by Loni Ree
L ukas
T he hold she has over me is unexplainable. Every day I wake up and think, today will be the day that I start to feel normal again. Then, all I have to do is spend a few minutes in her presence, and the opposite happens; I find myself falling further and further under her spell. What in the hell is happening to me? I've spent the last week trying to maintain my distance, and prove I'm the one in control, to her, as well as, to myself. All I have established is: I am falling for her, and pushing her away does not help.
Every night at dinner, my asshole brothers like to rub it in how much they get along with her and how easily they can make her smile, while I can barely get her to say two words.
When I was investigating her, I found out she loves to read, so I had a bookcase installed in the sitting room in her suite. According to Marcy, she spends most days reading those books. Before I met her, I thought maybe the books would keep her out of my brother's hair and would perhaps help keep her happy. After I met her, I actually wanted to get to know her, and now she's more interested in the books than getting to know me. So I'm actually torn, I'm glad the books have made her happy, but they are getting in the way of me getting to know her before our engagement is announced. There I go with those sappy thoughts again. I really could kick my own ass sometimes.
Speaking of kicking ass, if Marta shows up at our home one more time, she will be looking for a new job. I've explained to her over and over again, whatever sexual relationship she and I had in the past, has come to an end. I talked to Devin Jacobs, my Accounting Senior VP and his personal assistant is retiring soon so he will need a replacement. I think Marta will be the perfect replacement for him. He is a sixty-year-old, happily married man. She should not be able to get her claws into him. I hope at least. I've decided to give her quite an excellent promotion package to go with her career move. Hopefully, the promotion will take away a little bit of the sting. If not, she can find herself a new job. I made her no promises. She is an excellent employee but fucking her was the worst decision I ever made. If she continues to cause me problems, I will be forced to terminate her employment.
I'm waiting for Madison to come to my room, and I am going to present her engagement ring to her. The more I think about the situation, the more I realize, I should have planned a more romantic way to give her a ring, but the shit at Sterling-Ryan hasn't left me with any extra time. The day we went to pick the ring out, she had too much trouble deciding on one ring, so I made a choice for her.
The ring is quite beautiful, the diamond is large but still delicate enough for her small hands. The ring quietly implies how much she means to me, without me having to say it. As I hear her knock on my door, I prepare myself, "Come in, have a seat in the sitting room. How are you adjusting to living here?"
"So far, everyone has been wonderful, I'm actually adjusting quite well. Your brothers and I get along really well. I cannot believe Marcy runs the whole house with the help of a cook and a couple maids."
As she sits there looking so shy and innocent, I wonder yet again for probably the millionth time, what is it about her that makes me a raving lunatic? I don't have an answer, but I know I'm going to change course, and get Madison to fall in love with me, instead of continuing to push her away. I've always gone out of my way to avoid relationships in the past. I would make no promises of love, commitment or fidelity. Now, I am not only craving those; I am demanding those.
My whole thinking has changed all because of one tiny, little angel. Thank God, she dropped right into my lap. I will do whatever it takes to ensure our marriage makes her happy and content. Since the day I took her out looking at engagement rings, I have often gotten the feeling she is attracted to me. I need to build on the attraction she feels, and turn it into love.
"I'm happy you're settling in, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to be here much, and when I am here, frankly, my attitude sucks. I have been under a great deal of stress, and my temper has been terrible. I want to apologize, and I promise you I'm working on improving my behavior. Between trying to get everything organized for the Autumn Ball, and the partnership between the companies, I've been quite busy, and I have been a bear to live with, but you don't deserve any of my irritability. I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I have not helped with your transition here. Hopefully, once we're engaged, we will have a little bit more time to get to know each other. I hope you will accept my apology." I look at her expectantly.
"Of course, I understand how stressful the situation must be for you. I look forward to spending more time getting to know you." She tells me. Then she gives me a big smile.
