All That Glitters: Glitz, Glam, and Billionaires

by Michele Hauf

  The next morning, Eric was sipping his coffee and Brian eating breakfast at seven when Natalie sauntered in wearing a black leotard, her hair pulled back into a ballerina bun. She went straight to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then turned to Brian and kissed his cheek.

  “WOW,” her two men exclaimed together.

  “You look gorge...huh...” Remembering Brian’s presence, Eric swallowed wrong. “You look fresh and relaxed.” And stunning in that black second skin that molded to her perfect figure.

  “I’m ready for work.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and prepared a bowl of cereal.

  Putting in practice the advice he’d received the night before, Brian smiled at his sister. “I’m sure you’ll do great.” And then he glanced at Eric, seeking approval, and was rewarded with an appreciative nod.

  Surprised, Natalie smiled back at her brother. “Thanks, Brian. How was your night in the new bed?”

  “Fantastic. I slept like a rock.”

  “Ken should be here any time to drive you both. I have a meeting at nine with our dear VP presiding, and I’d better be on time,” Eric said.

  “I have basketball practice after school, so I’m staying till six.”

  “You should write down your schedule for Ken,” Natalie suggested, for once not protesting about Ken doing too much for them.

  “It’s easy to remember—practice till six every day, Monday and Wednesday for basketball, and Tuesday and Thursday for soccer. Friday night, there’s a basketball game and Saturday morning, a soccer game. I hope you’ll come.”

  “I can’t. I’ll be working. How about you, Eric? Can you make it?”

  “We’ll be there, Ken and I,” Eric said. “And Saturday evening we’ll ice skate. We count on you to join us, Natalie.”

  “I will.”

  Eric hardly suppressed a satisfied smirk. Skating with her was almost like dancing, with him doing the coaching and holding.

  “Can we go out for dinner next Sunday, like last night?” Brian asked, his gaze flitting from Natalie to Eric.

  “We sure will. Sunday evenings are made for relaxation and fun—together,” he added with a pointed look at Natalie.

  “That would be fun. Almost like a family.” Her sweet smile knocked the air out of his chest.

  A knock rattled the door, and Ken entered. “’Morning, everyone. Ready for school, kiddo?”

  “We still have fifteen minutes,” Brian protested.

  “I have gifts for you all.” He opened a bag and dug out three cell phones, and was rewarded with three equally bright grins.

  “Eric, Natalie.” He handed each a phone. “Natalie, you copy your phone numbers from Eric’s old cell. Brian, here’s yours. I added more games than you can dream of.” Brian smiled to his ears. “And also a tracker to my phone. Remember I’m a bodyguard and my primary job is to protect you all. If you need anything at any time, don’t hesitate to call me. Just touch this icon. You too, Natalie. All right?”

  “All right. Thanks, Ken. That’s so cool.” Brian jumped from his place to hug Ken.

  “Thanks, Ken. A DIF phone, hmm.”

  “No one can track you through this phone,” Eric explained. “Please, don’t call your old acquaintances from Vegas.”

  She bit her lip, her gaze flitting from him to Ken, who frowned. “Remember, any trouble for you may affect Eric and the Devereux family. I can’t allow that.”

  “I understand. I won’t call anyone, but I promised Hugh I would let him know how I’m doing.”

  Damn her Hugh. More than annoyed, Eric inhaled and exhaled. “If you insist on writing to him, don’t let any word betray your whereabouts and give the letter to Ken, for one of our pilots to post from Phoenix.”

  “Okay, I’ll do that.”

  “Now let’s go.” Ken clapped his hands, and they left the kitchen to grab their stuff.

  Hard to believe two months had already passed since Natalie had arrived in Boston with her little brother. With both of them extremely busy, they’d barely found time to converse, and had managed to avoid squabbles and respected each other’s freedom. She’d concentrated on her ballet classes and Brian on his studies and sports activities.

  Apparently, Eric hadn’t fared better, his job keeping him occupied often late into the night. As a result, they ate their meals at different times, grabbed a quick self-made breakfast in the morning, bought lunch at school or work, and counted on Ken to provide dinner. But Sunday evening was sacred, the time reserved for togetherness, dinner out, ice skating, movies, and a couple of times, an invitation to the Pratts’.

