The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? (29 page)

“I’m in the mood, aren’t you?” Spencer winked at Lexie, gulped his punch before taking hers out of her hand, and set it on the table.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the center of the room which had been cleared of chairs for a dance floor. Lexie glanced around to see if other couples followed suit, relieved to see they did. Soon the room filled with dancers, laughing and swaying to the jazzy tune. When the first song ended, Spencer rushed to refill his glass.

“Boy, this dancing is making me thirsty.” He chugged his drink, then held it out to the waiter pouring the punch for replenishment. “Don’t you need a refill, Alex?”

Lexie bit back a comment about her name but raised her glass, still quite full. “Not yet.” She raised it to her lips and pretended to drink it, wishing it weren’t spiked because she was thirsty too. When Spencer strolled over to some guys having a smoke, she approached the waiter serving the punch.

“Sir, do you have anything that doesn’t have alcohol?”

The man smiled and nodded, reached under the table skirt, and pulled out a bottle of ginger ale. “Will this do, miss?”

“Perfect. Please take this glass and give me one with that instead.”

The waiter obliged, and Lexie savored the cool drink. As she lifted her eyes, she caught Russell’s gaze at her from the opposite side of the room. So he did come. Lexie breathed a sigh of relief as she scanned the area around him for a sign of his date. No one stood beside him, but there were many single girls there who might have come with him. She attempted a timid smile, hoping he’d return one. He nodded his head in her direction. Was that a glimmer of a smile?

“Hey, Lexie! Spence said he didn’t mind if I took you for a few turns around the floor. What’cha say?” The young man with slicked down black hair and a hint of a mustache grinned from ear to ear as he took her arm. As the Andrews Sisters sang the familiar words of “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” she was back on the dance floor. She glanced over his shoulder and glared at Spencer, who didn’t even look in her direction. Good thing she liked to dance.

As she began dancing with her new partner, she tried to find Russell again. But he no longer stood in the same spot, and her partner spun her around before she could find Russell. Her energetic new partner insisted they dance the next song as well. Since Spencer seemed to have lost interest in dancing, she saw no reason to refuse. But when she recognized the next song as a slow one, she begged a chance to rest. She was as close to the guy as she cared to get.

She thanked him, searching the room for a quiet spot where she could get away from the crowd. She found one at the back of the room and retreated there, leaning against the wall to watch from a distance. Loud laughter told her where Spencer was—standing in the middle of a group of guys and entertaining them as was his custom. A cluster of girls including Betty and Tina positioned themselves not far from the men, eyeing them and giggling as they vied for attention. No doubt they hoped the guys would ask them to dance, yearning to be held close as they danced to the romantic croon of Bing Crosby’s voice.

She would, too, but not with any of those guys. Lexie scanned the couples on the dance floor, watching how they moved in rhythm with each other. Some of the couples appeared to be very much in love, their warm smiles and tender gazes declaring it. She sighed. Would she ever know that feeling?

Then she saw him. And her. Russell danced with the girl Lexie had
seen him talking to the night of the movie. Her heart dropped like a rock. So they were a couple.

Why was she surprised? She’d thought he had been seeing someone before she arrived. Why wouldn’t he?

Lexie looked away, her eyes growing moist. What did she expect from him anyway? The song finally ended, and Lexie decided to refill her ginger ale. As she made her way back to the refreshment table, Spencer turned around and waved to her before trotting over.

“Say, Lex, where’d you go? I lost you.”

As if he’d been looking for her. His eyes sparkled, but Lexie suspected it was the liquor’s effect on him and not her.

“Ready to dance some more?”

The strains of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” blasted out, and all the guys hooted. Each one grabbed a partner and headed to the dance floor. Everybody loved the Andrews Sisters’ song, its jazzy rhythm compelling a person to move his feet. Lexie and Spencer boogied along with the rest of the crowd, remaining on the dance floor when Duke Ellington’s band played the next few songs. When the tempo slowed again with the next song, someone tapped Lexie on the shoulder.

She turned and her breath caught.

“May I have this dance?” Russell gazed down at her, his eyes searching her face. He glanced over at Spencer, who nodded and shrugged.

“Sure, Russ. I need a new drink anyway. Take care of my girl.” Spencer strode away and Russell took Lexie’s right hand in his before slipping his left arm around her waist.

Warmth radiated from his touch throughout her body.

“Are you having a good time, Lexie?” His words spoken so close to her ear fluttered her stomach. “I hope Spencer is taking good care of you.”

She leaned back to look up into his face to see if his expression was serious or teasing. It was obvious Spencer took care of no one but himself. And he’d called her “his girl”! She started to protest, but the soft glimmer in Russell’s eyes told her it wasn’t necessary. Then she remembered the other woman she’d seen Russell with. She turned her head to scan the dance floor and spotted her with another man. Glancing back to Russell, she found his eyes still on her and not on the other woman. Was the other woman his date or his girlfriend?

“Sure. It’s a nice party, and I’ve enjoyed dancing.” No need to discuss Spencer. “And you? Your date’s a pretty girl.” Lexie looked sidelong at
the other woman.

Russell’s eyebrows rose as he followed her gaze and laughed. “Jean? We didn’t come together, if that’s what you mean. We’re just friends.”

Relief lifted the weight in her heart, and she resisted the urge to grin. They danced without talking as Lexie fought the desire to lean into him and melt into his arms, a place that offered safety. She closed her eyes and soaked in Bing Crosby singing “It’s Always You.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone felt that way about her? Someone like…

The song ended, and she came out of her trance. She lifted her gaze to Russell’s green eyes while he still held her close.

