Chapter 2

<Gavin Forrester>

I'm in my car, grudgingly driving towards the dry cleaner's where Talon had a suit cleaned for me. I park the car right in front of the establishment and walk inside. There's a man and a woman standing behind the counter, fake smiles spreading across their faces.

"I'm here to pick up a suit for Talon Tenebris." I stand directly in front of the counter with an expectant look on my face.

"Right away, sir." The woman sighs as she disappears into the back.

Sorry to bother you....

She reappears a few minutes later with a freshly cleaned black suit on a hanger. The woman hands it to me and then goes to the cash register to ring up the services. I grab a credit card from my back pocket and hand it to her once she's told me the total.

She smiles that fake smile again as she slides the receipt towards me. I sign off and toss the suit over my shoulder as I walk out the door.

My car alarm starts going off and I realize that I tried to open the door without unlocking it first. I curse under my breath as I search for my keys. I grab them out of my pocket and stop the alarm so I don't draw any more attention to myself than I already have.

A deep breath escapes my lips as I slide into the front seat of my car. I set the suit down neatly in the back and put the key in the ignition. I begin to drive down the crowded New York streets until I reach East 76th street.

I check the clock on my dash and see that I still have an hour until the party starts. I decide to change into the suit and then go get a coffee or something somewhere. I grab my bag and the suit before walking into a nearby coffee shop.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," I smile politely at the woman behind the counter whose nametag reads Jenny.

She blushes a little as she meets my gaze.

Typical

"Do you have a bathroom I could use?" I ask with a smirk forming on my lips.

"Yes, right down the hall." She says almost immediately and points me in the direction of it.

"Thank you, I'll be back to buy a coffee in a few minutes." I wink and put a dollar in the tip jar.

I saunter slowly down the hallway towards the bathroom. Once inside, I lock the door and set my bag on the ground. I slip out of my t-shirt, jeans and converse shoes, setting them in my bag. I put on the dress pants and unbutton the white shirt. I slip on the socks and am left with no other shoe options besides my converse. Sighing, I put on the beat-up shoes and look in the mirror as I button up the shirt. I look good, if I do say so myself.

I flip the collar of the shirt up as put the tie around my neck. It's bright blue and almost blinding but I'm stuck wearing it whether I like it or not. I fasten it tight and put the collar back down around it. The next item to put on is the suit jacket which is a little small for me.

I guess it's time to a buy a new murder suit.

I take the pistol out of my bag and put it in the inside pocket of the jacket. It doesn't bulge out and as far as I'm concerned, it's concealed. I zip up my bag and slip some money into the pockets of the dress pants. I unlock the door to find a long line of men waiting to get in.

"Sorry," I mutter and walk back down the hallway towards the coffee counter.

The woman practically melts when she catches a glimpse of me again.

"Looking sharp," She smiles dreamily as she taps something on the cash register in front of her. "What can I get for you today?"

"One black coffee, no sugar, no cream." I say as I hand her 3 dollars.

"This one's on me," She winks and pushes the money back towards me.

And this is why I love wearing suits...

She disappears into the back to get me my coffee. I wait patiently by the counter until I see her return. She has a steaming paper cup in one hand and a receipt in the other. She hands me the mug first and scribbles something down on the receipt before handing it to me.

"Friday is my day off," She grins and gestures for the next customer.

I wave to her as I walk out the door. I unlock my car and slip inside, setting the coffee down in the center console. I roll my eyes at the receipt in my hand and crumple it up.

Jenny despite what the suit implies, I'm not actually a person you want to be involved with.

I take a sip of coffee and stare at the taxi lined streets ahead of me. Passerby are waving down taxis, all in a hurry to get wherever they need to go. I chuckle a little at the fact that I don't have to rush anywhere. I check the clock on my dash again and roll my eyes at the fact that I have 30 minutes until the party starts.

"Always better to be a few minutes late than really early." I smirk and continue to drink my coffee at a leisurely pace.

