Even though I knew this would likely make the gossiping worse, I took off after Toby. I couldn’t stay at this charity gala a minute longer. I wanted to find Toby and go home.
“Toby!” I called out as I burst through the doors. “Toby, where are you?”
It was dark outside and I couldn’t see him anywhere. If it wasn’t for the irritation surging through my veins, I might have been too frightened to keep looking for him. But honestly, in this mood, no one was going to mess with me. Not and survive anyway.
“Will you stop it?” Toby cried out, and not to me. What the hell was going on now? “I know I’ve been careless, but I can’t help myself.”
I practically tiptoed around to the side of the building where his voice was coming from. There I found Toby and Stark arguing. I didn’t even know that Stark was here, never mind that he was pissed at Toby.
“You need to help it,” Stark growled. “This is too important for you to be fucking things up. Have I not told you enough about how important the Vaughn family is?”
“Yeah, endlessly,” Toby replied.
Luckily, neither of them had noticed me. I could just stand to the side and watch them for a minute.
“But that doesn’t change anything. I don’t want to stand back any longer and watch Renee marry that dirtbag. I can’t bear it.”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Stark reminded him. “Nothing at all. We haven’t been hired to make decisions about Renee’s future spouse. Just to protect her.”
“Well, I want to protect her from him,” Toby yelled.
I gripped the wall to stop myself from falling as he talked about me like I was a damsel in distress. Weirdly, I didn’t hate this.
“I want to show her that I can give her a much better life. That we all can.”
“You really want to tackle Mr. Vaughn with this?”
“I don’t care about Mr. Vaughn,” Toby insisted. “I don’t care about his opinion. Just because he’s some hotshot oil billionaire, doesn’t mean he should control his daughter.”
These words were just too much for me. Toby was defending me in a way that I struggled to defend myself. I needed to step in. I couldn’t stop myself anymore.
“Stark, this isn’t just Toby’s fault,” I almost whispered as I stepped between them. “It isn’t. It takes two to tango. This is me as well.”
Stark pursed his lips together. I couldn’t tell what he was feeling, but to me, it seemed like he was remembering the moment he caught me touching myself in the mirror. I liked the idea of him thinking about this. I was remembering it too.
“Renee, we just need to be careful when it comes to your father,” Stark answered, a little softer this time. “You know that if anything doesn’t go according to his plan, he will hate it.”
I nodded. “I know, and I’ve been worried about that myself. It’s what I’ve been thinking about endlessly. It’s been worrying me nonstop, but at the same time, I want to be happy. I don’t think it’s fair I should have to marry some idiot guy for a business deal.”
“A business deal?” Stark asked me sharply.
“My dad didn’t tell you that part?”
Stark shook his head.
“This all comes down to him wanting to create a business merger with the Vanderbilts. It might have been dressed up as something else, but in reality, that’s what it’s all about.” I sighed heavily. “I agreed to it because at the time I kind of thought it was the right thing to do. But now I can’t stop thinking otherwise. Especially when my father doesn’t care about Diego’s horrible attitude and the way he knows he’s going to treat me.”
I touched my cheek and noticed I had tears streaming down my face. Damn it, I didn’t want to get all emotional right now when I was trying to explain everything in a rational manner, but it was too late for that now. I couldn’t stop it.
“I’m sorry.” Stark rested his hand on my shoulder. “You’re right. I know you’re right, and I know I shouldn’t be fighting against this when I know you’re right. It’s just hard for me, because I’m trying my hardest not to wreck the reputation of RedEye Security. I have worked so hard to build up my company, and your father is such a powerful man.”
I nodded because I understood that worry. My father and his billions in the bank did make him a powerful man. Someone who could destroy others if he wanted to. Including me. Stark was right, this was very problematic. But that didn’t stop me from wanting these men, and the others as well. It was so conflicting.
“Wow,” Toby laughed. “I don’t think that I have ever heard Stark say sorry to anyone in my life. That really is something.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling just a little at that. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the issues we potentially have ahead of us, does it? Stark, you’re right about my dad. But I don’t know what to do about it all. I just…I don’t know, I feel stuck.”
I breathed deeply a couple of times, feeling the sympathy from both men. Toby wrapped his arms around me from behind and Stark kept his hands on my shoulders. I felt the intense warmth from both of them, the caring, and the connection as well. Not just a connection with me, but with one another as well. It made me happy, and it made me tingle.
“Hey, should we get out of here?” I whispered to them both. “I don’t think I want to go back inside. I wasn’t enjoying that charity gala at all. I have shown my face and done my bit. I have given the money that my father wanted to; I have supported the charity. I don’t think there is anything waiting for me in there.”
I actually shuddered at the idea of going back inside that building and looking at the gossiping crowd once more. I would much rather go back to the guesthouse with the guys.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Stark agreed. “I will get the car.”
But before he did that, there was a deep urge within me that I wanted to explore. I grabbed Stark and pulled him down toward me so I could kiss him. This was another surprising kiss for Stark, but he melted into it easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. This was one of the things I loved most about being with these guys. Everything felt natural, and I was in control of it all.
I turned and kissed Toby right after, my heart exploding as I finally kissed the guy I had been wanting to connect with all night long. This was the moment we should have had on the dance floor, but it was so much better right here, right now outside the building with Stark beside us too. There was even more of a chemistry burning between us now because there were more of us here.
If it was this exciting with just two of the guys, then how thrilling would it be if all four of them were with me? My heart began to race faster and my stomach flip flopped with desire. I could hardly wait until we got back, because who knew what was going to happen next?