I sighed and leaned towards his body. He tucked my head under his chin as his hands ran up and down my spine. “I just need a gown and shoes and that’s it. I don’t need the whole store.” I said against his chest. He really has a way of exaggerating everything.
“Just let me do this, okay.” He said and then his sweet words shifted into a hard challenging one. “Or do you want me to return all of this and deduct the commission the personal shopper earned for bringing these clothes to your apartment?” He was trying to make me sympathized with the shopper who would lose her commission if I returned everything back. And he knew how to do it well.
I sighed. “The clothes can stay.” I knew how hard it was to earn money and the shopper earned my sympathy up to the last drop of it.
“And me?” He tilted his head to the side and stared at me with pleading blue eyes. The one he always used to disarm me. What else could I do if he was being like that?
“You get to stay too. I hate you, you know.” I pointed a finger at his chest. “For doing this.”
He caught my finger and kissed the tip. “I love you, and I will never stop doing this.”
And I melted instantly, just like that.
Yep, just like that.
I waved a hand around the apartment filled with clothes, shoes and purses. “This is too much for the apartment and I won’t be able to maneuver around this racks and boxes.”
“Those that wouldn’t fit can have a place in the closet in one of my spare rooms.” He offered.
Oh, of course, his house was bigger than mine was, so all of this would fit inside his home with ease. Unlike my teeny-tiny apartment that made me struggle just by paying the rent.
~***~
“What do you think?” I asked as I emerged out of my bedroom.
Damon lifted his head reluctantly from the paper he was reading and looked at me. The moment he saw me in the dress, he roamed his eyes starting from my hair down to my shoes as if he was taking in all of me. He was staring at me, with all the love and admiration in his eyes. Then a smile tugged his lips and I couldn’t help but feel proud of my choice.
I had chosen to wear a crème brûlée-colored evening dress with portrait neckline that accentuated my shoulders and face. It has playful ruffles, and the bodice was belted at the natural waist with a shimmering rhinestone belt. It has a full-length A-line skirt covered with floaty-fabric petals that fell softly towards the floor. The light color should not look good on me because of my fair skin and light colored hair, but it did look perfect as if it was made for me. I curled my hair to give it the waves my pin straight lock lacked. My smoky gray makeup brought out the green of my eyes. I ditched the lip-gloss for a matte lipstick in crimson red that looked best in my coloring.
“You look gorgeous.” He said as he hovered towards me.
Damon wrapped his arms around me, inhaled the scent of my hair, kissed the top of my head and my forehead, and stared into my eyes. “Promise me you won’t leave me no matter how hot and handsome the guys at the party swoon over your beauty are.” He teased. His lips quirked up in a teasing smile and I could not help but lean forward for a kiss.
“I won’t, I promise. No matter how handsome and hot they are, except if it’s Damon Rhodes.” I smirked at him.
Damon looked quite the debonair in the coat and tie he changed into. He was wearing a blush colored dress shirt and over it was a gray colored coat, his tie was gray as well. His hair tousled naturally and he looked edible enough to eat.
“Shall we?” He asked as he offered me his arm.
I linked my arm with his and he kissed my temple. He gestured for me to go inside the limo first and scooted next to me. Throughout the whole trip, he did not let go of my hand in his, our fingers intertwined.
We reached the place and the large audience waiting upfront stunned me. Photographers, paparazzi, reporters―they were everywhere. A red carpet was waiting for the guests and a backdrop as well for photo op. I thought it was just some charity event but I was wrong. It was the charity event of the century.
“Ready?” Damon asked me and I was back to reality.
I gulped, felt the panic rising inside of me. I haven’t expected this event to be this big.
Damon leaned towards me. “Don’t worry, I got you.” He whispered in my ear.
I looked at him and I could see that he was seeing how panicked I was. He ran his hand on the side of my face, his hand that was not intertwining with mine, brought my hand that he held towards his lips and kissed my knuckles as he stared into my eyes.
And there in that moment, I knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
“Let’s do this.” I said back to him. I gave him a smile that was returned by one of his own.
The moment we stepped out of the limo, cameras started snapping wildly. Snap here, snap there, and snap everywhere. It was like a freak show. I was in a panic fleeing mode but Damon’s tight grip in my hand brought me back to the ground. I didn’t want to leave, I promised that I wouldn’t. And we were all in this together.
He placed a hand on the small of my back to guide me and we stopped by the backdrop for a photo op. Damon gave time to some field reports and writers waiting behind the barricade. He told them a brief statement about the charity, the company and everything they needed to know.
I felt the public’s eyes boring into me like drills as I stood a few feet behind Damon as I waited for him to finish his interviews. They were itching to ask the million-dollar question.
Who was Damon Rhodes with?
But before they could come to that particular topic and asked Damon about it, he left them with a short polite “thank you for your questions” note and returned back to me. He placed his palm on the small of my back again and smiled down at me with love. I couldn’t help but loosen up a little bit and smiled back at him. Then cameras suddenly have gone wild. They wanted to take the precious moment and print it for tomorrow’s headlines. And I didn’t care about tomorrow and the headlines.
Right now, all I care was to be with Damon.
