by Sweet
He was not looking forward to see her face when she found that out. Not at all.
* * *
WHILE SIMON WAS having his uncomfortable lunch with Raven, Dreama was at the hospital getting her patient settled in a private room.
Allison required the privacy because she was rather unpredictable at this stage, and Dreama didn’t want to risk her hurting another patient while in one of her tirades. The sedative had worn off about the time that Allison was being transferred to a room and she had needed to be sedated once more.
After leaving instructions with the nurses that would be attending to Allison, she checked on her patient once more before leaving. As it turned out, she had just enough time to run home and change clothes and still make it to Erick and Hollianne’s for dinner.
She was very excited about tonight because she was hoping to have some time alone with Simon, if he was to be there.
Once she reached her condo, she hurried inside and took a quick shower. Applying light makeup and blow drying her hair gave her a more restful look along with emphasizing her natural beauty. She had decided to wear a pair of black well-fitted jeans along with a purple V-neck sweater and black leather knee boots.
After spraying on some of her signature perfume, she felt she was presentable enough, even for the very handsome and very appealing Simon Draco.
She got into her car and headed to the outskirts of Moon Bay. It was a drive that she always enjoyed because it was all countryside once she had left the city. No one loved the beauty of nature more than Dreama. Of course she also loved visiting the castle. It was one of the most relaxing locations on earth as far as she was concerned, and she couldn’t wait until she had a few days to spend there.
She smiled when she remembered how she was informed that a part of Holli’s closest friends could stay in the castle after they left for their honeymoon. Holli specifically informed her she was one of those a few weeks ago, and so she made preparations and had her schedule wrapped around this short break. She would love getting to catch up on those books she had long ago purchased but had not enough time to read.
When Dreama finally arrived at Erick and Hollianne’s, Holli threw open the front door and hurried down the front steps to greet her.
She had to smile at the enthusiasm that Holli seemed to inject into everything she did. It also didn’t hurt that she loved to feel so welcome. Holli rarely met a stranger and, even when she did, that stranger typically became a fast friend in no time.
Everyone, that was, except Raven.
But it was Raven’s fault. For some reason, she had disliked Holli on sight and was actually embarrassingly rude to her on many occasions. It had shocked Holli and Dreama, though Holli recovered pretty quickly, which was pretty cool. After a couple more attempts at being friendly to Raven to win her over had failed, Holli threw down the gauntlet. She would often say that she was surprised Dreama and Raven were sisters. Dreama had heard this observation numerous times in her life, and she really didn’t have an answer as to why Raven remained this way anymore.
Dreama knew more than anyone else how life had been for her older sister when they were young, but she was expecting that Raven was mature enough by this time to know to cut her losses and look forward to a future she was adult enough to be able to control. Dreama, more than anyone else, knew how lucky they were to be born in a rich family, and been able to afford more necessities and comforts more than any other people in this world. Look at Holli, who had lost so much more than Dreama could ever imagine. Yet, she remained positive and happy.
On the other hand, Raven had always been more selfish than anyone Dreama knew. And that’s really sad, she thought as she sighed and shook her head. Some things, there was no way other people could help with.
Raven had to learn to become unselfish and sensitive to other’s needs first before she could be really happy.
Chapter Ten
DREAMA HAPPILY ACCEPTED Holli’s hug and entered the house with her.
“It’s so great to see you!” Hollianne enthused. “It’s been too long!”
“I agree, Holli,” Dreama said. “You know how much I love coming out here and seeing you. It’s just been so crazy lately.”
“Erick and I were hoping that you would be able to spend a few days here,” she said.
“I wish I could,” Dreama lamented. “But I’m going to have to go back into the city tonight after dinner. I’ve got a new patient that is in pretty bad shape and I need to be able to spend some time with her for the next few days. I’m hoping to get her stabilized.”
“Ah, I understand,” Hollianne said. “Your patients always come first. Your dedication is one of the many things I adore about you! Well, you know that you’re welcome here at any time. And when Erick has business near you, I can always come! Do you know that I’m, well…” Holli suddenly looked a bit shy. “I’m thinking of going back to the university. If you have time, I was hoping I can discuss what course to take with you?”
“Of course, Holli! I will be delighted! Oh, I’ll make inquiries and I’ll prepare a list of choices for what I think you might want to take.”
“How about – oh, not immediately after the wedding,” she said, giving her future husband a sweet smile. “Maybe you can spend time here sometime after that? When you’re free?”
“I honestly cannot wait to get some free time to come here for that. Imagine, you’re about to study for a new career! Isn’t that just wonderful?”
They got inside the castle talking like this. When they got to the hall, she started giving her updates about the wedding preparations that she didn’t know yet. Erick quietly left them to get the dining room ready for their dinner after giving them drinks as they sat on the massive sofa.
Suddenly, Hollianne turned to Dreama smiling widely.
“So you don’t mind having Simon as your escort to the wedding, do you?” she asked.
“Are you serious?” Dreama exclaimed. “How on earth are you going to pull that off?” she asked in a whisper. Only Holli knew about her real feelings about Simon.
