I looked back and forth between Rhett and the opened doorway, stress written all over my face. Still overwhelmed and frozen with nerves, my feet didn’t move, even though I was pretty sure my brain told them to. An amused smile spread across Rhett’s face as he moved closer to take my arm in his, guiding me through the door.
Within moments of stepping through, a women in uniform greeted us, taking our coats and my purse. As I handed my items to her, I heard a shrill of screaming excitement as a young lady charged at us, tackling Rhett into a bear hug.
“Mom, Dad, they’re here!!” she hollered with girlish excitement.
Rhett’s eyes lit up, beaming with happiness as he hugged the beautiful young lady. She had his same eyes and long, beautiful, brown hair with touches of gold. She was slender and gorgeous. I knew the boys must be worshiping at her feet. No wonder Rhett seemed overly protective of her when he spoke of her dating. She was beautiful.
Once they released their hug, Rhett held her close to his side, turning her towards me. “Valerie, this is Ava,” he looked at me fondly. “Ava, this is my little sis, Valerie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Valerie,” I offered my hand to her. Much like Emily she ignored my hand, throwing her arms around me for a big hug. Her hug relaxed my body actually calming my nerves, making me feel at home. I guess the touch of all the Blackwood’s had a way of making my body respond in ways I couldn’t.
“Call me, Val,” she grinned, releasing me from our hug. I glanced up at Rhett with a huge smile, feeling at ease as his parent’s approached us. I recognized them both from the restaurant and they seemed to acknowledge that they recognized me, also.
“Mom, Dad,” Rhett said, giving them each a hug and his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Ava, this is my mother, Vivian, and my father, Charles.” I shook Charles’s hand, and Vivian pulled me in for a hug much like Valerie. She was a beautiful woman, her daughter a spitting image of her.
“We’ve heard so much about you, Ava. I’m thrilled you could join us to celebrate New Year’s,” she leaned back from our embrace with a sincere smile. “Are you two hungry?” she looked between Rhett and me.
“Starved,” he responded, taking my hand in his.
We followed his parent’s through the penthouse. I walked over the dark rich wood floors in awe. The main rooms were an open floor plan with windows extending from floor to ceiling with a view of the city spanning across the entire room. The view alone was worth a million dollars. I couldn’t fathom what the penthouse had cost. Their home was impeccably decorated with a mixture of traditional elegance and modern lines. The furniture ranged from shades of cream to brown leather and exuded wealth. It was the right touch of feminine and masculinity.
We ended our tour in a formal dining area, where the table was draped with fine linens and fancy place settings. The tablescape was pretty and more extravagant than anything my family would have done for even the most special of occasions. I wondered if this was a special dinner for them or if it was always done up this way for even a casual meal.
The conversation flowed easily during dinner, and I soon realized how comfortable I was with his family. I had figured we would have nothing in common, struggling for conversation coming from two different worlds. But his family was very down to earth and welcoming. Other than being waited on hand and foot by servants, I never felt out of place or like I didn’t belong.
“Ava, has Rhett filled you in about the upcoming party?” Vivian asked.
“Well, he mentioned there was one that you guys host every year.”
“Yes!” she beamed. “It’s always a ton of fun to get dressed up, enjoy a night of good food, champagne and friends.”
“And I actually get to attend this year!” Valerie interjected. “In the past, I was told I was too young,” she explained to me, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, that reminds me. Rhett, you and your father will need to pick up your tuxedos, tomorrow,” Vivian directed.
Tuxedo? I felt a sudden surge of panic. I hadn’t realized it would be that fancy of a party. I was thinking just a casual gathering in the Blackwood residence, so I only borrowed a party dress from Lizzie’s closet. I felt embarrassed for thinking anything related to the Blackwood’s would be less than extravagant. I had actually been to one of their parties before – previously attending as one of the staff, wasn’t lost on me – and everyone had been dressed to the nines.
