I smile at him, closing my eyes to revel in his touch. Then, I feel him pulling me closer to him so that he can take me in his embrace. The warmth of his body soothes me instantly, and his gentleness is such a big contrast with the violence I saw on those pictures. A few moments of silence goes by as I treasure his hug as much as I can. Despite not being in the best mood, I will never get tired of being in his arms.
“You don’t want to eat something before going to Mike’s party?” As he releases me, I can see the worry in his gaze for me wanting to skip dinner.
“I’m not hungry; that talk left me without appetite.”
“Petra, we have an agreement; you have to eat something every evening.”
“Can’t we do an exception today?” I ask with begging eyes. “I promise, tomorrow I will eat.”
“I hope so,” he replies after considering me. As I’m about to leave, he adds, “By the way, I got you a dress for this evening. It should be in your closet.”
Oh, why am I not surprised by this? The fact he thinks about all of the littlest details makes my heart jump up to the ceiling. I feel quite tempted to go and thank him with a kiss, but I refrain myself from doing so. I know I shouldn’t be holding a grudge against him for what he did to those women. But the images of Amanda’s scars are still fresh in my mind, leaving me sad and disappointed. After all, from the accident that killed his friend’s sister to the way he flogged Amanda, it’s far from the caring and protective Alex I know. “Thanks,” I say instead.
Alex smirks in return, and I wonder why. “May I have a kiss before you go?”
Chapter 8
Alexander Van Dieren
“Don’t talk to her,” Ryan repeats once more, despite my wanting to dial Amanda and dissuade her from moving forward with her false accusation. What a fucking bitch she is. But I’m not in the best mood right now, so instead of calling her, I decided to call my attorney. “She is waiting for you to do something that you might regret afterward. Ignore her.”
“Maybe we can reach an agreement with her,” I tell him.
“Look, she hasn’t done anything so far. Maybe she just wanted to create some conflict between you and Petra.” Unfortunately, I know Amanda well, and I’m pretty sure she’ll go forward with those accusations for the sake of revenge. “Her goal is to damage your reputation, but don’t worry, we’ll have a great defense and bring forth a counter-case for defamation if she goes ahead with it.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly her goal.” I run a hand through my hair, barely believing what she is up to. I’m not surprised that Mona or anyone from her family told her I was engaged. It was just a matter of time until she would find out anyway.
“Send me all the evidence that you have supporting that you were both mutually into these types of…activities.” I suppress a laugh at his reply. “You had a contract with her, right?”
“Of course, I did.”
“Great, then relax. Enjoy your evening with your fiancée, and we see each other tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Ryan. Where would I be without you?” I ask, already anticipating his answer.
“Probably in jail.”
A chuckle escapes me, as I knew he’d say that. “Bingo.” Then I glance quickly at my watch and… Jeez! We’re getting late! It’s nearly nine o’clock. “Alright, I’m gonna have to go. See you tomorrow.” After hanging up, I finish adjusting the cuff of my left sleeve and then shout, “Petra, are you ready?” As I don’t hear anything in return, I leave our bedroom and go to her bathroom, where I knock twice. “Petra?”
I hear nothing but a mere, “Mm?”
“Are you ready?”
Since she doesn’t answer, I twist the handle and open the door enough to have a full view. My eyes land on Ms. Van Gatt standing in front of the mirror spraying some perfume on her neck. As I observe her reflection through the mirror, a trace of a smile settles on my lips while my gaze slowly drifts from her face down to the sapphire satin dress that fits her like a glove. I had to get her a dress which matched her engagement ring; after all, it’s our first official event here in New York.
She turns to face me, and my smile keeps growing. “How do I look?”
“Disappointing,” I tease. “I expected better when I got you this dress.”
“What?” she gasps instantly in outrage, before turning back to the mirror and observing herself again. And I can’t help but chuckle at it. “You’re kidding, right?” Her eyes are now squinting at me angrily. It’s supposed to look like she’s mad, but she just looks even cuter as she does so.
I give a few steps in her direction and, standing right behind her, I bend just enough to inhale her jasmine perfume. Pressing my lips on her right shoulder, I close my eyes and revel in her divine taste. My arms then go around her waist, pulling her closer against me, and my fingers start running through the fabric of the dress that molds her body so perfectly.
“You are absolutely stunning,” I whisper, while my lips linger on her skin. I feel tempted to undress her and kiss her whole body, but I get a grip on myself, and taking a step back, I say, “Alright, let’s go; we are already almost late.”
I check my watch once more, and I can’t help but despise the feeling of arriving anywhere late. While I’m pretty sure Petra doesn’t mind, I was raised to be punctual, and I came to hate tardiness, especially when I give my word to someone that I will be on time. It’s a great habit for meetings and formal dinners, but a terrible one for parties and casual events. Not only we are late, but that means everyone will already be inside and check on us making our entrance.
“Are you nervous?” I hear an ounce of amusement in her question.
Since I’m trapped in this goddamn car with her, I’ve got no option but to answer. “Well, there’s a bunch of clients in there and people I work with…”
“And?”
“And seeing a forty-something year old walking in accompanied by his eighteen-year-old fiancée isn’t gonna go unnoticed.”
While I look terrified, Petra just keeps smiling at me. “There are plenty of men who have younger girlfriends.”
“They aren’t eighteen, believe me,” I snap nearly instantly. “And they are definitely not the daughters of their business partners either.”
“Relax…” she takes my hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “You know how much I hate to be the center of attention, but tonight we are making a statement that nothing can tear us apart.”
“Except if I don’t satisfy your curiosity…” I’m sure I struck a nerve now, but I couldn’t resist. “Then, Ms. Van Gatt gives me an ultimatum.”
“That’s not the point,” she chides back, releasing her hand from mine and turning her face to the window.
“Of course.” I can’t help the sarcasm in my tone as I observe her, now totally bothered. There’s just something extremely satisfying and amusing in pissing her off. It brings back good, old memories. “You never changed, it’s unbelievable.”