Adrian shook his head innocently as if to say, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
“It’ll be only a moment,” Celia batted her eyelashes at Tristan.
“Not a good time,” he repeated.
She pouted.
He didn’t react.
Her eyes went cold, “I neeeed to speak with you.”
“Celia, seriously.”
“It’s very important.”
“So is what I’m in the middle of.”
She stomped a designer shoe-clad food hard, glaring at Tristan.
Actually stomped.
Wow.
Kyla was flabbergasted at the gall.
Claudio spoke, “Celia, this was a closed-door dinner meeting. How are you even present?”
Celia threw her head back and laughed hard.
“Oh puh-lease…”
“Have you done something to the guards?” Claudio asked.
She snickered.
Sam rose, “Let’s take a walk, CC. Tristan will call you later, when he’s got time. Yeah?”
Sam tried to lead her by the elbow. Her face went ugly and she shoved and Sam went flying onto his ass, landing about twenty feet away, which was about three feet from Kyla’s feet.
“Tristan!” she demanded, “Now!”
What the fuck?
Tristan stood and glared at her, “Get the fuck outta here, Celia.”
Sam moved back to his seat.
“Why?” she looked affronted. She put her arms across her chest.
“This meeting is closed door. That’s why there were guards stationed outside. You know better. I’ll find you in a little while.”
She stomped her foot again, “I need to talk to you now!”
The way she was acting reminded Kyla of the little rich “I want it NOW!” girl from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.
Kyla knew Tristan didn’t want to leave her unattended.
Tristan’s mouth was in a tight line, “Fuck off, Celia.”
Kyla saw Lyle blanch and Sam wince.
“I’ll come see you when I’m good and ready. Now, get the fuck out.”
Celia headed toward their table. Tristan got up and quickly moved so that he was between Celia and Kyla.
“I’m serious,” he told her.
“What’s the big deal?” she batted eyelashes at him again, “You can’t take one eensy weensy little minute to talk to me?”
She used her thumb and index finger to make an inch sign.
“Right now, no.”
“If you’d talked to me when I first asked, this would be over by now. Just step into the hall with me.”
“No. Out. Now you won’t even get my time.”
“But why?”
“Because I fuckin’ said so. Now are you gonna leave or should I remove you myself?”
She patted him on the cheek, “Aren’t you cute? Now, come before I put you over my knee for insubordination.”
Insubordination?
Kyla felt a spike of possessive anger at the woman’s touching his face, even.
“Why won’t you come into the hall with me?” Celia asked, reverting to another pout but then she glanced over Tristan’s shoulder and frowned. Her eyes landed on Lyle, who was directly in her line of vision. Lyle was looking at Kyla. Celia’s eyes then moved to Kyla. Kyla had been watching but trying as hard as she could to be not-too-obvious about it. She didn’t know if word had traveled about her so-called ‘semi-lucid’ state or not.
“Her?” Celia said, “You’re not willing to come into the hall to talk to me because you don’t want to leave your pet alone with the big bad vampires? Tristan, so unlike you.” she started to laugh, “Then, by all means, bring her to the hall.”
“Celia,” Tristan warned, “Say what you need to say and then go. I’m done playing this game.”
“Fine,” she placed her hands on Tristan’s chest, leaned forward, and said, “I’m summoning you. I want you in my suite later. I want your cock.”
Tristan recoiled but before he got more than a few inches away Kyla did something completely utterly stupid and completely and utterly out of her control. She felt that cold whoosh start at her toes and rapidly climb up her body and before she knew it she had Celia’s glossy curtain of jet back hair and she used it to give Celia a shove that surpassed the shove Celia had given to Sam. By about double.
The female vamp went right into a wall and the force of her body caved the drywall in.
“His cock is fucking taken,” Kyla screeched, “And so is the rest of him!”
Kyla vaguely heard an, “Oh shit,” and she thought, but couldn’t be sure that it was Sam who said it.
Then Kyla was behind Tristan, who’d zoomed them back against a wall so that Kyla’s back was against the wall, his body shielding her from the female vamp who’d instantly gotten to her feet and whooshed into their space.
Tristan held his right hand out to stop the she-vamp. His left hand was curled behind himself, around Kyla’s waist, keeping her plastered between his back and the wall.
“What in the fuck was that?” Celia thundered and her voice sounded demonic. Kyla got a very unpleasant cold shiver from her toes straight up her spine but despite that shiver, Kyla was breathing hard and she was fucking pissed. She clenched the back of Tristan’s suit jacket.