"Great! Now, I want to give you something. Your engagement ring is ready, and I'd like to give it to you." I reach into my bedside table, get the ring box and bring it over to her. I place the ring on her finger, and kiss her hand gently, across her knuckles. She keeps looking at the ring as if to make sure it's still there. I find the gesture quite cute, almost as lovely as her.
"I hope you like the ring I chose. I didn't select one of the original three you had chosen because I wanted to get a ring to symbolize to the world how special you are, and how happy I am to marry you. I chose your ring because I felt it represented that best. I have arranged for you to spend the day tomorrow at the spa, where you will be pampered before the Ball. At seven o'clock, a car will bring you to Sterling-Ryan to meet me, and we will arrive at the Ball together. Call me on my cell if there's any change, or if you need anything before then. Sorry, I don't have more time to spend with you right now, but I have meetings for the rest of the day. I'm busy with the new partnership, and I apologize for having so little time to spend with you. I probably won't see you for dinner tonight. But, I do look forward to tomorrow night."
As she's leaving the room, I think yet again, how I would much rather spend the day with her, than in all the meetings I have planned. I know she has no idea of the amount of time I spend thinking about her each day.
Annie called earlier and asked if Gramps George would wait to announce her engagement to Bradley. She gave some unbelievable excuse how it won't look plausible if we announce two engagements on one night. I have a meeting planned later today with Gramps George and Bradley to try to figure out how to proceed.
CHAPTER 4
MADISON
I look down at the engagement ring Lukas gave me earlier today, and the gorgeous oval diamond has to be at least three or four carats and is set in a simple but elegant platinum setting. It truly is beautiful; I hope one day it comes to signify love and devotion.
I wake up early the morning of the ball, and I head to the spa where I'm buffed, plucked, waxed and poked within an inch of my life yet again. Then a magician works her magic on my hair and face, and the person who is looking at me in the mirror looks fabulous. My ball gown is beautiful. It is cream-colored, and the silk corset style bodice has a slightly lowered waistline with bands of small crystals lining the neckline and a full taffeta skirt in a slightly darker taupe color. With the matching four-inch crystal encrusted heels, I may reach Lukas' shoulders.
In the car on the way over to Sterling-Ryan, my heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty, but I have nowhere to wipe them. When we pull up in front of the glass and steel building, I feel like I may puke from all the nervousness. Finally, Lukas walks out and once he is seated in the car a little bit of the nervousness eases. He reaches over and takes my sweaty palm in his hand and with a possessive, hungry look on his face says, "You look unbelievably beautiful." My brain short-circuits and my mind goes completely blank. I have to think hard for a minute, then I say, "Thank you, I have to tell you though, I'm so nervous. I think I'm going to throw up."
"Now, you getting sick would be a shame, I would hate to ruin our wonderful night at the ball. I really look forward to showing you off. I have no doubt we will have a great life together. I know the whole situation has come as a shock to you, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Tonight is not the right time for us to start getting to know each other though. We have
to put on a pretty good show, to prove we have a conventional engagement. But after tonight, I really would like the chance to get to know you for real."
I stare at him for a while and realize he's waiting for me to say something, so I try to kick my mushy brain into gear and state." I want to get to know you, too. I think our marriage will work out much better, if we go into our relationship with positive attitudes, instead of ignoring each other, and hoping the situation gets better on its own. I look forward to trying with you."
"You've given me the best news I've had all day, Madison. You and I will have to work together to make the best out of our situation, but I know we will have a great life together. We are about ten minutes away from the Autumn Ball and when we get to the hotel, let's put on a good show. Then tomorrow, we will get started on what's happening for the rest of our lives." I shake my head yes, and sit back for the rest of the ride.
He is so handsome; I take quick peeks when he isn't looking. I can smell his unique fragrance throughout the back of the car, and it soothes my nerves. When the car pulls up to the hotel, Lukas leans over and gives me a small kiss on my forehead. The little kiss goes a long way to reassuring me, for the whole night.
