~ Asher's POV ~
Asher entered the main house of the Van Zandt estate dressed in a sleek black suit and crisp white shirt. He wasn't much of a suit guy, but since this was a black tie event, he didn't have much of a choice. His mom gave him an old suit that used to belong to his dad and it fitted him perfectly.
Inside the Van Zandt mansion, decorations of black and gold colors hung all around the room. Today was New Year's Eve Day and Violet Van Zandt was throwing a Gatsby-esque party to celebrate the start of the new year. There were probably over two hundred guests in attendance, a jazz band, singers, and other entertainers in the room. Everyone was dressed to the T in their suits and dresses. There were even actors and models and politicians who were acquaintances with Damon.
Sure, this was the most star-studded party Asher had been a part of, but he didn't care for any of them one bit. There was only one person he cared about seeing tonight, and so, he made his way up the stairs to the second floor. To Zoie's room.
Asher made sure that he looked nonchalant as he walked down the hallway. There were guards posted all around and he just nodded at them like everything was normal. He was walking with full confidence until suddenly, he saw something that made him stop in his tracks.
"Hey," Zoie said as she stood in front of him. She had just come out of her room. She was wearing this gorgeous red satin dress that hugged her figure perfectly. There was a slit on the side of her leg and it accentuated those long, slender legs of hers.
"H-hey," Asher found himself stammering.
Fúck me. She's so gorgeous!
If it weren't for the guards around, Asher would've grabbed her and pinned her back against the wall. Oh, what he would give to kiss her lips right now, but all he could do was stand and cough awkwardly, putting his hands in his pocket.
"You look nice," she smiled at him. "Is that a new suit?"
"Nah, it was my dad's,"
"Well, you look very dapper," she said as her hand went to touch his tie. She was acting as if she was fixing up the tie, though there was nothing to fix. She was just looking for an excuse to touch him.
"Thanks," Asher's lips curved into knowing a smile. "You look... really beautiful,"
"Thank you," she smiled again, her cheeks blushing a little.
Asher leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "So much so, you're making me hard right now,"
Zoie's cheeks were full-on crimson red now. Asher couldn't help but let out a chuckle. He leaned closer to her ear again as he was about to say something else, but before he could do that, they suddenly heard a voice.
"Zee!"
Asher pulled away instinctively. He saw Landon jogging down the hallway in his dark blue suit and khaki pants. He was waving his arms at Zoie excitedly.
"Landon! H-hey," Zoie stammered as she stepped back too, creating more distance between her and Asher.
"Guess what?" Landon beamed. "David Haskell is in the building!"
"Oh my God!" Zoie gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "Are you serious?!"
Landon nodded his head eagerly.
"Your dad must've invited him. He's in the dining room as we speak!"
"Who's David Haskell?" Asher interjected.
Zoie and Landon shot a look at Asher at the same time as if they couldn't believe he didn't know who that was.
"He's the editor in chief for the New York Magazine," she explained after a beat.
"You gotta go down there and say hi to him," Landon said to her.
"What? No way! I can't!" she shook her head.
"You totally can! And you should tell him about the paper you're writing for journalism class,"
"David Haskell isn't gonna be interested in some article a college student wrote about car racing," she scoffed.
"It's a great commentary on the state of our generation! He's gonna love it!" Landon then turned to Asher and said, "Isn't that true, Ash?"
Zoie wrote a paper? It was about racing?
"Um. Yeah," Asher nodded his head blindly. He shot Zoie a look and she gave him that guilty smile.
Why does Landon know about this and I don't?
"Come on!" Landon said as he grabbed her hand, pulling her away.
Asher almost reacted at that moment. He wanted to pull her back and say, "Don't touch my girl!" But luckily, he caught himself before he did any of that. Instead, he just watched in silence as Zoie disappeared down the hall with Landon.
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For the next hour or so, Asher only walked aimlessly through the party. He drank a couple of beers and had small talks with Zane and Zander, but that was about it. There were several girls who tried to make a move on him. One girl kept giving him the look and another girl offered to get him a drink. He ignored all of them and he just stood in the corner of the room like some weirdo, keeping one eye out for Zoie.
Zoie, on the other hand, was a busy bee. A total social butterfly. Everyone wanted pictures of the governor's daughter. Even David Haskell was interested to talk to her about journalism. And not just that, several guys were making advances on her, offering her a drink or asking her to dance. Zoie declined all the offers politely and spent most of her time with Landon instead. Zoie and Landon were always close, so no one suspected anything when they looked so cozy together. Asher only watched silently as Zoie and Landon shared a laugh. Sometimes, he wished that he could be like Landon. He was always making her laugh so effortlessly. And of course, everyone loves Landon. He was the sweetest guy in the world. He even gave Zoie such a thoughtful and expensive gift, making Asher's gift look pretty foolish in comparison.
