Rebellion (A Dangerous Man, #2) (7 page)

“Oh!” I look through my invites again. “I have an invitation
for that.” It says black tie, evening dress. Hmm.

“Yes, that makes sense.” He pauses. “So, do I get to show
you off tonight?”

My heart flutters in my chest. “Of course.”

“Good,” he chuckles, “see you around seven.”

After we talk, I go through my new clothes, trying to choose
something to wear. I finally decide on a pale blue strapless gown with a
sweetheart neckline, which hugs my figure all the way to my thighs, and then
flares softly to my feet. The label has the name of a very famous designer.
It’s probably insanely expensive, I think, as I lay it out on the bed, but it’s
also incredibly beautiful.

I shower and blow-dry my hair, brushing it until it is a soft,
wavy mass around my shoulders. I use a thick strand to secure it into a loose
ponytail at the nape of my neck, and then sweep the mass of hair over my
shoulder.

My makeup is simple, mainly because I don’t want to make a
mistake and end up looking scary. By the time David arrives from work, I’m
almost ready, all that’s left is to take off my silk dressing robe and put on
my underwear and dress.

I revel in the look of appreciation he gives me when he
walks into the apartment. He pulls me to him, careful not to mess up my
make-up. “How much damage will I do if I kiss you?” He asks, his fingers
finding my nipples through the silk dressing gown.

I’m not sure I care, I’d let him damage my make up whenever
he wants. “A lot.” I murmur, trying to be sensible. We don’t have time for this.

He unties the knot holding my dressing gown together. ‘Too
bad,” He murmurs, “because I’ve been thinking of this all day.”

“While you should have been working?” My laugh sounds a
little breathless, maybe because his fingers have found my nipples again. “What
will the shareholders think of that?”

“Who cares?” his voice is husky as he lifts me, wrapping my
legs around his waist. I wrap my arms around his neck, reveling in the hardness
of his erection pressing against me as he carries me to our room.

He sits on the bed, narrowly avoiding wrinkling my dress.
I’m straddling him, my knees on the bed. While he removes his jacket and
loosens his tie, I eagerly undo his trousers. When he springs free of the
restraint of his clothes, I sigh softly, and wrap my fingers around him,
stroking him up and down. He groans and grabs my hips, lifting me until I’m poised
over him, wet and ready, then I lower myself unto him, letting out a low moan
as he fills me.

He braces his hands on the mattress while I hold on to his
shoulders, and starts to thrust into me with an intensity that is both
surprising and extremely arousing. It feels so good. I tighten my arms around
him, pressing my heaving breasts to his face. He sucks on my nipples, his pace
never slowing. My climax is raw and forceful. I scream his name, weak and
trembling, as I lose control of my body. Vaguely, I feel him stiffen inside me,
and hear his groan as he comes.

I hold on to him, sweaty and satisfied. We’re both breathing
deeply. Sighing, he lifts me off him and sets me on my shaking legs.

“We still have an event to attend.” He says regretfully, his
eyes on my exposed body.

I have to fight the urge to climb back onto his lap. “Yes,
we do,” I try to frown disapprovingly through my haze of pleasure, “and I’m
sure you’ve ruined my makeup.

I go to the bathroom to clean up, and then back to the
dressing table to smooth my hair and get my make up back in order. David has
disappeared into the dressing room to get ready. While he changes, I retrieve
my dress and underwear from the bed and put them on. I’m about to zip the dress
up when I feel David’s strong hands on my back. He fastens the zip and steps
back to look at me.

“You look lovely.” He says.

I can see the admiration in his eyes, and it warms me from
inside. He looks magnificent, in a black tux, and a dark grey tie. Even though
he has just brought me to an earth-shattering climax, I am overwhelmed by the
strong wave of desire that passes through me.

“You look wonderful too.” I murmur, it’s strange how even
though we’re married he can make me feel like a fifteen year old in the
presence of her first crush.

He smiles at the compliment. “I have something for you,” he
tells me, taking my hand and pulling me towards the dressing table. He gestures
for me to sit and as I do, I notice a black velvet box on the table. Before I
have time to wonder what’s in it, he opens it to reveal a beautiful earring and
necklace set.

It looks very familiar. I frown, turning to look at him. “Is
this...?”

“Your design?” he interrupts, he is studying my face
intently, as if he’s wondering if I’ll like it. “Yes.”

I stare at the sparkling diamond arrangement, mouth open.
“But, how did you...?”

I made a copy of one of your sketches and sent it off to a
jeweler while we were in Italy.” He says, fastening the necklace around my neck
as I watch him in the mirror. It’s more beautiful than I could have imagined
it, even while I drew it. I sigh softly. “It’s so beautiful.”

“You’re a rich man’s wife.’ He says without conceit, “It’s
normal for you to have beautiful things.”

I would have preferred him to say something more romantic, but
I stifle the thought. I don’t want to be ungrateful. I put on the earrings,
watching them twinkle in the light. They really are gorgeous.

Steve drives us to the event, characteristically silent as
he maneuvers the evening traffic. He drops us off in front of the brilliantly
lit entrance of an upscale hotel. There are a few pressmen standing outside and
one or two flashbulbs go off. I try not to flinch from the sudden bursts of
light as David leads me inside, his hand at my back.

At the door to what looks like a grand ballroom, a smiling
blonde woman in a flowing, cream silk gown comes to meet us.

“David,” She smiles in greeting, kissing both his cheeks, I
guess her to be anywhere between her forties and sixties. She looks beautiful,
with a well-preserved figure and glowing skin. She turns to me. “You must be
the beautiful Sophie.” Her eyes sparkle as she looks me over, “I’ve only
recently heard about you, you know. David has been keeping you a terrible
secret.” She laughs, “Aren’t you a pretty thing though.”

I turn to David, not sure what to say. He looks faintly
amused by the woman’s chattering. “Sophie sweetheart,” he says with a slight
smile, “this exceptionally beautiful lady is the incomparable Peggy Hart.”

Her name registers in my head. Her husband was Simon Hart, a
recently deceased software billionaire, she is one of the richest women in the
country, and a passionate philanthropist.

“I’m very honored to meet you.” I say sincerely.

She dimples. “Thank you darling.” She says, kissing my
cheek. She turns to David and snorts playfully, “I’m not even going to respond
to your flattery.”

He laughs as she leads the way into the room, which is
filled with men in tuxedos and women in evening dresses. A low hum of
conversation fills the room, as well as the sound of glasses clinking, and
silvery laughter of the women.

“Your table is over there.” She says to David, pointing him in
the right direction.

We’re stopped at least five times before we get to our table.
I watch David socialize, feeling the effects of his magnetic personality. He
pays attention to people, but always remains somehow aloof. It makes them more
eager to get his attention. But it’s not their attention he wants, I decide, he
really just prefers to stand alone.

Where does that leave me?

Our table seats about twelve. David pulls out a seat for me
and takes the one beside it. I feel everybody’s eyes on me as we take our
seats. They must be curious about me, I realize, I wonder what they’re
thinking.

The table is almost completely filled, with only two empty
seats. We arrived late, so dinner is already being served. As we eat, David
converses quietly with the man on his other side, I recognize him as Leon
Boise, a website entrepreneur. I’ve seen his picture while reading the news on
my tablet.

As I eat, I play a game of adding names to the faces around
me. I only recognize a few, politicians, businessmen, internet pioneers. I have
to try not to be intimidated by it all.

After dinner, someone goes up to the podium and after a
short applause starts to give a speech about the importance of literacy. As I
toy with the program on the table in front of me, I see that one of the
sponsors is Preston Corp. I was right, I decide, David will never cease to
surprise me.

“I’ve never been anywhere like this before,” the man at my
other side whispers to me. I look up at him in surprise.

“I’m Rick Cruzman,” he says, proffering his hand, I take it.
On closer inspection, I see that he is a boy, really, just a little older than I
am.

“Me neither.” I respond with a smile.

He grins, revealing a crooked front tooth. For some reason,  it
makes me warm to him. There is something endearing and boyish about it.

“I keep imagining that someone will come along and ask me
what I’m doing on this table.” He laughs nervously.

