The RunAway Model

XXIII. After the Exchange

Theo gulped the rest of his scotch and winced as the liquid bit its way down his throat. His gaze never left Desiree who was standing from the other side of the large patio. She had been dragged away by Tatiana who must have thought she could be friends with Desiree now that the woman was looking less intimidated with the reality of their world. Talking with another woman, Desiree looked wary despite the fake smile she plastered on her face as she stood beside Tatiana.

Before he decided to take her away from the group he sensed a presence beside him. He didn't have to turn his head to see Vernier standing a foot away. "I'll take her," was all he said.

"I thought you would want to at least have a proper assessment," Theo said under his breath, his eyes scanning the room for potential eavesdroppers. There were no more than fifteen people in the party and most of them were acquaintances of Tatiana's husband, Geoffrey Yann.

Vernier let out a soft chuckle, one that Theo never got used to after years of being around the man. "She's a fine piece. No assessment needed."

He almost slammed his empty glass on the high table beside him before saying, "If you can wire me the money—"

"It's already being done."

Surprised, Theo's eyebrows rose. He forced out a smile. "Good."

Vernier ran an impatient hand through his graying hair. He looked pretty good for his age, Theo thought for a beat. The fine lines around his eyes and mouth would not have deterred women to willingly go home with him if he asked. Theo wanted drag Desiree out of the place as fast as he could. The man can be charming, but there had always been a spark of danger around him that Theo could never point out.

He saw Vernier check his watch and sigh. "Dinner will start in a few minutes if my son-in-law sticks to his schedule. She goes home with me right after."

Theo blinked away the panic that rose up his gut. He gave a curt nod. "I'll have to confirm the wire transaction first." He started to walk away but stopped after a few steps. He turned to Vernier who had a small smile of satisfaction plastered over his face. "It's just one night. Nothing more."

A spark of excitement flashed across the man's face. "One night is all I'll need."

*****

Desiree saw Theo briskly walking toward them and she immediately excused herself, slightly glad to have the chance to walk away from the discussion of tablecloth fabrics. It was absurd how normal the conversation was considering the life these women were living in.

Theo's familiar smell almost overwhelmed her senses, or it might have been just the two cocktails she drank earlier, she thought. His hand wrapped around her elbow as he guided her to a dark corner, away from the rest. Suddenly, she felt his urgency and her head started to clear.

"What is it?"

"He's taking you home tonight."

She felt blood rush down from her head in a matter of seconds. Her mouth opened and panic seeped in. Theo had told her the exchange would happen today, but it had not dawned on her until now.

"Calm down, Des," he whispered above her, but the way he said it, the way the words rolled out of his mouth, only made her nerves go crazy.

Anger burst inside her. "How can I fucking calm down when I know I will be going home with that man?" he hissed at him.

His voice was calm as he said, "It's going to be alright. We've talked this through. You know what to do if something goes wrong," and it only ignited the anger inside her. Somehow, at the back of her mind, she had hoped that Theo would not let this happen. Surely there was another way to get to Vernier.