Chapter 8
Marcy
I see Miles and Sebastian talking to Samuel and I wonder what they’re saying. Sam’s eyes stay locked on mine while the others are speaking as if he’s blocking everything out except for me. I’ve always dreamed of him looking at me this way but I get the feeling that he’s going through some kind of an internal struggle. Sebastian nudges his shoulder causing him to break our contact giving me the opportunity to check out his new muscular build. Before he went into the military, he frequented the gym but now he looks like he lives there. He looks like a beast.
Sarah nudges me when she sees where I’m staring off to. “Ah, so that’s the Samuel that I used to hear about, huh?” she questions.
“Uh, yeah. I guess it is. I haven’t seen him in so long but it’s like I still know him and at the same time, I don’t. Does that make sense?” I ask as I turn my gaze to her.
“Definitely. People don’t change completely but he’s been to war so you don’t know that side of him. I doubt many do from the looks of it. His body language tells people to back the fuck away.” Sarah chuckles at her statement, giving me the opportunity to look back to see what she’s talking about. He does stand differently. He doesn’t look like the carefree boy I once knew.
Nora and Ally barge into my view of Sam. “Marcy! I haven’t been able to get a hold of you all night, love!” Nora beams.
“I’m sorry! I guess I’ve been stretched out with everyone.”
“Don’t apologize! This is your day! I just wanted you to know that Ally and I made it to the party.”
“Thank you for the invite,” Ally gives me a half hug, her usual.
“Of course. I wanted to spend the day with my friends,” I reply.
“We are going to go hit the dance floor before this thing dies down.” Ally places a kiss on Nora’s head then grabs her hand to lead her away. My heart aches at the beauty of their love. I wish I had that.
◆◆◆
As dawn draws near, the energy of the party begins to fade. It”s been a while since I”ve indulged in such a high level of alcohol, but my friends” persistent offers for shots were too tempting to resist. Nonetheless, a twinge of regret begins to creep up as I stagger towards a vacant table nestled in the corner. Lifting my gaze towards the spinning patio, my senses swirl out of control causing me to puke in a large potted plant next to me.
Resting my head against the cool table, I close my eyes and wish more than anything that I was already home in my comfy pajamas and in bed. My stomach rolls alerting me that I’m going to be sick again. I lean over just in time to bathe the plant in my vomit. I wipe away the hair stuck to my mouth with the back of my hand. Groaning I try to stand but I stumble over my own feet and fall face first into a hard body. My arms voluntarily wrap around the person standing before me. A familiar scent of vanilla and sandalwood fills my head and I know it’s Samuel that happened to catch me.
“Whoa. Easy there, princess,” he croons as he leans over gathering my hair in his large hand. He grabs my arm and pulls me up flush against his body.
Embarrassment washes over me at the state I’m in. I want to go hide in a hole until he leaves so he doesn’t have to see me like this. Opening my eyes, I look up at the sexy bearded man holding me up.
“I’m alright. I just slipped,” I lie hoping he will let me crawl away in peace.
“Don’t lie to me, Marcy,” he tuts with irritation. I don’t know why he’s even helping me when he spent the rest of the party avoiding me like the plague. Every time I would find him, he would look away quickly and suddenly be interested in something else. I guess the closeness I felt during our dance was one sided. Figures.
“I don’t need your help, Sam. I was just going to call my driver and go home.” I push against him so I can remove myself from his grasp. I don’t need him or his negativity.
Sam leans down to whisper in my ear. “Stop trying to get away from me, sunshine. You won’t be able to.” Chills shoot through my body as his warm breath coats my neck. He wraps his arm around my waist and bends, lifting me into his arms bridal style. What the fuck is happening here?
“Put me down! I can walk!” I exclaim but he continues walking toward the bank of elevators. I’m confident in my plus-sized body but that doesn’t mean I want someone carrying me, especially him of all people.
“More lies,” he murmurs. “You know, bad girls get punished. I’d hate to mark that beautiful porcelain skin.” He chuckles darkly. Miles comes over and my embarrassment skyrockets because not only is my long-time crush seeing me like this but now my boss. I shut my eyes to avoid their gazes upon me.
“Everything alright?” Miles asks.
“Just making sure she gets home safely,” Samuel replies.
“Good, good. We are getting out of here too. Take care, Marcy.” As his footsteps recede, I hesitantly open my eyes to find Sam observing me with an inscrutable expression. I absentmindedly run my hands over my face, suddenly recalling the makeup I”m wearing. Can this night get any worse? I’m sure I look like a…well, who the hell knows what I look like at this point.
Once Sam steps into the elevator, I try to reason with him again. “You don’t need to be doing this. I’m sure I can walk,” I mutter with more confidence than I feel. He’s probably really doing me a favor because at this point my surroundings are still spinning out of control. Actually, I might have to puke again because my stomach dropped as soon as the elevator did. My saliva starts to thin and I know it’s coming. I also know that I will absolutely die if I get sick in Sam’s arms or perhaps even worse, on them. I’m talking about faking my own death and moving to another country to live out my days in vomit exile.
As the doors to the elevator open, I risk more humiliation as I jump from his arms barely catching myself on the bellhop standing there. An expression of sheer horror marks his face as the unexpected shower of vomit tarnishes his clean attire. My hurried apology barely registers as I scramble towards the lobby doors, the only thought consuming me is the urge to distance myself from this mortifying scene. The cool fresh air hits me in the face, making me sigh in relief. I’m not sure how it’s possible but by a miracle Charles is standing there waiting for me with the door to the limo open. It’s almost over, I just have to make it to him. A feat easier said than done. As I begin to stumble my way toward him, I feel a hand wrap around my upper arm pulling me back.
“What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself hurt?” Anger coats Sam’s face as he looks down at me. I open my mouth but no words seem to form. I stand there speechless, for once, not sure if I should be pissed off or thankful. To be honest, I’m questioning several things at the moment.
Sam steps closer to me, reaching up to grab my chin with one hand. “I think you need some manners about respecting your elders,” he says with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Now, get in the car before I bend you over my knee right here.” I gasp as the effects of his wicked words course through me. My teeth graze my bottom lip causing him to groan.
Releasing my face, he escorts me to the limo then lifts me into the seat. Before he moves, the buckle comes around me and clicks into place. My body is burning up from all the places he’s touched me leaving a lingering effect. Leaning my head against the seat, I close my eyes ready for this night to be over. I hear the door shut then the other side open. I think it”s Charles until the seat next to me dips down. My eyes startle open and I see Sam sitting next to me with a smug smile ghosting his lips. My heart pounds in my chest at his proximity but I don’t have the energy to figure out what the hell he’s doing here. My eyes close on their own accord and don’t open until I feel Sam brushing the hair from my face.
“We’re here,” he whispers.
I pull myself up by the handle on the door and look out the window. This isn’t my apartment. Panic starts to course through me but before I get too far down that road, Samuel speaks up. “I brought you to my place so I could watch over you tonight. You had a lot to drink and shouldn’t be alone.”
“What? I-what? You aren’t my caretaker! I’ve made it thirty-six years on this Earth, I don’t need assistance now.” His expression turns dark as he clenches his fists by his side.
“You aren’t in your right mind and don’t know what’s best for you, but I do. Now, get your ass out of this car.” Sam steps out of the limo and slams his door shut. I cross my arms over my chest because at this point I’m ready to stand my ground. My door opens and he’s there unbuckling me pulling me from the car.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I curse at Sam. His irritation with me grows and I feel both proud and nervous that I’ve tempted the beast. I look to Charles for some assistance but he must know Sam. Of course he does. He works for the Knights for fuck’s sake.
“Thank you, Charles. I can take it from here,” Sam declares as he puts his arm around me, hoisting my body up beside his. My mind is getting so foggy that I don’t have the energy to fight back at the moment, but he will be getting an earful tomorrow. He can’t treat me like I’m still a child. He hasn’t been back in my life but only a few hours and he has the audacity to think he knows what’s best for me. Fuck that. And I intend to tell him when words are again able to form in my mind.
“Very good, sir,” he replies as he closes the door behind me.
Sam is mostly holding me up which makes less work for my legs that seem to be getting heavier by the second. But that’s not the only thing getting heavier. I can barely hold my eyes open at this point and I doubt very seriously that I could have made it to my apartment safely. I hate being wrong but even more when it’s a man that proves me incorrect.
Suddenly I become more lightheaded and the last thing I remember is leaning against Sam murmuring something about how he always smells so good. Then everything goes black.