Lace and Paint (True Colors Book 1)
Page 29
“Not lately.” A familiar fear creeps in. Here I am standing with these people and I’m busy worrying what they’ll think of me.
“A few years ago I saw The Lion King,” I offer.
“Amazing!” she says enthusiastically. “What else have you seen?”
I take another sip of my wine and can feel it starting to take effect.
“I’ve seen Grease, The Sound of Music, and also Dirty Dancing, although that one was disappointing,” I answer.
“I know! It wasn’t great,” she agrees with me immediately.
“Yes, I felt like it was an unsuccessful attempt and it just didn’t work. They even tried talking like the actors in the movie,” I continue, and Ron tries to imitate Johnny’s famous sentence from the movie, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner”, but he messes it up, and the group bursts out laughing. I breathe a sigh of relief and smile.
“Oh, female movies! You’re so predictable!” A man holding a large glass of beer in his hand smiles at me. I don’t know who he is, but he looks nice and harmless.
“You aren’t that different from us, you just like to think you are,” I laugh.
“Really?” He’s still smiling.
“All things considered, men aren’t so sophisticated. You all like the same movies. Let’s see, Pulp Fiction?” I take a wild guess.
He smiles in agreement and I continue guessing.
“The Big Lebowski?”
He nods in again.
“And to wrap it up, I’ll guess you haven’t seen anything by Almodovar lately.” I smile at him triumphantly.
“Who?” he asks, and we all burst out laughing.
“Exactly my point.” I laugh and, just for a moment, I forget about Ben’s guarded smile, and the gorgeous girl who stood next to him.
“I see you’ve met Talia.” Danny appears and hugs me, smiling widely.
“Yes, you never said she was so lovely.” Ron smiles at me.
I blush and leave the group to continue with their enjoyable conversation. I wander away from them, find a small sofa in the corner of the room, and sit down. My back is toward the string quartet and my eyes are checking out all the men in their formal attire and the women in their beautiful evening dresses walking through the door.
“So this is where you’re hiding out,” a familiar voice whispers in my ear. My heart jumps slightly from excitement and I turn to him with a grin. My man has found me.
“Hi,” I say quietly. My entire body awakens, as always when he’s around.
“What’s wrong, don’t you like my party?” He straightens up and looks at me with that smile I love so much.
“No, it’s wonderful.” I smile back. His party really is wonderful. It’s just me and my moods.
“I’m glad to hear. Come, I want to introduce you to a few people.”
“Me?” I’m surprised. I thought we were supposed to pretend we hardly knew each other.
“Yes, you are Danny’s sister after all. My parents would love to meet you.”
Ah, Danny’s sister. Of course.
“Your parents are here?” I ask as I get up from the sofa and straighten my dress.
“My parents and my brothers, of course. This is my company’s annual party. They never miss it.” He offers me his arm, and I put my hand through it in the most casual way, trying to hide how nervous I am.
“Mum, meet Talia, Danny’s sister, remember I told you she’s here from Israel. Talia, meet Doris, my mum.” He formally introduces me to the group standing next to the quartet, and I’m reminded of his tattoo.
“Talia, lovely to finally meet you.” The groomed woman standing in front of me stretches out her hand and I shake it firmly, trying to make a good impression. Okay, this isn’t exactly how I imagined I would meet Ben’s mom. In my dreams, he takes me home and introduces me as his new girlfriend.
“Pleased to meet you,” I answer with a small and awkward smile, as I check her out. She’s wearing a floor-length, black gown. She’s tall, and I can see where Ben inherited his green eyes from. She’s slim, and her dress falls gently from her waist, hiding a pair of long legs.
“And this is my dad, Greg Storm.” I shake the older man’s hand.
Ben’s dad. He looks about sixty and he has black hair peppered with grey. He gives me a sweet, shy smile. His shyness reminds me of my dad and I’m overcome by a feeling of nostalgia.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Storm.” I say, trying not to dwell on sad, old memories.
“And this is Myles and his wife, Naomi, and Gabriel and his wife, Lisa.” He introduces everyone to me and I realize the tall, beautiful woman is Naomi, Myles’ wife. I shake their hands, feeling uncomfortable with this completely weird situation. He’s introducing me to everyone as Danny’s little sister, and I’m thinking he knows me in so many other ways. I blush thinking about the nights we’ve spent together in his bed, naked and breathless.
Hey! Don’t think about that now. Not in front of his parents.
“Talia, what are you doing in London?” Ben’s dad asks with interest.
“Ben has been kind enough to employ me. I work with Sarah in Interior Design.” I smile self-consciously.
“Talia does all the field work, scouring the galleries for Sarah. I heard she’s doing a great job. You should see how she paints.” Ben surprises me when he tells them about my hobby in the basement.
“Really? What do you paint?” Ben’s mom gives me a big smile.
“It’s nothing really. Your kind son is exaggerating. It’s just a hobby.” I feel myself go red.
“Okay, now you’ve all met, I’ll take you back to Danny.” Ben smiles and I say goodbye to his family.
That was awkward.
“Miss Blum.” He lets go of my hand when we reach John and Danny, who are standing with the boisterous group.
“Mr. Storm,” I reply, smiling slightly. He walks away and I follow him with my eyes. He puts his hand in his pants pockets. His suit really is great and he looks so good in it. I turn back to Danny and John and listen to their conversation.
The music has been turned down and everyone turns to look at the small stage, next to the now silent string quartet. Ben is standing there in his gorgeous tuxedo, looking at the room. The hall falls silent.
“Guys.” He smiles and his face is shining. “We’ve had a great year, and this evening is my opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your efforts. This machine called Storm Buildings couldn’t exist without all of you. So for this evening, there’ll be no talking about attractive properties or colored plaster. This evening is all about having fun. Eat and drink, and you’d better be dancing because it’ll show up in your next pay slip,”
He laughs and the entire room laughs with him. He raises his glass.
“To all of you!” he shouts out, and the captive audience raises their glasses in the air. Shouts of toasts can be heard all over. It’s so impressive. He can enthrall the entire room with his smile and laugh. Nevertheless, my strange mood doesn’t leave me.
I miss him. I’d like to be far away from this pretense, somewhere where we can be just the two of us, with no masks, somewhere where I can hug him and breathe him in and pretend maybe it’s not just what it is.
The music starts again, and he disappears into the crowd.
I have to get out of here. I need a cigarette. I leave Danny’s protective embrace and slip out into the garden.
I’m cold and sad, but I don’t want to cry and smudge my damn makeup. I light a cigarette and try to get warm.
I hear the sound of an incoming message on my phone. Maybe Danny is looking for me. I take it out and look at it, surprised to see Ben has sent me a message.
19:20
Lady Islington is awaiting you.
Lady Islington? Fuck. I’m really not in the mood to meet anyone tonight. I think I’ve met enough people to last me the entire week. And where exactly is she waiting for me? Why is his message so cryptic? I send him a response.
19:22
I take another puff of my cigarette. As expected, my phone beeps again.
19:23
Would you keep me waiting?
Lady Islington isn’t who you think she is.
Lady Islington isn’t who I think she is, and she’s waiting for me? Ugh, what the hell is he playing at now? I put out my cigarette and enter the building. A young woman in a white jacket passes by me and I stop her. Maybe she’ll know what the hell he’s talking about.
“I’m looking for Lady Islington,” I ask nervously.
“Second floor. Take the elevator,” she answers me confidently and points at a small elevator.
She knows her as well?
I enter the elevator and press a button. Even the elevator here looks old-fashioned. The doors open after a few seconds, and I get out on the second floor, straight into a small space. I go to the door on my left and read the small sign:
“The Duchess of Newcastle.”
Wait a minute, the suites here have names? So, Lady Islington is actually…
I begin to smile. He isn’t serious. I walk down the narrow hallway to the first door on my right. I’ve found you, Lady Islington.
I knock on the door—my usual two knocks—and wait. My heart races, knowing what to expect.
The door opens and my man grins at me.
“Miss Blum,” he acknowledges.
“Mr. Storm,” I return his smile, trying to control the excitement coursing through me.
“Would you like to come in?” he asks playfully. What is he planning?
“More than you can imagine.” I smile and he moves aside to let me into the impressive suite.
A narrow hallway leads me to a room that is just as remarkable as the rest of the rooms in the building. In the center is a soft, inviting canopy bed covered with a dark, wine-colored fabric. A small, antique loveseat is in front of it. Every detail in the room, from the writing desk to the dressers flanking the bed, is designer pieces. For a moment I’m convinced I’m actually in a palace. I’m afraid to touch anything. As it is, my hands are shaking.
“Don’t you need to go back downstairs?” I inquire, as I stroke the soft velvet.
“Soon. They won’t know I’m gone.” He grins. “So how’s my party been until now?”
“Getting better by the minute.” I sit down on the bed smoothing the dark covering with my hand.
“You look amazing tonight,” he murmurs, as he sits on the designer chair next to the writing desk, far away from me.
Is there any reason why he’s not sitting next to me?
“Your family are very nice.”
“Yes, they thought you were lovely.” He cocks his head.
“And you? Do you think I’m lovely?” I want to know.
“I’ve known that for a long time.” He grins and then notices the look on my face. “What’s wrong, beautiful?”
“Nothing,” I answer laconically.
“You’re not kidding me. What’s the problem?”
“Nothing, I just had this conversation yesterday with John,” I explain.
“What did you talk about?” he asks persistently.
“Tom.” I look at him nervously.
“As far as I know, there is no Tom.” He’s amused. It’s not really funny.
“Maybe there should be.” I’m starting to feel agitated. Maybe I should find me a Tom, who’ll want me more than he does.
“Talia, what’s with this mood now all of a sudden?” He looks at me carefully.
Do I really want to do this now, here, tonight, when everyone we know is downstairs at his party?
“I just don’t understand you. You do all these amazing things; you bring me to this beautiful suite. Why do you bother, if all you want to do is sleep with me?”
“There you go again, looking for a meaning in everything.” Now he’s exasperated.
