by Brenda Ford
“This is what you have been working towards,” I remind myself in a whisper. “This is what the last ten or so days have been about. This is the last chance to speak to Gemma, to try and make it right.”
But that only piles the pressure on me more, that only makes me incredibly anxious, I may even run if I’m not careful. But I can’t do that because I have to remember the amount of effort that everyone else has put in on my behalf. Rebecca has been a rock, Paige has kicked ass as normal, and Eve has done her part as well. They have all done this because they believe that me and Gemma are meant to be together, or that we should at least be given a shot at real life, and I can’t run out now. I owe it to them to at least try. They deserve me to at least get my head in order and to give it my best shot. I will have an angry mob of women against me if I don’t.
And Tim as well. He has dealt with endless phone calls from me, he has fielded all of my biggest concerns, and I know that he wants me to make this work as well. I don’t want to let him down either.
“Okay…” By the time Rebecca comes back to me, my breathing is a little steadier. I don’t know if I look any less freaked out but it’s a step in the right direction at least. “Gemma isn’t by the bidding station anymore; she is drinking with Eve instead. No one got to see her expression as she saw the date either…” Everything inside of me sinks, I feel deflated and sad. “But it isn’t all bad news because she did bid on the date.”
“She did?” Oh, thank God. I soar with joy. I am flying with happiness all over again. “Oh good.”
“Exactly. That’s what I thought.” Rebecca grins from ear to ear. “That has to be a good sign.”
She pats me on the back and helps me to feel a little bit better. I am stronger now, I feel like I can do it, I might even be looking forward to getting out there on that stage to see where this pans out. Who knows it could even be the day that me and Gemma finally make it work again? We could even get back together.
I allow my brain to wander off in to that beautiful fantasy inside of my head once more, the one that I have been dreaming about ever since we started putting this charity event together, which will make money for the homeless even if there is another agenda. I can’t stop thinking about the idea of me and Gemma ending up back in bed together, that wonderful chemistry erupting between us once more, but further than that… me and Gemma on actual dates together, being a couple, maybe even being together forever, it’s just mad.
Yep, this is love, for sure. No man goes this all out for someone when it isn’t love. I’m sure that Gemma Dove is the one for me and that we can live a happy ever after if we give this one more shot. For that reason alone, I know that my last attempt at a big romantic gesture was pathetic. That’s why I need to go so much bigger.
“Are you ready?” Rebecca grabs my focus once more. “It’s nearly time for you to get out there. Time for you to let that charm flow and to make some serious money for Paige… oh, and also get the love of your life.”
“No pressure then.” I try to let out a laugh, but the sound is much too strangled to be believed. “Yes, I think that I am just about ready to face this. I have been planning it for long enough…”
But even the speech that I have written is gone now. My mind is blank. I don’t know if I am going to be able to handle this. Making a speech when it comes to my work which I am passionate about is one thing, but this is going to be something else. Thank goodness Paige has offered to help me through this.
“Is Paige out there now?” I think that I can hear her going through all the spiel. Originally, I was going to do it all but thankfully she convinced me that it was better for her to assist me. “God, it’s nearly time.”
Rebecca comforts me, she whispers words of praise to me to lift up my spirits, but I am in my own little world, trying to bat off the self-doubt that seems to be attacking me from every angle.
“Okay.” Rebecca finally pushes me towards the stage. “Time to get out there and knock them dead.”
I instinctively block out the spot lights from damaging my eyes with my arm as I step out on to the stage. There is a hush around the room, an intense thick silence, and I can sense the spike of all eyes up on me. I might not be able to see anyone in particular but I know that Gemma is out there and that is enough to keep me going.
“Okay, so here he is,” Paige calls out a bit like a game show host. “The man who has volunteered himself up for a blind date… although not so much of a blind date because we can see his face right now.” Paige giggles. Is it me or does she sound a little nervous on my behalf? “And we hope we know the other person as well.”
There is a murmur around the room. I don’t know if that’s because people do know what’s happening or if they don’t but all I can do is keep on going. Take the microphone from Paige and begin.
“Thank you very much everyone for coming today.” Shit, my voice is shaky. It’s humiliating. “Paige and the charity do some amazing work, so every penny given to them is always useful.” Paige grins at me but nods at me to continue. “But I’m sure you all know that. That’s not why I am here. I’m here to talk about the reason why I have put myself up for a blind date, and why I requested only one person to bid on it.”
Almost as if fate is shining up on me, Gemma’s face starts to become clear in the crowd. She doesn’t look mad about this at all, her expression is soft and expecting, I really do feel like I have hit the jackpot here.