As we walk into the Grand Hotel, I'm blinded by the flashes of the cameras, and I'm utterly numb to everything going on around us. I keep a smile on my face, and I hold on tightly to Lukas' hand and let him lead me through the crowd.
It seems like Lukas has introduced me to probably a thousand people in such a short time. I am so glad to see Annie and his brothers, at least there are familiar faces in the crowd. Of course, I spoke too soon, because here comes Marta marching our way.
"Lukas, I thought you were going to wait for me at Sterling–Ryan, but after I got ready, you were already gone."
"Marta, I need to speak to you for a few minutes. Please, meet me right over by the stage."
"Madison, darling, if you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I need to speak to my employee about a couple of pressing matters at the office. I won't be too long. Please, grab us a couple of glasses of champagne, and I'll be right back?" He leans over and gives me a light kiss on my lips before he turns and walks towards to side of the stage.
Brayden rolls his eye at Lukas' retreating back and says, "Employee problems suck." Max, who it appears, is at the Autumn Ball alone, just smirks in agreement. He looks at me and says, "Madison, you look lovely tonight, I hope Lukas knows how lucky he is to have you on his arm. Please, excuse me while I go get a drink. Please save me a dance later on." Max then walks off towards the bar.
Brayden then introduces me to his date who is a stunning former model. I remember reading in a tabloid not too long ago, that at the time she was going through a nasty break-up with her famous, actor boyfriend. It turns out, she is actually quite lovely, not at all like I expected.
Aiden, it appears, is here at the Autumn Ball without a date. There are plenty of beautiful, single women, so I'm sure he won't stay alone for long. In the short time, I have been standing here talking to the family, several lovely women have walked by and tried to catch his attention.
Nikolas' date keeps giving me a death glare. I'm not sure why. He gave me a brief hug when Lukas and I walked up, but he also hugged Annie and Lucy, as well. When he introduced us, she made no attempt to acknowledge me.
Tonight is the first time Lucy and Blake have been out together since their small, quiet wedding, a couple weeks ago. Lucy is absolutely glowing, and Blake looks very handsome his fitted tux. Blake is the only man, I know of who makes Lukas look small. The man is a giant. I hope Lucy can carry his child to term, if the baby is huge, like its father, she may have a problem. Both Lucy and Blake give me hugs, and I am so happy to see my sister smiling again.
Annie is wearing a gorgeous, custom design from her boutique, and it shows off her tall, graceful figure. I could never wear such a design on my five-foot frame. Bradley looks so handsome in his tux with his tousled blonde hair tamed for the evening. Annie must have persuaded him to let her help because I have never seen him so dashing before. She does have a way with fashion.
Uncle Drew is standing at the bar glaring at us for some reason. Blake leaves Lucy at their table and goes to the bar to talk to him for a while before I see Uncle Drew disappear down a hallway. I wonder if he is concerned about a security issue.
After the introductions, I go and get our champagne and wait patiently for Lukas to return. He's actually back much quicker than I expected. "You weren't gone too long, I'm so glad you were able to take care of those pressing matters and can enjoy the Autumn Ball."
"I told you earlier, we are going to enjoy tonight and I meant what I said." Lukas then takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. When he pulls me into his arms, I melt into him.
"I have to warn you; I had dance lessons years ago, but it has been quite a while since I have actually danced with anyone. Your feet may regret dancing with me." I'm nervous. I haven't been held by Lukas, and I'm trying to hide my fear. So close, his smell is completely enveloping me, and I am having trouble concentrating on dancing.
He leans over and whispers in my ear. "You are so tiny, you could stomp on my toes, and I wouldn't even know it. But so far, you are a wonderful dancer. Those lessons have paid off." I get goosebumps up and down my body from his breath on my sensitive earlobe. I wonder if he can see them?
