by Jenika Snow
“They’re beautiful.”
“They’re not the only thing that is beautiful in my home.” He turned her around and gave her this very cocky smile. It was one she had seen plenty of times with Rian. “I saw you alone, wandering the halls and admiring the artwork. You aren’t like the other snobs at the party.” He grinned again.
Oh. Ok. Wow. This guy was totally hitting on her, and she was at a loss for words right now.
“I’m Dominic Adroniv the Third.” He took her hand before she could react and brought it to his mouth for a soft kiss. “Tell me, why are you here alone…” He lifted his eyebrow.
“Sorcha, my name is Sorcha Case.”
“Sorcha, Irish in origin and meaning light.”
That took her back a step. “Yes, that’s correct.”
His smile was so darkly handsome that it actually made her slightly uncomfortable. “So, Sorcha, why are you here alone?”
“I’m not actually.”
That had him looking amused. “Well, then the man that accompanied you doesn’t deserve your attention if he left you alone.”
“I actually wanted to go to the restroom, and got caught up in all the artwork.” She stared into his dark eyes and then looked over at where she knew Rian was. His back was to her, but he was now engaged with several other men in conversation. “I’m actually here with him.”
He turned and looked at where Rian stood, and as if her cocky bastard of a man that was driving her mind and heart wild heard them, he turned and stared at them.
Dominic retreated a step and clasped his hands behind his back. “Ah, Mr. Rian Hartford, the devil of the corporate world.” Dominic sounded a bit impressed when speaking about Rian. “He plays hardball, but I’m glad to say I have him in my court.”
“That he certainly does.” She instantly felt her cheeks heat, because the thoughts that had entered her mind were less than innocent. Dominic cleared his throat, and she snapped her head toward him.
“I certainly don’t try to pick up women that are already taken, especially by Rian. Please accept my apology for trying to woo you with my Fabergé egg charm.”
She chuckled softly and glanced down. “It was a very nice charm, just for the record.”
He smiled and bowed, actually bowed to her in that old-world gentlemanly way. “With that I’ll leave you to enjoy the artwork, and just so you know,” he pointed to door off to the side. “The bathroom, for when you’re finished.” He bowed again, and then turned and left her alone.
She looked at Rian again, saw that he watched her with curiosity and with a hint of heat, and then his attention was drawn toward the men speaking to him again. She glanced at the eggs again, stared at the detail put into each one, and then finally turned to the bathroom.
She pushed open the door and stared at the marble gold and white opulence. Clearly this Dominic man did not skimp on the price tag when it came to decorating his place, even the bathroom. After using the facility she went to the sink and washed her hands. After drying them she stared at her reflection in the mirror, surprised her hair was still in the same perfectly placed up-do as when she first got it, and for the first time in her life she actually felt as beautiful as Rian said she was. Of course she didn’t think she was ugly, but what woman didn’t have off days where they looked at themselves in the mirror and thought they looked like death run over twice? The bathroom door opened, and before Sorcha could see who it was the woman started speaking.
“I wondered where you went off to.” The woman that spoke was gorgeous and svelte, and had a body that was tight and toned. Her blonde hair was left down and flowing, and her lips were bright red, which matched her dress. In a nutshell she was gorgeous and perfect, and the type of woman that annoyed Sorcha.
“Excuse me? Do I know you?” Sorcha turned around and stared at the blonde. No, she had never seen the woman, especially not if she ran in these kind of circles.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest, which popped out her breasts. “No, we’ve never met, but you’re seeing a man that isn’t yours.” The woman curled her lip in disgust and glanced up and down Sorcha. “I’m Beatrice,” she lifted a perfectly plucked eyebrow, “and Rian belongs with me.”
Oh. Okay, this was awkward, as clearly this was the woman Rian had gotten the text message from. “I’m Sorcha—”
“Save it. I know every woman wants Rian. He’s quite the catch, wealthy and comes from a good family, but you and I need to get something straight.” The woman stepped forward. “He has commitment issues, and because of that I am giving him a little bit of breathing room.”
Sorcha knitted her brows when the woman stepped forward once more. They were only inches from each other now. “I think you misunderstand what is going on here.”
Beatrice shook her head. “No, I didn’t misunderstand anything. You’re just another one of his sluts that he’ll get rid of when he gets bored.”
Anger filled Sorcha, and she curled her hands into fist by her sides. This woman insulted her, yet she knew nothing about her. “Kind of like you, right?” Sorcha lifted her eyebrow in return and smiled when Beatrice’s face went red.
“How dare you? Do you know who I am?”
“I don’t give a shit who you are. Clearly you don’t know who I am.” Sorcha took a step closer, and although she wanted to slap this bitch, she wasn’t going to. “Now back the fuck up, and when Rian gets ‘bored’ with me, he’s all yours.” Sorcha hated saying that, because her feelings for Rian had grown, and thinking about him with another woman, especially this Medusa type one, hurt. But she didn’t need this shit. She moved by Beatrice and left the bathroom. Halfway down the hallway she was yanked to a stop, spun around, and then Beatrice was in her face.
