Chapter 48
Eliza
I’m flushed and probably look a mess as Reginald takes the stage, but I sip my water, trying to compose myself.
That was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced, and for some reason, I only want to do it again.
The need to stay quiet and ensure that no one around us knew what was going on only increased all the sensations.
I swore I almost came when Mac was whispering in my ear.
The applause dies down as Reginald holds his hands up and starts talking.
“Thank you everyone for being here tonight. I started this company forty-two years ago in my flat. I hadn’t attended university, unable to afford it, and only had my dream of owning and running a successful business.
It has all culminated to this. I’ve spent the last few years deciding where I want to see this company in the future, and that meant finding someone who could lead this company and take it there.
After much thought, I’ve decided who to name as my successor.
If you could please welcome to the stage my son, Mackenzie. ”
Applause fills the room, and Mac stands, buttoning his jacket as he kisses the top of my head before heading to the stage.
He shakes his father's hand and I feel a sense of pride wash over me. Mac has just obtained his one dream, and I get to be here, not only to witness it, but to also be the one he celebrates with after. Right now in this room as I clap for him alongside hundreds of other people, it’s as though my worries about our age difference and this being fake completely vanish.
It’s almost like this ah-ha moment of everything in the world is right and we’re supposed to be right here, together.
I’m so lost in thought that I miss the rest of Reginald’s speech. The next thing I know, Mac is in front of the mic talking about how he’s excited to lead this company into the future and watch it grow, and the room breaks out into applause again.
As they leave the stage, they’re pulled in every direction by different people wanting to talk to them, and I follow them around the room with my eyes. Peter, the man who stepped in to dance with me after Mac, takes his empty seat beside me.
“It appears you’ve been left all alone,” he says.
I turn to him, sipping my wine. “I’m quite fine. He’s doing some much-needed mingling.”
“A woman as beautiful as you should never be left alone. Not in a room full of men like this.”
I raise a brow. “And what kind of men would you be talking about?”
“Men who will chase beautiful things.”
I feel his eyes drag the length of me, and I fight back my cringe. “Well, my boyfriend knows I can take care of myself. Will you excuse me? I need to use the washroom.”
I grab my clutch and slide out of my chair away from Peter and make my way to the back of the room, slipping out the same door we came in.
I find the washroom and check my makeup in the mirror.
Thankfully my flush from my earlier orgasm has died down.
As I’m refreshing my lipstick, the door pushes open and a tall blonde woman saunters in, taking a spot right beside me in front of the mirror.
“You’re Mackenzie’s girl, right?” she asks, and I nod. “Just wasn’t sure with all the men you’ve been dancing with tonight.”
My head jerks back at the not so direct way of calling me a whore.
“I wasn’t aware dancing was a crime,” I say, sass filling my voice.
“Oh, and a young one, too.”
This woman reminds me exactly why I like staying in my apartment and keeping my friend group the way it is. I lose my lipstick and face her, forcing a smile and lightness to my voice as I say, “Have the night you deserve,” and turn to leave. The look of confusion on her face is everything.
I enter the ballroom again and hug the wall, wanting to stay as far away from people as possible. If tonight wasn’t Mac’s big night, I’d be asking him to leave, but I can’t do that. I need to suck it up and power through.
I’m nursing a glass of champagne when Mac finds me not long after I re-entered the ballroom. He smiles at me and wraps and arm around my waist, pulling me into him.
“Ready to go?” he asks.
My eyes widen. “It’s your big night, celebrate.”
“It is my big night, and I know you’re ready to leave and the only person I want to celebrate with is you.”
I melt into him and nod. He takes my glass from my hand and finishes the champagne before placing it on a nearby high-top and linking our fingers as he leads me out of the room.
“Don’t you need to say goodbye?” I ask.
He smiles at me over his shoulder. “I did before I found you.”
How this man has managed to get to know me so well is mind boggling, but it also makes me feel safe and seen.
I don’t have to hide how I’m feeling, he knows.
I curl into his side for the entire ride back to the apartment, and as soon as we’re inside, he’s pulling me into his arms and pulling his phone out of his pocket.
He pulls up some music and plays it before placing his phone on the kitchen counter.
“I didn’t get to dance with you enough tonight,” he whispers into my hair.
The longing in his voice has me on the edge of saying those three words I know I shouldn’t.
He holds me as though he can’t dream of letting me go, and I hold him the same way.
The songs blend into each other as we sway in the kitchen of this London apartment.
I don’t have the emotional or mental capacity to tell him tonight, but this whole thing was about stepping out of the safety of the box I’d put me and myself in.
I resolve to tell him tomorrow about how I’m feeling.
That I’ve developed feelings beyond what we agreed, but none of the superficial things matter to me.
Not our age difference, or his work schedule, or anything else someone can think of.
The only thing that matters to me is that at the end of the day, Mac comes home to me and I get to build a life with him.
We eventually pull apart, and Mac helps me out of my dress before we shower together and he helps me wash my hair.
As his fingers massage my scalp, I close my eyes and let images of what a future with Mac could look like fill my head.
The more I let those images flash in my mind, the warmer I get, the more content I feel, and the more I’m solidified in telling him about my feelings.
Falling into bed after our shower, we take our time with each other, and Mac whispers little praises like, “Perfect,” “Gorgeous,” and “All mine,” against my skin. We come together, looking into each other's eyes as waves of pleasure hit us, and when it’s over, I smash my lips to his.
My final thought before sleep consumes me is there’s no way this isn’t real.