L. Marie Adeline- S.E.C.R.E.T

him.
“Good try, old friend,” Pierre said, clapping Will a little too hard on the back. “I’ll be
sure to stop by the Café now that I have a good reason to.”
“You do that,” he said. “Cassie, I hope you don’t … Oh forget it. I’m going home.”
Before I could say anything, Will disappeared in the crowd.
“You look magnicent, Miss Robichaud,” Pierre said. “Fit for a prince,” he added as he
took my hand and led me to the center of the dance oor, his bodyguards never far
behind.
I could sense the question in everyone’s minds as they watched us: Who is this girl who
has so captivated Pierre Castille? And even though other couples were now joining the
dance oor, it felt like Pierre and I were the only two people in the room. He pulled me
so close I could feel his breath on my neck. When the band started and he began to
move me around the floor, I thought I would faint.
“Why me?” I asked. “You can have any girl you want.”
“Why you? You’ll understand why after you accept the Step,” he said, holding me even
tighter.
Pierre Castille is a S.E.C.R.E.T. participant? “I … but … you?”
“Cassie, do you accept?”
It took me a few seconds to absorb the fact that this man was a participant. Who else
in this room was part of S.E.C.R.E.T., or knew about it? Kay? The D.A.? A debutante or
two? The room spun along with my mind until the band ended the song with a ourish.
Pierre released me and kissed my hand.
“Thank you for the dance, Miss Cassie Robichaud. Until we meet again.”
I wanted to scream, Wait! I do accept the Step! But did I? What about Will? Pierre
bowed deeply, then left the room surrounded by his security guards, stranding me alone
on the dance oor. I looked around for Matilda, Amani, anyone besides Tracina, but of
course Tracina was the first to get to me.
“Aren’t you a little mystery,” she said, fist on the waistband of her wilted tutu.
“Where’s Will?” I asked, craning my neck to try to find him.
“Gone.”
Before I could say anything else, a security guard grabbed my elbow. “Miss Robichaud,
there’s an urgent call for you. Please come with me,” he said, to my and Tracina’s
astonishment.
The guard guided me out of the ballroom, across the marble lobby and into a waiting
limo, eyes on me the whole time. My head was spinning. What a night. The entire
community had seen me being picked, chosen, desired. It was all so heady and so lovely.
But to enjoy it fully, I had to push thoughts of Will out of my head.
In the limo, I found a chilled glass of champagne in the armrest. I took a sip and sank
back into the leather seat as the driver took us down a private ramp where a cluster of
security guards appeared. Before I could even blink, Pierre pushed through them,
secretly ducking into the limo with me. It was all so swiftly executed, it seemed second
nature to everyone except me.
“We’ll exit from the back, out the parking garage,” he instructed.