by Kira Blakely
“Don’t worry, Gemma. It’s just a party, nothing more. And didn’t I promise you I’ll show you a bit of LA?” he said, smiling at me through his reflection in the mirror.
Couldn’t he read my face? Couldn’t he see how desperately I didn’t want to go? Being exposed in public like that? I’d had a hard time as it was, trying to keep myself well-mannered around him. What was I supposed to do around other people?
“Vincent, really, I don’t know…” I began to say, but he interrupted me again.
“If you’re worried about what you’ll wear, I have a surprise waiting for you on the bed,” he said, smiling at me. He had a surprise for me? When did he have the time to stop for a dress?
“Now, time for a quick shower and then we’ll be on our way. C’mon out of the bathtub, lazy bones,” he said, raising his brows mockingly at me.
How could I possibly resist a man who looked at me like that?
Chapter 21
Gemma
The dress that Vincent bought me fit me like a glove. I had never even seen a dress like that in person before, let alone actually worn one. It was a beautiful red silk with thin shoulder straps and a plunging neckline. The skirt ballooned from my waist and made a rustling sound with every step I took. He had even bought a pair of shoes that went with the dress, black velvet stilettos in two separate sizes, because he wasn’t sure which one would fit.
He was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and turned to look up when I started descending. Tim was there, too, and both men had wide smiles on their faces. I had tied my hair up in a loose bun on the side of my head so that a few wispy black curls fell free around my face. Vincent had left a new bag of makeup and a box with small diamond ear studs on the dressing table for me to use.
The result was stunning when I looked at myself in the mirror for the final once-over. The red lipstick I had picked matched the dress and made the color on my cheeks pop. I’d lined my eyes with jet black kohl, which made my eyes glow and dance. The diamond earrings shone brilliantly with every ray of light. I felt like a princess. A nervous princess, and I could feel my hands shaking as I climbed down the stairs toward Vincent.
The smile he had on his face then was very different from ones I’d seen before. He nearly looked prideful. What did he have to be proud about? Me? I was convinced that I looked like an amateur in this dress. I had no idea how to carry this look off.
Vincent looked struck, his dimples deepening as he held out a hand to me.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Gemma.” He leaned in to whisper in my ear. I blushed a deep red… just like my dress. He led me out of the house, where the black Mercedes was waiting for us. Vincent opened the door for me before he walked around and we were sitting back in the car together.
I was uncomfortable in the dress, still apprehensive about going to this party and meeting his old buddies. What did he plan on telling his friends? Who was he going to introduce me as?
We rode in relative silence, and Vincent held my hand tightly on his lap. Besides the nervousness I was feeling, guilt had also overtaken my body. My mother’s voice kept floating back into my head, my embarrassment of the trailer park, my knowledge that Vincent didn’t know the truth about me. It all came flooding in. What was I doing? What had I gotten myself into?
When the car stopped, my limbs froze. Vincent left my side to come around and open the door for me again. I was breathing in and out harshly, trying to steady my heartbeat. Vincent held out his hand again and when I stepped out, I noticed the bright lights at the entrance of the building we were about to enter.
“This is going to be a great night, Gemma. Thank you for accompanying me,” he said as I clung to him. I was anxious to get this over with. Everything was new and foreign to me. The heels were making me uncomfortable, and I was conscious of the plunging neckline on the dress. I almost felt dizzy as I walked beside him.
“Vincent.” I said in a whisper, and he turned to me. He was in a dashing tuxedo, his dark hair and eyes matching the blackness of his clothes. He towered over me, and his arm was strong and muscular where I was holding him.
“Yes?” he said in a carefree voice, bending his head down so his ear was aligned to my mouth. I forgot what I was going to say. I didn’t even remember if I had anything to say. Everything was overwhelming, especially the grand room that we had just entered.