“I can tolerate Rian sowing his oats until he realizes that I am the woman for him. I’ve been watching him do it for years, waiting for my time when he’d finally see me, and I’m not about to let some poor bitch that can’t even handle her bills, who is a secretary for Rian, get in the way of me being with him.”
Sorcha’s anger rose, and she tried to control herself, but she just couldn’t, not anymore. “Seems like you’re just like every other woman he’s fucked, and then tossed out.” She was so much better than this, better than arguing with this petty bitch, but there were some things that she just couldn’t control, and being insulted by this rich bitch was pushing it. “You’re nothing but a snob.” Sorcha gritted her teeth, but before she could say anything else, or walk away, which was the smart thing to do, Beatrice slapped her right across the face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed off the walls and cathedral style ceilings, but it was the sudden deathly silence that filled and surrounded Sorcha. She cupped her cheek on instinct, felt her rage grow as the blood rushed to the point of abuse, and knew that if it came down to it she’d beat this bitch’s ass. Instead of taking the bait she turned and left.
“Sorcha,” Rian said in this concerned voice.
She walked by him and shook off his hold when he tried to stop her. “Please, Rian. I can’t stay here. I just need to be alone for a little bit, gather my thoughts.” She wasn’t trying to be a bitch to him, or push him away from how she felt. But everything Beatrice said struck her deep, and all she needed was a little alone time. Yes, she was running, but there was nothing wrong with that on occasion.
“Please, Sorcha baby,” he said in this pained voice, and she wanted to just run in his arms, but she refrained.
“I just need a minute, Rian. We’ll talk later.”
He clenched his jaw, but nodded. It looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded. Surely he knew what it meant to need some time alone. She headed right out the front door and found the limo they had come in parked a ways down. The driver stood beside it, and she walked toward him. He saw her approach and straightened, looked behind her probably for Rian, but she just climbed in the back seat without his help.
“Miss?” he said and leaned down to look in the open doorway.
She
wanted to go home, to her home, but instead she looked at him and told him to take her to Rian’s place. He looked at her cheek, probably saw a handprint covering it, but she just turned her head away and told him without words to get the fuck moving and stop gawking.
God, she wanted Rian more than she had ever wanted another man. But if he cared for her as much as she thought he did, as much as she saw in his face as he looked at her, could she really live in this kind of lifestyle?
Chapter Fourteen
Rian wanted to go with her, to follow Sorcha out and talk to her. He had seen part of the altercation between Beatrice and Sorcha, but Beatrice was lucky Sorcha hadn’t kicked her ass, because his woman could have taken her easily. He fumed that Beatrice had confronted her, and hit her, and he wasn’t going to stand by and let this slide. Of course he had known Beatrice would be here, because her family ran in the same circles as he did. But to think she’d stoop this low, actually hit Sorcha because of her jealousy, pissed Rian off.
“Excuse me.” Rian excused himself from the stockbrokers he spoke to and made his way toward Beatrice, who was now speaking with another socialite. He stopped behind her, so angry he was squeezing the champagne glass so tightly he thought he might shatter it. The woman Beatrice was speaking with straightened and looked at him, clearly sensing his rage, and excused herself.
Beatrice turned around and stared at him with this bored expression on her face. “Rian, I take it you saw that little show?” she said and glanced around, clearly not caring how shit went down.
“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he said in a low voice, and took hold of her arm to lead her away from the crowd that was making their way toward them. He pulled her toward a secluded corner, and didn’t hide his anger for her.
“Rian, calm down. I did you a favor. I know she is your secretary, and that you have a hard-on for your staff, but she is nothing but trash.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve told you before, and will tell you again, being with me will make our families strong, Rian.”
“Just shut the fuck up, Beatrice.” His hands shook with his rage. “How dare you think you can put your hands on anyone, especially Sorcha, all because you have this dramatized fantasy in your head that what we did for a couple of weeks was more than just fucking.”
Her cheeks turned red, and she pursed her lips. “I’m not a fool to think it wasn’t just about sex for you, and honestly it was for me, too.” She took a step closer to him. “But after those couple of weeks I started to feel more for you, and although it certainly isn’t love, it certainly is enough to start something.”
“There is nothing between us, and even if I had entertained the thought, your little act of assault sealed the deal that I don’t want you.”
The anger faded from her face, and she exhaled. “I’m not apologizing for what I did, but you have to know that I cared about you, and then you just discarded me like I was nothing.”
Although he was angry with her and wanted nothing more to do with her, he couldn’t deny that her words reminded him of what Sorcha had told him in the car when they had gone shopping in the city. He sighed, ran a hand over his hair, and tried to get his annoyance under control. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way, I really am. That wasn’t my intention, Beatrice, but nothing is going to change who and what I am.” He said those words, and although he meant them, he also knew that he had hurt her. “I’m sorry I made you feel like that, but I never led you on, Beatrice. I told you up front what it was we were doing, and you thought the same. You only wanted the sex, but then you turned into this crazy woman that hits women that are innocent in all of this. Because you’re jealous, Beatrice, and that is low.”
She didn’t respond for several seconds, but then narrowed her eyes, and he knew she was gearing up to throw one hell of a hissy fit. “You would rather spend your time with a low class employee than a woman like me?”