As if sensing my sudden discomfort, Rhett squeezed my thigh with the hand he had resting on my leg through the whole dinner. I looked up at him with a half-smile, whispering, “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“You will,” he leaned over kissing my temple in comfort. “You’re going shopping with my mom and sister tomorrow.”
“Rhett, I can’t afford-”
“Ava, it’s taken care of,” he interrupted me while eyeing his warning not to argue. I wanted to argue anyways, but I didn’t want to make a scene in front of his family. They had turned to us, quieting their own conversation at Rhett’s authoritative response.
“Ava, we’re going to have a ton of fun shopping tomorrow,” Valerie tried easing the tension. “I plan to have the best dress in the room!”
“Would this be to impress any certain gentleman that might be attending?” I asked teasingly.
Rhett stiffened. I giggled. It was more of a jab at him then it was at Valerie. Valerie blushed, confirming my accusation. Charles changed the topic of conversation into business related matters, drawing Rhett’s attention, obviously not too keen on his little girl dating either.
“No talk of business at the dinner table,” Vivian interrupted them.
“Well then ladies, please excuse us as Rhett and I move to the study,” Charles said, standing.
Rhett gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before standing to leave with his father. The three of us girls moved to the living room where Vivian and I sipped on some wine while all of us poured over fashion magazines, getting ideas of dresses for the party.
Rhett and Charles joined us later, and after another hour of conversation, we all went to bed. Rhett guided me to his bedroom where our bags were waiting for us. He closed and locked the door as I walked around, looking at all the photos and nick knacks that covered the shelves and surfaces of his childhood room.
I stopped at a picture of a younger version of him, Serena, Adam, Aubrey and Riley all sitting on a log in front of a beautiful cabin. They all looked young and happy, smiling and laughing in the picture with their arms draped around each other’s shoulders. I assumed it was a picture from their high school days. It was obvious they were a close knit group of friends.
Serena was looking up at Rhett with adoring eyes as he looked straight ahead, smiling at the camera. My stomach did a little flip with worry. Before my thoughts could wander any further, Rhett snaked his arms around my torso, pressing his front to my back where I could feel him ready for me.
“I need to be inside you,” he whispered in my ear while kissing my neck, “It’s been too long.”
“It’s been less than twelve hours,” I smiled, my hands clutching his forearms.
“Like I said…too long.”
I turned in his arms, looking at his smirking face. I needed him too. And it scared and excited me how much I needed him. He pressed his lips to mine as the opened, allowing him to claim me. He lifted me in his arms, taking me to his bed where he turned me into a quivering wreck from the pleasure he filled my body with.
The next day Rhett left with his father to take care of some business at the office before picking up their tuxes. Vivian, Valerie and I headed to brunch before we went on our little shopping spree. We stopped at a few exclusive boutiques on 5th avenue where Vivian purchased a dress that could pay my rent for a year. It was gorgeous, don’t get me wrong. I just had a bit of sticker shock and buyer’s remorse on her behalf. She seemed unbothered by the price, like she’d just gotten a great bargain at a flea market.
We bounced from expensive shop after expensive s
hop. Valerie was a lot pickier about finding the “perfect” dress than her mother. I just couldn’t find one that felt like a reasonable price that I was comfortable Rhett spending on me. Every dress I tried on was beautiful, and I would love to have any one of them. I just couldn’t spend that much on it, though. I had a sneaking suspicion one of them told on me, because after the fifth shop of me falling in love with a dress, checking the price and then putting it in the “no” pile, I received a text from Rhett.
R: Buy the one you want or I’ll take matters into my own hands. x
I ignored him. What was he going to do, come down here and purchase it for me? That was likely, the more I thought about it. I shoved my phone back in my purse, eyeing the two ladies I was with, trying to figure out who the guilty accomplice was. It was written all over Valerie’s face as she smiled guiltily at me. The little sneak!
