#11

The last thing I seeis a look of shock on Aaron Bronn"s face as I shove past him, and I run as fast as I can without looking back.

My voice cracks as I ask Siri to email the Devil, and I nearly weep in relief when it only takes a moment before my phone starts ringing.

"He"s here," I burst out even before the Devil can say a word. "He"s here—-"

Calm down.

I gave you my word that I"ll keep you safe.

Don"t make me punish you by acting otherwise.

I find the Devil"s threat particularly reassuring for some reason, and I can already feel my heartbeat slowing down.

Where are you?

"I"m still at the hotel—-"

Good.

Head up to the second floor.

There"s only one ballroom in use.

Enter it.

"Great idea" is the first thing that pops in my head when I hear the Devil"s orders, but I find myself second-guessing this when I see the words SNOWDROP BALL displayed on the digital screen next to the ballroom doors.

You can"t live in Miami and not know about Snowdrop Ball. It"s our local version of the Met Gala, and while I would never in a million of years even think of gatecrashing an event like this—-

If the Devil says this is where I should go to stay safe, then...

Crap, crap, crap.

People start looking and talking about me as soon as I"m past the doors, and I can see right away why I"m standing out at the worst possible way. Everyone I"ve seen so far is in tuxes and gowns while I"m still in my red Cueshe Coffee apron.

"Oh my God."

The shrillness of the woman"s voice is unfortunately familiar, and I already know it"s Tara even before turning around and finding the other girl looking at me like I"m a piece of trash that should be taken away before I start stinking.

"You really are the most desperate social climber there is, aren"t you? How did you even manage to get past security?"

That"s actually a great question, and I can only guess the Devil has something to do with how I"ve been able to slip in without any trouble.

"And what"s up with that costume?"

"It"s a uniform, actually—-"

"Is there a problem here?"

The speed in which Tara"s sneer shifts into a coy smile has me blinking, and it"s a struggle not to roll my eyes when I hear her speak in an equally coy tone.

"Oh, Mr. Adrianov, hi."

A shadow falls over both of us, and I turn warily as a man steps between Tara and me.

Bluish black hair, tiger-gold eyes, and deeply tanned skin.

I"ve never been the type to keep track of who"s who among the rich and famous, but this Mr. Adrianov, I have no problem recognizing.

I think it was about two months ago that he came to my university to hand over a check, and I remember how his dark, good looks had my heart skipping a beat. I also remember going my merry way after seeing him, since I"ve never been the type to waste time crushing on guys I consider out of my league.

Tara looks up to the billionaire with a regretful smile. "I feel so bad about admitting this, but I actually know this girl—-"

A part of me is completely enthralled by the way Tara is inching closer and closer to the billionaire...until she ends up with her breasts brushing against his side by the time she finishes speaking.

"—-and I"m absolutely sure she"s not on the guest list."

But the other part of me also knows this is my chance to escape while Tara and the billionaire are distracted with each other, and so I slowly make my retreat while the other girl continues to talk shit about me.

Phew!

I"m hoping I can really lose myself in the crowd this time, but nope.

"Hello again."

Holy crap.

Sasha Adrianov is suddenly at my side, but it"s his words that make me trip on my own feet, and I"d have fallen flat on my face if not for the billionaire swiftly pulling me back with an arm around my waist.

My heart pounds as my gaze lifts up to his, and I just know...

I just feel it deep down in my guts—-

I"m absolutely certain the fact that his first two words are "hello again" can"t possibly be a coincidence.

It"s the Devil finally unmasked, and my mind nearly breaks down when facts and figures I"ve subconsciously absorbed about him in the past start flashing before my eyes.

Early thirties, multilingual, played basketball in college.

Younger brother of Dmitry Adrianov, and supposedly the more charismatic of the two.

Dated a succession of famously beautiful women, but never reported to have a serious relationship with any of them.

Even though Sasha"s reputation is more angelic than devilish, I"m willing to bet my life I"m not mistaken about him, and that"s why...

I don"t understand...

A gesture from the billionaire has security flanking me on each side, and Tara quickly takes a photo of me as while I"m being led off like I"m some high-risk criminal they can"t afford to let loose.

"Don"t worry, Sheens," the other girl calls after me. "I"ll make sure you"ll stay relevant, since you"re a famewhore and all."