Once I've downed the last of the bitter black liquid, I toss it into the trash can right outside of my window. I pop a piece of gum in my mouth and pull out into traffic, driving down the road at the same speed I had when I was drinking my coffee. People honk at me but I just turn up my radio and pretend they don't exist.

~~~~~

I pull up in front of the Carlyle Hotel 20 minutes before the party starts. I hand my keys to the valet and watch as he drives my precious black convertible away. I sigh and walk through the gold doors of the hotel, immediately taking in my surroundings.

There's a warm glow from a fireplace and lively chatter from all of the passing guests. I take a seat in one of the chairs near the door and do some more looking. I'm searching for a sign about the Jacobson Engagement party and I find it right by the check-in desk.

Jacobson Engagement Party

6 P.M.

Versailles Suite

"Jackpot," I mutter and stand up, checking my watch.

5:50

"Enough time to go get a drink," I smirk and walk towards the elevator.

I walk into the elevator and tell the attendant that I need to go to Bemelmans Bar. He presses the button and the doors close. I lean back against the wall as the elevator begins moving, a gleam appearing in my eyes.

Oh, how I love fancy hotels.

The doors open and the attendant holds them for me so I can take my time getting out. I wave goodbye to him and stride towards the bar. The dimly lit space is already full of people, talking and sipping on classy drinks. I tighten my tie and walk up to the bar, taking a seat on the bar stool closest to the bartender.

"What can I get you tonight, sir?" The bartender smiles and continues to clean out a glass.

"Kentucky Straight," I wink and wait for the man to bring me my drink.

A dark haired girl takes the seat next to me and orders a shot of Tequila. I smirk as she turns suspiciously towards me.

"What? You've never seen any uptown girls drink Tequila before?" She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me.

"Yes, I have but you seem more like the red wine type." I take a sip of the Kentucky Straight in front of me as the man sets her drink down in front of her.

"Thanks," She mutters and downs the whole thing in one swift move.

She puts up her index finger, requesting another one.

"Now, that is a first...Most girls don't down a whole shot in one swig." I wink and finish off my drink.

"Then they don't know how to drink Tequila properly." She looks longingly at the shot in front of her but refrains from downing the whole thing again.

"Probably good to wait...Tequila will give you a killer hangover tomorrow." I lace my fingers together and give her a flirtatious glance.

"You shouldn't be flirting with me. My fiancée will have a cow if he finds out that I was within a few feet of another man." She rolls her eyes and chooses to down the whole shot instead of waiting.

"Who's your fiancée?" I smirk and lean towards her.

"Carter Jacobson, the man every man wants to be and every girl wants to be with." The girl rolls her eyes again and lets out a little laugh.

"I'd rather be James Bond actually."

"You'd be the first, apparently...What's your name?" She gives me a curious glance and then smiles.

"Gavin Forrester, and you are?" I hold out my hand and she accepts it.

"Victoria Grayson." Her brown eyes sparkle as she releases my hand.

Damn, now this is going to be really hard. Why did I let myself get attached?

"I'll take what she's having," The bartender looks towards me and nods.

Then the bartender turns towards Victoria with an expectant look.

"Just some water, I can already feel a headache coming on." Victoria smirks as the man hands her a glass of water with a disappointed glance.

"Bottoms up," I tip the shot glass towards my mouth and down the whole thing.

She looks at me with an amused smile as I set the glass down on the counter.

"I better get back to the party before my fiancée goes ballistic." She rolls her eyes and stands up.

I look down at her hand and see a ring that's at least 20 karats.

"Did he try to buy your affection?" I smirk as she meets my eyes.

"Well, his personality sure didn't make me say yes." She looks down at the ring with a saddened expression.

"Can I walk you back to your party?" I ask as I stand up.

"I'd love that, you can stay too if you want. God knows I'll need some distraction by the time this party gets in full swing." She offers me her arm and I take it as we walk out of the bar.

"I'd be honored." I smirk and press the down button for the elevator.