Breathless, she began, “Russell, I’m sorry…”

But Russell began speaking at the same time.

“Lexie, I’m sorry…”

They stopped and stared at each other, then smiles crept across their faces before they broke into laughter.

“You first,” Russell said.

“I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you and acted so childishly.”

“Hey.” He squeezed her right hand as his other arm fell from her waist, leaving a cold vacancy where it had been. “We’re friends, right? No need to let a silly spat get in the way of our friendship. Truce?”

Friends. Of course, that’s what they were. And he was one friend she didn’t want to lose.

She exhaled a deep breath. “Truce.”

Spencer reappeared beside them and slapped Russell on the back. “All right, old chap. I’m back to take over.” He stepped between Lexie and Russell. “Ready for a foxtrot?”

Russell gave Lexie a wink as he stepped away, leaving her with her date. A sense of abandonment swept over her as she watched him go. As Count Basie’s orchestra began to play, Spencer dragged her to the center of the dance floor, looking disheveled with his tie hanging loosely around his neck and his collar open. The first time he stepped on her foot, she winced.

“Sorry, babe,” he said with a laugh.

But he stumbled a few more times, bumping into another couple, showing the liquor’s effect on his balance. She glanced at the people around them. Had they noticed? Heat flooded her face, revealing her embarrassment. She had to stop him before he fell down or made a complete spectacle of himself.

“Spencer, I’d like to sit this one out if you don’t mind. I’m kind of
tired.”

“Sure.” He tugged at his collar. “It’s getting hot in here, isn’t it? Let’s go outside for some air.”

She welcomed the chance to get him away from the alcohol. Maybe the cold air would sober him up some. But on the way out the door, he grabbed another glass off the table and carried it with him. A gust of cold air hit them as they stepped outside onto the porch facing the ocean. Lexie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, focusing on the incoming waves. The temperature had dropped significantly since the balmy afternoon. Now, dark clouds rolled across the sky, concealing the moon and preventing its light from illuminating the deserted beach.

Russell retreated to the other side of the dance floor, no longer needed as Lexie’s partner.

Those few moments with Lexie in his arms were like a dream. His first glimpse of her that night had stolen his breath away. Waiting for an opportunity to speak to her, he’d started toward her when Spencer walked away. But that other guy jumped in and stole her back to the dance floor.

It had felt so right to have her close to him, so natural, but not long enough. He’d tried to keep from staring at her all night, dancing with Jean just to get close to Lexie. She didn’t know how pretty she was, dressed in a simple white chiffon blouse and gray skirt. Her customary pearls reminded him of the club’s traditions, but that red ribbon around her golden curls was Lexie being herself.

He could still smell the scent of her, like she was his very breath. “Thank you, God, for giving me those moments with Lexie,” he prayed silently, closing his eyes in gratitude. He hadn’t wanted the song to finish, the experience to end, but knew it had to. But he needed to apologize first. What a relief to know she, too, wanted to restore their friendship.

Too soon, Spencer had returned and taken her away from him. Again. The fool was drunk and looked ridiculous as he tried to dance. Poor Lexie, she must be so embarrassed. Russell held himself back from rushing over to rescue her and send the show-off packing. But that wasn’t his place or responsibility. Lexie seemed okay. She was a strong woman, stronger than even she realized. Surely, she was strong enough to hold Spencer at bay. At least she didn’t throw herself at him like the
other girls did. She didn’t need to.

“Hi, Russell.” Dorothy, one of the maids, appeared at his side, beaming up at him. “What’cha doin,’ standin’ here all alone? Don’cha wanna dance?”

“Sure, Dot. Would you like to?” Not that he wanted to dance, but he needed to get his mind off Lexie. Besides, Dot wanted to dance, and he was available. Why not?

As they made their way onto the dance floor, he saw Lexie and Spencer go out the back door. She hadn’t put on her coat, despite the falling temperature. Why didn’t Spencer get it for her—that selfish buffoon. She’d be freezing, and … he stopped. No doubt Spencer could warm her up if he tried. The thought burned in his mind, and he was unable to put the fire out.

“So what do you think about that?” Dot was talking, but he hadn’t heard a word.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“A penny for your thoughts. Your mind was a million miles away.”

Actually, it was only a few feet. He struggled to focus on his dance partner without counting the minutes since he’d seen Lexie and Spencer leave.

“Please forgive me. I’m afraid I was thinking about business. Now, what were we talking about?”

As Dorothy began talking again, his mind went back to Lexie. What if they left?
Dear God, please don’t let her get into a car with him
. Russell knew about Spencer’s reckless driving history, but did she? The song ended, and Russell thanked Dot for the dance, not asking her for another. He excused himself and drifted toward the back door, hoping to get a glimpse out the window nearby. Not that he was nosy, just concerned. But what if he saw them in an embrace? His stomach churned at the thought. He should just stay out of her business. That’s what he had promised himself after the argument.

He took a glass offered by the server and sipped it. What was this stuff anyway? Someone had spiked it, and he was pretty sure who it was. The club would never serve anything so vile-tasting and strong. So this was what Spencer had been drinking. And everyone else, apparently. There would be some hangovers tomorrow.

Russell checked his watch. How long had they been out there? The roar of the wind off the ocean whistled through the window pane behind him. No moonlight shone through the black skies. Uneasiness hovered
over him. On nights as dark as this, many things could go unseen. The guards would only have their flashlights to get around the island, which would not only aid them but highlight their position to anyone else. He felt pangs of guilt being at a party while others were on duty. Maybe he shouldn’t have come.