  Eric and Ken never missed Brian’s games, and Natalie had rescheduled a couple of classes to attend a Saturday morning soccer game and a Friday evening basketball game.

  All in all, Natalie lived day to day, content with the routine of her life, and avoided thinking of her missed contract and the limelight of Las Vegas. After a long day of exercise, she’d be too tired to think at all. Yet regardless of the time he returned home, Eric saved an hour to chat with Brian and answer his homework questions. Once Brian had retired for the night and fell asleep, Natalie would meet Eric in the kitchen to share a drink, discuss their day, and exchange heated kisses that had become her sustenance.

  This coming Sunday would offer a different program, her first show in Boston, the Gorilovich Holiday performance, at a downtown theater reserved for the occasion. The fifteen students chosen for the dance presentation had rehearsed morning and evening on Friday and Saturday. Natalie had suggested presenting her own solo before the last group dance. Elated at the prospect of a free promotion for the company, Mrs. Anna had immediately accepted.

  While Eric and Brian skated at the ice rink, Natalie spent the morning at the Gorilovich school for a dress rehearsal, and returned home with Ken for a quick lunch and nap.

  Around four, Eric insisted on driving her and waited at the theater, working on his phone, as she helped her students get ready. Thirty minutes before the starting time, he texted her that Ken and Brian were sitting next to him, playing games on the iPad, and fifteen minutes later, he joined her backstage. He ogled the short black-and-gold tutu revealing her sleek long legs. “How do you feel?”

  “A bit nervous.”

  “You’ll do great.” He gave her a quick kiss for good luck. “By the way, Charlene and Scott wish you the best. They arrived five minutes ago.”

  Soon, the music started, and the curtain lifted a minute later, revealing the whole group of dancers in gold and white tutus, who presented a scene from Swan Lake.

  Hidden backstage, Natalie watched her students dance, first the whole group together, then a pas de deux between the two best performers, followed by a pas de trois with three others, who were joined by five more dancers, and finally a group dance to close the scene. The students fell to the floor for their final pose, and the music died.

  Natalie held her breath. The burst of applause reassured her. She gestured to the dancers. They stood and curtsied to the left, twirled in a pirouette, and bowed to the right. The curtain fell, and Natalie opened her arms to hug the girls. “You did great, amazing. Next dance. Change costume.” Her orders snapped loud and clear. “Girls, help Julie get ready for the Swan Princess’s death.” She checked Julie’s tutu and adjusted the feather on her head. “Ready? Music. Go.”

  “Next are Christy, Heather, and Olivia for the Giselle dance.”

  An explosive performance of The Firebird followed, with ten dancers on stage dressed in red muslin, and then a Hungarian rhapsody proceeded with the five other dancers.

  When the curtain fell again, Natalie readied herself for her solo dance, and sauntered en pointe to the middle of the stage, where she assumed her starting pose. Eric had promised to stand on the left, next to the first row. The music started and the curtain rose. She glanced to the left as she straightened. Eric blew her a kiss. She smiled and danced for him.

  When she bowed at the end of her dance, the theater exploded in applause. Eric t
hrew her a rose. Mrs. Anna climbed to the stage with a bouquet and... Oh, God, Brian followed her with three red roses.

  “You were amazing, sis.” His eyes shining with pride, he gave her a strong hug.

  During the intermission, she came down, greeted Princess Charlene and her husband, and mingled with the audience to brag about her students.

  “Where’s Eric?” she asked Brian when she returned to their group.

  “Right behind you,” he answered, and handed her a glass of lemonade. “I thought you’d want something refreshing.”

  She drank the whole glass. Eric yanked it out of her hand, gave it to Brian, and pulled her into his arms.

  “My turn to congratulate you.” Ignoring the crowd around them, he gave her a tender kiss. “Thank you for dancing for me again,” he whispered in her ear. “Let’s go home.”

