"Do you like it?" My question hung in the air unanswered as his eyes roamed over my body.
"Next dress." His terse tone shocked me and even annoyed me a little bit. He can be such a jerk sometimes.
We went through this routine for each dress, and each time Joshua still did not answer me. Finally, on dress number 18, he said something. It was a dark pink strapless Valentino full-length gown. It hugged me in all the right places and it was my favorite so far.
"That's it. That's the one." Joshua got up, walked over to me and led me to the full-length mirror. He stood behind me as we looked in the mirror together.
"This is beautiful on you Sarah. You look stunning." His warm breath on my neck sent tingles down my back. "One of the best hairstylists and make-up artists in the Beverly Hills will be here tomorrow to help you get ready."
He turned me around to face him. He slowly ran a finger down my arm and leaned in to whisper to me. "I am going to have my eye on you all night. Remember, you belong to me."
I looked him right in the eye and said the words I knew he wanted to hear.
"Yes sir."
CHAPTER 7
My hairstylist did a beautiful job and my makeup artist was putting the finishing touches on my lipstick when there was a knock at my door. She opened the door for me and Joshua stood there looking gorgeous and dashing in his tuxedo. He was perfection head to toe. So beautiful. I was really looking forward to this party.
"You look beautiful Sarah." I saw the guarded yearning in his eyes and wanted to put my arms around him.
I smiled at him wishing so badly we could be a real couple. I'll just have to cherish the time we have together.
"Thank you." I started to feel nervous as he held his gaze on me and my throat felt dry. We had to get to the party or I was going to want to attack him right there in front of my makeup artist.
"Shall we go?" Joshua held out his arm for me and I happily put mine through his. As we walked down the winding staircase to the party, I felt so beautiful standing beside Joshua. My gown fell perfectly around my feet as I glided down the stairs. Vivienne was the first person I saw as we joined the party and she looked green with envy.
"Sarah, how lovely you look." Her forced smile did not fool me. I can fake it too sweetheart.
"You're too kind Vivienne. You look stunning, I love your dress." I flashed her a smile that should have won an award. "Where is Jake?"
"Did I hear my name?” He leaned down to kiss me on my cheek. “Sarah, you take my breath away. You look gorgeous."
Jake was so sweet and I could see that Vivienne was nearly pouting. She’s boring and a brat? I don't know how he deals with that.
"Jake you're too sweet. Thank you kind sir." I gave him a mock curtsy as he chuckled at me. Vivienne was now seething.
"Joshua, dashing as always."
"I can say the same thing to you my favorite brother."
"Your only brother," Jake chuckled.
I really enjoyed the comfortable banter between them and it was evident that they cared about each other. No sibling rivalry at all. It was so refreshing.
"Shall we go find mother?" Joshua led the way as we all walked over to Bunny.
"Happy birthday mother! You don't look a day over 35." Joshua leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Yes mother, you are ageless and you look beautiful. Happy birthday!" Jake leaned down and gave his mother a kiss.
Bunny was beaming with pride.
"My two handsome sons. I'm so happy you're here to celebrate with me." She gave them a big hug. As she stepped back, she glanced at Vivienne.
"Vivienne." That's all she said! Wow, she really does not like that girl!
“Happy birthday Bunny.” Vivienne looked embarrassed.
Then Bunny looked at me and a huge smile spread across her face.
"Sarah, you look absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for being here." Bunny gave me a big hug.
"Thank you Bunny. I am so happy to be here to celebrate with you. Happy birthday!"
"Please help yourselves to refreshments. The waiters are making their way around the ballroom with trays of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of wine and champagne. I must go mingle with the guests!" And off she went. Bunny looked like such a social butterfly and she seemed very happy.
I turned to Joshua and Jake. "Your mother seems to be in her element."
"She loves to entertain. I think throwing parties is her favorite past time."
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the golden boy and his groupies."
Ethan's sarcastic voice rang out behind us. As we turned Joshua put his hand on the small of my back. Ethan was sneering at Joshua. Even with that nasty look on your face you are so damned good-looking. This family has incredible genes!
I could feel Joshua stiffen. I looked up at him and his jaw was clenched, his face like stone.
"Ethan. I hope you're staying out of trouble." Joshua's tone was cordial yet firm as he shook his hand.
"Of course dear cousin. I wouldn't dare start any trouble at my adoring aunt's birthday party."
I could see that Ethan's cocky smirk put Joshua on edge. Jake stepped in to smooth things over.
"Ethan, let's go grab a drink."
Ethan seemed to be placated by Jake and he walked off with him to the bar.
"Ethan is not so bad Joshua."
Both Joshua and I were shocked to hear Vivienne come to his defense. I couldn't help but say something.
"Oh really, Vivienne? Because I just saw a very rude display. Do you know him very well?" My eyes captured hers as she tried to look away. Oh no, no missy. You're not getting out of this one.
