by Ami Snow
Remembered hurt blazed through her as she recalled the way he had cast her off after having sex with her and made her feel as though she were a piece of trash clinging to his Italian loafers.
“What do you think of this one Ari?” her Mum asked now.
Arianna snapped. “Just get one Mum? I have looked at so many shoes my eyes are in danger of falling out! Will is gonna love you no matter what shoes you’re wearing; just as dad did and your husband before that. So please, just pick a freaking shoe!”
Silence reigned, pregnant and tense as every single person in the vicinity froze. Suddenly there was a bustle of activity as every other shopper suddenly found something more interesting at the other end of the store.
The attendant waiting on them announced brightly, “I’ll just check in the back for more shoes.”
And then she fled, her cheeks flaming.
Penny looked over at her daughter, her eyes sad. “Sit down honey, and tell me what’s been eating you all week.”
Remorse warred with the remnants of Arianna’s anger. Remorse won and she collapsed onto the cushion. Slowly she laid her head on her mom’s shoulder, feeling drained as she said, “I’m so sorry Mum. I really am.”
“I know you are honey,” penny said generously, patting her daughter. “Now tell me what’s been bugging you all week. Is it Santa Fe? You don’t like it?”
“No mum, it’s okay I guess,” Arianna said dully staring at her scuffed sneakers. She was forever refusing to let Will buy her expensive things and he had complained about that severally to no avail.
“Ari, we used to be such close friends. You can tell me anything; I promise I won’t react like a mum.”
Arianna shot her mother an amused disbelieving look and Penny chuckled. “Alright I might but I’ll try to tamper my mum instincts and just be your friend.”
“It’s Dylan,” she admitted in a suffocated voice.
“Did you kids have a fight?” her mother asked kindly, her heart pounding as she waited for her daughter to admit what she had already suspected; it seemed her daughter had feelings for the boy. Well who wouldn’t? He was quite a looker; just like his father.
“Well, sort of,” Arianna said. No way in hell would she tell her mum she had let Dylan add her to the notches on his bedpost. She couldn’t stand to see the inevitable disappointment in his eyes.
“Regarding?”
“Mum! Does it matter?” she asked, lifting her head from her Mum’s shoulder again in her agitation.
“Hush baby, hush,” her mom crooned, patting her and returning her head to its position on her shoulder.
“Mom can we just go home?”
“Do you like him Arianna?” her mum asked, shocking her into silence.
“Uh...yeah.”
“Well in that case, go for it,” the woman suggested impertinently.
Arianna’s head lifted from her mother’s shoulder again, this time in surprise. “He’s my step-brother,” she reminded her, latching onto the first excuse that popped into her head.
“Yes, but not your brother. You aren’t even related by blood. Next?”
“He doesn’t want me,” she admitted dully. “And now lemme guess, this is the part where you’re gonna play the Mum card and tell me that everyone likes me?”
Penny studied her silently for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she said with conviction, “If the way he has been glaring at you from the moment we arrived is any indication, then trust me, he wants you. Next?”
Arianna couldn’t help it, she burst into laughter; her laughter tinkling like bells and filling the room with musical gaiety. Her mother was something else, she decided.
“Mum he does not want me, he told me so himself.”
“Okay now this is the part where I tell you that you are so amazing that there is no man alive who would not want you. I mean you’re smart, funny, intelligent, considerate, beautiful and sweet. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your Mum. It’s the truth.”
“You’re biased,” Arianna accused.
“True,” her mother admitted cheerfully. “So what’s your next objection?”
“I’m a child.”
“At twenty-two? I beg to differ. I had you at twenty-two and the stuff I knew then would have made my mother’s hair curl.”
Arianna laughed at that one. “So what do you think I should do Mother?”
“That’s my girl. I think you should dress hot tonight and attract as many men as you possibly can. When next you see Dylan, ignore him. Make him feel invisible. Men love attention even more than women although they would never admit it. Just let him see that you have other options; but don’t do anything you can’t tell me about.”
“Okay Mum,” Arianna agreed. “But who knows when next I would see Dylan. We’re leaving tomorrow for Manhattan,” she reminded her mother.
“Leave that to me,” Penny said, a wicked glimmer in her cobalt eyes as she grinned at her daughter. “Besides there is something I learned from Will, if a man likes you, he would move heaven and earth just to be with you.”
Something inside Arianna shifted as for the first time in months, she let herself see something that had been right in front of her all this while, “Will makes you happy doesn’t he?”
Penny blushed like a school girl, leaving Arianna’s mouth hanging open. Her mother was truly in love. For the first time in months, she decided to make an effort to like the man who could put that look on her mother’s face.
***
“My girls look stunning!” Will Vanderbilt proclaimed loudly, his face wreathed in a huge grin. He didn’t look sore for once; in fact he looked positively excited with this weird gleam of excitement in his eyes.
Arianna had worn the lovely cocktail dress Will had sent up to her. It was a beautiful teal colour that did wonders for the colour of her eyes; the bodice was peppered with tiny rhinestones and the neckline plunged becomingly to reveal the swell of her breasts.