  It took almost another hour for Natalie and Mrs. Anna to collect tutus and shoes, clean the place, and depart the theater. Eric had sent Brian home with Ken and waited for her. The boy was exhausted and had a test the next morning.

  By the time they arrived at the condo, Brian was deeply asleep in his bedroom—Eric’s small office that had been transformed into a delightful bedroom with blue walls, a folding door that allowed him a modicum of privacy, and a very comfortable bed with three drawers underneath and a bookcase headboard.

  Eric closed the room, as he did every night after Brian went to sleep, and stopped by the kitchen. Natalie had already hung up her coat and kicked off her high-heeled boots, and was rubbing her feet.

  “I’m going to indulge in a long, hot shower to be able to sleep. My feet are killing me.”

  “May I suggest a scented soak in the house spa?”

  She chuckled. “What spa?”

  “The huge tub in my bathroom is a spa. I’ve never had time to use it. But I can run a bath for you. I’ll throw in bubble soap and scented pearls to relax you.”

  “Great idea.” She jumped from her chair, rushed to her room, and returned a few minutes later, wrapped in the white terrycloth robe hanging in her bathroom, her hair pulled up in a bun at the top of her head.

  She felt the water temperature with her hand and sighed. “Feels perfect.” She threw him a quick look and motioned with her hand to get out.

  “You sure? I can lather your back,” he said with a wicked grin.

  “Out, out, out.”

  “What a pity, that big spa for only one person.” He released an exaggerated sigh and closed the door behind him.

  Twenty minutes later, he knocked on the door, worried she might have fallen asleep. “Natalie, are you okay?”

  “Yes, yes. I guess I should come out. The water has cooled. Give me a minute.” She finally opened the door, wrapped again in her robe with a towel on her neck and her wet hair loose over her shoulders.

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Rejuvenated,” she said with a dazzling smile.

  “Would you share a glass of wine?”

  “Absolutely. Give me five minutes to dry and change, and I’ll be back.”

  “Good idea.”

  While she disappeared in her room, he changed into his night shorts and T-shirt, and brought a bottle of sweet wine and two glasses to set them on the cocktail table in the living room. He poured the wine and settled on the sofa, waiting for her.

  Since the moment she’d stepped on the stage in her gold-and-black tutu and glanced at him with a beaming smile, his blood had raced with expectation.

  “Eric?”

  He lifted his head, jolted up from his seat, and stood transfixed as she walked toward him, smiling and radiant in a pink short nightie covered with a matching robe, her long, silky hair waving on her back.

  “You look...divine.”

  “Thank you. Actually, I’m refreshed and relaxed.” She dropped onto the sofa.

  He poured the wine, and they clanked their glasses.

  “To you,” they said together, smiled, and sipped.

  He settled next to her and brought her against him. “When you were dancing, I felt like you were addressing me, dancing only for me.”

  “I was, Eric. I was dancing for you, with you. A pas de deux in my imagination.”

  He put her glass on the table and brought her against him for a tender kiss that quickly turned passionate, a waltz of their lips, a pas de deux of their tongues. Soon, he pressed her tighter and slid her onto his lap, tracing lines of kisses along her cheek and throat.

  “Natalie, my sweet, we can’t stay in the living room.”

  “Should I say my place or yours?” She spoke in a tremulous whisper, yet the underlying sensuality of her tone captivated him.

  His mouth curved into an involuntary smile. “You’ve never been to my place. May I invite you?” Without waiting for a response, he lifted her into his arms and walked with his precious load to set her on his bed. He locked the door and switched on a nightlight.

  “Welcome home, sweetheart.” He yanked off his shirt, peeled away her robe and nightgown, and gathered her into his arms. “I can’t spend another night without you.”

  A telephone chime woke Natalie from a deep slumber. She reached for her night table. The strange, cool feeling of marble under her fingers jarred her out of her daze. She bolted upright, scanned her surrounding, and smiled. She was in Eric’s room. He must have brought her phone and left it on the night table.

  “Hi,” she answered, her voice still hoarse.

  “Sorry I woke you up.” Eric sounded so cheerful.