Rian had apologized for making her feel like she wasn’t worth his time, but she kept stepping over the line. “You’re acting like a snob.” He was about to leave and let her stew in her own self-hatred and annoyance, but she started speaking again.
“If you want a piece of cheap tail, fine, but you and I both know that she couldn’t give you what I can.”
“And what the fuck would that be?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.
“A pure line of children, without lower-class blood.”
And with that he cursed under his breath and stalked away from her. Fuck her, fuck this situation, and fuck him trying to block out his emotions for Sorcha.
****
Sorcha slowly opened her eyes, the heavy feeling of someone watching her drawing her out of her sleep. After the drama at the dinner party, of Beatrice slapping her across the face, and of Sorcha having the strength to walk away and not retaliate, she had lain in bed and stared at the ceiling. It had only been a couple of hours, but the ride alone had taken most of that time, especially with the heavy downtown traffic. She hadn’t even waited for Rian, hadn’t called him or even wanted him to come after her. This wasn’t her life, wasn’t her battle to fight. She had her own problems, her own issues that didn’t have to do with a man she was only fucking for a week’s time, and the bitches that wanted to keep him for themselves. As far as Sorcha was concerned they could have Rian.
But after that thought she felt this tightening in her gut. All she could think about was the talk they had in the car, of the way she felt after laying it out there for him. Could she really be caring about the softer side of Rian Hartford? Better she block out any and all emotion that had to do with wanting Rian for more than sex, because those emotions would end up getting her hurt in the long run.
Sorcha had been surprised she had fallen asleep anyway, especially with how much adrenaline had been pumping through her veins. She turned and stared blurry-eyed at the clock. It was early, and although she knew Rian hadn’t followed her, for whatever reason, she knew he’d be coming soon. The moonlight shone through the window, almost iridescent as it illuminated the room. The feeling of still being watched drew her away from her thoughts, and she pushed herself up into a sitting position and glanced around. At first she didn’t see anything, but then she glanced at the doorway and her heart stopped. The large body standing there motionless was shrouded by shadows. Sorcha held the sheet to her body, as if covering herself from Rian’s penetrating gaze; despite the fact she was in a tank and pair of cotton shorts. She didn’t know how to feel, especially when he took a step into the room, and shut the door behind him.
“I should have gone after you, but I stayed to speak with Beatrice and clear everything up.” He turned his back to her and started taking off his tux.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” she said softly. In all honesty she didn’t want to talk about it.
He glanced over his shoulder at her as he removed his bowtie, but he didn’t respond. When his jacket was off he started removing his cufflinks, wristwatch, and then took his shirt off. The power in his back, of the way his muscles contracted and relaxed with his movements, of course had heat filling her. She turned away, because she didn’t need this right now. After a few minutes, and the sound of clothing ruffling, she felt the heat of Rian’s body. With a hand on her shoulder, he turned her so she was forced to watch him. There he stood, in nothing but a pair of low hanging lounge pants. Sorcha was at least thankful he hadn’t just jumped into bed naked and expected her to fuck him after what had happened. He sat on the edge of the bed, kept his hand on her arm, but glanced down at the ground, as if he didn’t want to look at her face.
“I want to apologize for the way Beatrice acted tonight. She was drunk, and she let her emotions get the better of her.” He looked at her then, but the way he was positioned, and the fact the light came through the window, blocked out the front half of him in shadows. “I made sure you got home okay, but I figured you’d want a little time to yourself.”
He paused for a moment. “So that’s why I didn’t rush back here and say all of this.”
She licked her lips, not sure what to say, so she just kept her mouth shut.
“But I don’t want to just apologize for the way Beatrice acted, because it was my actions that pushed her to that point.”
“She controls how she acts.” Sorcha appreciated that he was apologizing, but he also was a firm believer in taking responsibility for her own actions. Beatrice might have been drunk, but she decided to confront Sorcha, she had dug up in Sorcha’s personal life, and she was the one that had lifted her hand and hit her. “But I am glad you took some responsibility in your own actions.” She smiled, but she was still on edge about how the night played out.
He nodded and started rubbing his hand up and down her bare arm. “I told her that I was sorry for making her feel less than what she was, because if I had been more considerate of others’ feelings instead of my own, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
“And you realized that now?”
He shrugged. “Pretty fucking crazy, huh?” He turned so his back was to her again, and stared out the balcony windows. “But I realized,” he glanced at her, “and yes, in the short time it took for you to knock some sense into my arrogant ass, that I do live a selfish life.” He exhaled, and before he could turn away from her again she sat up once more.
Sorcha didn’t know if she should be gladder that he finally realized what a total ass he was, or that he was actually admitting it to her out loud. “Is she okay?”
He turned toward her again, and she saw the way he knitted his brows. “Why would you care? She hit you, assaulted you, and said some pretty hateful things.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, she did all of that, and was a mega bitch, but what can I do about it?” She swallowed at the intensity of his stare. “Besides, I’m only in this with you for seven days, remember? What is the point of getting all up in arms when I won’t be in your life permanently, like she thinks?”