“Me and Gemma met at an event just like this one only a few months ago… well, actually, we didn’t meet at the event, we met because of it. We both bid on a blind date and won. That might not have been the first time that me and Miss Dove had interacted, but it’s definitely the first time we started to get to know one another.” I smile to myself, thinking about how we hissed insults at one another across the table. Who knew then what was going to become of us? “And from then we started spending more and more time together. Mostly in private but unfortunately, some people thought it okay to share our story with the world without our permission.” I pause for a second allowing this to sink in with everyone. I want them all to work out how they would behave if the spot light of the Internet was on them because as this has shown, it can happen to anyone. “But while all that was going on, tearing us apart, I realized that I was falling in love with Gemma. Understandably, she has pulled away from me in an attempt to get rid of the gossip, but I have continued to fall.” I make sure that I am only looking at Gemma now. “I organized all of this to raise money for charity, but also for selfish reasons, because I want you back, Gemma. I want to be with you, to show you how much I love you. I know that it seems a bit crazy now to consider a date after everything that we have been through, but I’m going to ask you anyway. Will you give me one more chance? Will you let me take you out on one more charity ‘blind date’ to see what this could be?”
I’m shaking pretty badly as a silence clings thickly to the air, shuddering painfully while there is a thoughtful look on her face. She might have bid on the date with me, but that doesn’t mean she will definitely do it, and this moment of waiting for her answer is torturing me, killing me, tearing me apart from the inside out.
“Say yes!” someone yells from the audience. “You have to say yes.”
Other people join in, which is probably a bad thing because the last thing I want is for Gemma to only agree to go out with me because she feels pressured. But eventually her face breaks out in to a giant smile as she nods at me. Relief floods me as I discover that all of this has finally worked out and that me and her are going to get a much-needed shot at long last. We both deserve this, we both need this, and I can’t wait to make it right again. Because I am not going to fuck up again, I’m not going to make a mess of things this time around. Gemma might be an unlikely love for me, but she is the perfect woman and me and her will have a great time. Starting with tonight. I hold out my hand to her as I exit the stage from the front this time. I don’t want to waste any more time, I want to get star
ted now, and thankfully I have a lovely date ready for us in the hope that this would be the outcome. I can’t wait to see Gemma’s face when we get there, I really hope that she loves it.
Chapter 18 – Gemma
“The view of the city is amazing up here,” I gasp as I stare out at all the city lights yet again. “I didn’t even know that this place existed and it’s so beautiful. I could look out at this view forever.”
I rest on my hand over the bowl of ice cream in front of me and sigh with happiness. I honestly didn’t know that this night was going to turn out so incredible, I had no idea that such a short time could change absolutely everything. It all makes sense now. Why Eve was so instant on getting me to the charity event, why the designer clothes, why I was left over by the bidding station all by myself… it was all Daniel’s plan to get me back.
I have to admit that I am flattered by all the effort that he put in. No man would go so far for a woman unless he truly had deep feelings, would he? I know that I haven’t ever had it before, and it feels wonderful. To be the center of someone’s focus, to have him feel so deeply about me, and for me to feel the same way about him too…
I have tried to fight it, I have tried not to feel that way about him, but I can’t help myself. I am head over heels, and I have been for far too long. I just hope that now we can make it work at long last.
“You are the most beautiful thing that I can see up here,” Daniel says sweetly. “Thank you so much for agreeing to come out with me tonight. It means a lot. I know that you didn’t have to.”
“Well, you made such an effort, how could I not?” I run my eyes all over his body, admiring how fantastic he looks in that tailored suit of his. “Throwing a whole charity event just to get a date with me.”
“I had to get your attention somehow.” He shoots me a wink. “You are a hard woman to impress, Gemma.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “Well, I suppose that’s why I’m so successful in my business.”
“Not quite as successful as me, of course, but I’m sure it helps you to do quite well…”
I’m glad that we can still banter about these things, that we can tease one another about work after the beating that we have been through together. I never want to lose that element because it’s what makes us so great, it’s what sparks the intense desire between us. Without that, things wouldn’t be quite the same.
“So, you have enjoyed the meal?” he asks me curiously. “You liked the food up here?”
“Oh my God, it was to die for,” I groan in agony. “And this ice cream is delicious as well.” I take a few more bites. “I just wish that this damn designer dress wasn’t so tight fitting so I could fit more in.”
His eyes twinkle with delight. “Well, I’m sure that we can do something about your dress.”
“Oh no.” I wiggle my finger at him. “I have learned my lesson when it comes to getting caught up in the heat of the moment with you. No more dangerous public nudity because it never turns out well.”
That’s a rule I will definitely have to stick to in future, but I have to admit that it’s a little hard for me to keep my head in order when he’s looking at me like that with eyes consumed by lust. How am I supposed to keep my clothes on when it’s obvious that we want one another equally? And it feels kinda private up here…
“Well, as you know, I don’t live too far away from here,” Daniel offers. “We could go….”
He’s giving me an option here as if it’s a choice but we both know which way this is going to go. There is no way that I can resist him further. I have denied myself all that I crave for far too long and now I want to reward myself with his sexy body for not losing my mind as I suffered badly.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whisper cheekily, hopefully seductively as well. “And let me pay.”
“The meal has been covered. I have already paid for all of this of course.” He grins at me. “You will just have to take me out on another date and pay then. I won’t complain about that…”
I chuckle along with him and take his hand while we leave the restaurant. The place that I really hope to come back to once more with this wonderful man. I’m hoping now that we have all the time in the world to do whatever we want. I want to world to be our oyster and for us to take the world by storm.