  “You should have called much earlier. I have a class at ten-thirty at General Ballet School.”

  He chuckled. “You better hurry. It’s almost ten.”

  “Bummer, I better go.” She heard his burst of laughter. After their passionate night, she’d forgive him for not waking her earlier. He’d made love to her at night and then again in the early morning. How had she lived without him until that day? Without the warmth and scent of his skin, without the intimacy and safety of sleeping in his arms, and returning his incredible tenderness.

  “I love you, Eric,” she sang as she rushed through the shower. “I love you, Eric,” she rhapsodized on and on while getting dressed.

  In the kitchen, she found Ken sipping coffee. “Good morning, sleeping beauty. I’m sure you had a good night after last night’s success.”

  “An excellent night. Thank you.”

  “I’ll say.” He scoffed. “I heard you singing.”

  “You did?” She swallowed wrong.

  “Not to worry, your secret is safe. By the way, Eric was whistling this morning.”

  She chuckled. “Let’s go, Ken. I’m running late.”

  “Relax. I’ll drop you off on time. Take your coffee with you and a croissant to eat in the car.”

  The day passed at a turtle’s pace. By the time Ken picked her up after her evening classes and dropped her home, Eric and Brian were immersed in a math revision for the next day’s test. Ken had brought dinner from the restaurant next to the ballet school and left them for the night.

  Before dinner, they ran to the pool and relaxed with a few laps. Brian had learned to swim and enjoyed the pool as much as his tutor. After a dinner of chicken curry with rice and peas, and an ice cream cone for dessert, the boy said goodnight and collapsed on his bed.

  “How about a glass of wine?” Eric’s beautiful green eyes brimmed with tenderness and passion.

  She broke into a wide, open smile. “We’ll toast in my room.”

  “All right.” He blew her a kiss and punched the air.

  An hour later, sprawled on top of him, she buried her head against his throat. “Eric, I think I’m in love with you.”

  He caressed her naked back. “You think? You’re not sure yet?”

  “How about you?” She lifted herself to search his face, probe into his soul.

  His mischievous gaze swept over her. “Let’s try harder and see if we can both be sure we’re in love.” He rolled her under him and spent some exquis
ite time lavishing her with kisses and caresses and lovemaking.

  When they collapsed, exhausted and happy, he murmured, “Natalie, sweetheart, I know I love you.”

  “I love you too, Eric.”

  “Forever.”

  “Yes. Forever.”

  14

  A few days later, Princess Charlene called Natalie to invite her for lunch at Bistro, a plush restaurant on Boylston Street. Charlene insisted she’d pick her up from the General Ballet School at twelve.

  Quite curious about the unexpected meeting, Natalie ended her class at eleven-fifty and allowed herself ten minutes to change into a short brown leather skirt, beige twin sweater set, and high-heeled boots, an outfit appropriate enough to match the princess’s elegance.

  When Natalie stepped out from the building at twelve sharp, the limousine was waiting for her with Bob, Charlene’s driver, at the wheel and Ken next to him. Ken opened the passenger door, and she climbed in to find Charlene, baby Gretchen, and the nanny already seated.

  At Bistro, the princess and her entourage were directed to a sunny room. Charlene settled at a table for two next to the window, the baby dozing in the stroller next to her. With a wave of her hand, she indicated the other chair to Natalie. Ken, Bob and the nanny occupied a table close by, but out of earshot.

  “You look great, Natalie,” Charlene complimented with a nod of approval, and Natalie praised herself for choosing the right clothes. “There’s a special glow about you. Dancing really agrees with you.”

  It wasn’t exactly the one solo she’d performed that made her see life as a rose garden, but the amazing nights spent in Eric’s arms.

  “Yes, I love dancing.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as raucous as it felt, grating in her throat. Praying for the princess to stop studying her, Natalie blushed to the roots of her hair and immediately bent to coo at Gretchen, who was waking up.

  Charlene kept examining her. “To think of it, Eric too is feeling much better since he saw you dancing. His lousy mood of the past two months has suddenly mellowed.” An amused glint twinkled in her eyes.