by Ashley Blake
“Sarah, it has been so wonderful having you here and getting to know you. I take it you will be attending the event tomorrow evening?”
“I will. The dress is formal, is that right?”
“Yes, a black tie event, evening gowns and tuxedos.”
“Are you going to be there Samira?”
“Yes, my husband is looking forward to wearing his tuxedo. He hasn’t worn it in years. I hope it still fits!” She broke out into tiny giggles and her laugh was infectious. We giggled like a couple of school girls. It was so nice to be around someone with such a refreshing spirit.
“I am so happy you will be there. A friendly face is always nice to see.”
“Yes it is. Do you need any help with anything?”
“No I am all set, thanks. I am going to call my car, go back to the hotel and get some much needed sleep. ”
“I understand. I am sure you are exhausted. Well, I must go. I will see you tomorrow evening.”
“Have a good night.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
There were a few times during this trip that I had to be honest with myself about how I felt about certain things. This was another one of those times. As much as I was not used to it, I was happy to have a glam squad on this day. I wanted to look perfect for Joshua. He was picking me up at 5:30 and I was almost ready. My hair, makeup and nails were flawless thanks to my glam squad. I wore beautiful black, lace lingerie from La Perla under my dress. And my dress. Oh my goodness. Even I was in awe of it. Fashion had never really been my thing but it was pretty easy to get used to the splurges. I am, after all, still a woman. My dress was a gorgeous ruby red, one shoulder, full length silk gown by Carolina Herrera. It fell over my curves in all of the right places and the fit was perfection. I wore black strappy Valentino shoes and carried a small black satin Christian Dior clutch. I was stunned by my reflection in the mirror. It’s amazing what having money can do. I heard the doorbell, and my butler announced that Joshua had arrived. I quickly dabbed one more drop of my Prada perfume before going down to meet him.
Suddenly my nerves went into overdrive. I took a deep breath and counted to 10 before descending the staircase. When I saw him, he took my breath away. He looked so incredibly handsome in his tuxedo. Is this really my life? His gaze never left mine as I made my way down the stairs. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I walked over to him on somewhat wobbly legs.
He stood there silent for a moment before he finally spoke. “You look stunning Sarah. Absolutely beautiful.” His eyes roamed over my body as he took in everything I had on. I could see the hunger in his eyes, as they paused at my lips before meeting my gaze again. You are so beautiful Joshua. “I have something for you.” He held out a small black velvet box.
My heart was thumping in my chest as I opened it. Two beautiful, huge, sparkling diamond stud earrings gleamed inside the box. My mouth fell open.
“I can’t accept these Joshua.” I held the box out to him.
“Nonsense. Think of them as a bonus for all of your hard work this past month.”
“Bonus? You let me go on a very expensive shopping spree. I would think that was my bonus. Really, these are too much.”
“You don’t like them?”
“Of course I do. They are beautiful.”
“Then please keep them. I want you to wear them tonight. And the shopping spree was a business expense, not a bonus. You can keep everything you bought.”
I was flabbergasted by his generosity. I had no idea why he was being so kind but I would take it! I liked this gentle side of Joshua. I put in my new earrings and felt like a princess in a fairytale.
“Shall we go?” He held out his arm for me and it felt so perfect, my arm wrapped my arm around his. I had never been so happy.
***
The autism charity ball was being held at the Atlantis Hotel, The Palm and the room was already half full by the time we got there. I noticed many raised eyebrows as we entered the room together. I saw Samira talking with a few people and as soon as she saw us she made a beeline over to us.
“Good evening Mr. Hunter.” She had her professional face on.
“Good evening Samira, you look very lovely.”
She blushed. “Thank you, sir.”
She grabbed my hands. “Sarah, you look so beautiful.”
“I told her the same thing.” He raised his eyebrows and had a twinkle in his eye. “I need to go speak with someone. Stay here. I’ll be back.” And with that he disappeared into the crowd.
Samira had a look on her face like the cat who ate the canary.
“What?” I laughed.
She leaned in to whisper to me. “I think Mr. Hunter fancies you.” She was trying hard to hold back her smile.
“Oh, Samira. He’s just being kind.” Was he? We’d kind of moved to a different level now. He was so gentle with me. Until you make him angry. I had to remind myself of his jealous streak. Tonight was going perfectly so far and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin it. Samira wanted to introduce me to her husband so I went with her over to the group she was talking with and she introduced me to everyone. I figured I would only be there for a few minutes and then I would return to the spot where Joshua asked me to wait. We were all making small talk when I felt a gentle hand on my waist. I smiled to myself as I thought it was Joshua coming to collect me.
“May I have this dance?” The voice was definitely not Joshua. I turned to see Conrad smiling at me.
“Hello Conrad.” I cautiously looked around to try to find Joshua but he was nowhere to be seen.
“My dear, you simply take my breath away. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, you’re very kind.”
“I’m still waiting for an answer to my question.”
“Would Natalia mind?”
“Natalia has Joshua cornered. She won’t mind at all.”
She had Joshua cornered, huh? I was surprised at how jealous and possessive I felt. Joshua Hunter was not a man that did anything he did not want to do. If he was “cornered” by Natalia, he wanted to be there. That lit a fire in me so I decided to dance with Conrad.
Conrad was flirting with me throughout our entire dance. He even told me he wanted to come to the States to visit me. I laughed him off and played down his advances. Unfortunately there was only one man I had eyes for and apparently, tonight, he had eyes for someone else. I started to feel a bit sad when I heard a stern voice interrupt us.
“May I have this dance?”
My body tensed when I heard his voice and I hoped that Conrad did not feel that. I turned to see Joshua standing there, waiting to cut in. I gave him a cool stare as I held firmly to Conrad’s shoulder.
“I am rather enjoying my dance. So, I am going to have to decline your request.”
Joshua was visibly shocked by my response but composed himself quickly. He set his jaw and to say that his eyes were brimming with fire was an understatement. I had never seen that look on his face. He was beyond angry.
“OK, then. I will wait for the next dance.”
Joshua stood on the perimeter of the dance floor watching us, his eyes burning a hole right through me. He must not have cared that nearly everyone in the room was watching his fixation on us. Conrad was a complete gentleman and ignored Joshua’s intense stare. As soon as the song ended Conrad kissed my hand.
“Thank you for indulging me.”
We walked off of the dance floor and Conrad went to go socialize. Joshua grabbed my elbow and held a tight grip.
“Shall we dance?”
I didn’t have time to respond before Joshua whisked me out onto the dance floor. He held me tightly in his grip as we twirled slowly around the floor.
“Joshua, you’re holding me too tight!” I tried to wrench out of his grip but he pulled me closer.
“I thought we had an understanding.” He spat out the venom-filled words as he held me tight. I could feel his hardness pressed against me as we moved around the floor.
I lo
oked up at his gorgeous face and saw his furrowed brow as passion and anger flickered in his eyes. I wanted to placate him so that we would not become a spectacle. He was so caught up in his fury that he disregarded the fact that we were now the center of attention.
In a soft voice, I tried to help him calm down. “I’m sorry if I upset you, sir.”
He seemed to be shocked back into reality as he looked down at me. I felt his grip on my back relax. He realized we were being watched and he completely changed his demeanor. He took a small step back so that we were not pressed against each other, yet he still held me tight as if not wanting to let me go.
He cleared his throat before he spoke. “I apologize, Sarah. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
I was shocked at his apology. Really? He was apologizing to me? “Apology accepted.” I hesitated but then decided to ask the question that had been consuming me. We were in the middle of the room so I figured he wouldn’t flip out in front of everyone. He did, after all, have an image to maintain. “Why do you get so upset when I am talking with Conrad?”
I felt his body stiffen. He continued to twirl me around the floor. “This is not the place to discuss that.” He voice was firm so I refrained from asking anything further.
We continued to dance in silence and, as I let the beautiful music wash over me, I allowed myself to enjoy the close contact with Joshua. He gently pulled me closer to him as he rested his cheek against my hair. I closed my eyes and it felt as if we were the only two people in the room. I was so caught up in us that I was oblivious to the fact that the music had stopped. It wasn’t until I heard a soft chuckle from Joshua that I snapped out of my haze.
“The music has stopped Sarah.”
I looked up at him, mortified. “Oh my goodness!” Then I quickly glanced around the room to see everyone looking at us. I wanted to shrivel up and die! I quickly stepped away from him and smoothed my dress. We walked off the dance floor and went to get a drink.
“I don’t know what came over me.” I looked at him apologetically as I took the first sip of wine.
“I do.” His eyes sparkled as he gave me a slight smirk. He was so damned good-looking it was hard to keep my composure. If you only knew what I want to do to you right now. My gaze was fixed on him and I could feel the wetness between my legs as his eyes slowly roamed up and down my body.
“There you two are!” We were both snapped out of our heat charged encounter when Jake, Vivienne, Conrad and Natalia interrupted us.
Thankfully Joshua was able to chat with them as I mentally pulled myself together.
“You look lovely Sarah.” Jake had the kindest smile.
“Why thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” I could see Vivienne frown a bit at our playful exchange. Oh, get over yourself! I had yet to see what he saw in her. In the short time I’d known Jake, I felt that he deserved so much better. I guess I should play nice.
“Vivienne, you look very beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you, Sarah. You look very pretty as well.” I think she seemed sincere.
“Thank you. And Natalia, your gown is stunning.” I summoned all of the goodness inside of me to make that compliment sound genuine.
She shot me a cool glare, quickly taking in my complete ensemble. Did she just turn up her nose at me?
“You’re very sweet.” And just like that, she dismissed me. But I decided not to let her get away with it. The men were chatting so I took the opportunity to teach her that I was not one to be ignored.
“I had so much fun getting dressed for the evening. I don’t know what I would have done without my glam squad today.” My smile was as fake as it was wide.
“Glam squad? What a nice gesture for Joshua to arrange that for you for the day.” Natalia seemed surprised.
“The day? Oh no, dear. They have been with me, every day, all month. It was very sweet of him to do that for me. Especially since I am just the new associate.” I gave her a coy smile.