After several dances, I am in my "Lukas fog." It lasts throughout dinner, and before long, I realize the time has come for Lukas' Gramps George, who is still Chairman of the Board for Sterling–Ryan, to make his annual speech. During his speech, he's going to announce our engagement. My palms are sweating again. Once his long, drawn-out speech is done, Lukas and I stand up and accept the congratulations of everyone in the room.
Finally, I can breathe again. As far as I know, we are planning to have a short engagement, and after our wedding, the plan is to announce the partnership between Sterling-Ryan and Steele Co. I still haven't been able to get in touch with Bradley to find out when his engagement to Annie is supposed to be announced. No one is willing to explain to me why their engagement was not announced tonight. I also want to know why he is avoiding me.
Tonight, all night long I have watched Bradley and Annie, and there seems to be something going on between them and Uncle Drew. Uncle Drew and Bradley almost came to blows when we sat down to dinner. Monday, I plan on showing up at Bradley's office to find out what is going on between him and Uncle Drew. One great thing was not seeing Marta again after Lukas drug her away to talk about "pressing matters." Yay me!
L ukas
I cannot believe Marta had the nerve to show up tonight at the Autumn Ball. Earlier in the week, I had transferred her to Devin Jacobs, and he said they were working out well. Before the partnership and marriage idea had come about, the plan was, of course, for Marta and I to go to the Autumn Ball together. But once my engagement to Madison came to be, those plans were canceled. I try to get myself under control before I get to her so I can resist the urge to physically throw her out of here.
The fact I ever found her attractive is appalling. She looks like an underfed scarecrow. Her cheekbones are sunken in, her green eyes are cold and calculating, and her blonde hair looks fake; not at all like My Angel's beautiful, soft, natural blonde hair. There really is no comparison between the two women and Marta knows it, which is the reason why she's acting like such a harpy. I look back and think what a blind, conceited asshole I was in the past.
Before she can say a word, I cut her off. ”This is your last chance, if you want to continue working at Sterling–Ryan, you will quietly leave here, go home and stop making a nuisance of yourself. Get the message through your thick head, our association is over. When we started fucking, I made myself clear, there were no promises of anything beyond the occasional fuck. Whatever you have made our past relationship out to be in your mind, you are wrong, and your stalking stops now, or you will be banned from all Sterling–Ryan property immediately. Am I clear?"
I see the calculating look come into her eyes before she even speaks. "I know you have to marry the little princess, but there is no reason we won't be able to still see each other. I am more than willing to continue what we had as if things had not changed at all. I never expected a wedding ring. I do not see why you're making such a big fuss."
"I'm making such a fuss as you put it because you refuse to listen to me. We were done before I met Madison. Even if I had never met her, I was still done with you. Now, I'm getting married, and I plan on being faithful to my wife. Just so we are clear, I do not have to marry her. I want to marry her. Get it through your thick head. She is my choice. You and I are done. Ended. Over. Finished. There is no other way to say it; get the fuck over it; I'm not going to explain myself to you again. Leave me, my fiancé and my family, alone, and take the job you have been offered. And fucking stop with all the other shit. Now, this is your last chance. Leave. Do not fuck with me, you will regret it."
"Come on Luke, I know all about the agreement, remember I have been your assistant for a long time. You are never going to convince me you suddenly want the drab, little princess." She goes to grab my sleeve, and I step back.
"Last chance Marta, I am under no obligation to explain myself to you. But I will tell you, Madison is my choice. You mean less than nothing to me, and she means absolutely everything to me. I hope I have made myself clear enough for you to understand. Now fuck off. You were not invited, and I will make sure to let security know to escort you to the door."
As I turn around and leave her standing there, I hear the commotion behind me, but Drew’s staff is good at keeping the disturbance to a minimum. Monday morning I will have to make the decision on whether or not I trust her working at Sterling–Ryan. If she continues being a stalking bitch, then I will have to take the appropriate actions against her.
