Secret Service

Eleven

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The banquet was fully packed with the world's one percent filling the ballroom in the White House. Everyone was dressed to perfection — the women in long elegant gowns and the men in tailored suits.

The room was dimly lit only by the chandelier that hung in the center. Staff could be seen moving throughout the crowd carrying plates filled with champagne without them so much as shaking when bumped by another patron.

Everyone was talking, but even then the sound was muted by the live pianist that played near the front of the room.

Gwendolyn was one of those people, talking to an elderly man that Alaric found familiar but still was non-descript. While everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves, Alaric found himself bored, standing around like a wallflower.

He hadn't even seen his two friends who were acting as wait staff, even Cassie was nowhere to be seen and he had hoped to spend the event talking to her.

Cassie and Alaric were incredibly close even if it had not appeared that way. It was Cassie's choice, wanting to keep their distance from him out of fear of being compared.

Alaric never understood that fear because when measured up to Cassie, she would always win.

As if thinking of her made her appear, Cassie broke through the crowd with two glasses of champagne, beaming at Alaric in an uncharacteristic smile.

Alaric frowned, "Cassie? Did someone drug your wine?"

Cassie's smile dropped as she rolled her eyes, "I am not Cassie tonight. Tonight, I am Cassandra, heiress of bitcoin." She exaggerated her voice to sound as posh as possible.

Alaric took the drink from her, "I'm glad you're having fun playing make-believe."

"I am not playing make-believe, I am working." Cassie corrected.

Cassie had outdone herself tonight. She had let her dark curly hair hang down rather than keeping it in the ponytail she always had. She wore a maroon dress that graced the floor and it was the first time since she was twelve he had ever seen her wear makeup.

"Why aren't you playing pretend make-believe with your lover-client?" Cassie asked.

"That sentence makes no sense."

"You know what I mean." She punched him hard enough in the arm, Alaric was sure to bruise, "Ouch! Nothing is going on."

"Lie again." Cassie protested, "We don't lie to each other and you know that."

Alaric straightened, "I don't kiss and tell."

Cassie's eyebrow raised, "Oh, so you've kissed?" Alaric gave her a look causing her mouth to form a perfect O.

"Really?"

"Can you not, Cass?" Alaric asked, "I am here to work and focus and you are not helping right now. Plus you're the last person I want to talk about sex with."

Again, she rolled her eyes to face the crowd.

"I have been looking all night, she has talked to everyone in here and the only person who stands out for watching her is you."

Security was in the room but was told not to be obvious, Alaric wasn't sure if they had gotten the message due to the amount of them standing alongside the walls.

It was unrealistic to think the stalker would make it inside the White House to harm. It was likely that if they were here, they were someone Gwendolyn knew. If they were here, they wouldn't do anything stupid to cause attention and this was too perfect of a setting to blend in a crowd.