“I can’t believe you told on me! Your plan isn’t going to work,” I warned her as I walked away, leaving the dress still in the “no” pile. She shrugged her shoulders, smiling as if she wasn’t bothered by my defiance.
We moved onto Saks Fifth Avenue where a personal shopper was awaiting for us. She put us up in a private area where she asked us questions on our style while taking some measurements. We relaxed on a plush couch, drinking champagne and talking as we waited for her to return with dresses for us to try on.
She returned with two racks of beautiful gowns, one for Valerie and one for me. As I sifted through my rack, looking at ones that appealed to me, I searched for the tags…only to find there weren’t any.
“Excuse me, Miss, can you tell me how much this one is?” I asked the saleswoman.
“Oh,” her eyes shifted to worry, her tone sincerely apologetic. “I’m sorry, I’ve been directed not to let you know the price and only show you dresses without tags.”
“And who directed you to do that?” I asked tightly.
“Mr. Blackwood. He called, earlier.”
I looked over at Valerie as she threw her hands up at me in surrender. “I didn’t know he was going to do that,” she defended herself with a mischievous smile I had seen so many times on Rhett’s face. The two of them were like peas in a pod. Apparently, I was no match for them together.
Fine. He would win this battle, but I would be picking the most revealing dress I could stand to wear, putting my personal modesty aside. I was going to make him pay for his little stunt. He hated other guys ogling me and loved that I was too modest to reveal too much skin. He didn’t like sharing. He had made that clear before. I was for his eyes only.
I forcefully browsed through all the dresses. Finding none that would accomplish my new goal, I spoke with our saleswoman about my new list of requirements. She returned with a new rack of dresses for me to look through, one particular dress catching my eye immediately.
I pulled it from the rack, marching into the dressing room to change. I wanted to try it on and decide before Valerie saw it. I didn’t know to what extent Rhett had asked her to spy on me. I wasn’t going to let word get back to him before I had a chance to buy it. I slipped the dress on and turned to the mirror.
It was perfect. I felt sexy in it and less uncomfortable than I thought I would. I knew the dress would accomplish just what I wanted.
The nice saleswoman interrupted my thoughts with her gasp. “Oh wow! That’s gorgeous on you!”
I didn’t know if she was being kind because it was her job or if she truly felt that way. Either way, I agreed with her. “Thank you. I’m going to take this one. Would you mind wrapping it up for me and not showing it to the ladies I’m with?”
“Sure,” she looked at me suspiciously.
“I want it to be a surprise,” I explained.
“Ah,” she nodded her understanding.
She waited for me to change before taking the dress from me to package it up. I walked out of the dressing room, finding a happy Valerie modeling a beautiful, sequenced, black gown for her mother. It looked like she had found her perfect dress, also.
Vivian directed the sales ladies to have our dresses delivered to the penthouse before we left in search of accessories. As we scanned the glass cases that held all the most expensive jewelry, I heard the shrill voice that only served to make my skin crawl.
“Vivie!” Serena exclaimed, approaching the three of us.
“Serena, dear!” Vivian turned, embracing Serena, giving her an air kiss to the side of her cheek. “How are you?” she asked with genuine interest.
I hated seeing Rhett’s mother so loving towards the one woman I disliked more than anyone in this world. The jealousy bubbled inside of me. I looked over at Valerie who did not match her mother’s sentiment, but more my own. She rolled her eyes with obvious disgust at the intrusion of Serena.
“I’m fabulous! Just picking up a few items for the party,” she said, looking over at me. Vivian followed her gaze.
“Oh! Serena, I’m sure you’ve met or remember Ava,” Vivian turned to me, resting her hand delicately on my shoulder.
“Yes, we’ve met.” She gave me an insincere smile, faking niceties before looking over at Valerie.
“Val, how are you? Excited about being able to come to the New Year’s party?” Serena’s tone changed as if she was talking to a five year old.