Dim lights in crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and a classical band was up on a stage at the end of the room, playing music I had never heard before. Everyone was smartly dressed, everyone looked richer and more polished than I could ever be. Vincent led me through the groups of people and was smiling at them all, thumping the backs of some.
I wanted to call out to him again. I wanted to go back home. I was suddenly homesick and felt very out of place. I was convinced that everyone was looking at me, at how ridiculous I looked in that beautiful dress.
“There they are! Come, meet my friends,” Vincent said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I could feel pearls of sweat forming on my forehead as Vincent let my hand go so he could walk ahead of me. I tried to hurry behind him, carefully on my heels, but he had gone far ahead of me. I was ready to simply sink to the floor and collapse in a heap. The dress felt like a prison. The room felt like a prison. The music sounded very loud.
“Chicken liver pate, madam?” I turned around to find a uniformed server holding up a silver platter in front of my face.
“What?” I snapped, my face burning up.
“Chicken liver pate?” the man repeated, while I stared at him blankly. I had no idea what he was saying.
“Gemma, over here.” Vincent’s voice made me turn around, and I found him standing with a group of people and waving. The others had their curious faces turned to me as well.
***
“These are my friends from college, Casper and Nash. And these fine ladies are their better halves, Lily and Bonnie respectively. Guys, meet Gemma,” Vincent said by way of introduction. I stood flushed and unsteady next to Vincent, trying to disappear into myself, while the others scrutinized me with narrowed eyes.
Casper and Nash were both handsome. Did Vincent know anyone who was remotely plain looking? The two women looked elegant and refined in their dresses. They’d probably gone to dozens of parties like this one.
“Hello, Gemma, so pleased to meet you.” Lily stuck out a hand toward me. She was smiling and tucked in some auburn curls behind her ears.
“Hi,” I mumbled, barely meeting her gaze. I felt like they were all trying to judge me, closely studying every inch of my body so they could figure out if I was worth being seen with Vincent.
“How long has Vincent kept you hidden from us?” Bonnie said, placing a small warm hand on my bare arm. I knew she was trying to be friendly, but I felt an itching urge to pull my arm away from her.
“Not very long, Bonnie, don’t worry. We only just met,” Vincent replied and I noticed the way he glanced smilingly at his two best friends. Casper and Nash looked at each other and then back at me. I could tell that they were surprised to see me here.
“Where did you two meet?” Nash finally asked. His voice was cool and deep, but I detected a tone of suspicious curiosity. He was interrogating me.
“At home. In my hometown in Washington, Carlow Ridge,” I fumbled and dropped my gaze to the floor. I could sense that they were all still looking at me.
“Where you went for your quiet vacation?” Casper asked Vincent with a laugh in his voice. I shot my head up to look at them, and Lily cut in.
“Oh, leave them alone. We’re just happy to see Vincent attending a social gathering with a plus-one for a change,” she said and some of them laughed.
Vincent was laughing, too, but I could only smile.
I had finally mustered the courage to meet their eyes, and I was holding their gazes with all the strength that I had in me. This was other-worldly, too far away from home. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be able to do it.
; “So, what do you do, Gemma?” Nash asked, taking a sip of his drink. I exchanged a look with Vincent, but he only had a smile on his face. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. What he wanted me to say.
“I work at a diner… I used to work at a diner. I just lost my job,” I said and immediately knew that I should have been diplomatic about it. This wasn’t something that any of them wanted to hear. They looked like successful professionals, sophisticated and well educated.
“I worked at a cafe once, when I was in college. It can be good fun and the tips are great,” Lily said with a laugh and rolled her eyes. I noticed the way Casper leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek. They exchanged a tender look that told me that they were madly in love and had a steady strong relationship. Vincent and I were the only ones here who were just having a fling. The only ones who were just fucking.
“Gemma is studying to get into med school actually,” Vincent said, bringing the conversation back around to me so that I was blushing again.
