I felt her shift in her seat as the host started addressing the guests. I couldn’t stand these functions, but Zach insisted we attend them. A show of happy families. I’d give my performance and leave with my pet in tow.
I dropped my hand from her shoulder and sat back, half listening to the host whilst I watched Liora. She was staring at the stage intently, her posture far from relaxed. Brent told me she was nervous about this event. It annoyed me she’d become buddy-buddy with him, but I could hardly say anything when I’d left her alone with him for two weeks.
I’d had things to do in the lead up to this evening. My father insisted on finalising the details with Angus about Liora’s permanent stay with us. As if we hadn’t had ample time for this over the past three years.
She glanced over at me, her eyes curious as if she knew someone was watching her. Her hands were folded in her lap, but she moved one of them. Her hand sat on my knee, palm facing upwards. It took me a second to realise she was asking me to hold it.
When I hesitated, she looked at me again before pointedly looking down at her hand. I placed my own hand in it and entwined her fingers together with mine. Why the hell did she want to hold my hand?
It was when I noticed my father staring at us, it finally clicked. She was trying to behave as though we were a real couple. I couldn’t hold back a smile. I appreciated her willingness to play her part even if it was under duress. I felt her hand trembling in mine. This whole thing made her nervous and uncomfortable. And I could hardly blame her.
The host droned on for what seemed like forever before the first course was served. Liora spoke in low tones to James as we ate. I half kept an ear out for what they were saying, but it was all very mundane questions about what Uni had been like for her and whether she missed Scotland. By the time the fish course came out, they were discussing music and I zoned out.
“She’s a better actress than I expected,” Zach commented.
“Who said she’s acting?” I replied.
“Mark my words, that girl has no intention of submitting to your every whim, son. She can fool the twins and James, but not me.”
I shrugged, taking another mouthful of scallop. What could I say to that? I wasn’t going to use his methods. He knew that.
“Have you been teaching her?” he asked, blue eyes intent on me.
“I don’t know what kind of progress you were expecting since you did keep me in the office for two weeks dealing with her father.”
He sat back, giving me a hard stare.
“Touché.”
“It’s the truth.”
“That may be the case, but I expect you to have a handle on her.”
I clenched my fist under the table. He always tried my patience. I had a hard time keeping my cool around him. Liora’s hand curled around my fist, fingers stroking and coaxing me to calm down. I didn’t dare look at her, wondering how on earth she’d noticed.
“I will. You might enjoy broken birds, but I don’t.”
My fingers uncurled. Before she could take her hand away, I shifted it under mine and flattened it against my thigh. She could fucking well keep it there. Her touch gave me tingles in the base of my spine.
“Suit yourself. She is yours. Keep in mind she needs to stay quiet about how she came to be in your possession.”
He was damn fucking right she was mine. I’d earned her.
“She knows her place, Zach. I’ve been very clear about the rules.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
He turned to Fi who was sitting on his other side, ending our little talk. I glanced at Liora then. Her face was flushed, the tips of her ears pink and she bit her lip, her fingers flexing underneath mine. I knew that look. Trying to hide her embarrassment regarding her body’s reaction to me.
I decided to have a little fun with it. I moved her hand further up. Her lips parted on a silent ‘oh’. I smiled to myself. She needed to get over it and stop being ashamed of wanting me. Stop thinking she could prevent the pull between us.
I could see James talking to her, but I knew she wasn’t listening. Her eyes darted to mine. I saw the cocktail of emotions, wanton need standing out the most. I’d given her a lot to think about in the car earlier. I fucking hoped she’d behaved this evening so I could reward her.
The waiters came around to clear our plates so I let her go. I watched her slowly remove her hand from my thigh, fingers flexing.
“Excuse me,” James said, eying the two of us. “I didn’t think Avery would show up.”
As James rose, I glanced around and spied his best friend. She was sitting with a man I didn’t recognise. Was this the guy she’d married? James mentioned something about it a while back. I could see tattoos peeking out of his collar and he was built like a brick shithouse. Not the type of man I expected. Avery had always been into the smart, sensitive types like my brother.
I’d known that girl since my brother brought her home from primary school. He’d been in love with her ever since even if he tried to deny it. I was positive they’d been fucking at one point, but I knew Avery would never give her heart to James. I think them growing up together put a dampener on that. She was aware of some of our family history after all.
Last year, some major shit went down with her family. Half of them were facing lengthy prison sentences for sex trafficking and various other charges. Many of the men involved had already been convicted. Daniels Holdings had been taken over by some company in the US. James told me the two of them were helping the women her family had kept recover from their ordeals. That was the last time I had a conversation with my brother that didn’t involve us exchanging barbs.
I turned back to Liora. She sat peering around the room with curiosity in her expression.
“Did you have a nice chat with my brother?”
She jolted, head turning to me.
“He seems nice.”
