I told Aaliyah, grinning at Aaron’s joke.
    “You, too. I’m sorry I
wasn’t here yesterday. I had an early class and if I’m late anymore, I’m gonna
get in serious trouble.”
    “No worries,” I assured
her. I didn’t bother to mention to her my interaction with Sebastian, although
I wanted to ask her who he really was.
    “You two have fun. I’ll
catch up to you later.” Aaliyah gave my arm another friendly squeeze and then
walked a few feet away, greeting one of the older couples.
    “Mr. Trovato’s
daughter,” I explained to Aaron.
    “I figured as much.”
    “How so?”
    “She’s probably the
youngest person in the place, and though I think your boss probably has a mistress
or two, I didn’t figure her to be that young.”
    “He does not have a mistress.” I slapped Aaron lightly on the arm. I sure hoped Conrad
didn’t have a mistress.
    “Don’t be so sure of
that.” The deep, rumbling voice came from behind me.
    I spun around so fast,
I nearly dropped my empty champagne flute, but Sebastian retrieved it and set
it on a passing waiter’s tray like he did that sort of thing every day.
    I merely stared at him,
a strange tingle igniting deep in my core as I came face to face with the man I’d
met just yesterday. The guy from my dream. The mechanic. He looked
significantly different than the last time I saw him though. Tonight he wasn’t
sporting tattered jeans. No, tonight he was wearing a tuxedo and likely
garnering the attention of every woman in the place.
    The guy made a pair of
worn, tattered jeans look incredible, but he wore a tuxedo better than any man
I’d ever met.
    As we stood there,
motionless, neither of us said anything for a few heartbeats. My pulse was
racing and if it hadn’t been for Aaron’s warm hand on my back, I probably would
have forgotten where I was.
    Sebastian peered over
my shoulder at Aaron and I thought I saw a flash of anger glitter in his
beautiful golden eyes, but it was gone as fast as it had come, leaving me to
think I was imagining things.
    “Enjoy the party, Angel,”
Sebastian whispered, nodding his head at me, our eyes locking briefly.
    He didn’t linger. He
continued walking right past me without looking back.
    “Who was that?” Aaron
turned at the same time I did, so that he could follow Sebastian with his eyes.
    “No one,” I murmured.
    Mechanic, my ass.

Chapter Eleven
    Payton
     
    Two hours into the
party, and I was wondering when the fun was going to start. I’d managed to
drink six flutes of champagne and was starting to feel the effects of the
alcohol, although that hadn’t helped to alleviate the nerves that were
attacking my insides. Aaron had forced me to eat some of the hors d’oeuvres,
which was probably the only reason I wasn’t flat on my face at this point.
    My head was beginning
to hurt from looking around the room, trying to locate Sebastian at every turn.
Ever since our brief run-in, I hadn’t seen him again, but I could feel his
presence. I knew he was there somewhere.
    “Care to dance?” Aaron
stopped me from taking another flute from a passing waiter.
    I glared at him in
warning. That earned me a smile.
    “No, I do not want to
dance,” I slurred, but he just took me in his arms and led me to the center of
the room.
    “You’re drunk.”
    “I am not,” I argued,
knowing full well that I was. I wasn’t much of a drinker, aside from a beer or
two every now and again. I didn’t even like champagne, yet tonight I’d been
drinking it like water.
    “Whatever you say,
doll,” Aaron replied, pressing his hand to the back of my head and forcing my
face to rest against his chest. He was holding one of my hands and I slid my
other hand beneath his jacket, clutching his back. It probably looked intimate,
but I was trying to keep from sliding to the floor