“Med school! That’s impressive,” Nash commented and Bonnie nodded, smiling indulgently at me like I was a child. Nash and Bonnie were holding hands, and I noticed the sparkling diamond engagement ring on her finger. Why had Vincent brought me here? To show me a taste of his life so that I could feel miserable about it?
“Yeah, but I’m probably not going to get in,” I blurted and all eyes were on me again.
“You can’t second guess yourself like that, Gemma,” Vincent said, turning to me with a supportive smile. I was suddenly very angry with him. For subjecting me to this torture. For making me feel so uncomfortable. What did he know about me that made him so sure that I would get in? He didn’t even know where I lived, who I lived with.
I turned my lips down at him and breathed in deeply.
“Med school is hard to get into, but I’m sure you’re preparing well for it,” Casper said, in support of his friend. I shot a look at him, before looking back at Vincent again. I wanted to scream and tell him that I didn’t belong here, that this was all an act. But I was holding it in, ready to burst.
“She’ll have her pick of colleges soon,” Vincent said, turning to me. I was burning up while he looked proudly at me. How did he know if I’d get into med school? How did he know if anything I’d told him was the truth? He placed a hand on the small of my back, but I was imploding inside and I stepped away from him with a jerk, so that his hand fell from my back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows immediately furrowed.
I lifted the sides of my flowing dress up with both my hands and kicked off my heels before I started running away from them. I didn’t care who saw me running, how many rules of decorum I was breaking, but I needed to get out of there.
This was the third time I was making a run for it, but this time what I was feeling was different. I wasn’t just escaping Vincent Stoltz; I was escaping my dreams, too. All the emotions, the guilt and the embarrassment of the last three days had piled up in one big heap, and it was like finally someone had set fire to it inside me.
Chapter 22
Gemma
“Gemma!” Vincent called from behind me.
I had burst through the doors of the building and out into the parking lot lined with expensive shining cars. My feet were bare as I ran out with my dress hitched up, and I hadn’t expected Vincent to follow me. Not now, after the way I had undoubtedly embarrassed him.
Within moments of entering the parking lot, I knew I had nowhere to go. It was an enclosed space, a dead end, and he was going to corner me.
“Gemma, please stop, this is ridiculous,” he said in a calm unruffled voice. When I whipped around, I found him standing several feet away from me, his hands thrust into the pockets of his tailor-made pants. His brows were crossed, and his black eyes were narrowed at me. If he was angry, he wasn’t showing it.
“I really just want to go home,” I cried, letting go of my dress. It fell with a swoosh around me.
“I’ll take you home if you want to go. You should have just said so, I didn’t mean for you to be uncomfortable here,” he said, in a soft voice that oozed kindness. His composure seemed to make me angrier. I didn’t feel like I deserved his decency.
“I mean, I want to go to my home. Carlow Ridge. I want to go back to Carlow Ridge. This was a big mistake,” I said with my nostrils flared, my chest heaving from my heavy breathing.
“What was a big mistake?” Vincent asked, and I noticed the way his eyes sparkled. His shoulders were broad and strong under his jacket; he was clenching his jaw. He was so handsome, and I knew I didn’t deserve him. I had been lying to him all this while.
“Coming here with you. Just taking off, thinking that it would be all right,” I said, shaking my head.
Vincent remained where he was; he hadn’t made a move in my direction.
“I don’t understand what has changed so suddenly. We were having fun some time ago. I thought you would be excited about this party, to meet my friends,” he said, a look of confusion taking over his face. Was he losing his patience? He should be.
“No, I’m not excited. I wasn’t excited. I thought it would be a chance to get away from my home, but it isn’t. I don’t belong here,” I spat out, trying to control the surge of tears rising in my throat.
Vincent remained silent, fixing a harsh gaze on my face. He was trying to figure out the meaning of what I was saying.
“Don’t you see how different our worlds are? You saw my town, where I grew up. How could I possibly fit in here?” I cried, one fat tear now rolling down my cheek.
