Chapter Text
Kile waved me over with a grim determination usually associated with marching into battle. “Yes?” I asked, clipboard in hand. Kile was my best student. While I might have dismissed Calvin or Gunner, I wouldn’t dismiss him.
He sighed heavily. “I'd like to introduce you to Spencer Towns, my college roommate. Spencer, meet Darcy Stakes, manager of the Selection.”
I already knew who Spencer was. His name had sparked recognition when I was addressing the invitations for the tea party we were all currently attending, and I had noticed him as soon as he walked into the room. It was the way he carried himself: smooth and arrogant, confidence that couldn’t be faked, with warmth and friendliness too. Guys like Spencer were always the life of the party, but they could be trouble, too.
Not that I minded a little trouble.
Spencer brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. The intensity of his gaze might have unsettled me if I wasn’t just as curious about him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he murmured, never breaking eye contact.
Kile tried to tug him back to the party. “Let’s go, Spencer. Darcy’s busy.”
“The princess is looking for you,” Spencer said without even looking at him.
I didn’t know if Eadlyn was actually looking for Kile—it was something she did fairly often, not that she’d really admitted it to herself yet—but he fiddled with his hideous tie and jogged away, insisting he’d be back soon.
Spencer finally let go of my hand. We were alone—in a crowded room still, but his charming smile and our unintentional closeness made it feel like there were walls around the two of us. “Are you really that busy?” he asked flirtatiously.
Spencer wasn’t the first to flirt with me that evening, but he was the only one I didn't intend to firmly shut down. I liked him immediately, against my better judgment, and he clearly liked me too. This could go somewhere—anywhere, really—if I wanted it to.
And I already had a decent idea of what I wanted.
I shook my head. “No, not really. Tomorrow will be terribly busy, though.”
“So you're free tonight?” he guessed, undeniable hope in his voice.
I just shrugged, avoiding the question. I liked this game. “Kile's told me so much about you.”
That was the first time I saw Spencer falter, a slight stumble before he came up with a smooth response. “And yet he cruelly neglected to tell me about you.”
I suspected Spencer liked this game too, but I hoped he didn’t expect me to let him win. “Is it true you spent a night in the bathtub after drunkenly hitting on him?”
A slight blush appeared on his cheeks. “I—I don’t remember that night at all. He could’ve just made that up.”
“Did you or did you not wake up in the bathtub?”
“I did,” he admitted.
I couldn’t help the smile working its way onto my face, nor could I help the slight shift of my body towards him. Oh, Darcy, you're supposed to be on your best behavior tonight. “Then I choose to believe the rest of the story is true too. Unless you have anything to defend yourself with.”
I heard his breath catch. “I…don’t.”
It was too easy. I tried to hide the smile and amount of fun I was having. Leaving him hanging was an important part of the game. “Excuse me. I have to speak with Queen America. It was lovely to meet you.”
Spencer reached for my hand as I turned. “I'd like to see you again.”
Something stirred in me at his touch, but I kept my composure and a winning smile. “I bet you would.”