My nerves, however, prevent me from doing anything other than helping myself to champagne, because this is our first real test.
As friends.
The concept of Noah and I as just friends is foreign to me.
Of course, being prolific donors, we are being seated next to Noah, Athena, and Evan.
Evan is nursing a whiskey, sitting alone.
“Tinsley, how are you doing?” he asks.
“I’m good,” I say.
I smile brightly at him, as Connor excuses himself to say hello to someone from his firm.
“You look awful. Nervous,” Evan comments as soon as he is out of earshot.
“Do I?” I sink down into the chair beside Evan.
“Yeah,” he nods.
“You look just as awful; you need a haircut” I say, taking a dig at him.
“I don’t need to look like my father thanks,” Evan smiles at me, however.
“He’s much more handsome,” I tease.
“That’s what everyone says, but I’m younger,” he grins at me.
“You and I should get together. Make it two for two,” he suggests.
He’s teasing, but I ignore this comment.
“Any news on your sister?” I change the subject.
“No,” Evan glowers.
“It’s like my dad suddenly stopped trying to find her,” he says, worried.
“Your mother had something to do with that,” I whisper.
“I figured as much,” Evan sighs.
“That woman is going to ruin us all if he can’t get a hold of her,” he says.
“I can’t say I disagree,” I reply.
I hold my breath for a moment, exhaling slowly to calm my nerves.
Evan studies me for a long moment, as if about to say something, then he thinks better of it.
“Well, if it isn’t my son!”
I hear Noah’s voice is behind me, and I let his voice wash over me like a wave.
It feels so good just to be near him, to smell his aftershave, and know he’s in the same room.
“And, Tinsley, what a pleasant surprise!” he says as he places a hand on my shoulder briefly.
“How are you doing?” he asks.
I turn my head up to look at him, a sincere smile on my face.
“I’m well,” I say, trying my best to believe this lie.
“Good,” Noah smiles down at me.
“Good?” Evan raises an eyebrow at the two of us.
“What’s up with you two? You’re acting strangely,” he says, suddenly.
“We are not,” Noah and I say in unison.
“Right,” he shrugs.
Evan stands up and excuses himself.
“How terrible at this are we?” Noah says, as he sits down beside me, his hand briefly settling on the back of my chair before he moves it.
“Pretty terrible,” I agree with him.
“Do friends dance?” he asks me.
He nods at the couples already on the dance floor, swaying to a selection of slightly romantic songs.
I believe the answer to this should be no, but I don’t intend on refusing him.
“I believe a friendly dance could be in order,” I reply.
“Good.”
Noah leads me towards the dance floor, with his hand on the small of my waist.
He is careful not to pull me too close, but the minute I realize I’m in his arms again, I realize that is going to be impossible.
How could I ever let this man go?
“So, are you dating anyone?” I ask him, as that’s something friends would ask each other.
Noah laughs.
“I’ve been seeing a woman for several years, in fact; only she happens to be engaged to an awful sort now,” he replies.
“Noah,” I scold him, “That’s not friendly.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” he tells me in earnest.
“I don’t even want to look at another woman, to be quite honest with you. I think this whole charade is unnecessary; we aren’t meant to be friends, we’ve proved that,” he insists.
“We lasted a year without sleeping together,” I say.
I try to reconcile the idea of not having Noah in my life as my lover.
It doesn’t work.
“Barely,” he notes.
“You are far too beautiful, and far too intelligent to be the dull wife of a man like Connor Bradford,” Noah argues, twirling me around before pulling me closer.
“Noah people are watching,” I caution.
“And, the ring on your finger sticks out like a sore thumb,” Noah notes in a sour tone.
He’s right.
No one is going to think anything with Connor here.
Our obvious attraction becomes oblivious to everyone else with my fiancé in the room.
“I love you,” he tells me simply. “I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want to watch you have children with that man, live your life with that man,” he whispers in my ear.
Noah’s fierce whisper sends chills up and down my spine.
“I should’ve been the one to put a ring on your finger,” he says,
His eyes meet mine, and I know exactly how he feels.
“Well, it’s all too late for that now,” I shrug.
It’s all I can manage, looking away from him to hide the tears in my eyes.
“This is goodbye, isn’t it? To everything we had?” he asks me.
“I think so,” I nod to him, and then the song ends, and he leads me back to a waiting Connor, who insists that we dance together.
Even though I am no longer in a dancing mood, I agree.
As we dance, I can’t help but notice his faults.
Connor’s hand is in the wrong place on my back, and he isn’t nearly as good a dancer as Noah.
We dance silently, and I gaze into the distance, watching Noah talk with a few of his clients.
That man is the love of my life.
And now, I am supposed to let him go?
Just like that?
I excuse myself to go to the washroom.
I need to collect my thoughts.
I end up alone, perched on a bench in the women’s restroom, lost in thought.
“Are you okay?” a blonde woman in a vividly memorable black dress with a high ponytail asks.
“Oh, yes. Thank you,” I say, brightly.
I put on a smile, and it doesn’t feel too much like I am lying.
“I’ve seen you around. You’re Tinsley Whittaker, right?” she asks.
I nod.
“Yes. And you are?” I ask.
“I’m Noah’s new public relations assistant. Victoire Bishop,” she says as she extends her hand, and I shake it.
“Lovely to meet you,” I reply.
I am instantly jealous that Noah has a beautiful public relations assistant.
She is quite stunning, and my mind goes to places that I want to avoid.
“Are you from New York?” I ask.
“Born and raised,” She sighs in a bored tone. “I’m beginning to hate Manhattan,”
“Tell me about it,” I sigh, running my hands through my curled hair.
“That’s a beautiful ring, congratulations,” she says, pointing.
I look down at the diamond again, wanting to take it off.
“Yes, he picked well didn’t he?” I say.
“I didn’t even realize Noah was engaged. I must be missing or something,” she replies.
I am stunned, momentarily.
“Oh. Noah’s not my fiancé; we’re friends. I’m engaged to Connor Bradford,” I say, dully.
Victoire’s mouth widens at her mistake.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I just assumed. The way he looks at you and all,” she says.
“No. We’ve been friends for a long time,” I reply.
It’s all I can manage, say because I know the way Noah looks at me.
The same way I look at him.
God damn this!
“There’s
nothing there?” Victoire asks with a smile.
“No. He’s completely available,” I reply.
My heart aches even as I say the words.
“Well, a little office romance never hurt anyone,” she teases.
She smirks to herself.
“I may just ask him to dance then,” she confides.
“He’s an excellent dancer,” I say, trying to keep my voice level.
The thought of Noah and this woman, dancing and laughing together, as my fiancé wraps his arm around me, makes me sick to my stomach.
35
Noah
April 8, 2017
“Tonight was lovely,” Athena smiles at me.
We are the last stragglers to leave.
I can see Tinsley off in the distance on Connor’s arm.
“Though I find it quite odd that your assistant sat with us,” she adds.
“She’s my public relations assistant,” I explain to my sister again. “She knows everything I don’t know about these people; it helps to have an extra ear for these things,” I explain.
Victoire’s poise and grace were exceptionally helpful, and her anecdotes on every single one of my clients were entirely on point.
She knows what she is doing.
Though I get the feeling that having her by my side all night, has had somewhat of an effect on Tinsley.
She is now sitting on a bench, waiting for her parents to leave, and appears to be upset.
This was the plan wasn’t it?
To make sure everyone knows that we were just friends.
Victoire’s flirtations were not lost on me, and I played into them, so as not to embarrass her, but I’m afraid that Tinsley may have taken that the wrong way.
She’s practically pouting with her arms crossed.
“Leave her, Noah,” Athena instructs me. “I understand it’s difficult for you, to see her with someone else, but this is for the best. There isn’t anything you can do.”
Athena doesn’t understand the half of it.
But I refuse to believe that Elizabeth will tear us apart over her little foray into the porn industry.
Part of me has a mind to report her to that detective and give him everything directly, but then what would happen to everything she has on us?
What would happen to Ava?
There are just too many questions to be asked for me to feel confident in handing her over to the authorities.
I want to take care of this myself.
“Alright, Old Man, I’m out for the evening,” Corban says with a smile on his face.
“Great turn out,” he notes.
“Thanks, Corban. Did you mother not attend?” I ask.
I don’t recall having seen her at all.
“She’s in Switzerland,” he explains.
“Apparently things aren’t working out, she’s getting another divorce,” he says, with an exasperated sigh.
“How long was she married? This time?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Three months?” Corban estimates.
“I don’t even think I know the guy. Stefano something or other,” he says, waving his hand.
“Quite impressive,” I reply.
Olivia has managed to burn through two marriages since our divorce.
“Maybe she’ll meet someone in Switzerland,” I scoff.
Olivia’s allure has long been lost on me.
“Well, her divorce was finalized on the 8th, so I assume that it won’t be long before she’s at it again. I don’t think I can swallow another one of my mother’s perfect weddings,” he groans.
Then, he grins at me.
“I have three suits in my closet now, from those weddings,” he says, conspiratorially.
He looks me over.
“They might fit you, Old Man,” he grins.
“You want a suit?” he says, with an innocent look.
I punch him on the shoulder.
Hard.
“Ouch!” he says, laughing.
“Well, Olivia always had to have the best of the best. After all, she did marry me,” I say, laughing at Corban’s expense.
“Oh well, she’s an adult,” he says, dismissively.
He rubs his shoulder for a moment.
“Noah, she knows what she’s doing. I’m sure plenty of people marry the wrong person multiple times before they find the one they want to spend the rest of their lives with,” he says, and looks pained for a moment.
He’s probably thinking about his father, and his sudden death last year.
Or maybe his shoulder…
I did not attend the funeral at Olivia’s request, but Corban was gravely wounded by this.
“It’s going to feel normal again,” I tell him simply.
“I know,” Corban nods. “It just makes me wonder if I’m wasting time with all this business bullshit. Dating all the wrong women gets tiring after a while,” he admits.
So does finding the right woman and having everything prevent us from being together, I think to myself.
“You’ll find her, Corban. When you least expect it, you will find a woman who is different, who don’t care who you are but cares about you. She’ll challenge you and make you question everything you ever prioritized,” I counsel him.
Noah the Wise.
Noah, the Amazing, the Man of Manhattan.
I can’t even get my own dreams, now…
Corban mulls over this for a moment.
“Or maybe marriage just isn’t for me. Like you,” he says, pointedly.
“I’m sure if I met the right woman, I would marry again,” I tell him.
Corban’s shock is unmistakable.
“Are you serious? After the horror show that was your divorce from my mother?” he replies, shocked.
“A man can change,” I tell him simply.
“Yes, men can change,” Tinsley offers as she approaches us.
“Noah we’re leaving, and tonight was lovely. Corban, what a pleasure to see you again,” she says, her smile melting my heart.
“Beautiful, as always, Tinsley,” Corban smiles at Tinsley.
Tinsley is radiant in a simple black gown, with long sleeves.
From one side, her form is perfectly accented by the floor length dress.
From the other side, it’s cut-out high above her waist, a strap of beaded fabric across the thigh.
All I can focus on is an endless expanse of bronzed leg that the dress reveals.
She garnered more looks than any other woman here tonight, and I can see why.
“Thank you, Connor,” Tinsley says as she kisses his cheek.
“Have a good night everyone,” she says.
Tinsley picks her clutch up off the table, and smiles at the rest of us, before walking away.
If this were any other night, I would make sure she was the woman in my bed tonight.
36
Tinsley
April 8, 2017
“You should spend the night,” Connor tells me as we get in the limo.
My parents are long gone.
They wouldn’t think twice about me spending the night with him since we are engaged.
But I have no intention of sleeping with Connor.
If I am to be trapped in a loveless marriage, he will feel the full brunt of my indifference.
“I’d rather not thank you,” I say to brush him off, but Connor puts his hand on my thigh anyway.
“Come on, just once. You know you’re curious, about what I can do to you,” he says.
I remove his hand from my thigh.
“Connor, stop it.”
“Well, I expect something. At least give me a blowjob,” he demands.
“Connor!” I glare at him, attempting to move away to the other side of the limo.
But he traps me, pinning me down against the seat, despite the fact that I’ve said no.
“Connor! Get off me!” I yell.
His hands are roving my body anyway, and I am suddenly desperate to get aw
ay from him.
“Come on!” he says as his hand snakes up my bare thigh.
It’s almost to my crotch when I smack his hand away.
Connor takes both of my hands, making me powerless against him.
“We should just get this over with,” he tells me in a voice that makes my skin crawl.
“You’re going to have to fuck me eventually. You know I’ve been dying to get my hands on you,” he says, his fetid breath in my face.
“Connor!” I struggle against him.
“A virgin and all, this should be good,” he murmurs.
“Connor get off me!” I scream, not noticing that the limo has come to a stop.
The door flies open, and suddenly Connor is ripped out of the limo, and I watch in horror as Evan pushes Connor to the ground, ready to start punching him.
Evan and Noah are standing over him.
“What were you going to do? Make her sleep with you!” Evan roars.
I stare at the scene before me.
We are parked in front of Noah’s building.
Connor lives there with his parents.
“She’s asking for it!” Connor laughs, “Look at that dress!”
He fucking picked this dress.
“You piece of shit!” Evan goes off, and his face is red with rage.
But, Connor makes the mistake of standing still, listening to Evan’s tirade.
Noah’s fist makes contact with Connor’s face, punching him hard, and blasting him onto the ground.
“You don’t touch her again!” Noah warns.
He gives Connor a deadly look.
“You don’t touch her again, or else I’m going to tell her parents, and your parents, what an ass you’ve made of yourself tonight. Do you understand me? Connor?” he seethes.
The doorman looks ready to call the police.
“Evan, take her home,” Noah orders, looking thoroughly at ease, now.
He gives the doorman a nod, and the doorman grins, and nods back.
I want to be up in the Penthouse, with Noah.
But, I’m too shocked that Connor would do such a thing.
Evan slides in the limo, after talking to the driver, and I don’t protest.
“I’m glad I was having one last smoke before we went inside,” Evan wraps an arm around me, as I’m shivering.
“That piece of shit!” he growls.
“I’m okay,” I tell him.
Torrid_A Stone Billionaire Series Novel Page 27