Inside was a bit serene and elegant than the one outside, the exact picture of the previous event he brought me before. There was a stage for the program later and the tables arranged with assigned seating for each guest.
“What do you want to drink?” Damon asked me as he led me further into the room.
“Surprise me.” I replied. I didn’t know anything about wines and fine dining so I left it to Damon to choose for me what to drink.
“I’ll be right back.” He kissed my cheek before going to the bar to get our drinks.
I roamed my eyes around the place as I waited for Damon.
“Well, if it isn’t Amanda Sparks.” The familiar irritating high-pitched female voice filled my ears.
I knew very well who owned that voice like the back of my hand, and I hate her up to the bones.
Nineteen
“Christine Winston.” I said in a fake pleased sound.
I turned around and plastered a so very fake smile for her. I stared at the very version Marie Antoinette standing in front me. Looks were really deceiving, because despite her not so lovely personality she still looked elegant and sophisticated.
Christine was wearing a magenta evening gown with one bejeweled shoulder strap and one fashionably draped short sleeve on the other shoulder. The lavish gown was girth at the waist with a rhinestone belt. The full-length skirt was pleated and it touched the floor. Her hair was in a sleek classic regal bun at the back of her head. Her beauty was all classic and regal, I’d give that to her.
“I’m surprised to see you here.” Christine drawled.
“Me too!” I chimed in.
“I thought Damon dumped you, because I keep seeing him alone and flirting with other ladies the past few days.” Her brown eyes were innocently wide as if she was all sugary sweet inside.
“Just like when he dumped you?” I retorted. That earned me a glare, but I didn’t care.
She narro
wed her eyes at me with disgust and irritation coming off from that perfect physical feature of her. “You know Amanda.” Her voice was menacing and irritating. “No matter how beautiful your dress is or how good they look on you, you will always be the same girl you always were. The blonde girl with a pretty face who waited for the guys to picked her up from the sidewalk in exchange of his dollar for sex.” Then she gave me a pitying smile.
I wanted to scratch off that smile on her pretty face with my claws. How I wished I had claws.
“No matter what change you undergo, you will always be that girl.” She added with an irritating smile.
Just in time, a waiter passed by with a rose champagne loaded tray. My hero! I was going to kiss this waiter until all the senses in his body left him.
I quickly snatched a champagne flute from his tray and threw it at Christine’s expensive gown. I did not care how much it cost or the champagne cost, I just wanted to show her that I would never let her bully me. No matter how tall she thought she was in her designer shoe clad feet compared to my thrift store ballet flats.
“What the hell!” She shrieked at the top of her voice. Her voice sounded as painful to the ears as they were five minutes ago.
“Amanda, what happened here?” Damon came between us. He draped an arm around my waist with his back towards Christine as if he was protecting me in case his crazy ex-girlfriend decided to snatch my hair.
Christine’s pissed off face suddenly changed into the face of someone asking for pity, and I wanted to spit in her face.
“Didn’t you see what she did to me? I was just stopping by to say hello and she dumped champagne all over my dress.” She said turning her head around so every could see her lovely face, asking for their sympathy.
Alienating me.
“Christine, just go.” Damon yelled at her.
That made everyone hushed as if a huge blanket of silence covered them.
Then he turned to me. “Are you okay?” Damon cupped my face with both his hands and made me look at him.
“I’m okay.” I murmured, closing my eyes. I could not look at him right now. I was so embarrassed of myself.
“Hey, look at me.” He urged me and I complied. I opened my eyes and stared back into those beautiful blue eyes of his.
He leaned to kiss my forehead and murmured. “I will make sure Christine will not be able to touch or get near you anymore.”
I forced a laugh to hide the embarrassment I felt. “I can defend myself. Have you seen her current state? I’m the one who did that to her.”
He smiled down at me and it astounded me. “I’m proud of you. You’re such a brave girl.” He wrapped me in his arms and pressed me into his body. He tucked me under his chin and planted another kiss at the top of my head.
“The others might hate me.” I whispered against his neck.
I heard a small smile forming on his handsome face. “Don’t worry about them. They know Christine well enough to put blame on you. She’s a spotlight hungry person.” He assured me. I felt his head move from side to side as if he was searching for something or someone.
I pulled away just enough to see him scanning the room, and then he looked down at me with love and happiness.
“Come on, I want you to meet someone.” He tugged my hand and led me in the middle of the New York elite crowd. He was so fast and I ended up being drag by him, in my five inches heels.
“Can we slow down? I am wearing heels.” I told him, but he seemed to not hear my plea or whine or whatever it was. Thank God, the floor was carpeted, ‘cause if it was just like the Brooklyn sidewalks with uneven patched cement, I would insist Damon to carry me if he kept on dragging me.
We approached a small crowd of people probably around in their late fifties and sixties laughing elegantly, the women were covering their mouths when they laugh. Then one of them turned around and smiled at us.
The woman was probably in her early sixties, has gray-colored hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was wearing a baby blue long gown with Queen Ann neckline and cap sleeves that complimented the blueness of her eyes. Her hair was in a sleek bun and she wore burgundy red lipstick. She was golden and elegant and she did resemble like someone I knew, I just couldn’t remember who it was.