She stumbled over her words as she tried to downplay her relationship with him. "No, not that well. I've seen him at family functions and he's always been kind to me. I think he's a nice person and doesn't mean any harm. That's all I meant by that."
I decided to let her off the hook but Joshua wanted to add one more thing to no one in particular. "Ethan needs to learn his place and stay there. His mouth is going to get him into real trouble one day."
Vivienne looked very uncomfortable and excused herself to the ladies’ room.
I tried to comfort Joshua. "Don't let him get to you. You told me he has animosity toward you so just ignore him."
"I wish it was that easy. He works for the company so I have to see him all the time. Mother insisted that he have a senior-level position, so when we took over, Jake, myself, and Ethan became automatic partners in the company. That was the one case of partners not having to earn their position. Since we had to run the company mother felt that dad and my uncle would have wanted all of us to run it together. But like I told you, Ethan got sloppy and partied too much. So his voting power was reduced drastically. But he still has personal interaction with clients and he does bring in new business, so I am forced to put up with him and his antics.” He stopped and looked at me with those gorgeous eyes.
"You know what? You look beautiful, and we are at this wonderful party. We shouldn't be wasting time talking about Ethan. Would you like to dance?"
There were the butterflies again. You’ll probably affect me like this forever.
"I would love to dance with you."
Everyone in the room melted away the minute he pulled me into his arms. As we moved to the music, our bodies pressed together and I let out a soft sigh as I laid my head on his shoulder. I wish I could have frozen that perfect moment in time. I want to stay like this with you forever. There it was. I finally gave in to my feelings for Joshua. I decided to completely embrace my feelings for him realizing I would just have to take a chance that he had real feelings for me also. This was more than a contract. I wanted so badly to tell him how I felt but I didn't want to scare him away. His thumb slowly rubbed my back and he pulled me tighter to him. I could feel his erection as our bodies molded together. We stayed like that until the song ended and then Joshua held the back of my hand to his lips and kissed it. He looked at me, his eyes smiling
at me.
"Thank you for the dance. I'm going to the restroom and when I get back we can go mingle. I will introduce you to some of mother's friends."
"Okay, I will be here waiting." I smiled at him as he walked away. This night could not be more perfect.
I was fluffing my hair when I felt a hand touched my arm.
"Would you like to dance?" Jake was smiling down at me.
"I would love to."
As we were dancing, I decided to find out where his head was regarding Vivienne. "So tell me, how are things with Vivienne?"
"Moving right along, I suppose. Although, I think she has something going with Ethan." He was completely unfazed.
"Are you serious?" I knew something was going on there.
"Pretty sure. I've noticed that they've been spending a lot of time together. Honestly, I don't care. That probably means something, huh? Indifference is worse than getting angry in my book because when you're angry that means that you still care on some level. You know what Sarah? I've been doing a lot of thinking since we talked. You had a lot of valid points and I think I might end things with Vivienne pretty soon."
Good for you Jake. "Well, I just want you to be happy. Life is too short not to be."
We were just finishing our dance when Ethan appeared. "May I cut in? I'd like a chance to twirl around with the belle of the ball."
I looked around for Joshua but didn't see him anywhere. I didn't want to be rude so I indulged him. Jake looked at me and raised his eyebrows, silently asking if it was okay if he cut in. I looked at him and nodded. He then stepped aside and Ethan stepped in and pulled me a little too close. We glided across the floor effortlessly.
"You can relax your grip on me anytime now." Annoyance was bleeding into my voice.
"I just want to be close to the girl who seems to have captured my cousin's heart." I stiffened in his arms, irritated that I was intrigued by what he was saying. I've captured Joshua's heart? He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear. "Relax."
I tried to push away from him but he held me tight as he twirled me across the floor. I fixed my steely gaze on him and pursed my lips. Amusement danced in his eyes as a smirk tipped up the corners of his mouth. "Now, now, calm down. I would just like to dance with you. The Hunter brothers aren't the only ones allowed to do so, are they?" He looked at me and had the most obnoxious look on his face. My expression must have given something away. "Oh, wait a minute! Has my dear cousin Joshua captured your heart as well?" His hand started to slide down over my backside.
My body completely stiffened as I grabbed his hand and stopped him. "If you move that hand one more inch, I will break every one of your fingers!" I quietly spat out the angry words as I did not want to make a scene. My words must have caught Ethan off guard because he relaxed his grip on me. The moment he did, I pushed away from him. "We're done here."
As I turned to walk off of the dance floor, I was relieved to see Joshua but his piercing eyes were shooting me an accusatory look. I walked up to him and Ethan was trailing right behind me.
"Joshua, dear cousin, your companion is an excellent dancer." He lowered his voice and taunted Joshua with his next words. "She really knows how to move that sexy body."
Joshua's face turned beet red with anger. I whipped my head around, staring daggers at Ethan. Joshua jumped in to speak before I had a chance, his eyes ablaze. "You are still the snake you have always been. You're lucky we’re at my mother's birthday party or…”
"Or what? You would hit me, beat me up? I'd like to see you try." He snickered as if it was impossible.
