Page 22 of Breaking the Ice

“Oh, I've changed alright. I've learned to recognize dirt clumps from true gems.” With these words, he sits down next to Mandy and puts an arm around her shoulders. The air between them is thick. I wonder why Durand brought the girl here. He must have known that Toby isn't fond of her. And suddenly it dawns on me that he's seeking revenge on him this way. After all, Toby helped me expose him and Parker. What an asshole. I lean over to my friend.

“Sweetie,” I whisper in her ear, “this woman is no threat to you. She couldn't hold a candle to you in a million years.”

“That's become abundantly clear to me too,” she replies with a relieved smile. Whatever Belinda messed up; Toby wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole anymore.

“I need to make a quick visit to the little girls' room. Can you manage on your own?”

“Of course, go ahead,” she answers, still keeping her eyes on her rival. I stand up and walk through the revelers towards the back, where I assume the bathroom is. I admit I don't actually need to use the bathroom, I just wanted to escape the tense atmosphere. Tired from the long day, I lean my back against the staircase railing leading to the upper floor and take a sip of my soda. I watch some defenders engrossed in their animated conversation. Further back, I see Parker, staring out the window, drowning his disappointment in an amber-colored drink – whiskey, I suspect. Seeing him stirs up a twinge of guilt in me, so I peel myself off the staircase and continue to wander through the crowd of guests. Standing next to a floor lamp with a black shade, I observe the couch from a safe distance. Belinda is now a bit further away, her back turned to Toby. Great, it seems like things have settled down. Just as I think the coast is clear and I can go back, my scalp starts to tingle.

“What interesting thing are we looking at?” a voice inquires directly in my ear, causing my heart to stumble in shock. It's Caleb; he's standing close behind me, his handsome face only inches away from my ear. I turn to face him and see him straighten up, amused, in his white shirt and low-slung jeans. His hands are behind his back as he looks at me expectantly. Oh man, of all people, he catches me spying on my friends.

“Caleb, hi. Great party,” I try to deflect, but he's not easily distracted.

“Come on, spill. Who were you watching?” There's open curiosity in his eyes. “Durand?” Interesting. There's a tone of disapproval in his voice, as if it bothers him that I am snooping on him.

“No, not Durand. Just the girl he's here with,” I say, waiting eagerly for his reaction.

“Belinda?” His nostril twitches as he quirks a corner of his mouth.

“You don't seem to like her very much,” I observe.

“No wonder, nobody likes her. She squeezed Toby dry, blew all his money, and then, when he was broke, moved on to the next one.” Caleb looks at her with contempt. “You should've seen him back then. After the relationship with that money-grubbing hag, he was down in the dumps for weeks.”

“Heard she never quite gave him up and still texts him today.”

“Let her,” Caleb shrugs. “She's lost Toby for good.” He averts his gaze from Belinda and looks at me. “Let's drop this unpleasant subject.” He pauses briefly, during which his eyes narrow by a fraction. He seems to be considering. “Is everything okay with you?” he asks. Ah, so that's the issue. I inwardly sigh, knowing where he's heading.

“If you think I'm bummed about the bet, you'll be disappointed.” I knew it! Judging by Caleb's expression, I hit the nail on the head. “Granted, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but I got my revenge.”

“Yeah, you did, and I have to admit, you did it quite well.” With these words, a smile lights up his lips, making my knees go weak. Man, this guy just looks outrageously good. “You're taking this whole thing quite lightly, aren't you?”

“Probably because I wasn't interested in either of them,” I try to prevent myself from looking at him, but as I say it, I lose myself for a moment in Caleb's eyes. Somewhere inside me, the desire to raise my hand and touch him awakens. There's something between us, a kind of flutter.

“Is there someone you are interested in?” Caleb's voice sounds different, rough. His gaze darkens. I believe he feels this vibration between us too. Without taking his eyes off me, he slowly, like a predator, takes a step towards me. “Who is it that you want?” he murmurs. Now I'm sure, he feels this crackle, this magnetic pull between us. His proximity makes me forget all my resolutions to stay away from him and not do anything stupid. I want to tell him that I want him. That it's him I desire – more than anything in the world. I open my mouth, take a deep breath to say what's on my mind. Caleb's eyes travel down to my lips. The moment passes as if on fast forward. But just as I make a sound, a woman's voice drowns me out.

“Oh, Caleb, who do we have here? Aren't you going to introduce us?” I blink in surprise. A blonde girl hangs onto the forwards’ arm from one moment to the next and smiles at me artificially. Caleb steps back a few inches from me and swallows hard.

“I... so... this is Jessica Flake... my girlfriend,” he stammers. Obviously, he's just as taken aback as I am.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Emma, the new masseuse,” I introduce myself and shake her hand. Jessica's brain takes a second to process. Then her expression changes in an instant. It's like a mirror shattering. And now all the shards – in her case, all the friendliness – come crashing down, leaving behind pure aversion in Jessica's case.

“This is the new masseuse?” Hand on her hip, she snaps at Caleb. “You didn't mention a word about her looking like a fucking Miss World.”

“Jess...” he starts, but she doesn't let him get a word in.

“No, none of that ‘Jess’! I can't believe the crap that's going on here. How dare Thornton hire her?” Suddenly, a look crosses her face that sends a shiver down my spine. “Now I know why you've only been at training lately. You're fooling around with this little tramp. Aren't you?!” Excuse me? Did she just call me a tramp?

“Are you completely losing it?” Caleb shakes off her hand, which is still on his arm. “You better apologize to...”

“To who? This little whore?! For sleeping with my boyfriend?!” Her voice escalates at the last word, and something inside me snaps. Without weighing the consequences, I raise my hand and pour the rest of my soda in her face. It makes her gasp for air. “You disgusting little slit-eyed bitch,” she curses at me, but by then, I've already turned my back on her and walk past the guests who have stopped their conversations, back to my friends. “You'll pay for this!” the blonde screeches behind me. Back when I was a young girl, I might have turned around and slapped her, just so she has a reason to act this way. But today, I'm wiser and won't engage in such nonsense.

“Can you guys give me a ride home?” I ask Toby and Mandy, who are already about ten steps ahead of the couch. They both sit there with open mouths, staring alternately at me and the cow. I don't wait for their answer, I just say, “I'll be waiting downstairs.” Then I leave the loft under the gaze of the attendees and go down the stairs. Why, Emma? Why don't you listen to your gut? I scold myself in my thoughts. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. This is all just one huge mess!

As I arrive on the ground floor and open the front door, I hear someone upstairs leaving the apartment. Thank God; at least Mandy and Toby aren't leaving me behind, I think, and step out into the cool night. Wrapping my arms around my upper body, I walk along the gravel path and around the building. I'm barely around the corner when I hear the front door open with a click, followed by the crunching of gravel. That must be Mandy. She's such a darling, I think, and turn around to face her.

“Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine,” I lie. But instead of my friend, I recognize Caleb coming around the corner towards me. Oh, I hadn't expected him. “You've got a sweet girlfriend there,” I say sarcastically. But he doesn't respond to my words. Instead, he comes closer in long strides and pushes me against the glass door of the shop. It tickles a memory buried deep in my subconscious – one that refuses to surface.

“Emma...” His hands pressed against the glass on either side of me, he holds me captive. “What did you want to say earlier?” Oh my God, his gaze is so intense, I feel like I'm incinerating under it.

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