Asher let out a sigh as he threw his eyes across the room. He was just looking around mindlessly when something caught his eye. He was looking up at the second floor and he noticed the door to Damon's office. Suddenly, Asher had an idea. He pulled out his phone and typed a text.
Asher: Meet me in your dad's office before 12 o'clock.
From across the room, Asher saw Zoie looking at her phone. She must've gotten his text.
Zoie: My dad's office??
Zoie looked confused. She threw a glance over at him, but he simply typed a response and walked away.
Asher: It's the only place in the house that's safe and empty.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
~ Zoie's POV ~
Zoie's heart was racing as she read the text message from Asher. She felt a mixture of danger and excitement, sneaking off to meet Asher at midnight. Several days had passed since Christmas and they hadn't got a chance to be together alone. This time, it seemed like Asher had a plan, and that means...
We're gonna have a New Year's Eve kiss!
Zoie was smiling from ear to ear, unable to hide her excitement. She looked around the room to see Asher, but he was nowhere to be found.
"What's so funny over there?" Landon asked as he peered into her phone.
Zoie haphazardly put her phone behind her back.
"N-nothing!" she said quickly. She looked at the clock on the wall and it was 11 PM. There was still plenty of time before midnight, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Is that Spike Lee!?" she pointed at a man across the room. "Oh my God, let's talk to him!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For the next hour or so, Zoie was kept busy. She was talking to everyone from her dad's political team to the celebrities and everyone else in between. The press was also there, so she had to put on the good girl smile and take lots of pictures and answer interviews about her first year at Stanford. This party was not just a party to celebrate the New Year, this was also a flex move planned by her mom and dad. It was important for Damon to send a message to the world that he was a leader people can admire and trust. The well-being and success of his family were proof of that.
Zoie was in the middle of a conversation with a reporter when suddenly, she heard some clinking noise.
* CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! *
The MC was standing with a champagne glass in his hand, gathering everyone's attention.
"Ehem, everyone, can I have your attention please?" he said. "It is exactly one minute until midnight, so can we have all the couples on the dance floor and we're going to start the countdown soon!"
All the guests were clapping and cheering in excitement. Many couples started making their way to the dance floor as the music got even louder. Zoie checked her phone and sure enough, it was 11.59 PM. She got so busy talking to people, she forgot she was supposed to be somewhere else!
"Hey, you wanna dance?" Landon said as he appeared in her periphery, lending out a hand.
"Sorry, I have to go!" Zoie didn't even look at him and she just dashed away.
"Zee!?"
Zoie heard Landon's call, but she didn't turn back. She was running as fast as she could, shoving past the sea of people to get to the second floor. Once she got up there, she smiled at the guards who were guarding the long hallway, maintaining a calm demeanor even though her heart was racing. Zoie walked as if she was heading to her room, and when the guard wasn't looking, she made a quick pivot and entered her dad's office.
"Asher?" she whispered as she closed the door shut.
Damon's office was dark and empty. Zoie found the light switch and turned on the lights. Sure enough, there wasn't anyone in there.
"Ash?" she asked again.
There was no response. Zoie checked her phone again, it was 12 AM. The cheering and clapping got even louder from downstairs.
Oh, no. Did he leave already...?
Zoie was about to sigh in disappointment when suddenly---
"Hey,"
She looked up to see Asher hanging by the window outside.
"Ash!" she gaped as she raced over to the window, opening it from the inside. Once the window was opened, Asher came right in.
"How long have you been out there?!" she asked.
"Long enough," he shrugged. He then took a step closer and stood tall in front of her. "Happy New Year, Zoie,"
"Happy New Year, Ash," she replied.
As if on cue, they both grabbed each other's faces and crashed their lips into each other. There were fireworks outside and the "Boom" "Boom" Boom" sound filled the air. Zoie's heart was exploding like those fireworks and she couldn't contain it anymore. She linked her arms around his neck to pull him closer, and he responded by wrapping his hands around his waist.
Muffled moans and groans were heard as they pressed their bodies tightly against each other. Asher grabbed a firm hold of her body and he led her back until she hit the bookshelf behind her. Zoie was squirming and writhing in need as Asher's lips started attacking her neck. Her hands were clawing at the books behind her, and suddenly----
* CREAK!!! *
The bookshelf moved! Zoie and Asher staggered back. She almost fell down if it wasn't for Asher's arms holding her up.
"What...?" Zoie looked back and saw the bookshelf creaking open like a door.
There was a secret room behind the bookshelf. Asher's body immediately tensed. He stood in front of Zoie in a protective manner. His hand then reached for the light switch on the wall and once he hit the button, light filled the room.
"Oh my God! What is this?" she gasped in shock.
It took Zoie a moment to realize the content of that room. And even as she was staring at it, she still couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"What do you think it is?" Asher asked back as he let out a sigh of relief. "It's a sex room,"
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- - - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - - -