The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 1950

The whiskey had a kick like a mule, and just a tiny sip felt like a flame licking down Ivy’s throat.

“I’m not used to these kinds of gatherings, so I feel a bit out of my element. Giselle, just go and enjoy yourself. Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine sitting here on my own.”

Giselle offered a wry smile, “No way, if you’re a friend of Balfour, I’ve got to make sure you’re taken care of. But…”

She tilted her head slightly, leaning in close to Ivy, “Balfour’s never been much of a social butterfly, let alone with women. You’re the first lady friend he’s ever brought to a party. It sure has me curious. How did you two meet?”

How did they meet?

That was a tricky question.

Ivy frowned, at a loss for words.

encounter with Balfour had been in a hotel bed, could

Balfour’s carefully maintained bachelor image out of the

just crossed paths through work, and that’s it. Giselle, we’re not close or anything, just acquaintances,

inscrutable, her smile unwavering, but she

ventured, reversing the question, “how

were kids. I know all about him, his habits and all.

she stared intently at Ivy, as if trying to read

long look that revealed nothing, Ivy raised her glass and downed the whiskey, her

huh?” Ivy commented,

“Yes, we know each other better than anyone else in the

called

to join her friends, leaving Ivy alone in the corner, utterly disconnected

the private room, sensing that Balfour didn’t

main hall, she found a quiet