“It’s simple,” Hollianne smiled. “I decided today that the bridal party will be each other’s escorts. That means that you, as my Maid-of-Honor, and Simon, as Erick’s Best Man, will be paired off together.”
Dreama looked at her friend more closely. And Holli rolled her eyes.
“Okay, something happened.” And Holli quickly told her about Simon’s call.
She couldn’t help but feel sad about her sister, but she worried about something else. “You know how much I love you, Holli,” Dreama said. “But I really don’t like the idea of myself being forced on Simon.”
“Oh, it will be nothing of the sort,” Hollianne replied as she waved her hand through the air dismissively. “If I am not mistaken, he actually sounded relieved and excited about it. I can imagine that he liked you rather better than your sister. I mean, when you talk about someone pushing herself at someone – that would be Raven at Simon. I heard from some reliable sources that although Raven has been telling people they are dating, Simon didn’t seem happy when confronted with this. In fact, they said he had looked irritated. Besides, this decision helped me out of a rather sticky spot.”
“Really? What spot was that?”
“Okay, Simon said that Raven is insistent on being his date to the wedding. Well, I know she’s your sister, but you also know that there’s no way in hell that I’m going to allow her here on the most special day of my life.”
“”Uh-oh,” she said.
“So I decided on the spot that Simon already had a date for the wedding. And, I also told him that she’s not welcome here. I’m sorry, Dreama, but I know you understand.”
“I see what you did there,” Dreama said as she tried to appear annoyed. “You know that the shit is going to hit the fan when Raven hears this.”
“I know, and I couldn’t care less! I’m sorry, Dreama. Again, I know she’s your sister, but the two of you couldn’t be more diff
erent than day and night. She is not a nice person. I know that she wasn’t treated well when she was growing up, but she’s an adult now. Raven is responsible for making her own choices. Therefore, when she starts acting like a bitch, that’s all on her.”
“You know, if Raven really wants to come to the wedding, she’ll find a way to do it,” Dreama said ruefully.
“Oh no, she won’t. Erick has already taken care of that by making a guest list that included everyone individually. Even married people are each getting separate invitations. There are no ‘and guest’ invitations for single people. So if she turns up, she won’t have an invitation and won’t get past the men working the wedding entrance. All the guests must present their own invitations so it doesn’t matter who she shows up with. She is not getting in.”
Dreama looked at Hollianne in amazement. No one had ever stood up to her sister like this. Those that had tried had lived to regret it.
Somehow, she didn’t feel that Hollianne would have that problem. She was pretty strong on her own and didn’t seem to be afraid of anyone. It was clear to see what Erick had found so enticing in her.
“Besides,” Hollianne went on in a cheerier tone. “We have to do something to get the two of you together.”
“Shhh,” Dreama cried as she frantically looked over her shoulder. “This is not something that I want to be overheard!”
“Oh, don’t worry…” Hollianne replied. “Erick’s out of earshot. He would be happy about it, though. He also isn’t fond of your sister.”
“Well, still.” Dreama sighed. “Be careful of what you say.” She consciously rolled her eyes. “It occurred to me just recently that when it comes to Simon, I always revert to my former teenage self. I’ve been a professional for a long time. But I also have had these… feelings for him from the moment I’ve seen him when I was but fourteen and lurking on the edges of my parent’s Christmas Party. He was new to the firm then. Since then, I had this huge crush on him. I thought it would go away, but it never did.” She shook her head embarrassingly.
“Oh, don’t worry your beautiful head. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you think he’s not looking. I’m telling you that he’s going to be thrilled! ”
“We’ll see,” Dreama muttered. Holli had said so many times that Simon had tried so many times to be here when he knew Dreama would be here. And that Simon had been giving her looks that he never let her see. Maybe she was right, she thought hopefully. Maybe Simon Draco was finally seeing her as her own woman, and not just a partner’s young daughter or a colleague’s younger sister? “We’ll see.”
“Oh, and by the way, you did know that Simon will be having dinner with us tonight, didn’t you? I couldn’t remember if I told you or not.”
“You mentioned that he might be in attendance,” Dreama said teasingly.
“Well, he has accepted and will positively be joining us. I also have it on good authority that he quite eagerly accepted the invitation once he heard that you had also been asked to come. Now, I can’t say for sure, of course, but that sounds like he is definitely interested.”
“Maybe,” Dreama said as she smiled. “Maybe.”
Chapter Eleven
ERICK, HOLLIANNE AND Dreama were all having a drink before dinner when Simon arrived.
He had decided to return home to shower and change clothes before coming out to Erick and Hollianne’s. When he learned that Dreama would be here as well, he wanted to look the best he could without being too obvious. So he wore casual but tasteful clothes.
Stopping by the foyer mirror, he glanced at himself one more time before heading out to his car. His six feet three inch height and two hundred pound weight appeared fit and wore his khakis and pullover shirt quite well. The shaggy-cut black hair dipped seductively onto his forehead, highlighting his neon green eyes. His quirky smile was sexy and displayed some dimples that caused more than one woman to drool.
