Chapter 37
Aoi
Fuck, I’m nervous.
Funnily enough, I have never been to a fundraiser, and since Lacroix Corporation organized this one, I’m damn sure it’s a fancy event. I usually avoid mediatized events like the pest and simply make donations regularly.
Yesterday, after we drove back to the city, I dragged my ass to the shower then took a long nap and ended up working on my autobiography for a few hours. Today, I woke up and followed the exact same boring routine until Andrew picked me up to head to the fundraiser.
“Are you nervous?” Andrew asks in a whisper as we enter the magnificent venue.
I nod and inhale a sharp breath. “I don’t like fancy spaces filled with flashy, rich people.”
I nearly gasp when his fingers interlace with mine and he smiles softly at me. “I promise everything will be alright. We won’t stay long anyway.”
“Okay,” I mutter, slipping my hand out of his and that grants me a pout. “There are cameras everywhere. I’d rather keep things private.”
He doesn’t answer and instead smiles as he leads us to a dark haired man in a black suit and a beautiful brunette in a floor-length, pastel blue gown. She beams when she notices Andrew and walks up to him while her partner merely nods at him in greeting.
“Aoi, this is Francesca, my sister-in-law, and this is Bellami, my brother.”
I extend my hand, and Bellami shakes it firmly, sending a wave of familiar annoyance buzzing through my wrist. “Nice to meet you.”
That’s odd. I’ve never met him and yet something about this man makes me want to punch him in the face. Maybe I’ve read something displeasing about him in an article that has influenced me negatively.
“The pleasure is mine,” he replies nonchalantly, glancing at his wife as she smiles at me.
“So, you’re Vi-” She yelps when Bellami pulls her aside and whispers something in her ear. “Oh, okay. As I was about to say, you’re Andrew’s date, aren’t you?”
I glance at him but he’s already watching me attentively, his gaze so intense that I almost forget Francesca’s question. “Yes, I suppose we can say that.”
“Since the introduction is over, we’ll leave you two love birds in peace,” he smirks, and I feel his palm settle on my lower back. Heat flushes my cheeks, and I’m tempted to fan myself. “I want Aoi all to myself as you can imagine.”
Every time he touches me, my body unravels, and I begin craving more. I don’t understand how someone’s touch can be so magnetizing, but all I know is that I want his hands on me.
Only on me.
Francesca smiles brightly as she pushes her long brown hair behind her back and takes her husband’s hand. “Let’s go. We wouldn’t want to keep bothering them.”
I watch them walk away while Bellami gazes lovingly at his wife, and I catch myself getting envious of their relationship. He is clearly head over heels for her and she undeniably loves him equally as much.
But since I’m a piece of shit, I can’t help but feel prickly that others get their happily ever after while I’m stuck in one place, lost in time.
“Now you’re all mine,” a low and devilish voice murmurs into my ear and I smile despite myself. “Do you want a drink?”
“Are you trying to get me drunk, Prince Charming?” I smirk and his hand on my back slides around my waist, making my breath hitch. “Impatient much?”
No one’s paying attention to us for more than a split second and relief settles in my gut as I lean against his chest.
“It’d be best if we could just slip away and spend the rest of the night together.” His firm hands grab my hips, and he lowers his voice to a whisper. “I’ve been dreaming about you in my arms for an ungodly amount of time, Aoi. I can’t wait to show you how much I want you.”
“You’re so shameless.” I grin like a damn fool as I detach myself from him.
“You love that about me.”
“I’d love a Cosmopolitan even more,” I tease, grazing his fingers with mine. “Can you be a doll and fetch me one?”
“I’ll be right back.” He kisses my cheek. “Don’t move.”
Lips curling into a smile, I nod and retreat closer to the wall behind me. I lean against it and sigh, shutting my eyes for a second. I startle when a familiar face appears next to me.
“He really likes you,” Bellami says, throwing narrow glances at me. “Not that it’s a surprise. I’ve never seen him being so touchy with someone.”
I watch Andrew speak to the other guests while holding my cocktail, anxiously trying to escape them so he can come back to me. “You think so?”
“He allows you into his personal bubble. That tells me enough about you,” he points out. “When I brought him back home with me, he never let anyone get close. Not me, not any doctors. Nobody.”
“I didn’t know he has issues with physical touch.”
“That’s because he lets you touch him. You’re a rare exception.”
Bellami takes a sip of his Whiskey on the rocks, and I trace his line of sight back to his wife conversing with a blonde woman in a burgundy low cut dress.
“I’m not especially fond of you, Holden,” he admits stoically. “Your existence in itself is a problem I’ve had to deal with before. My brother might not entirely know what kind of person you are, therefore, I’d appreciate it if you refrained from upsetting him.”
My fist bawls at my side, and I swallow back my annoyance for Andrew’s sake. “I don’t know what you’re referring to but I advise you to mind your business, Mr. Lacroix.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re excused,” I retort, nodding toward his brother who’s coming our way. “I couldn’t care less about your warnings. He knows what he’s getting into and still wants me. Besides, I happen to quite like him. Tell me why I should listen to you when even he doesn’t.”
“I have the power to put an end to your little games with a snap of my fingers, Holden. Don’t underestimate how far I’d go to protect him from you and your baggage.”
“My baggage?” I scoff and push myself off the wall. “What do you want exactly? I’m not leaving him just because you tell me to. If you seriously intended to get between us, I’m sure you’d already have done it.”
“Be good to him, that’s all. He’s been through a lot and doesn’t deserve more hardships. I’m sure you can understand.” He walks back to his wife and kisses her cheek as she smiles brightly at him and locks her arm with his.
Andrew appears in front of me, and I hate how glad I am to see him. “Did he say something mean? Don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll beat his ass if he did.”
“Oh yeah, he was extremely rude. Tried threatening me to sell my organs if I broke your heart.” I smirk as a scowl takes over his features. “I’ve never been spoken to like that in my life. I’m outraged!”
“I’ll fucking murder him,” he growls, spinning around in Bellami’s direction but I stop him.
“I’m kidding. He was actually very respectful,” I say, taking the Cosmopolitan and thanking him. “He doesn’t look like it, but your brother seems to care a lot about you. Sure, he’s expressing it in a very peculiar way but still.”
“He’s just pretending. If he actually cared, he’d have supported me when I asked him to, back when I was still a teen. The guy just wants to control everyone around him, so nothing can harm his reputation and his peaceful life with his wife.”
I glance at the cold man whose attention is on the beauty at his arm. “I won’t claim to know him better than you do but he clearly does care about you in his own weird way. I don’t like him, but I respect his efforts to protect you.”
“What the fuck did he say to you?” He grabs my face and inspects my expression. “Did he pay you to defend him or some shit?”
“You idiot.” I take his hand and kiss his palm. “No amount of money could make me paint that jerk in a good light if I didn’t actually mean it. Either way, it doesn’t matter if he’s a good guy or not. He knows he can’t get between us because I won’t let him.”
If someone’s going to get in the way it’s probably me, anyway.
“Aoi.” A stunned and beaming smile overtakes his features. “You fucked up big time.”
Taken aback by his heated expression, I lay his hand on my cheek. “Were my words enough to excite you, Prince Charming?”
“Feel for yourself what you’ve done to me,” he says, pressing his lower half against mine. “Wanna get out of here?”
My eyes widen and I press my lips together before downing my cocktail in one go. “I thought you’d never ask.”