Once outside the building, Daniel pauses to kiss me gently, showing me with his lips just how much he likes me. I can feel that it’s different now, there is a new energy between us. This scared me when I first thought about it, the idea of having to commit completely to Daniel in this intense way was terrifying, but now that I have had time to think and calm down, it doesn’t seem scary at all. It seems like the best idea in the world.
“Did you really think that I wouldn’t want to come out with you?” I murmur as we pull apart.
“I had no idea how you were going to feel,” he confessed. “I just knew that I needed to try. I couldn’t let go of you completely without being sure that you definitely didn’t want me because I know that what we have is too good to just walk away from without giving it my all. So, that is what I’ve done.”
I smile brightly and lose myself in the moment as he kisses me once more, just knowing that he’s right. We really do have something far too good to turn our back on which is why I’m so glad that I’m here with him, giving this another go. We deserve this, we should never let other people get in our way and I’m sure we won’t again.
Me and Daniel can’t seem to stop giggling all the way to his apartment. It’s like we are school kids who have escaped the teachers gaze on us for five minutes, so we are being naughtier. It’s such a crazy, freeing moment that I really can’t get enough of. In a weird way, my enemy has become my best friend and my lover as well. Who would have thought that would happen? Certainly not me. I’m usually too stubborn to change my mind.
But the laughter stops as soon as we crash in to Daniel’s apartment. The atmosphere changes completely and it becomes sexual charged all over again. His lips crash hard in to mine and we begin stripping one another rapidly. It isn’t the easiest to get my skin-tight designer dress on, but somehow, we manage it together.
“This dress looks good on you,” he laughs. “But I prefer it when you are easier to strip.”
“I will remember that in future.” I wink at him. “But for now, this is what we have…”
We fall on to his bed together. I don’t even consider that this is the first time I’m seeing this room until it’s too late and we are already entangled in the sheets and in one another as well. His lips are all over my body, his tongue tasting me, and I am doing the same for him as well… but there is definitely a new element to this now. We are caring about one another’s bodies, loving each other, there is a brand-new intensity to everything.
I love him, I realize with a shiver. I really do love everything about him…
His fingers slide inside of me at the same moment I take his rock-hard cock in my hand. It’s like we’re in sync as we caress and touch one another, sending each other in to a pleasure fueled oblivion. Our pace matches, our bodies slide next to one another perfectly, it’s like we are one rather than two people and it’s phenomenal. Just knowing that there are more layers sets my skin alight, makes me flush with desire, causes me insides to churn with the intense butterflies flapping within me. But I want more, I want everything from him. I need him deep inside of me once more. My body craves him, I am addicted to him in every single way, and it has been a very long time since I have had a hit of the Daniel drug, so I want it all.
“I want you,” I rasp a little breathlessly, very excitedly. “Daniel, I need you. I want you so badly.”
He pulls back and stares at me, his eyes hooded with desire as he grabs a condom from his night stand and he slips it on to himself. It’s honestly like a porn movie coming to life in front of me watching him touch his own thick, throbbing erection. I arch my back and roll my hips towards him, letting him know how much I want him.
“You have no idea how sexy you are, Gemma,” he groans at me. “You really are gorgeous.”
I can’t answer him because he chooses that moment to slip deep in to me and take my breath away. He fills me up in the most phenomenal way possible, making me see stars already. But it isn’t just his cock that’s making me swell up with a heat of happiness, it’s the way that he’s holding my close, kissing me softly the whole time, making me feel loved. I honestly never want this moment to end. I could stay connected to him forever.
“Oh wow…” But as much as I want to stay in this exact moment, the pleasure can’t stop itself from creeping up through me. It fizzes through my veins and sets me in flames. I can’t stop it from swallowing me up whole and dragging me deep in to the hot bubble pool of bliss with him. “Oh, Daniel, don’t let me go.”
As the orgasm finally crashes over me, the waves covering me over and over again, I cling to Daniel hard as if I am afraid that he will run off in the middle of the night and I will lose him again. But in reality, I’m safe in the knowledge that he is sticking by my side and I can rely on him to always be there. He has promised himself to me now, not so much with his words but with his actions, and it feels phenomenal. I am so freaking lucky.
Eventually, we crash on the bed together and I curl up next to Daniel, smiling to myself as I do. I have to admit this might well be the happiest that I have ever been. This feeling is the only thing that makes me see how Eve might be right. Once I get everything fully back on track with my company, I will definitely work on a work life balance to make sure that me and Daniel can have more time like this. More time to be together, more time in one another’s arms, more time to be in love like we are. More time to just explore this feeling of joy.
I could tell him, after everything that he has done I could be the one to tell him that I love him first, but I’m too sleepy right now. It’s been a long day and I need some sleep. When I finally do tell him, I want the moment to be absolutely perfect. I want it to be the start of our happy ever after.
