Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 41

I couldn't believe what he'd said. Only Grace? The sexiest thing he could find? Grace's eyes were wide as the attendant stepped plainly into view and stammered out that she would check to make sure. She scurried off as Grace eyed Grace. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, keeping my tone subdued even though I wanted to scream at him.

Alyssa growled, Why is he looking at her like that? Say something, Glenda!

He wouldn't even be getting involved with the underground of Midnight if it weren't for me, and what was he thinking trying to cut me out of the evening. Anger and a bit of fear went through me as I looked at Grace.

She was a prostitute, or she had been, but she didn't have the scars I did. I would almost bet that her wolf was still perfectly active. Maybe all of my hard work and the little glimpses of interest I'd seen in him were wrong.

My stomach turned uncomfortably and my anger grew stronger as Alyssa growled with distaste. I shouldn't be worried about whether or not Matt wanted Grace more than me or at all. I wasn't planning to sleep with him. I just needed his connections. I needed to be close to him to find Angelia and get my revenge.

That was all I wanted.

That was all I needed.

Anything else was just going to complicate things or distract me from my goal: Wallber, Angelia, revenge.

Yet even as I let the words fill my mind, I couldn't get rid of the twinge of pain, the little sparks of jealousy, and the panic. Matt had made me a promise, but he was a Wallber. Were they known for keeping their word?

I didn't know, but I doubted it.

Matt looked at me, "Grace is right, and given how well-known she is in Midnight, it'd be perfect. The poker party was an entirely different scene. I'll be on Justin's turf."

His words might have made sense, but all I heard was him calling Grace perfect. I couldn't deny that she did seem perfect. Her skin was unmarred, her blonde hair was rich and golden, and her face could go from business to sweet invitation smoothly.

She had been at Club Heaven for seven years, most of those years had been spent as a hostess. She didn't have to deal with all the desires of the guest, but she had a better view of the business aspect of the club and Midnight.

I grit my teeth at the thought. Alyssa growled, but she wouldn't say anything.

"I'm not staying behind," I said stiffly. "I-"

"I'll need you to," Matt said. "It will be easier and safer if you do."

"I'm not worried about it being easy," I said. "I don't care about it being easy. I'm not staying behind."

I'm not leaving you alone with her, Alyssa growled.

I didn't want to admit it, but I agreed with the sentiment. If I could get close enough to Matt to be here, then it would be easy for Grace who had several years more experience in the industry to do the same. She probably knew just what to say. She'd probably think my act back at Larry's had been unrefined. Though that didn't seem to be in her personality, I had no way of knowing what her intentions were.

I knew women at Larry's who undermined and cut each other out of good deals out of spite. There were very few who united together and those alliances usually didn't survive a rich enough client.

Hell, she'd already gotten him to trust her implicitly and they had only known each other for a few days.

What if she was plotting to take my position? What would happen to me then? A Warhammer ID wasn't going to help me find Angelia.

"I'm planning to have everyone at the club move out by the end of the week and their IDs should be arriving sometime in the next few days," Matt said. "You'll all need to set up your profiles in the pack database."

"What about Grace's?" I pushed, "She won't be setting hers up then?"

Matt shook his head, "We'll set hers up before we leave for the party, of course." "But-"

"I have an idea," Grace cut in, her eyes wide as she looked between the two of us. Her gaze darted back to the door that led to the back of the shop meaningfully. The attendant who Matt had sent to find a dress hadn't come back, but her co-worker was inching towards us to get within hearing range.

Right, how could I forget? Mordecai had eyes everywhere, watching Matt's every move. We couldn't get into an argument here. It could ruin everything.

And what was I thinking? Didn't I know it was better to persuade a client not to harm me than to fight him off unless they wanted that sort of fantasy? Despite all of his actions and his words, Matt still owned me. An ID didn't change the fact that he'd bought me from Larry's.

"I think, Renda would be a great set of eyes to work the floor," Grace said calmly.

Matt jerked his head towards her. Alyssa growled again.

Why is he looking at her like that?

Why didn't he look at me like that?

"It's a danger zone because of who will be there, not what's going to happen," Grace said. "We'll be on Justin's turf; it'll be the best time to get as much information about Sinner's Haven as possible. Lots of Midnight's elite will be at the opening night since Club Heaven is closed."

Grace nodded at me, "By now, people know you've been seen out with Matt, especially after today. They'll be willing to talk with you about Club Heaven, your relationship, and whatever else you want. If Mr. Wallber and I are busy focusing on Justin and the others, they'll leap at the chance to get you alone."

The thought frightened me a bit, being alone with a stranger not knowing if he meant me harm, but I pushed the thought aside. I'd accepted that my goal was going to get me into some dangerous situations. Playing the crowd at an event like this was likely to be the least dangerous situation I would ever be in.

Still, as I looked at Grace, I realized that she was giving me an opportunity and teaching me something. Much like Owen telling Matt he needed a stronger stomach, she was telling me I needed a better way of bargaining with him if I meant to stay involved with the plot.

Maybe she saw something in his actions that I didn't.

Matt looked thoughtful before glancing at me, "I... can't find an argument against that."

I blinked at Grace in shock as she smiled, "That is if you're comfortable playing bait, Renda."

Bait.

Had that been what she'd been at the poker party? I looked down, wincing at the spike of shame I felt. Grace was the biggest piece of bait we had because of how well she was known. I hadn't thought about how safe I'd been at Matt's side during the party and how much danger she'd been in just walking the crowd or sitting somewhere alone.

She hadn't gone far, but it was far enough.

My stomach turned and knotted as I met her gaze. She had given me a way in and a way out without insulting my pride. There was nothing malevolent in her words.

I smiled at her, gratefully, "I'll be fine... Though I could use some pointers."

Grace grinned at me, "Of course."

Matt sighed and nodded as the door opened and the woman came out with a dress that was the same color as Grace's skin, just a little warmer than a standard n**e. Jewels sparkled from within the fabric.

"We'll need another dress," Matt said before looking at me. "Not a n**e... maybe a pink."

Pink? I had never considered myself a pink sort of girl, and I had never thought Matt would have liked pink on a woman, but as he scanned the store, I wondered what his plan was.

"That one," he said almost breathlessly.

Grace turned and I leaned forward to get a look at what he was staring at.

The gown was floor-length and sparkled in the light. It was cut to accentuate every curve I had, with a deep illusion plunge. The fabric was almost translucent and too cool for Grace's skin. On my skin, it would look very close to the color of my nipples. My face burned. Grace's dress was sexy. My dress would be outright erotic. We tried them on and I was right. The heated look Matt gave me as I came out made my heart race.

Then Grace came out, looking unsure of herself and I wondered if this was the first time she'd ever been in something so nice. The dress was perfect for her.

Matt nodded, looking thoughtful as Grace turned to look in the mirror.

"I'll take them both."