Chapter 15
When he strode out of the cellar, he found Natalia on her feet, looking at the display of books on the shelves, pretending to admire them, although she was obviously bored to death just looking at them.
He’d known Natalia for almost all his life—nearly twenty-two years, to be exact—and he knew what kind of woman she was. They grew up together, were childhood sweethearts, and went to the same school. She became the cheerleading captain, and he became the football star. Everyone thought they were amatch made in heaven. So, Grey thought too, until the day he was supposed to get married to her, and she left him waiting at the altar.
He had been blindsided by lust and something he initially thought was love, failing to see her true colors. Natalia was a wolf in sheep's clothing. It took him twenty-two years to realize that. Now that he was twenty-seven, he looked back to five years ago and found himself grateful she left him because if he had been with her during those five long years, his life would have been a living hell. He wouldn’t be as successful as he was now.
Forcing his thoughts back to the present, he strode to the plush carpet where a glass table stood and placed the wine bottle on top.
Natalia glanced over her shoulder, saw him, and returned the book in her hand to the gap on the shelves before moving to where he stood. She sat on the Scandinavian couch and crossed her long legs again, giving him a clear view of her underwear. He wasn’t sure whether she was doing it on purpose or not, but realizing whom he was facing, he guessed it was the former.
Instead of occupying the space beside her on the long couch, he chose to sit safely on the couch opposite her, avoiding the peek of her underwear. As if he were interested, he thought to himself, mildly irritated. He had his eyes set on only one woman. Unfortunately, she was his on paper only. She would never be his because her heart already belonged to another man—Ash.
Lucky bastard! he cursed furiously.
Realizing he was about to lose his temper, he cleared his throat and shifted his attention to Natalia. He hoped she would realize he was not in the mood for company and would leave immediately. But it seemed Natalia was too oblivious to understand he didn’t want her there.
He was about to pour wine into their glasses when he realized he had forgotten to bring a corkscrew. Rising from his seat, he excused himself for a moment. When he returned, he sank into the couch and opened the bottle before pouring the contents into their wine glasses.
Natalia took her glass, but she didn’t immediately consume the contents. She played with the glass, swirling the red liquid as she did so.
Grey picked up his glass and took a long sip. The wickedly delicious flavor spread on his tongue before drifting downward to warm his throat. The glass was almost empty when he set it down on the table.
He lifted the bottle and refilled his glass. With one swift motion, he brought it to his lips and emptied the glass once more.
—
Natalia slowly and almost reluctantly lifted the wine glass to her lips. Wry amusement lit Grey’s eyes as he watched her take a demure sip from the rim of the glass, only to nearly gag as the scarlet liquid wetted her tongue. A choked cough emerged from her lips, and her face contorted with revulsion. As though the wine glass burned her fingers, she immediately dropped it, nearly knocking the glass over and spilling its contents onto the glass table.
Evidently, she didn’t like the taste one bit, and somehow, he felt satisfied knowing she would have no further reason to stay. Perhaps she would take her leave now.
“The wine is too strong for my taste,” she remarked simply, although it showed in her eyes that she wanted to complain but dared not do so for fear of offending him.
He lifted the bottle and poured himself another glass of wine. Then he glanced at his wristwatch to check the time. Thirty minutes had passed, he realized. Another thirty more minutes, and he would have to kick Natalia out of the mansion.
Natalia saw him check the time. After what felt like an eternity, she finally realized her presence was no longer wanted. Clearing her throat, she picked up her signature leather bag and placed the sling over her shoulder. “I won’t stay long,” she said, as though she hadn’t already stayed longer than needed. “But before I leave, I want a glass of chilled water.”
He wanted her out of his house immediately, but he could not voice his thoughts without offending her. Natalia was one of the company’s endorsers now. For business’s sake, he should treat her with formality and professionalism, no matter how irritating the situation could get.
“I’ll get you water,” he said, picking up her wine glass and bringing it with him as he rose from the couch. With quick, long strides, he reached the minibar. He poured the wine down the sink and set the glass aside.
The upper cabinet rattled open. He groped for a glass inside and took one. With a glass in hand, he whirled around to face the refrigerator. Opening the door, he grabbed the pitcher inside.
He half-filled Natalia’s glass before he returned the pitcher to the refrigerator.
When he returned to the couch, Natalia mumbled a quick thank you before extending her hand to take the glass from him. As though she were extremely thirsty, she lifted the glass to her lips and poured the contents straight down her throat. When she finally let go of the glass, it was empty down to the last drop.
Grey reached for his wine glass and took his time sipping as he waited for Natalia to leave. He finished the glass and poured himself another, yet she didn’t move from where she sat. Instead, she watched him with a dangerous glint in her eyes. She sat motionless, as though she were waiting for something to happen.
Growing impatient, his temples scrunched into a frown as he looked at the white wall clock, watching the seconds turn into minutes. Five minutes passed quickly, and yet she still sat there on the couch like a statue.
Time’s up. He wasn’t waiting another goddamn minute.
With thick eyebrows drawn into a frown, he looked at Natalia. The irritation written all over his face made her flinch, and she got to her feet. But instead of leaving, she simply stood there, watching him with palpable eagerness in her eyes.
Then Grey felt it. Heat slowly surged inside him. At first, he ignored the feeling, attributing the flushes he felt to the wine. Shrugging his shoulders, he rose to his feet to escort her to the door. But before he could stand fully, his head spun, and he fell back onto the couch.
He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself. When he thought he was feeling fine, he pushed his heavy body forward, but the sudden exertion made his head spin again, and he fell back onto the couch for a second time.
His blurred vision became too unfocused as he sat there, wondering if the wine was stronger than he thought. But even if the wine was potent enough to make him drunk, three or four glasses shouldn’t make anyone this helpless—not him, who didn’t easily get drunk even after consuming a mega pint.
Then the realization hit him like a sharp bolt of lightning: Natalia had put something in his drink.
He glanced lethally in her direction and saw her red lips stretched into a satisfied smile as she dropped her signature leather bag behind her.
“What did you put in my wine?” he growled, but the words came out slurred, and he sounded almost drunk. He was so consumed with fury that he wanted to lunge at her and wrap his fingers around her lovely neck, but he felt too helpless to do so.
“Liquid ecstasy,” Natalia replied, her fingers moving to unbutton the front of her gown. She was wearing no bra, and with the buttons undone, her enormous breasts sprang free.