James was nice all right, too nice for his own good. Except that nicety didn’t extend to me. Considering what he thought about me, hardly surprising.
“Don’t get too cosy.”
One of her eyebrows arched upwards.
“I’m not interested in your brother. He might look like you, but that’s where the similarities end.”
I smiled, leaning closer to her.
“So, you admit you’re interested in me.”
Her face flushed in that incredibly adorable way of hers.
“Don’t put words in my mouth. Whatever it is you’re thinking, just stop.”
“Me? I’m not thinking about anything.”
She gave me a disbelieving look. I chuckled. She really was far too easy to tease and fluster. So fucking endearing. And here I was again, feeling things about Liora I shouldn’t. I needed to get my act together before my father noticed my innate fascination with this girl.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I found James’ best friend staring down at me. James sat back in his seat, a smirk on his face. I don’t know what he was so fucking pleased about.
“Hello Dante,” she said.
“Avery… how are you?” I asked, trying not to be irritated by the sudden interruption.
“I’m fine. James tells me you’ve met someone.”
James had a loud fucking mouth on occasion. Apparently, nothing was off limits between him and Avery. It’s not as though I didn’t get along with her, I just didn’t need my affairs on broadcast.
“And what if I have?”
Avery laughed, slapping me around the back of the head. If it had been anyone else, I would’ve told them to fuck off, but from her, it was okay. She behaved more like my little sister than the twins ever did.
“Stop being deliberately obtuse and introduce me.”
I rolled my eyes and looked over at Liora. She was staring at the both of us with wide eyes. In that moment, she looked like a little blonde angel with a halo of hair framing her face and my heart thumped.
“T
his is Liora…” I paused, wondering how exactly I should describe the girl who’d just turned up at our table. “Avery is James’ best friend and spent so much time around our house, she practically grew up with the four of us.”
Whilst that was true, James also spent a lot of time around the Daniels’ house when they were kids. I had to drag him home on several occasions much to his dismay. I was only five years older than James, but after our mother died, I looked out for him. I really wished I could tell him what I’d done to ensure our father mostly left him and the twins alone, but I couldn’t. Not whilst Zach was still alive.
“Nice to meet you,” Avery said, sticking her hand out.
Liora took it, but I could see the trepidation in her expression.
“You too,” Liora said, eyes intent on me rather than Avery.
“I hear you’re off the market,” I said, wanting to steer the conversation away from my relationship with Liora.
“Yeah… Oh, I should’ve brought Aiden over to meet you.”
“I’m sure I can say hello later.”
She smiled, giving my shoulder a squeeze. I noticed it didn’t make Liora happy. Her eyes narrowed to slits.
Is she jealous?
“I should get back, looks like they’re serving mains.”
Avery gave me a wink and sauntered off. Like that helped matters. Liora watched her progress all the way back to her table where she kissed the cheek of the man I assumed was Aiden and sat down. He wrapped an arm around Avery.
Liora visibly relaxed and stared down at her plate as the waiter served her. Some posh sounding beef dish. I never really paid much attention to the menus at these things. There was some sort of magician act on the stage, which caught her eye whilst she picked at her food.
I wanted to ask if she was doing okay but decided against it. I had to be careful about how I treated her in front of my father. So I watched her silently instead, making a note of the way her eyes darted around the room, appraising the people surrounding us and wondered what she made of them.
***
The evening progressed as I expected. There was the charity auction, followed by various speeches and finally the band started up. Couples stood up and took to the dancefloor by the stage. My father had disappeared off to speak to his associates along with the twins. James was over by Avery’s table. Liora sat with her arms crossed, watching the dancers.
“Do you want to join them?” I asked.
“Join who?”
I stood up, putting my hand out. I never danced at these things but I was willing to make an exception for her. She looked up at me.
“Come dance with me.”
Her eyes lit up for the briefest of moments before they darkened again and she looked at her hands. What the hell was that? I reached down, grabbed one of her hands and pulled her to her feet.
“It was not a request.”
I pulled her along towards the dancefloor. She didn’t drag her heels, but she didn’t exactly seem like she wanted to come willingly either. Reaching the floor, I tugged her into me, wrapping my hand around her waist. Her hand landed on my shoulder when I started to move to the song.
“Do you not want to dance?” I asked after the silence between us stretched on for too long.
“I’m not very good at it,” she said, her eyes on our feet.
“Eyes up, follow my lead.”
Her eyes met mine. Even in the four inch heels I’d given her, she still barely came up to my shoulder. I held her closer, needing her body heat on mine. Being around Liora made me fucking crazy.
“See, it’s not so hard,” I said when I felt her relax.
Her hand on my shoulder tightened.
“Why is that girl over there staring at us?”