Valerie didn’t bother responding with more than a snooty, sarcastic smile and a tilted nod of her head, wiping the fake smile right off Serena’s face. Okay, Valerie is back on my good side. Spying forgiven.
“Well,” Serena straightened her back, looking at Vivian again, trying to ignore Valerie’s blatant dismissal. “I better head to my appointment. Do give Rhett my love,” she added, glancing over at me. Bitch. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
“Of course, dear. I’m sure he’ll be sad that he missed you. Tell your parents hello for me.”
I really hoped he wouldn’t be sad and that Vivian was only saying that to be nice. It worried me that he may actually be, making me more than jealous of the relationship Serena obviously had with his mother. Would I ever be able to compete?
As if sensing my sudden insecurity, Serena gave me a knowing smirk as she walked away, disappearing as quickly as she appeared. As we returned to our browsing, I eyed Valerie, wanting to find a moment to talk to her alone. I was curious about her obvious disdain for Serena, and I wanted the dirt. I knew I should probably not get involved. I couldn’t help it. My damn curiosity was nagging at me.
As luck would have it, Vivian’s phone rang. She excused herself to take the call. Valerie and I continued looking at the jewelry, trying on various earrings and tennis bracelets. I was trying to find a way of bringing up Serena without being too obvious. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.
“I really can’t stand that evil wench,” Valerie whispered to me, looking over her shoulder at her mother.
A bit confused I looked at her, “Who?” I assumed she meant Serena, but wanted to make sure.
“Serena,” she said with a childish taunt.
“Really? I hardly noticed,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Why don’t you like her?” I asked, trying to sound casual, not wanting to be too obvious that I was glad she didn’t like her.
“She’s an evil manipulative bitch,” she spat out angrily. I looked at her in shocked surprise. I mean I felt the same way. I was just a little surprised to hear Valerie say it. “Sorry,” she said embarrassed, dropping her eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t just tell me to watch my mouth, like Rhett does.”
I laughed knowingly, having been reprimanded by him a few times before. “What did she do to you?” I asked her.
“Nothing to me...,” she paused lost in her thoughts. “It’s what she did to Rhett.”
This was getting interesting, and I wondered what all Valerie knew. My curiosity was more than peeked, now. Now, I was feeling protective.
“What did she do to Rhett?”
Valerie looked over her shoulder to make sure her mother was still occupied before she spoke qu
ietly.
“I think she tried to trap him.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Serena thinks I’m a stupid little girl. She forgets that I have ears. At one of our many house parties, years ago, I had been in my room playing after being bored with all the adults at the party. My door was mostly closed. Only cracked open slightly. I heard her and one of her friends in the hallway. I think it was Aubrey, but I can’t be sure. Serena was in tears. She was worried that Rhett was going to break things off with her. Aubrey was trying to console her, saying that wouldn’t happen. Serena told her no, it wouldn’t, because she wouldn’t let it happen. She had a plan to make sure he wouldn’t.”
Hearing what Valerie had to say, only made the hate for Serena surge to new levels. I could feel my heart beat pounding in my ears. Had Serena purposely gotten pregnant? How could she control that? Did she damage the condom somehow? So many thoughts ran through my head, trying to make sense of what Valerie was telling me.
“When she announced she was pregnant months later, I knew she was trying to trap my brother.”
“Did you ever tell Rhett what you heard in the hallway?”
“No. At the time I first heard it, I didn’t really have much to go on to tell him. It’s not like she laid out her evil plan in the hallway. Plus, I thought she’d moved on from Rhett, so I didn’t bother ever saying anything.”
“What do you mean you thought she moved on from Rhett?”
Valerie looked back again at her mother, making sure we were still in the clear.
“For Easter, we always go to our lake cabin for the weekend. Serena’s family always joins us. Rhett, Serena and I usually bring along friends. Everyone was hanging out around the lake when I saw Serena suspiciously sneaking off into the woods. I followed her. I found her and Adam in the woods, making out.”
A Reason to Stay Page 17