He had also given her a beautiful set of diamond earrings and a necklace and when she had balked at receiving the expensive gift, he had insisted so gently that she had caved. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she was glad she had. The diamond winked at her throat and ear lobes, making her gown appear even grander than it was. Her hair was caught up in a high, intricate knot atop her head with delicate tendrils escaping to fan the sides of her face and her neck. Her makeup was barely-there and flawless, enhancing her features and making her eyes look even bigger. She had never looked more amazing!
She smiled now at her mother who looked just as ravishing and then she did something she had never done; she walked up to Will and said, “Thanks so much Will for the lovely clothes and diamonds.”
He shrugged looking uncomfortable, “Nonsense. It’s just jewellery.”
Arianna laughed, leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, biting back her grin as he turned beet red.
“Let’s go before you embarrass Will further,” Penny laughed, hooking her arm through her husband’s.
Arianna followed them to the car but as she made to climb into their limousine, a hard hand clamped her arm and a familiar voice grated in her ear, “You ride with me sis; Daddy’s orders.”
She didn’t need to turn around, she knew exactly who it was; Dylan!
CHAPTER FIVE
“Take your arms off me,” she demanded, desperately quelling the butterflies in her stomach and staring straight ahead. She was almost afraid to look at him. What if she made a fool of herself and he saw all her lust shining through her eyes?
“Why?” he chuckled behind her, the sound warm, rich and intoxicating. “So you can make a run for it and hide in Penny’s limo?”
“No, if you’ll take your arms off me you Neanderthal, I’ll put some ice on my arms so I don’t arrive the party bearing the marks of your thoughtlessness.”
He immediately released her cursing softly as he saw the faint imprints of his fingers on her fair skin. “I’m sorry Arianna. I didn’t re
alise. You have such soft, delicate skin.”
She considered that with mingled irritation and amusement; he didn’t realize her skin was so soft even though he had done more than just touch her?
Her silence must have spoken volumes because after an awkward pause, he said, “That didn’t quite come out right. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, turning to face him for the first time; but she saw was so preoccupied with schooling her features that she didn’t notice the way something flared in his eyes when he caught sight of her, and then was quickly checked.
“Where’s your car?”
“What about the ice?”
“If you’re going to be my ride to the damn party, I had rather get it over with sooner than later,” she said unkindly.’
He regarded her with carefully a blank gaze, his cool blue eyes holding her green gaze steadily until she felt the beginnings of a blush start to steal up her face. She was being inexcusably rude. If she wanted to show him he had not hurt her, acting angry was not the way; it would just make her appear needy and insecure, she decided.
Drawing herself up to her full height, she said formally, “That was inexcusably rude Dylan and it won’t happen again. Can we just get to the party?”
He nodded wordlessly and offered her his arm before guiding her to his car.
Arianna sat quietly all through the ride to the Gallery and as soon as Dylan drove up to the entrance, she alighted and made her way with as much dignified haste as she could to the entrance. Before he had handed his keys to the valet and cleared the entryway, she was lost in the crowd of people. He caught sight of her later, her teal gown making her stand out amongst the mass of black apparel.
She was engaged in conversation with some young sap whose eyes were eagerly delving down the bodice of her gown and Dylan caught himself grinding his teeth as he cheerfully pictured throttling the over-ardent gentleman with his own bow-tie.
Arianna laughed musically at something someone had said and for the first time, Dylan noticed that she was surrounded by seven count them, seven young men all vying for her attention.
Anger coursed through him, raw and potent and with a muttered oath, he stalked over to the bar and ordered a shot of whiskey on the rocks.
As the bartender poured his drink, a petite blonde clad in a mini-sheath dress sauntered up to him grinning like a cat staring at a huge bowl of cream. All his senses went on immediate alert. He had been around the block enough times to know when someone was interested in him or his bank account; this one wanted both.
“Hi,” she said in a sonorous voice.
“Hello,” he replied tossing back a glass of his whiskey.
“A whiskey man,” she noted, her blonde curls dancing as she shook her head.
“Anything wrong with that?” he asked with studied politeness. He really didn’t feel like talking but if there was one thing his Mother had taught him before she died it was how to hold his own in a conversation no matter how bored he might be.
“Nothing at all handsome. I’m Diane by the way,” she offered.
“Dylan.”
“You got any surname to go with that?” she asked coyly confirming his suspicion that she knew exactly who he was.
“Listen Diane, I’m sure you’re very nice, but I really just want to be alone,” he said bluntly.
Her grey eyes widened as she said innocently, “You wanted to be alone so you came to a party?”
“Touché,” he grinned.
“I can take a hint though,” she said picking her cosmopolitan from the bar. “The thing is though, if you want to make that girl jealous,” she added tossing her head in the direction of Arianna and her current crop of admirers, “Sitting here nursing a drink is a very poor way to go about it.”
“Wait!” he said, grabbing her hand as she made to walk away. “What?”
“Anyone with eyes can see you have not taken your eyes off her ever since you walked in the door. So either go over there and beg her to forgive you or dance with me and make her come over here.”
