“Can you help me with this?” I turned my back to Atticus so he could help me zip up my dress. We were getting dressed for the dinner.
It was a private dinner that some important guests were attending and I still had no idea how Atticus mistook it for a gala. I shivered involuntarily as his hands brushed my naked back when he wanted to adjust the dress so he could zip it.
“Thank you,” I told him after he was done. He had buttoned his shirt halfway so I turned so I could help him button it all the way. When I was done buttoning the shirt, I plucked the suit jacket from the bed and gestured for him to turn around so I could put it on for him.
“I can put that on by myself” he insisted but I wasn’t listening. I forcefully turned him around and helped him put it on.
“I’ve seen it in movies so I want to also do it too,” I told him when I was done. I used my palms to straighten the suit even though there wasn’t a wrinkle in sight.
“Here you can do your tie yourself, I’m terrible at that," I said pushing the tie into his hand.
When Dad was alive, he and Duke tried as much as they could to teach me how to knot a tie but it was something that never stuck no matter how hard I tried.
“Thank you” He gave me a small smile before taking the tie from me. I walked over to the dressing mirror and sat in front of it so I could put some finishing touches to my makeup.
“Allow me” I almost jumped in surprise when I suddenly heard Atticus behind me. I looked up into the mirror to see him holding the necklace we got.
I moved my hair to the side so he could place the necklace. I ran my hands over the beauty as Atticus fastened it in place. It looked so stunning now that I was all dressed up like a doll
I admired myself one more time, proud of my look and happy that the hours spent were totally worth it.
“You are so fucking beautiful” Atticus whispered and I turned around in surprise, not because of the words themselves but because of the raw honesty I could hear in his voice, or what I wanted to believe was honesty.
“Thank you” I whispered before placing my palm in his outstretched hands. I allowed him to pull me to his chest.
He tightened his hands around my waist while his other hands skimmed my face softly. He was careful not to ruin my makeup.
He was looking at me as if he was just seeing me for the first time. I watched him from beneath my fake lashes and my breath hitched in my chest as I watched him lower his face slowly.
His lips pressed to mine softly in a light kiss and I knew he didn’t press any further because of my lip stick. He pecked my lips once more before going for my neck and also leaving a trail of kisses there.
My hands tightened around his neck and my fingers found their way into his hair but I was
careful not to mess it up.
“We need to leave or we’ll be late” I didn’t sound convincing at all. My hands tugging on his neck spoke of a different story.
“Your actions speak differently” He was marking me. I winced as he bit my neck and sucked on it harshly
“You would leave a mark” I whined but made no effort to push him away.
“That’s the aim, baby. I don’t want anyone looking at you tonight. I want them to know that you belong to me alone”
If I wasn’t clouded with lust, I would have pushed him away so I could confirm if it really was him but he had been acting spontaneously and unusual now so I was just embracing it the way it came.
“Okay stop” I pushed him away lightly and gave him a scowl before leaning forward in front of the mirror so I could take a good look at what he had done and as I suspected, there was a forming hickey on my pale neck.
“Look what you’ve done” I hit him but he grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room.
“I thought you said we were late. You are going to make us late if we start to argue about who was wrong and all that” I scoffed in annoyance but let myself be pulled through the house all the way to the car.
I caught the surprised look on Lorenzo’s face and also caught the wink and thumbs up Lily sent my way. They had cautioned me like always when I moved across the hallway and into Atticus's room but I told them I was fine and that everything would go how I wanted it to now.
Atticus held the car door open for me before getting in after me. Just when I thought, I wouldn’t be getting any more surprises, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. It was so close that I was practically sitting in his lap.
When I tried to shift slightly, he pinched my waist through the gown and I yelped in shock. I slapped him across his chest but he caught my hand and pecked it. Who knew the bastard was such a sweet romantic?
Throughout the ride to the party, I was getting little kisses and I was not complaining. In fact, I wanted much more. I was practically pressed to his side but he didn’t mind and kept talking to the person on the call he received some minutes ago.
I loved the feel of his hands as they rubbed up and down my side, back and waist. I wanted this to last forever and I wanted it to get better than this. I deserved my happy ending too and not just the girls I read about in stories and magazines.
“You okay?” He asked as we pulled into the venue which was actually the home of someone. I raised my brow in question because I was not expecting it to be in someone’s home.
“Yes. I’m a bit nervous but I’m fine” I told him with a smile.
“Okay. let’s go?”
“Yes. Let’s go” Atticus stepped out of the car first before giving me his hand so he could assist me in climbing down from the car.
I was relieved to see there were no paparazzi since it was a private event. My eyes had been hurting a little and I planned to get them checked soon so for now, I don’t think I could handle any bright lights.
“Whose party is this?” I asked when I remembered I was attending an event whose host I didn’t even know.
“Austin Bryers, I assume you know him?” Of course, I did.
Just like Atticus, the man was a billionaire and well-known since he was seen as the Godfather of tech. His company, MAEVE, dealt with all kinds of tech business and everyone was using their products from computers, phones, electronics and all that.
“How would I not know the owner of the phone brand I use? Impressive. So, what’s the gala for?” I asked as I allowed him to lead me into the huge house that was so quiet I was almost doubting there was something going on there.
“He is just hosting a little get-together for a few friends and acquaintances. It may be branded a dinner but it’s just an opportunity for businessmen to get together, talk business and strike deals”
“Would Danielle be here? I doubt I know anyone else that would be here” I felt him tense and relax so quickly that if I hadn’t been pressed against him, I wouldn’t have noticed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
“Nothing. Danielle would be here. I am certain James got an invite too” He assured me and my shoulders sagged in relief at the news.
“That makes everything a hundred times better. Let’s hurry up and find them, I haven’t seen her in days” I pulled him to walk faster but he held his ground and I was pouting.
We entered the room and I gasped in surprise at how stunning the home was. I knew I lived in a pretty good place as well but the design here was to die for.
I let my eyes trail the place, taking in every single bit of the room as we made our way towards the group of people in the large ballroom. Who even has a ballroom these days?
I was smiling so wide but my smile froze when I met the angry stare of Samantha all the way at the end of the room.