I keep silent, I don’t want to tell him that I almost feel
the same way. I look over at David. Done with his conversation, he is staring
straight ahead, towards the podium. He belongs here, I can see that, with these
glamorous people and their sparkling jewelry.

“What do you do?” I ask my new friend.

“Well,” His eyes light up, “your husband just acquired a new
software I developed. My company is now part of Preston Corp.” he grins, “I
swear he’s totally changed my life in a matter of days.”

The expression of gratitude in his eyes as they move to
David and back to me fills me with pride. I remember David telling me that he was
in Ashford to buy a software. I realize I have this man to thank for the fact
that I met David at all. The thought makes me smile at him. “Good for you.” I
say.

The speech ends, and we all applaud, stopping when someone
else takes the podium. I’m trying to pay attention when I notice Rick’s eyes
skip to something beyond the table and widen discernibly. I turn in the
direction he’s looking to see a woman approaching our table.

The only way to describe her is extraordinarily beautiful. Her
hair is a deep copper, and piled on top of her head in a mass of burnished
curls. Her shoulders are slim and pale, and exposed in the scarlet dress that
clings to her curves as if she was poured into it. Her only jewelry is a green
stone that sits between her breasts, matching the flashing green of her eyes.

She comes straight for our table, a gloved hand lightly
resting on the arm of the youngish, handsome man who is escorting her. I
stiffen, watching as they take the empty seats. I recognize her from the
pictures I’ve seen. Carole Banks, David’s old girlfriend. As she settles into
her seat, she looks towards me, and the venom I see in her beautiful eyes
almost knocks me off my seat.

I look towards David, he doesn’t seem surprised, he was
expecting this, I realize, he was expecting her to be here.

“Carole!” The exclamation comes from Leon Boise. “How nice
to see you again.”

She acknowledges him with a small smile. I notice that she
doesn’t look at David at all. There’s more going on here than I know.

“I had forgotten to congratulate you David,” Leon continues,
“I read about the attempted takeover,” he turns to Carole again. “I hear David
has you to thank for retaining his control on the board.”

For the first time, Carole looks at David, her eyes absolutely
poisonous, but there is something else in them, hurt, desire, I can’t say.

“Yes,” She says softly. Her voice is as beautiful as the
rest of her, “I sold him the shares of his company I got when my father died.”
She laughs a little, without any merriment. “Which means David Preston will
always control Preston Corp.”

David’s response is a smile. “As he should, Carole,” his
hand comes to rest on mine on the table, a little gesture of intimacy that’s
not lost on her. “Have you met my wife?” He asks.

I actually flinch at the look she gives me. Her face
tightens, but only for a second, and then her perfect mask is back in place.
“No,” she says, “I don’t believe I have had the pleasure.”

The tone of her voice says it will be anything but a
pleasure.

“Carole this is Sophie, my wife.” He turns to me, “this is
Carole Banks.” He doesn’t offer anything more than that.

I have no idea what’s going on between her and David, but I
give her a hesitant smile. I can feel her animosity towards me coming in waves,
but I decide to be polite even in the face of that. “Nice to meet you.” I say.

She chuckles, and it has a mocking ring to it. “The pleasure
is mine.” She replies, and takes a long sip from her glass of wine.

The second speech ends, and we applaud again. People start
to get up from their tables to socialize some more, and to dance to the soft
music from the orchestra. Carole is the first to leave our table, taking her
companion with her.

I turn as David put a hand on my arm. “Would you like to
dance?” he asks.

No, I would like to know what that was all about. But I
don’t say the words, instead, I allow him to lead me out to the ballroom, where
couples of different ages are moving to the live music.

“What was that?” I ask as we start to move. I learned how to
dance at school, thankfully, so I don’t trip over his feet.

“What was what?” He asks, nuzzling my hair.

He is deliberately avoiding my question. “What just happened
at our table, with that woman?” I insist.

He shrugs. “Carole isn’t too happy with the price she got
for her shares, that’s all.”

“You didn’t pay her as much as she wanted?”

“I couldn’t.” he says, twirling me.