Page 50 of First Impressions
What gives you the right to rip two people apart who clearly are in love with one another? You can’t just go around controlling other peoples’ lives to serve whatever purpose you need; they are people who need to make their own choices. What did Jane ever do to you or Charles that called for this?
Just thinking about it had her face flushed and her jaw clenched. She stood up and went downstairs to grab a water from the fridge before putting her dress on.
And that doesn’t even begin to cover how you could treat me the way that you do! After everything that you’ve done, I stayed; I stayed and I gave you a piece of me, let youcontrol a part of me that no one ever has, and how do you respond? You leave. Again.
She felt the tears threatening to fall, remembering how vulnerable she had been, how crushed she had felt knowing that he had left, and then having to keep that all inside so she could be there for Jane.God.She felt like punching something. Or skipping the party and crying all night, but that wouldn’t get her in front of the man she needed to give a piece of her mind to.
She slipped her white gown over her head and fastened the gold clasp at the back of her neck. It was a simple halter sheath with a v-neck and a low-cut, cowl back. She’d bought the dress years ago for an event but then didn’t end up wearing it; she wasn’t a big fan of how she looked in white, but since this was a white party what better opportunity to dust it off and put it to good use.
Staring at herself in the mirror she looked elegant and pristine, the complete opposite of how she felt. Inside she felt fragile and used - all the broken pieces of her precariously held together by a glass shell that could shatter at any moment. That’s what she saw in the mirror: the chaos contained in the coolly composed exterior. She threw her hair up in a simple French twist and waited for Anne to arrive with the golf cart to pick her up.
Anne arrived looking like a moon goddess. The tall blonde was wearing a very modest, loose white gown; the sleeves came all the way to her wrists, the high neckline touching her neck. The material was thin and even sheer in some areas, giving her an ethereal quality that, if she hadn’t reassured Beth herself that there was nothing between her and Darcy, Beth would have been concerned.
“Beth! You look great!” Anne greeted her with a hug.
“Thanks, but I feel like I’m a mess. You look amazing though,” Beth responded self-consciously.
Anne gave her a sympathetic stare. “It’s all going to be ok. Everything it looking great up at the house. You and Victor did an amazing job!”
“Have any of the guests arrived yet?” Beth asked even though she was only concerned with one guest in particular.
“No, Darcy isn’t here yet,” Anne responded knowingly. “But we should get going because people should be starting to arrive soon and I know the photographer wants to get a couple of photos in front of the house before it’s overwhelmed with people.”
The mansion was really a sight as you came up the main drive. A white carpet-way led from where cars would pull up to the opened front door. The doorway was decorated with vibrant green foliage interspersed with white roses, hydrangeas, and lilies that rose up the sides of the doorway; small twinkle lights were embedded in the flowers giving the entrance a glittering appearance. There were already about fifteen reporters, photographers, etc. lining either side of the walkway chatting among themselves, waiting for the guests to arrive.
Anne parked the cart off to the side of the roundabout. Before the press got the wrong idea about who she was, she introduced herself to them and began to check their passes off the list of all the reporters invited. Meanwhile, Anne posed in the doorway for a few photos before ducking inside the house, waiting for Beth to follow.
The great oval room was the first stop for guests upon arrival. The columns at the entryway to the room were covered in ivy and twinkle lights. A bar was set up immediately to the left inside the room and a center table that had place cards for those participating in the auction. Large white drapes covered the three window panels on either side of the center doorway that led out onto the terrace. From here, guests could make their way outside to stroll through the gardens or sit at one of the tables set up under the tent on the lawn. The auction stand was set up off to the right side on the patio and the band was off to the left. There wasn’t really room for dancing until the auction was completed and all of the corresponding furniture and cases could be cleared. An army of waiters stood ready to offer guests a selection of over thirty finger sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts.
Mrs. DeBourgh made it downstairs just as the first guests were starting to arrive. She and Anne stepped outside to greet the guests and pose for photos while Beth remainedinside the house, guiding everyone into the oval room and making sure they were taken care of.
