Chapter 261

Judy’s POV

“There you are! Come on, you need to catch up,” Irene said as she placed another shot in front of me. I sat at the bar and took the shot, wincing at the sting as it hit my throat. She chuckled at my expression before taking another shot herself. “God, I hate these parties,” she started to slur.

“Charity events?” I asked her, kind of surprised. These parties were in her element; I thought she loved dressing up and meeting up with other rich people.

“Anything that has to do with stuck up rich assholes,” she muttered, taking a sip of her wine and rolling her eyes. “I always hated this kind of thing.”

“I never knew that,” I told her. I felt the buzz of the alcohol making my head a bit cloudy. I looked around at my surroundings and saw how gorgeous everybody was; they were all mingling among themselves and laughing at stuff that probably wasn’t even all that funny.

My eyes found Gavin on the other side of the room, Rachel by his side. They were speaking to a few men in suits, men I didn’t recognize, but they looked as if they were all old friends… including Rachel. She was laughing at their chokes and putting her hand on their arms as she spoke, making the men blush and chuckle. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes; and the fact that Gavin just stood there and didn’t do anything about it for some reason annoyed me even more.

Like if he was going to be in a relationship with a woman, at least act like it.

I turned away from him before he caught me staring. Irene noticed the expression on my face and glanced over at her father.

“He’s so stupid sometimes,” she muttered, rolling her eyes for the hundredth time. “Take another shot with me and forget about him.”

She ordered another round; the bartender stared between the two of us for a moment, hesitating about pouring another round of shots. But Irene pulled out a giant wad of cash and slammed it on the counter, making his eyes widen. Without a word, he poured the shots and slid them in front of us.

Irene laughed when he walked away. She raised her glass to mine, and we clinked.

“To forgetting men,” she cheered a bit too loudly, making me cackle with laughter.

The tequila was definitely having an effect on me.

We downed the shot glasses, this one going down a lot smoother than the previous ones.

Suddenly, I was feeling bold.

“Let’s dance,” I told her, knowing my voice was a bit louder than usual, but she didn’t seem to notice. She looked at me excitedly and grinned as she grabbed my hand.

“Let’s do it,” she agreed, pulling me off the bar stool and towards the dance floor.

The dancing we did was not appropriate for this type of event, or the music being played. But in our drunken state, we both found it to be hilarious. We laughed until our sides hurt. She started off with the chicken dance and then ended attempting to break dance. I did some lame ballet moves and then attempted a split, which landed me on the ground, laughing.

We were so caught up in our own drunken stupor and lame dance moves that we didn’t even notice that half the audience was watching us. Most of them looked horrified, but at the moment, neither Irene nor I cared.

Before I knew what was happening, a firm hand wrapped around my wrist. The entire room was spinning, and I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of me. I barely noticed that I was being dragged away from the dance floor.

As soon as the cool night’s air hit my skin, I realized we were now outside. Irene was by my side, her wrist also being held captive.

“You’re such a party pooper!” She complained, her words slurring on her tongue.

It took me a minute to register who she was talking to.

“Are you out of your mind, Irene?! You knew how important this event was, and you made a mockery of it,” Gavin’s voice rang through, echoing through the busy streets. “You owe Elana an apology once you sober up.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Irene said, rolling her eyes. “Sue me for having some fun and letting loose with my friend. Sorry that I don’t have a stick up my ass like the rest of these rich assholes.”

“You are out of line,” Gavin seethed.

“I got their coats,” another voice said from nearby. Everything was spinning and I was seconds away from losing everything I had eaten and drank; sweat started to form on my forehead, and my breathing came out in short gasps.

“Thanks,” Gavin said, shuffling towards the voice.

I managed to focus a little and saw Rachel standing beside him with our coats in her hand. The second my eyes locked on with hers, I lost everything that was in my stomach. I turned away and threw up all over the ground, my entire body heaving.

I heard Gavin cursing and then a warm fabric draping my shoulders. From the overwhelming scent of Gavin, I knew it was his coat.

“I need you to do me a favor,” Gavin said in a low tone; I knew he wasn’t talking to me or Irene, which only left Rachel.

“Anything,” she said softly, making me want to vomit all over again. I focused on my breath, not wanting to puke all over his coat.

“Take my wallet and go back inside. I need you to stay until the end of the event and once they start taking donations, give them my credit card. I already texted Elana the amount I’m donating, I just need to pay for it.”

“Why do I need to stay until the end of the event?” She asked, sounding a bit hurt.

“Because that’s when they are doing the donations, and plus, it’ll look bad if we both leave. You’re really good with these guys; you talk their language and get them on board quickly. They admire you; they barely even notice when I’m there. They won’t notice me gone. Just keep doing what you’re doing. It would help me out a lot, Rachel.”

She was quiet for a moment before she sighed.

“Okay, but where are you going?” She asked him, folding her arms across her chest.

“I have to take these two home,” he explained. “I need to make sure they get back safely.”

“Get Beta Taylor to do that?”

He put a hand on her shoulder; I had to look away before I completely lost it again. I hated their intimacy; I hated when he touched her… I hated it when he looked at her.

“She’s my daughter, Rachel. I need to make sure she gets home. I won’t feel better unless I know for sure,” he told her. “I’ll have Taylor come back to pick you up later.”

Before she could say another word, I felt Gavin’s arms around me, and suddenly, I was airborne. I didn’t realize Irene was already in the back of the car, but she was seated when Gavin placed me beside her and then slid in beside me, shutting the door behind him.

Rachel stared after us, standing on the curb with a deep frown; I couldn’t help but glance her way as the car pulled away from the building; her eyes piercing mine and I could have sworn I saw steam coming out of her ears.

I might have drunk out of my mind, but I knew one thing for sure… Rachel was fucking pissed.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, we were pulling up to the mansion. I half expected him to just drop me off at home, so I was surprised when we reached the mansion. Irene was also asleep by the time the car stopped.

“Taylor, can you get Irene to her bed?” Gavin asked.

“Yes, Alpha,” Taylor said as he got out of the car.

Gavin pushed the car door open and got out before wrapping me in his arms and pulling me out as well. He held me bridal style; I was too out of it to fight him. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart as he walked with me inside the mansion.

I could hear some of the murmuring staff through the walls as we made our way up the stairs. I heard the clicking of a door, and from the scent surrounding me, I knew we were in Gavin’s room.

I heard another door opening and then closing, and then he sat me down on something cold. I opened my eyes to peer around at my surroundings, and I saw that I was in his bathroom; he placed me on the counter.

The sound of running water woke me a bit more.

He was quiet as he moved around the bathroom; his movements effortless and yet filled with purpose. It took me a while to figure out what he was doing but soon, he was standing in front of me, his closeness intoxicating.

“I’m going to undress you now,” he said, his tone deep. “And you’re going to let me.”