Dylan stared into her eyes, really seeing her for the first time. She was very pretty and kind, but she wasn’t Arianna. “Thanks Diane,” he murmured, rising to his feet and leaving the rest of his whiskey untouched on the bar as he matched resolutely towards Arianna.
“Where’s he going?” Penny asked, coming up stealthily behind Diane.
“Where do you think?” the other woman laughed. “By the way you owe me a hundred.”
Penny grinned as she cheerfully dropped two hundred dollars in her friend’s outstretched hand.
Arianna felt the moment came up to her even before he said a word. She had been fighting valiantly to hide her jealousy ever since that svelte blonde walked up to him at the bar; she had failed miserably though because her attention had kept drifting over there, her face getting redder and redder. When Dylan held the blonde’s arm, Arianna had to resist the urge to walk over there and knock the woman’s front teeth in.
“Arianna?” Dylan said now.
Composing her features carefully, she turned to face him.“Yes Dylan?”
“May I have a word please?” he said smiling at her. She was so upset she didn’t notice that the smile never reached his eyes.
“Later perhaps?” she suggested.
“I’m afraid it can’t wait. I need to speak to you now.”
“My friends” she began, gesturing towards the group of men standing around her.
“Will wait!” Dylan interjected, pure steel in his voice as he cast a dismissive glance over the men behind her.
Arianna glared at him then opened her mouth to blast him, but just them she caught her mother’s gaze over his shoulder by the bar. Her mother shook her head slightly, warningly; and suddenly Arianna understood. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. What had her mother done to him?
Her gaze returned to Dylan, “Of course. Excuse me please,” she added, smiling winsomely at the gentlemen she had been standing with.
Dylan led her through a door that had been hitherto unnoticed and then guided her down a lonely corridor to a garden at the back of the building. Her eyes widened as she beheld the beautiful garden. It was awash with lights from some poles and several exotic smelling flowers she could not even name.
“How did you know about this garden?”
“Because I built it. This is my Gallery,” he told her with a careless shrug.
Arianna’s eyes widened. He was into arts too?
“It’s beautiful,” she told him. “Why didn’t your dad tell me we were coming to your Gallery?”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come if you knew I would be here.”
“But you showed up at the house,” she reminded him.
“I had to see you. I couldn’t wait.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Arianna, relationships are not an easy thing for me,” he told her guiding her onto a bench.
“Okay. Why are you telling me this?”
“After I left home last week, I told myself I was leaving to go and do business, forget you, lose myself in some woman. But I couldn’t. I was miserable.”
“Why?”
His blue gaze clashed with hers as he admitted, “I’m in love with you Arianna.”
Arianna stared at him, transfixed, afraid to hope, afraid to believe.
“I love you Arianna,” he repeated. “I have been in love with you from the first moment I saw you.”
“No Dylan, you resented me. You ignored me every chance you got.”
“Because I was fighting what I knew to be true. I can’t help the way I feel about you,” he added.
His blue eyes blazed sincerity back at her and Arianna felt the world tilt as she digested what she had heard. Dylan loved her! “I love you too,” she told him, smiling into his eyes.
With a loud groan that was part triumph, part torture, Dylan leaned over and took Arianna’s lips in a kiss that was passionate, tender, and intense. He kissed her expertly,
melding her lips with his as they clung to each other.
His lip trailed to her collarbone and his tongue flicked out and licked her skin. It was slow torture. Arianna twisted against him as her hands greedily caressed every inch of his back. His large, warm hands slid underneath her shirt and caressed her belly. His other arm snaked beneath her back and arched her spine. Her breasts thrust upwards even more and he opened his mouth over her nipple, sucking her through the fine fabric of her gown.
Dylan’s hand lifted the long hem of her gown slowly, until her bare laps were exposed and then he gently caressed the soft skin, wrenching a moan of pleasure from her lips.
“Ari, I can’t wait. I want to make love to you,” he crooned in her ear.
“Yes!”
“Í want to feel you closing around me. You’re tight as a fist,” he whispered as he slowly dipped one long finger into her tight, vagina.
“You’re not wearing panties,” he noted.
“I wanted to be ready in case you decided to stop avoiding me,” she replied, rubbing against him and arching into his palm at her core.
His chuckle was low and dark. “Bad girl.”
Dylan leaned her back against the bench, placing her legs on either side and effectively opening her wide.
Arianna moaned, spreading herself for him as he freed his hard arousal. His eyes held hers, love shining from them so brightly that she felt warmed by the sheer force of it.
Slowly, he entered her, his hands holding her hips still to receive him. He began to move, thrusting in and out of her as his thumb caressed her soft, wet clitoris. Pleasure coursed through Arianna as she moaned mindlessly in his arms.
He deepened his thrusts, sheathing himself in her to the hilt and Arianna mindlessly clung to him, urging him on as he drove faster into her. A mellow sensation unfurled in her stomach. Then it began to spread faster, gaining momentum with every second as Dylan grunted his increasing pleasure above her.