Beth felt like the smile plastered on her face would take weeks to wipe off. Celebrities, millionaires, billionaires, rolled in one after another, but none of it phased her; she was looking for one person only.
After a half an hour had passed, Anne finally came back inside saying that almost all of the guests had arrived.
“How many are left?” Beth asked, her shell about to break.
“He will be here,” Anne whispered, making sure her mom was still outside. “He knows this place. He can come and go as he likes but he’s on the list as a bidder so hewillbe here or he’s going to have to answer to me!” She joked, giving Beth’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, “In the meantime, most of our work is done and I think it’s time we have a celebratory drink.” Guiding them into the oval room, she grabbed two glasses of white wine from the bar.
The next forty-five minutes felt like the longest of Beth’s life. She stayed inside the oval room so she could keep an eye on the door, waiting for Darcy to arrive. Finally, when she heard Victor come over the microphone, asking everyone to take their seats so that the bidding could begin, she picked up Darcy’s seat card from the table, threw it in the trash can, and desolately made her way outside.
She sat down off to the side of the front row, the seat next to her saved for Anne, who was up on the patio with her mother, as Mrs. DeBourgh welcomed all the guests and thanked them for participating. She highlighted a few of the more select pieces that they would be offering tonight and then turned the microphone over to the auctioneer.
“And for our first item, a pair of one-carat diamond, teardrop earrings. We will start the bidding at ten thousand dollars, do I hear ten-thousand…” In her head, the auctioneer’s voice began to trail off and blur as he spoke too fast for her to want to try and focus. She was staring right through him as he went through one piece after another. He moved onto the select, high dollar items; the first of which was a large diamond ring, the center stone was a 3-carat diamond surrounded by a halo of rubies, bidding starting at one million dollars. The bids droned on, driving up the price to almost three million dollars, while Beth continued to stare vacantly at the podium.
“Five million dollars,” said a deep, rich voice from right behind her. The noise shattered the haze in her mind, her whole body tingling as the smooth, warm tone of Darcy’s voice melted over her.Don’t turn around.The crowd turned in her direction, agape, whispering amongst themselves as the auctioneer awarded the item to him. Thankfully, she knew they were all looking right through her at him, all but Mrs. DeBourgh, whose eyes had narrowed speculatively. The auctioneer cleared his throat, after momentarily being stunned by the winning sum, and proceeded to the next item, the audience following his lead as the bidding continued.
Chapter Thirty-Two
She didn’t knowwhat to do. She was frozen; unwilling to move, or to breathe, afraid she would turn around and find him gone again. She sensed him moving closer to the back of her chair. Then she felt it, the slight touch of his fingertips as they ran up her exposed spine to the edge of the clasp on her dress. Her breath sucked in as her nipples immediately hardened and wetness leaked from her thighs; she’d been on edge for too long, both with anger and desire and she couldn’t decide which emotion was winning out in the struggle inside her. His fingers disappeared from her neck as he moved around and sat quietly in Anne’s chair next to her.
“Mr. Darcy.” His name came out too breathy for her liking and she knew that her face had flushed from the moment she’d heard his voice.
“Miss Bennet,” his voice still able to remain cool and collected. A quick glance out of the corner of her eye revealed that he wasn’t as calm as he seemed with his hands grasping his thighs, and a not-s0-subtle bulge in his pants, only partially covered by his suit jacket. “We need to talk.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious.Beth rolled her eyes at his statement and before she could stop herself, sarcastically spouted, “I’ve heard that before.” Her breath sucked in as her head jerked in his direction, unsure of what reaction her attitude would produce.
His nostrils flared as his jaw muscles flexed, molten chocolate eyes capturing her gaze. “Perhaps punishing your smart mouth is more important to you?” She felt goosebumps all over her body. “I’m certain it would be much more enjoyable for me.” Lust sparkled in his eyes, and she knew that he would take her right here in front of all these people if she let him.
