Gold up in my, gold up in my teeth
Taste like money when I speak

—Gold, Kiiara

CHAPTER THREE

Another week had gone by without seeing Evan. He was almost always out for client meetings, business events, parties and occasionally business trips too. In short, a lot of places I had no way of getting into. When he was in office, he mostly stayed locked up in his room, buried in a pool of work.

Whispers around the office had it that he was a workaholic which had become evident to me in this short amount of time. There were also words about him being a womanizer, which should've worked in my favor and perhaps it would've too, if he wasn't so rude and egoist. I had disliked every man I conned, but never had I let it show. With Evan, it just came out naturally.

He was awful. Awfully gorgeous too. Unlike others, I didn't have to pretend to be attracted to him. But I had to act like I wasn't bothered by it. Involving real feelings, even if purely physical, wasn't clever.

I got to learn a lot during this time about marketing and was getting more involved in the projects. I was also learning more about Carter Cooperation. Things that could perhaps be useful in the future...

A fundraising event was being held by Carter Cooperation tonight. These philanthropic endeavours went beyond charity. It helped boast a company's reputation and strengthen its public relations. The event was going to be covered heavily on social media and would solidify the public perception of the company.

It was a big event and I was pleased that Lucas had let me be a part of it. It helped me gain knowledge and experience on how events were  organised. I had only studied about planning, but never gained any real experience before. It didn't really matter to me, though it wasn't half as bad as I expected.

I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was slightly nervous. Crowds usually never scared me, but the fundraiser was going to be filled with rich, influential people. The kind of people I loved and hated to be around at the same time.

I doubted any of them even truly cared about charity. It was all just a ruse to manipulate people and appear as someone they were not.

Atleast I was honest to myself about who I was. Atleast I had things I cared more about than money. Atleast I knew my limits.

I was happy to be a part of something that directly involved Evan. Which is why I brought my A game with me. I was wearing a black cocktail dress with matching heels and my hair was tied up in an elegant bun. The event was filled with beautiful women, but I felt confident standing in the same room as them.

I hadn't made many friends because most people I had interacted with at work so far weren't of any real importance to me. I didn't do friendships unless I had something to gain from them. It wasn't wise to get attached to people when you know you would be leaving them soon. Ella was the only exception, she was practically my sister.

"Scarlett." a voice greeted from behind. I turned around and offered him a charming smile.

"Good evening, Mr Bates."

"Please, call me Lucas." he grinned at me, his eyes wandering down my body before flashing back to my face. That was not how he looked at me the first time we met. He seemed so easy to trust which is why I didn't trust him at all.

"Right. Lucas." I corrected. "This is a great event. Everything is organised so well. It's beautiful."

"It is. But you know what's even more beautiful?"

"What?"

"You."

I chuckled lowly. "Oh, c'mon." I nudged his arm, looking away shyly, a flirtatious smile playing on my lips.

Inside, I was rolling my eyes. It was so corny, it became hard not to scoff. But I needed to be on his good side so I decided to go along with it. Lucas was a good looking man, but if he didn't improve his flirting skills, he had some bad news coming.

"So. Do you want to get a drink?" he asked expectantly.

"Actually I was going to take a look at the items available for auction. I'll see you in a bit?" I said. Lucas could surely be very useful, but as of now I needed to focus on the bigger goals. And I could see my bigger goal clearly from where I was standing. I had to get his attention.

"Oh, ofcourse. There are some clients that I should go talk to. So I'll just do that." he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

A silent auction was happening as a part of the fundraising event. I pretended not to notice Evan as I passed him, keeping my focus on the items available for auction. I waited for him to approach me, but he never did. He had to have seen me, I was sure of that.

I glanced back in his direction and saw him speaking to another woman. My mood soured and I tried not to stare. He was the company's CEO, ofcourse he had to interact with the guests. I shouldn't let it bother me.

She excused herself after chatting with him for a few minutes. Their conversation was quite brief, so it was probably just out of formality. Yes, that was it. My breath got caught up in my throat when he turned in my direction, his eyes locking with mine. By the slow smirk that appeared on his face, I knew he had caught me staring.

I quickly looked away, diverting my attention to the auction items.

"Ms Stone." he greeted, walking up to stand beside me.

"Good evening, Mr Carter." I replied without looking at him. His presence was one that demanded attention and it was hard to focus on anything else with him so near me. I could smell his delicious cologne.

"What are you bidding on?"

"I've not decided yet. Most of these items are far from my reach." I stated, glancing at him. Our eyes met and I felt my lips twitch in a mischievous smile. "On second thought, I may consider bidding on this expensive bottle of wine."

"Ofcourse." he shook his head in amusement, licking his bottom lip as a wicked glint flashed through his eyes. My gaze naturally fell down to his mouth. I swallowed hard.

"Or," I started, trying to ease the tension between us. "I could bid on these dance lessons by a professional Hollywood dance trainer." I laughed.

Evan stared at me with an odd expression on his face. I cleared my throat. "It meant it as a joke. I don't know why." I mumbled.

