“Oh, Jasmine, there you are!” Madeline motions me over. “This is Vanessa Davenport, honey. Come say hello.”
I nod to the pretty blonde who couldn’t possibly be over twenty-five. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Davenport.”
She stands and does this weird air kiss thing on each side of my face. “Oh, my, you’re absolutely gorgeous!” Mrs. Davenport faces Madeline. “Maddie, you didn’t mention how beautiful she was. Charles must be so proud.”
Yeah, because a woman’s value is in her beauty, right?
“Thanks,” I mumble, reminding myself this woman has done nothing wrong to me.
Right before I sit down, three men enter the room.
“Preston, come here and meet Jasmine.” Vanessa practically pushes me toward her husband. What is it with these people and the pushing? “Isn’t she lovely? God, what I wouldn’t give to have skin this flawless!”
I’m positioned in front of a tall, attractive man who’s assessing me carefully. I get the feeling he’s expecting me to be some mousy little thing, so I make a point to hold my chin high and look him directly in the eye. Well, when his eyes finally make their way up to my face anyway. The longer I stand here, the more I see how much he resembles his son. This Preston guy is basically Kingston in thirty years.
I resist the urge to flinch when he grabs my hand and brings it to his mouth for a kiss. “Why, yes, Vanessa. She is quite a beautiful young woman. It’s very nice to meet you, Jasmine.”
Bile rises in my throat when he starts stroking the underside of my wrist with his index finger.
I pull away quickly and step back. “Thanks.”
I glance up and see his son coming from behind him. If I’m not mistaken, Kingston doesn’t seem happy with his dad right now.
“Father, if you’ll excuse me so I can take my seat.”
His dad laughs. “Of course, of course. Please forgive me for causing a traffic jam. You know how irresistible I find a beautiful woman.”
Sperm Donor pats the pervert on the back. “It happens to the best of us, Preston.”
Everyone in the room chuckles except for me. Correction—Kingston’s too busy swallowing the amber liquid one of the maids just set before him.
I take a seat, thankfully in a spot far away from Mr. Davenport. Not so thankfully, the only empty chair with food in front of it was the one occupied by the other Davenport male. I risk a glance at him and his lips turn up in the corners, as if he knows how uncomfortable I am.
Fuck you, my eyes say.
He raises an absurdly sexy eyebrow before leaning into my ear. “Something on your mind, Jazz? You seem tense. Would you like me to help you relax?”
What the hell? I’d expect that comment from his horny friend, but I didn’t think Kingston Davenport was capable of being flirty. This has to be some new form of torment since he’s made it clear that’s his goal. Game on, dickhead.
I lean into his ear. “I can relax just fine all by myself. If I do ever need assistance, I’m sure your friend, Bentley, wouldn’t mind filling in.” Kingston tenses when I dig my nails into his forearm. “I will admit, that bulge of his has me curious to see if it’s as impressive as it seemed in Lit class.”
“Stay away from Bentley,” he growls.
“Why would I—”
“Baby,” Peyton whines, tugging on his other arm. “Did you hear me?”
I sit back in my chair and casually take a sip of water.
Kingston glances at me one more time before turning his attention to my stepsister. “What do you want, Peyton?”
She trails a finger up his arm. “I asked if you wanted to stay for a while after dinner. I miss you, baby.”
His jaw tics. “How many times do we have to discuss this? It’s not happening.”
Peyton glances toward me, probably to see if I’m paying attention.
I lift an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just here for the food.”