"I would wax the floor with that smug face of yours." Joshua spat out the words through clenched teeth.
The two men stared at each other like caged animals. I decided to step in. "This is not the place for this!" I hissed in a low voice. The stern tone seemed to snap them out of their testosterone induced standoff. "Ethan, just go. Go find Vivienne." He was visibly shocked when I mentioned her name. Yes, I know something is going on there. He didn't question my knowing look. He just sauntered off.
Joshua turned his fiery gaze toward me.
"I told you not to encourage him Sarah!" He tried to remain composed as the veins in his neck strained to be free. I turned to him with an apologetic look and was going to try to explain that it was Ethan who was inappropriate with me, when I heard someone tap a microphone.
"Attention! Attention everyone!" I heard Jake's voice. "I would like to ask my brother to come join me on stage." It was near the end of the night so I assumed they were going to give a speech to Bunny.
Joshua looked torn between reprimanding me and going to fulfill his familial obligation. I could see the angst on his face as he started to walk away. "I'll be back." His gruff tone left no doubt that he was serious.
"Ah, here he is." Joshua joined Jake on stage at the front of the room. "We would like to thank everyone for coming tonight to celebrate our beautiful mother’s birthday."
I could see Joshua trying to compose himself as he sought me out in the crowd and prepared to speak. He looked a bit distracted but was able to pull it together in time for his portion of their speech. As they continued speaking, I felt a hand on my waist. I quickly turned to see Ethan at my side.
"Go away Ethan." I was getting bored with his antics.
"I didn't want to be rude and not say goodbye before I left." His fingers grazed my backside and I immediately lashed out. I reached behind my back and grabbed his hand giving his wrist hard twist. He quickly snatched it away, chuckling as he shook his wrist. "Fiery, I like that!" His warm breath in my ear did nothing but make me want Joshua by my side. I rolled my eyes at him, ignoring him.
"Oh, you think you're too good for me? That you're better than me?" His tone turned nasty.
I held his gaze and gave him a withering look. "That's the difference between you and me Ethan. I don't think I'm better than anyone." I turned my attention back to Joshua up on stage only to see his icy stare fixed on me. Great.
"Hmmm, he's watching you like a hawk. You must have cast a spell on him." He ran a finger down my bare shoulder and I flinched away from him. I turned to see Joshua glaring right at us and chills ran down my body.
"I will bid you adieu for now my sweet. Until we meet again." He then leaned in close and planted a quick kiss on my cheek, just as Joshua and Jake finished their speech.
Joshua strode toward me, his face like stone as he held my elbow and steered me through the crowd. "You should say goodnight to mother." His voice was firm and I didn't protest. I just allowed him to guide me across the room toward Bunny.
"Bunny, I wanted to come say goodnight. Your party was wonderful. I hope you had a nice birthday." I did my best to give her a genuine smile as the knots were tightening in my stomach.
"I had a wonderful birthday dear. Thank you so much for being here." Bunny gave me a hug and smile as she said goodnight.
Joshua kissed his mother goodnight and then turned his icy gaze on me. "Let's go."
CHAPTER 8
He walked out of the ballroom, down a long hall and then outside. I walked behind him not daring to speak, wondering where we were going. We walked to the guesthouse that was on the opposite side of the property. Joshua unlocked the door and as soon as we stepped inside he locked it behind us.
He turned to face me and I definitely saw hurt in his eyes which then quickly turned to desire. He reached out to caress my cheek as he entwined his fingers in my hair and slowly pulled me to him for a sensual kiss. He did nothing but kiss me for a full minute. My arms reached up around his neck as I let out a soft moan. This is so perfect. You are so perfect. His hand trailed along my neck down over my shoulder to my hand where we intertwined fingers. Joshua brought our hands behind his back and slowly let go as my hand stayed around his waist. His lips lightly trailed along my neck as both of his hands moved down over my hips. He turned me around, unzipped my dress and it fell to the floor and I stepped out of it. I stood there wearing nothing but a thong, thigh h
igh stockings and heels. No bra with the strapless dress tonight.
I felt Joshua behind me and he let out a soft groan as his hands came around and cupped my breasts. He pressed his body against me and I could feel his hard length through the fabric of his pants in between my cheeks. His lips pressed against my neck as I leaned back against him. I was basking in my bliss when he suddenly spun me around and pressed me against the wall. Fire flickered across his eyes. Why is he suddenly upset?
"Did you enjoy having Ethan's hands touching your body?" He ground out the words as his fingers lightly pinched my nipples. The sensation sent tingles shooting throughout my body and I could feel the wetness between my legs soaking my panties.
Boxed Set: The Billionaire’s Desire Complete Collection (Books 1-3 and Bonus Books 1 and 2) (Submitting to the Billionaire) Page 13