I followed her eyeline and found Hannah Delaney staring at us with a scowl on her highly made up face. Her dyed platinum blonde locks shook as she whispered furiously to the girl standing beside her. Her clearly surgically enhanced breasts were pushed up in her mauve floor length dress. I rolled my eyes. She was the daughter of one of Zach’s associates and I really couldn’t stand the girl.
“Probably because she’s had her eye on me since the dawn of fucking time.”
“And you didn’t go there?”
I turned back to Liora, eyebrow raised.
“You think she’s my type?”
I moved her further away from Hannah’s eyeline.
“I don’t know what your type is. I mean she is blonde like me.”
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“I’ll let you in on a secret, unlike you, she’s not a real blonde.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve known Hannah since she was a bratty teenager going through a goth phase.”
Liora looked back in the direction of Hannah and her friend again.
“You’re right, I didn’t notice she has dark eyebrows. So, you really haven’t been with her?”
I wasn’t sure why she cared about who I had and hadn’t been with. I knew her history, but that didn’t mean she needed to know mine. However, I didn’t want her thinking I slept with girls like Hannah.
“No. For starters, she’s fucking annoying with a whiney voice. I have no interest in spoilt brats who can’t keep their legs closed.”
Liora bit her lip. I could see she was holding back a smile.
“So me making you wait is a good thing?”
I should’ve known she’d turn this back on me.
“Have you forgotten how long I’ve waited?”
She shook her head, a grin appearing on her lips.
“Do you enjoy teasing me? Because I’m telling you now, I expect you to deliver if you’re going to start down this road.”
The flush creeping up her neck almost fucking killed me. How could I ever resist her? I needed this night not to end in disaster. She needed to give in.
“Dante… I…”
The song came to an end. We stopped in the middle of the floor and clapped. Liora wouldn’t meet my eyes. What had she been about to say? I wanted to shake it out of her but making a scene would completely fuck up the pretence we were a couple.
I looked away, noticing Hannah stalking towards me, her hips swaying.
“Go find James. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said to Liora.
She didn’t say anything, eying the room before making a beeline for my brother who was still standing with Avery. I strolled off the dancefloor and met Hannah halfway.
“Dante,” she purred, putting her hand on my arm.
“Hannah.”
“Who’s the girl?”
Her eyes darted towards where Liora was still making her way over to James. Fuck. She really did look stunning in that dress. Seeing her bare back did things to me.
“None of your business.”
Hannah pouted, her hand tightening on my arm.
“You’ve never brought a date before.”
“What’s it to you?”
I really didn’t care for her attitude. I removed her hand from my tux. The sooner I got this conversation over with, the sooner I could go back to Liora and perhaps take her home. I was fucking done with this event. Zach wouldn’t expect me to stay until the small hours, nor did I fancy watching a bunch of rich pricks getting wasted on the free bar.
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“Again, I fail to see how that’s any of your business.”
“Come on, Dante, you know our fathers would be happy if we got together.”
I swallowed back bile rising up my throat. There was no fucking way that was ever going to happen. The only girl I wanted was already in my possession.
“You know nothing about my father.”
“I’m sure he’d like to see you settle down with a wife.”
I almost laughed in her face. Zach might want someone to take over his fashion empire, but he couldn’t care less about my happiness or finding me a woman. Besi
des, I already had one. She might drive me fucking crazy with pent up desire, but Liora was mine.
“I’m only going to say this once, Hannah. I have never been and will never be interested in you.”
She grabbed my arm again, her expression darkening as her other hand ran up my chest.
“You don’t mean that.”
Her touch made my skin crawl. I stepped back out of her grasp.
“Stay away from me, and if you dare go anywhere near my girlfriend, I will make sure you wish you never laid eyes on her.”
I didn’t wait for her to respond, striding off in the direction I’d seen Liora go. My fists clenched at my sides. I hadn’t meant to call Liora my girlfriend, but fuck, that little whiney bitch did my head in. I dug my phone out of my pocket and fired off a text to my driver telling him to bring the car around. I was fucking done.
When I reached Liora, I took her by the hand.
“We’re leaving.”
Her eyes went wide.
“Why?”
I didn’t answer. I nodded at James who looked bewildered and dragged Liora away towards the doors.
“Dante… Why are we going?”
In the middle of the lobby, I was stopped in my tracks by Angus Stewart and his wife. Liora’s eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. I’d told her she wasn’t allowed to speak to her parents. That didn’t account for them ambushing us.
“Dante,” Angus said. “May I have a word with my daughter?”
His wife looked confused, her eyes darting between me and her daughter.
“Anything you wish to say to her, you can say in front of me.”
Angus sighed before he looked at Liora. She edged towards me, her hand tightening in mine.
“Lass, all I can say is I’m sorry. I hope one day you’ll understand.”
Liora simply nodded at him. She knew if she said anything I’d punish her. I was more than a little surprised by her obedience. Her mother broke free of Angus’ hold and bundled her daughter up in her arms.
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