ile playing on his lips. He saw Khloe standing with her back to him by the bar and his

an to close the distance between them, unbuttoning the cus

gers ready to dig into the soft silk of her dress. He imagined her

gertips brushed th

bly fast. He saw her eyes for a split second. They were not hazy. They were cle

decanter, a blur of moti

ickening, wet thud echoed in the silent room. Brenton staggered b

head. His fingers came away wet and d

he timid, eager-to-please girl he'd molded for years was gon

he swung the decanter again. This time, she aimed lower. The

e thick carpet. Khloe's heel shot out, kicking the device with brutal efficiency. It s

y heavy, his movements sluggish. A wave of dizziness washed over him. The drug. He'd

f crimson in her pale face.

ngth he never knew she possessed. He stumbled, his uncoordi

on his chest, pinning him, stealing the air from his lungs. He was a man who pr

ng. Her face was a mask of cold fury,

a soft thud. Her hands went to his neck, not to his throat, but to the sil

n to wrap it a

silk tightened. He clawed at her hands, her arms, but his

to his ear, her voice a venomous

the tie tighter, "is for e

confusion. What wa

easing, his lungs burning, "is for the man y

their engagement party. She

outside, faded into a dull roar in his ears. He was going

ss was about to shatter

e tie. She had ti

He coughed, his throat raw, his body trembling uncontrol

dead. Not yet. She

he sound of running footsteps, a woman's faux-panicked voice shouting B

on sch

She stood up, calmly smoothing the front of her dres

pensive suit was stained with his own blood, his face a mask of t

al show was jus