Page 5 of Now and Forever

“So am I.” Damn you, Wyatt Rinaldi! He wouldn’t let me off the hook. He was too curious for his own good.

“Wait…wait…” Something flickered in his eyes before he cocked his head to the side. When his gaze landed on me again, I just knew he realized what I was doing here tonight. “Oh, no. Gisele, you bad, bad girl!”

“Shut it down, Wyatt!” The man knew me too well. He immediately figured out my motives without needing confirmation from me. My horrified, stricken expression said it all.

“But he’s too old for you!”

“Twenty-seven is not old!”

“Yeah, but the man has sophisticated tastes…and you’re a knockout, babe, but you lack experience. You’ll bore him within minutes. Maybe even seconds.”

Thanks for the vote of confidence, ass-hat!

His words cut through me. Although I knew it wasn’t his intention, it still affected me greatly. “It’s quite rude of you to say that.”

Wyatt’s face softened as he used his forefinger to lift my chin. “I care about you. That’s why I’m willing to make myself a sacrificial lamb so you can gain experience from yours truly.” Although his demeanor was playful, I also knew he meant every word.

“Not happening, ever.” He’d been attempting to get into my pants ever since I turned fifteen. Nothing had changed since then. It was not as though he wasn’t busy sifting through one socialite after the other. He was just a flirt, a pervert of epic proportions.

“How you pierce my heart, Gisele.” He feigned hurt with a ridiculous pout.

My patience was running thin. “Move. I have a man to engage and seduce for the night.”

“All right.” He held up his hand. “The offer’s on the table. Anytime. I’m only ten houses down. Visit me anytime.”

He finally let me go. “Be careful, Gi. He wasn’t dubbed voraciousbeast for nothing.”

“Bye, Wyatt!” I huffed out, somewhat infuriated as I continued on.

“Don’t let him eat you out…for your own sake!” he threw out for extra intimidation.

I flicked a finger as I strutted down the hallway. His laughter echoed as I reached the double doors and strolled towards the opposite side of the garden.

I’d bore Jared? Wyatt’s words rung in my ears. As Gisele, it was a given. But as Lexi Anne, boring wouldn’t be in his dictionary tonight.

Taking a deep steady breath, I hovered in the background. It gave me a great vantage point to see the throng of people from the back, mingling and drinking to their heart’s content. Hank Rinaldi would show himself five minutes before dinner was set to serve. I would be sharing Jared’s table, along with six other people.

Jared St. James, as expected, had arrived and was now circling the crowd of CFOs and CEOs. As my father’s second in command, Jared knew the lot. I took a moment to appreciate him. The ache still thrived, but this time, it was mixed with exhilaration. Seeing him smiling and seeming so in-control of himself made me a little faint. My heart skittered. Breathless and out of sorts, the list of things this man made me feel was rather long. For years, I had pretended he didn’t affect me as much. On the occasion that my father invited him for dinner, I’d sit right across from him and pretend my heart wasn’t thumping loudly against my ribs. Blair made sure I’d be seated to his left since his right was reserved for his plus one. But basing from what I had seen, no woman hung off his arm, as I had predicted.

Straightening my Dior black satin minidress, I quickly gazed down to check that my sparkling stilettos were properly in place. My black painted toenails glinted back at me, my long, toned stems tanned and aglow.

He’s here. You’re ready. Go get your man.

Strutting through the pathway that was specifically set-up on the manicured lawn, I stood a good ten feet away, eyes homed in on one man, brazenly appreciating him without an ounce of decorum. While the guests milled and conversed, a few admiring looks came my way, but I didn’t budge my unwavering stare. I was on a mission, and getting distracted wasn’t part of the plan. It was as if I summoned him, or maybe he felt the weight of my stare, because the man cocked his head to the side, intense cerulean blues boring into mine with great magnitude. The men he was surrounded by continued their conversations. He managed to continue the flow of conversation without looking away. His eyes remained, glued as our gazes locked and battled.

My insides curled and twisted with immense apprehension and excitement. Despite managing to get his attention, his unreadable face made it difficult to know what the man truly was thinking.

As the seconds ticked by, my confidence was being flayed layer upon layer. The intensity of his eyes made me feel faint. My breathing hitched. My confined breasts ached. My body involuntarily reacted to him in the most primal manner, and I knew then I truly was swimming in shark infested waters. No, this wasn’t a kiddie pool. This man would devour me, no holds barred.

Blushing and beyond disconcerted, I hesitantly looked away, as if needing a reprieve. When I directed my sight towards where he stood, I saw my enigma continued gawking.

My heart ricocheted. It teetered. Galloped. It skyrocketed to nirvana and to hell and everything in between. Disconcerted as uncertainty filled me, I hastily broke contact and began making my way towards my designated table. Since most people weren’t seated yet, I gathered my bearings as I stood behind my assigned seat before glancing over to where Hank and Josephine were making their way into his party. Wyatt, Ethan, and Blair hovered close to them. Vivienne kept glancing about the crowd as Ethan whispered something in her ear.

While I trying to decipher what Ethan was telling my friend, I felt someone right behind me, making me stiffen, standing ramrod straight as my capability to breathe all but left me.

“Business or pleasure?” His distinctive deep, toe-curling, thong-drenching, heart-attack-inducing voice hotly grazed the back of my neck. His Australian accent more pronounced than before.

HAIL MOTHER OF INSANITY.

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