“Damon, sweetheart.” She said to Damon. She cupped both his cheeks with her hands and kissed them both as well. Thank goodness, her lipstick didn’t leave a smear on his cheeks. “You look handsome as always…” Her eyes softened as she stared at him like a mother. “…and happy.”
Then her eyes traveled from his face to my face. “Hello there.” She gave me a warm friendly smile before her eyes moved from my face down to Damon’s hand in my hand.
She blinked for a brief moment before returning her stare to Damon. “This is her?” She asked and Damon nodded.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and tucked me to his side. “Amanda, this is my mother Diana.” He said to me before turning to his mother. “Mom, this is Amanda Sparks, my girlfriend.” He said as he looked down at me with a happy smile.
I didn’t know I was meeting his mother now. He didn’t even bother to warn or inform me. I stared at him, wanting him to look at me. I wanted him to see the confusion on my face, for not telling me about this unexpected introduction to his mother.
But the moment I saw the way his eyes twinkled down at me with pure affection, I couldn’t brought myself to do anything, except to smile at him.
~***~
“I didn’t know I was meeting your mother.” I told him as we walked hand in hand out in the balcony.
The night air was slightly cold in autumn, but not as cold as winter, and it was slightly making me shiver.
Damon moved behind me to wrap his arms around my body. The warmth his body was giving off was better than any winter coat. He rested his chin on my shoulder and kissed the side of my throat. “Don’t you want to meet my mother?” He asked. I could clearly hear the pain in his voice. Oh, I hated making him feel pained.
“Of course not, it’s just that, I am not informed.” I replied.
“I thought you didn’t want to meet my mother.” He let out a breath of relief. “Promise I will inform you next time.” He said before kissing my cheek.
“Your mother seemed happy. I bet she would hate me when she learns that I was a prostitute.”
“Don’t put yourself that low.” He lightly scolded me. He turned me around so we were facing each other, then he looked at me with adoration. “You’re the most perfect girl for me and I love you. And my mother will love you, no matter what your profession was.”
“Okay, I love your mother right now.” I teased.
He suddenly looked at me with sad blue eyes. “I hope I can hear those words too.” He murmured.
“Huh?” I blinked at him. What words was he talking about?
He gave me a small sad smile. “That you love me.” He held and ran his fingers on the side of my face.
I looked at him, mirroring that sad look. If only I could tell him that, I love him. If only nothing was between the two of us. So many ifs were holding back the words from my lips. I just wished they were gone, faded into background, so I could tell to the whole world right in this balcony how much I love Damon Rhodes.
“Can I interrupt?” Damon and I swiveled our heads in unison. Diana Rhodes stood in the balcony like the epitome of grace and elegance. Her blue eyes resembled like Damon’s.
Damon smiled at his mother. “Mom.”
She tilted her head in the same way Damon always did. It was so cute to see her move the same way as her son. “Can I borrow your lovely lady for a second, son?” She asked. Her eyes were wide and a smile tugged the corner of her lips. She really looked like Damon.
“Sure.” Damon answered, and then leaned into me for a kiss on my lips. “I’ll be right back.” He told me before walking back inside the party.
Diana Rhodes moved to stand beside me and we stared out into the dark horizon trying to minimize the awareness that we wer
e in a party and not alone. The sky and surrounding was beautiful and calm, but the butterflies in my stomach were in a rumble. This was the billionaire’s mother standing beside me. She was the mother of the man that I love.
“Thank you.” She disturbed the stretching silence all over us.
She was thanking me? I turned my head to stare at her. “For what Mrs. Rhodes?” I asked. I saw a ghost of smile in her face. “For making my son happy.” She simply said.
“He makes me happy too.” I couldn’t help but smile too.
“I’ve never seen my son smile like that before. It was a novelty for me, and I love it. It suits him better than those designer clothes tailor made for him. His smile is the most beautiful accessory he has, and it was a rare gem too.” She stated. Now I knew where Damon inherited his ability to make words sounded like a romance quotation.
“I love seeing him smile, Mrs. Rhodes.” I replied. I really did love Damon’s smile.
“I know you do. Just promise me you will not break his heart. I know he love you more than anything in this world, I can see it in his eyes.” She turned to face me, and a warm friendly smile brightened her face. “And please, call me Diana.”
Then suddenly I jerked when strong arms snaked around my waist. “I’m claiming my girl back, mom.” Damon announced and then he kissed my cheek.
Diana stared at us with unmasked happiness playing in her blue pools. In her eyes, we probably looked like a newlywed couple. She walked towards Damon and placed her hand on his shoulder giving it a squeeze. “I love you son.”
Damon smiled at his mother. “I love you too mom.” He leaned to Diana and planted a kiss on her cheek without letting go of his arms around me.
“Okay, excuse me I need to hear that gossip Mrs. Robin was about to spill.” Diana pointed her thumb towards the party, before she turned to me. “It’s nice to meet you Amanda. I am hoping that I’ll see you more often starting tonight.” She gave me another smile.
I returned her smile with one of my own. “It’s my pleasure to meet you as well, Diana.”
Unlikely To Fall In Love Page 18