"You like dancing?"

"I'm a terrible dancer." I chuckled at myself.

"But you like dancing." he stated as a matter of fact.

I shrugged. I loved dancing. When I was little, my mother used to send me and my sister to dance classes. We were absolutely horrible which somehow made it even more fun. We were just two troublesome kids. Our dance teacher was so sick of us, she almost removed us from her class!

"Where did you go?" Evan asked, staring at me in curiosity.

I snapped out of my thoughts. "I'm right here." I gave him a strange look.

He rolled his eyes at me. "You spaced out. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I replied too quickly. He studied me for a moment, his eyes lingering on my face. I felt myself squirm slightly under his intense gaze.

"Dance with me."

I gave him a blank look, ignoring the way my stomach did a somersault at the offer. The reaction was understandable, my plan had finally started to make progress. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Didn't I just tell you I'm a terrible dancer?"

"I'll guide you." he grinned. His intentions didn't seem very innocent. "I'm no Hollywood dance trainer, but I'm still pretty good."

"Or you're just pretty cocky." I smirked.

"Well, why don't you find out for yourself then?" he extended his hand towards me, a challenging look in his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. Without breaking eye contact, I put my hand in his, feeling warmth surge up my skin from his touch. He smirked wickedly, leading me to the dance floor.

He put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. A delicious shiver ran down my spine. I inhaled sharply as his finger grazed my bare skin through the tiny cuts in my dress at the waist area. I could feel his body heat next to mine. As much as I wanted to deny it, he was quite intimidating. I had never met anyone as gorgeous as him.

"You're quiet." he said. "And you're staring." he added, sounding pleased.

"I'm just trying not to step on your foot." I tried to be snarky, but my voice came out rather breathless. I cursed myself inwardly. Evan seemed to notice the effect he had on me as a lazy grin spread across his lips.

"You exaggerated before. You're not a terrible dancer." he remarked. I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. "Bad, definitely, but not terrible."

My smile disappeared, turning into a scowled. His eyes lit up in amusement, taking in my reaction. "Have you ever been stepped on by someone wearing a two inches stilettos? Just curious."

"Are you always this aggressive?"

"Are you always this arrogant?" I retorted, my voice steadier.  "No, really. Does being rich give you the privilege to just toss threats at people the way you did to me in that hotel?"

He raised his eyebrows. "That's quite dramatic of you, I must say. Because what you did was much worse. Very mature too." he remarked sarcastically.

"You had it coming." I mumbled.

"I hope you don't expect an apology, Miss Stone. You're not getting one after the little stunt you pulled."

"No, but I hope you don't expect one either, Mr Carter." I replied cheekily.

"Very well." he jerked my body closer to his, making me a small gasp escape my lips. His presence was intoxicating, sending chills down my body. Our feet moved to the music slowly, his eyes holding mine hostage. Our bodies were nearly pressed against each other's.

The tension between us was  unbearable. I was certain he could hear my ragged breathing, the only sound in the tense silence that surrounded us.

The attraction between us was undeniable.

The only problem was, I felt it too.

This wasn't good. I couldn't allow myself to be so affected by him. I couldn't give him so much control over me. I was the one who was supposed to have control.

I had to get closer to him, but I couldn't let him get closer to me.

I hadn't felt such a strong desire for anyone in a long time. I kept all my targets at an arm's length away from my emotions. The only thing I ever let myself feel for any of them was pure disgust. That's what kept me on track with my job.

Being so close to him was confusing me. I couldn't refuse how my body reacted to Evan's, but I only let my mind control me and right now it was screaming at me to get myself together. I was pissed at myself.

"I need...a drink." I mumbled, dropping my hands from his shoulders, staring at his shoes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his hands still firm on my waist.

I shook my head, biting down on my lip. "Nothing is wrong. I just want a drink." At this point, he probably thought I was an alcoholic.

"Look at me, Scarlett." he quietly demanded. The way he said that name almost made me want to own it in reality. I wondered what Flora would sound like coming from his lips. I lifted my head to look him in the eye. He observed me for a second, as if trying to figure something out.

"Alright. Let's get you a drink."

I swirled my drink before bringing it to my lips, my mind occupied with the thoughts of my target. I wasn't a very readable person, but he always looked at me so intensely that I could feel my demeanor breaking everytime. There was something intriguing about him.

Evan had disappeared to talk to some of his guests shortly after getting me a drink. He was a busy man and I felt surprised I was able to get any of his time tonight at all. Boredom started to settle in and I got up from my seat, ready to start making most of this opportunity.

I pursued my lips, skillfully slipping some cash into my purse from the fourth wallet tonight, along with some expensive watches and bracelets. People at big parties were often easily distracted, reducing them to a child's play. A pickpocket wouldn't be at a place like this anyway, right? Wrong. Their wallets were big too, making this more fun.

It had become a habit now, I couldn't not steal even if I wanted to.

This is who I was. And I couldn't see that changing anytime soon.

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