“I’m not looking for a meaning. You made it very clear I have nothing to look forward to.”
“What do you want? You want to know why this suite?”
“Yes.”
“Because my brothers are sleeping over at my house, and the club invited me to stay here for the night. Also, I didn’t want someone to come knocking on my door at an unreasonable hour when I wasn’t there.”
“Oh.” I swallow hard.
“Yes. Oh.” He rolls his eyes.
“Okay, so if all you wanted was to tell me not to come over tonight, you’ve said it. I think I’ll go now.” I get up, feeling annoyed.
“Fine. I thought you’d be happy to spend the night in this lavish suite, with the soft beddings and the inviting blankets…and with me,” he teases me.
“And why would you think that?” I scowl and roll my eyes. He totally takes me for granted and it’s perfectly obvious why. He gets up and comes closer to me and I can smell his aftershave as he pushes up against my back. My hairdo exposes my nape and he runs his finger lightly over my neck, it sends lightning through my body.
“I didn’t think…” he says in a low tone, “just hoped…” I turn to him mindlessly and kiss him passionately.
I want to stay. I really want to stay. He kisses me, his tongue exploring my mouth. His heart is pounding and his hand is on my nape when he pulls my mouth to his lips, biting and kissing.
“You drive me crazy,” he whispers, and I push myself into him. My hands are in his hair and I inhale him.
He pulls himself away quickly. His eyes are sparkling, shining in a thousand shades of green.
“I need to go back downstairs.”
“I’ll join you soon,” I whisper. He leaves and I sit back down on the bed, trying to calm my racing heart. I examine the luxurious suite again. I’m going to spend the night here, with my man. I could think of worse things than that.
I eventually get up, planning the excuse I’m going to give Danny in order to slip back here at the end of the evening.
“Where did you disappear to?” Danny smiles at me, letting me know just how many glasses of whiskey he’s had.
“I went for a smoke and walked around the building a bit.” I shrug.
I can see Ben coming our way.
“Danny, I’m taking your sister to dance,” he says politely. His smile seems to disappear when he’s next to Danny. I assume it’s because he doesn’t like lying to him all the time about us.
“Really?” I stammer in surprise.
“Yes, as I said, whoever doesn’t dance may see it in their next pay slip.” He gives me his hand and leads me onto the dance floor.
My legs are shaking. I swear everyone is looking at us and, even if they’re not, it feels that way. I put my hand in his large palm and he lifts it to his chest. The music starts to play. I recognize the song immediately, “Cheek to Cheek”.
This is unreal. My amazing man is dancing with me. He slips his hand around me and I can feel it on my waist, warm and embracing. My hand rests gently on his shoulder. A Hollywood movie. When I look up, I’m trapped in those green eyes. The room around us disappears. He really knows how to move…
We’re dancing close and I smile. I’m dreaming and I don’t want to wake up. I could dance like this, with him, until I die.
He smiles at me, his eyes shining. He confuses me. He smashes me into pieces every time, again and again.
“You look really lovely tonight,” he whispers in my ear.
“Thanks, you too,” I whisper back.
“I can’t wait for this party to be over.”
“You’re making me blush, and everyone is watching,” I say shyly.
I can feel his thumb caressing my back in small movements. In one second, someone’s going to notice.
“You’re playing with fire,” my voice shakes.
“I thought you liked my games, our games.” His voice is low and seductive, sending clear signals to every nerve in my body.
“I love your games. I’m just not sure this is
the time or the place.” I’m still tense as his thumb continues with its small movements.
“We’re just dancing.” He tries to sound innocent, but we both know exactly what his hand is doing. I gaze into his eyes. I just want to get lost in them.
Take me away from here. I don’t care about this party. And I don’t care about all these people who are here. I just want to be with you.
“You’re crazy.” A slow smile creeps across my face.
“Definitely.” Ben grins back. The song is over, and he removes his hand from my back.
“Thanks for the dance.” He casually lets me go.
“Thank you,” I whisper and release my grip hesitantly from his hand. I’m going to get myself another glass of wine.
The evening passes uneventfully. I listen to Danny and John’s conversations with the people in the room. I can’t wait to steal away to Ben’s luxury suite.
“I’m going out to smoke a cigarette,” I tell Danny, who is busy chatting with Ron. I go out into the small garden, light up a cigarette, sit down on a chair, and try once more not to freeze.
My phone beeps—an incoming message.
23:14
This evening just refuses to end.
I smile happily. My man is impatient.
23:15
I hope you won’t think the same thing about the night
23:16
I can’t wait for the night. It’s been too long…
We haven’t been together since Tuesday or Wednesday morning, a moment before I got dressed and left him running on the treadmill on his patio.
23:17
Well then, I think I’ll go upstairs now and keep Miss Islington company.
A bathtub is waiting for me there
23:18
You’re torturing me. What am I supposed to do now?
23:19
Preserve your energy. It’s going to be a long night.
I put out my cigarette, feeling excited. I sneak into the lift, go up to the second floor, and am pleased to find the door is unlocked. I send a quick message to Danny.