He sighed and then shook his head gently. “I wasn’t expecting you to fit in, Gemma. I invited you here because I wanted to spend time with you. I didn’t want you to change or adapt to my world,” he said quietly.
I was glaring at him, shaking from disbelief. I didn’t want to buy what he was selling. A man who lived like this, looked like this… a man who could have anything he wanted; why would he want me?
“And you’re wrong, Gemma. I don’t know your home. I haven’t seen where you’ve grown up. I don’t expect you to show me or tell me about it if you don’t want to. I don’t care about your past; that is not why I wanted to be with you,” he said after a few seconds of silence, after I hadn’t replied to anything that he was saying. I was afraid to ask him why he wanted to be with me. I couldn’t imagine a possible reason.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in there,” I said, wiping the tear from my cheek. Vincent shook his head. I was embarrassed again for making a scene.
“Don’t worry about it. They’re just my friends, and I don’t think anybody else noticed or cared,” he said, taking a step toward me.
I wanted to be in his arms, lay my head against his chest. I had never needed somebody as much as I needed to feel his touch right then. But I was ashamed of myself, of my behavior. Especially because he was being so kind and understanding.
“Why do you keep running away from me?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Vincent,” I replied, my lips quivering. I was still fighting back tears. “This has never happened to me before,” I told him truthfully.
“Do you want to just go back to my place? This party is a bore anyway,” he said and stretched out an arm toward me.
I gulped and nodded. “I guess I’m just tired,” I squeaked, making a lame excuse. The truth was that I just wanted to be alone with him, even if we spent the next hours in complete silence.
“Let’s go get the car; we’ve had a busy few days,” he said and I walked toward him. When I felt his hand on my back, that electric current shot down my spine again. But it also made me calm.
We were walking toward the front of the building in silence. Neither of us wanted to really speak, especially not me. I knew he was being a gentleman, the perfect host, and I wondered if he’d ever want to see me again after the way I’d acted.
Chapter 23
Vincent
We rode silently in my car, with some space between us. Eve
ry time I looked over, I could see that she had her face turned away from me, looking out into the streets. I could still see her reflection in the mirror though. Her small button nose, her luscious red lips that matched the color of her dress exactly. Her hair framed her face in a halo of dark curls, and her eyes looked exhausted. She looked paler than usual, especially here in California, but I couldn’t help but be transfixed by her unearthly beauty. But seeing her in that dress, her legs crossed demurely over each other, her hands clutched together on her lap. I was filled with guilt for bringing her here; this wasn’t the Gemma Ramsey I had met in that small mountain town. This was someone else, someone I was forcing her to be.
I looked away from her, breathing in her scent in our closed space. She wasn’t the only one who was confused; she wasn’t the only one this was happening to for the first time. I had never felt this way before either. My friends were right. When was the last time I had brought a date to a formal social event where I knew all my friends were going to be? With Gemma, I hadn’t even given it a second thought. I’d wanted her there; I’d wanted all my friends to meet her. Even though the truth was that even I didn’t know her well enough yet.
What would my family think of her? My mind drifted immediately to the sense of duty my parents had always instilled in me. The two women Mother had selected for me were from distinguished Russian aristocratic families. A marriage with one of them would merge our lineages and expand our wealth and name.
Mother insisted it wasn’t an arranged marriage. Especially since I had dated both the girls briefly, sometime during my college years. So many girls had come after them I couldn’t even remember my time with either of them. What was it? Sarah for a couple of dates, and Maria some weeks? Hardly relationships.
She shifted in her seat beside me. When our eyes met, she blushed and looked away. I could see that she was feeling guilty. She was embarrassed for running out like that. She thought she had dragged me away from the party, from my friends. I wanted to reach out to her and touch her, hold her hand, stroke her hair. Anything to make her feel better. But I knew I should give her space. What was it that she was so ashamed of? What was she running away from?
