“Who the fuck are you?” Bay asked annoyed and suddenly sounding less sure of himself.
Eli didn’t spare him a glance. He continued to look at me.
“Thanks, Eli. But I have this under control.” I was annoyed that he thought he needed to rescue me. I tugged again at my hand and this time it was released. I didn’t need to stand here and speak to either of the two men. Turning, I headed back to the stairs without another word.
“I’ll call you,” Bay said as if he had my phone number. I knew he did not. I didn’t respond.
“She didn’t ask you to follow her.” Eli’s tone had darkened. I could keep going and ignore this, but I didn’t. I paused and glanced back. Bay had, in fact, started to follow me. Seriously? Was he that desperate?
I turned my focus to Eli. “Thank you, but I told you I had this under control.”
“So you can see me now?” he asked as he lifted one eyebrow in a mocking way that pissed me off.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said with a haughty lift of my shoulders then shot Bay an annoyed glare. “I am not interested. Leave me alone, Bay.” That seemed to get through his thick skull or at least hit his ego hard enough that he didn’t say more. Instead he gave me an annoyed glare of his own before heading back to the theatre.
I waited until the door closed behind him before I spun around and headed back up the stairs. I hoped that Eli would say something more or at least try to stop me because I was weak when it came to him. He said nothing and I was instantly let down even if I didn’t want to care as I climbed the stairs. It was about the fifth step that I realized he may not have tried to stop me, but he was following me.
I managed to glare at him over my shoulder. “Where are you going?”
He looked behind him as if I were talking to someone else then looked back at me. I was not amused. He pointed at his chest. “Are you speaking to me?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes and returned to my escape up the stairs. He continued with following me. Once I reached the main floor, I made sure to walk with purpose but give a good sway to my hips while I was at it. Might as well give him something to look at.
I could only hear the clicking of my heels on the marble floor and when I was close to the door that led back out to the valet, I chanced a look over my shoulder. He was there several steps behind me but following me still. I was happy about it and that made me a complete loser. Where was my pride? He had left my house after sex and I’d not heard a word from him since. Then he had shown up with Saffron Corbin tonight! He knew I’d be here. Yet he brought her.
“What do you want?” I demanded. He had no reason to be following me even if a large part of me was happy that he was doing so.
“To talk to you,” he said simply.
Damn him. Why now? Because of Bay? I shouldn’t allow him to talk. Not now. Maybe a couple weeks ago that would have been a nice idea. But he didn’t want to talk to me then. He shouldn’t get to talk to me now. What could he say to fix things? Nothing. He had said enough when he said nothing at all. I was about to say that then snapped my mouth shut and sighed with enough force behind it to cause a dramatic rise and fall of my shoulders.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked him. Although we were the only people here right now, that would soon change and we both knew it. I wasn’t going to offer to go to a more private location. His time was limited.
“We could start with why I was invisible tonight,” he suggested as if he was clueless.
“That’s what you want to talk about?” I asked then spun around to leave again. I had hoped he had some groveling, explaining, anything else in mind than acting like I had no reason to ignore him.
“Ophelia, wait. I’m trying to figure out what I’ve done.” His words were so freaking sincere, I paused. I should go outside, ask for my car, and leave. I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do tonight. He had been ignored and he didn’t like it. Good for me. It was time to leave. But I didn’t.
“Where’s your date?” I snapped at him. Then decided to rub that in. “Oh, wait, she’s with Blaze.” I’d seen Saffron use all her flirting skills on Blaze tonight and I’d give it to her, she handled him like a pro. There was no man on earth that loved himself more than Blaze. The way Saffron had worked him was impressive.