I could see her seething as her eyes narrowed at me. Poor Vivienne had no idea how to react to us so she just stood there, silent. I shot Natalia a glare right back but curled up the corners of my mouth. Yes, you witch. Your ex-boyfriend has been treating me like a queen.
“Vivienne, do you like my new earrings?” I sneered at Natalia as I showed off my present.
“They are stunning. Were they a gift?” Vivienne seemed genuinely interested.
I looked directly at Natalia. “Yes, they were.”
Her face was so red, I thought her head was going to explode.
“Joshua!” Her voice was shrill. She must have realized she should not speak to him that way because she instantly turned on the sweet voice. “I apologize for interrupting. May I speak with you a moment in private?”
He looked a bit annoyed but he stepped away with her. For some reason this didn’t bother me. I felt pretty good about where I stood with Joshua. I turned to talk with the rest of the group. Jake and I were chatting about business when Conrad heard his favorite song. He asked Vivienne to dance and Jake and I were alone.
“I’m glad we have a minute alone Jake. I was thinking about what you told me about Lauren, your college sweetheart, and I wanted to give you a bit of advice if you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind. I welcome advice from you Sarah.”
“Thanks for that. Now, I want you to remember what I’m about to tell you okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“Life is short. We only have one chance, one time around. You found the one thing that nearly everyone wants to find. You found true love. You had it and you let it get away. No disrespect to Vivienne, but I want you to go get it. You deserve that happiness. I’ll bet you that Lauren still loves you. I just have a feeling. And Vivienne deserves to find it as well. I know she loves you, but she needs someone who loves her the same way. I’m not telling you to break up with her right now. You need to do things in your own time, in your own way and I get that. Just think about what I’ve said before it’s too late.”
He looked at me and I could see a flicker of sadness in his eyes. I can’t wait until I don’t see that anymore. Just then Vivienne and Conrad came back over to us.
“If you would all excuse me, I am going to the ladies room.” I made my way across the room to the bathroom and on my way there, in a tiny alcove off of the main hallway, I spotted Joshua and Natalia in what looked like an intimate embrace. I was fuming! I went to the ladies room and wanted to cry. But then I admonished myself. Pull it together Sarah! What did you expect? Joshua was a rich billionaire who could have anyone he wanted. Did you really think he wanted you? I actually was starting to think that he wanted me. I thought his jealousy was because he wanted me all to himself. But now, I started to think his jealousy was all about power and control. I felt so sad and I was happy we were going home the next day. I wanted to get away from him for a while. I would continue to work my ass off at work because nothing was going to deter my plans. But as far as he was concerned, I wanted nothing more to do with Joshua Hunter.
As I exited the stall, my eyes met the cold, blue gaze of Natalia Wittendale. She had a smirk on her face as she wiped off her smeared lipstick.
“Joshua is so amazing, isn’t he? We reminisced about old times and it definitely reminded him of what he is missing.” She had a very cocky air about her.
“And what is he missing, Natalia?” I had no tolerance for her snarky attitude.
“Well, me, of course. Someone who is on his level, who understands what his world is like. Our families travel in the same circles so he needs someone who is familiar with our lifestyle. We are perfect together and I just needed some time alone with him to remind him of that.”
I wanted to knock the smug look right off of her face. So she’s playing the money card. Money doesn’t faze me, never has.
I held my head up high, shoulders back and looked her squarely in the eyes. “You’ve forgotten one thing, Natalia.”
“Oh, and
what is that?” Her snobby demeanor made her such an ugly person.
“A man, who truly wants to be with someone, never has to be reminded of anything.” I smiled confidently at her as she stewed with anger and I walked toward the door. Just as I was about to open it, I stopped.
“Oh, and one last thing Natalia. He will never look at you the way he looks at me,” and I walked out.
Ugh!!! She is such a witch!!! I was glad that I was able to remain composed as she tried to rattle me. I was a tough girl. It would take a lot more than a desperate ex-girlfriend to really get to me. I returned to our group and completely ignored Joshua as I approached everyone. Since Conrad was waiting for Natalia, I grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor. Joshua looked confused and then I saw the fire in his eyes again. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, buddy. If he wanted Natalia, he could have her. But he wasn’t going to have me too! I wrapped my arms around Conrad and watched as Joshua’s face turned hard and cold before my eyes. We continued to dance closely until the song was over.
“What a nice surprise, Sarah. Thank you for the dance.” He held up both of my hands and pressed the backs to his lips.
I smiled at him and we made our way back to the group. It was getting pretty late by this time and I was ready to leave. I walked around until I found Samira and I said goodbye to her. Then I went back to our group and said goodnight to everyone there before walking over to Joshua. I very bluntly told him I was ready to go.
“I am perfectly fine taking a car by myself.”
He held his composure in front of the group as he responded to me through clenched teeth. I saw Jake give us an odd look and then he ushered everyone away from us.
“Nonsense. I will escort you back to the hotel.” Joshua grabbed my arm and I snatched it away.
“Don’t touch me! Feel free to stay with your girlfriend.” I spat out the words before I realized what I had said.
He grabbed my arm again and this time his grip was too strong. “Let’s go.” The curt words cut the air like a knife.
When we were in the car he spoke again.