It did not take long of his stay on Earth to know how women delighted in looking at him, but it did take a while before he could be comfortable on spending time with them. He learned the trick that all it took for a successful date was that he should really like a woman’s personality, and he had found many women who were really likeable. But no one had held his interest than Dreama’s beauty, because she really was beautiful inside and out.
Once he decided that he was presentable, he grabbed his jacket, and called out to Karl that he was leaving. He had given Karl the night off to visit his friends or members of his family. Karl’s favorite nieces and nephews were all grown up now, but he would often treat them to nights out oftentimes.
Karl had fallen in love with a woman a decade ago, and they had planned to get married. It was very sad, because the woman died in a tragic car crash before they could push through with this. Since then, Karl had not even looked at another woman. Simon wished he would, but if time could not heal her friend’s broken heart, he would make sure he would be comfortable all his life.
For now, though, he had his mind on getting to Erick’s and spending the evening with the lovely Dr. Dreama Addison. Karl had been happy when he found out where he was going and why he was so excited that he had spent a long time choosing what to wear and preening on the mirror. He did not preen.
Okay, he did a little, he admitted. Grinning.
Hurrying to his car, he got in and drove away.
On the drive there, his mind wandered to the last time he saw Dreama.
It had also been at a dinner hosted by Erick and Hollianne. That’s why he had been able to spend time talking with Dreama. Raven hadn’t been around to interrupt and put a stop to any interaction between Dreama and him. The least she would have done was insinuate herself in the middle of their conversation before she hijacked it and eventually dragged Simon away.
He had actually begun to think of Erick’s huge castle as a sanctuary of sorts. It was certainly a haven when it came to escaping Raven. He hated to think of her in those terms, but she really had become so very difficult. What worried him was this hunch, that she would not allow anyone to have him if she couldn’t have him for herself. He hoped that wasn’t true and he had avoided thinking about this nasty thought, but he was rarely wrong in these instances.
It was difficult for him to keep to the speed limit because he was so eager to reach Erick’s and see Dreama. He had decided that this would be the night. He would manage to speak with her alone at some point and ask her if she would have a drink with him or something in the near future. He would book an entire restaurant for just the two of them if she would just agree to spend an evening with him.
By the time he pulled onto the road leading to Erick’s, he felt a lot like a high school boy on the way to his first date.
His hands were sweaty on his steering wheel. His heartbeat had accelerated and his stomach felt like bursting with butterflies. He turned off the engine and found that he couldn’t seem to move to get out of the car.
This is ridiculous, he thought. I’m a grown man – an adult. Not a teenage boy going on a date with the homecoming queen.
Dreama definitely looked like a homecoming queen, yes. And any man would feel very lucky to be with her.
And wasn’t he really lucky?
That seemed to be enough to motivate him to get out of the car.
Chapter Twelve
AS SIMON APPROACHED the steps, he was rendered breathless at the enormity and terrible beauty of this place. He couldn’t, for practical reasons, acquire a place like this to live with, but he appreciated the reasons why the Erick Angell that he knew lived in a huge, private, imposing but beautiful place like this.
He used the heavy knocker to announce his arrival. Listening as it echoed through the huge structure, he waited patiently for someone to answer the door.
Eli opened the door to Simon within a few seconds.
“Mr. Draco,” Eli greeted him. “Please come in. Mr. Erick, Ms. Hollianne and Dr. Addison are all in the study. Shall I take you there?”
&
nbsp; “That’s okay, Eli,” Simon said. “I know the way. Thank you.”
After handing his jacket to Eli, he walked down one of the long hallways and turned a corner into the large room that was used as a study. Sure enough, the three of them were all sitting there sipping on drinks. They all looked up at him when he appeared in the doorway.
“Simon!” Erick exclaimed as he got to his feet and went to embrace him. “We were just having a drink while we waited for you. Come in and join us!”
“Simon, it’s so wonderful that you could join us tonight,” Hollianne added. “We don’t see nearly enough of you.”
Simon leaned over to give her a quick hug and kiss before accepting his drink from Erick. Finally, he had the nerve to look at Dreama.
He lost time for a while as she smiled tentatively at him. As always, her name fit her perfectly. She looked as if she had just walked out of a dream. It wasn’t even the clothes she was wearing or her lightly made up face. She would have been exceptional no matter what she had been wearing.
“Hi, Simon,” she said quietly.
“Dreama,” he acknowledged. “You’re looking beautiful, as always.”
“You are such a flatterer,” she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, looking alive and beautiful.
“I just call it like I see it,” he retorted.
Erick cleared his throat discreetly before the exchange could get any more involved. “I believe dinner should be ready by now,” he announced. “Simon, bring your drink with you.”
“Grace has something very special waiting for us tonight,” Hollianne said as she got to her feet. “I’ve been banned from the kitchen all day, but that didn’t stop these absolutely mouthwatering aromas from wafting out of there.”
