Chapter 11 #2
“Vic, please. You are going to have to do better than that.” She arched an eyebrow.
“You look…” He paused. Greedily took her in.
From the smooth expanse of skin on her shoulders that were revealed, to the way the dress hugged her curves, to the heels that gave her added height.
His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
He took another sip of his drink. This time more slowly. “You look good.”
“Thank you. You clean up rather nice yourself.” Her lips curled up in the corner. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she watched him.
“Your date seems nice.” Vic had to force the words out.
Charles Lindsey was too polished for the likes of Tachina. She may be a knockout in her formal dress, but this wasn’t the real woman.
“Your escort seems like she will bite.” She smirked.
“We’re not back—”
“I know.” She turned away and scanned the crowd. “It appears that she wants to be.”
“I don’t care what she wants. It’s not happening.” He finished off his drink and set the empty glass down on the counter.
A few other patrons sidled up to the bar and placed their orders.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Vic.” She stared at her hands, then stared up at him. “It’s okay. I know I asked a lot from you.”
“Tachina—”
“Were you jealous?” She tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Of Charles?”
“What?”
“When Charles introduced himself. The way you glared at him. It was weird. So I’m asking. Are you jealous?”
Vic clenched his teeth together so hard he was surprised they didn’t shatter. Was he jealous? He glanced back at what she was wearing.
Fuck yeah, he was jealous.
It should be him escorting her around the gala. His hand on the small of her back. Him whispering jokes in her ear to elicit those sexy little smiles of hers.
“You shouldn’t ask questions you may not be ready for,” he replied.
She paused, the small smile on her lips disappearing. He took a step closer to her, erasing the gap between them.
He leaned down to her ear. “But should I be? Have you fucked him yet? I doubt he could make you come as hard as I can while you ride my cock.”
He stepped back and waved the bartender back down and requested another drink. Tachina stared at him, fever in her eyes. Clearly, she was remembering their weekend together.
The weekend they had agreed to try conceive another child.
“Vic,” Tachina murmured.
His drink arrived. He picked it up and took a hefty sip. He grinned at her, knowing she was rattled by his words. He could tell by the distant gleam in her eye.
“You didn’t like seeing me with Sydney.”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
“Why can’t I discuss my observations? You get to accuse me of being jealous, well, I’m throwing it right back at you.”
“Jealous of Sydney? All the years you were with her, not once did I ever feel jealous or threatened by that woman. My place with you is secured.” She arched an eyebrow at him again.
The fire was back in Tachina. This was how he loved seeing her.
He glanced around the room. Charles stood with someone else having a conversation, but his attention was on Tachina. Vic smirked.
“Why is your date staring over here like he wants to drag you away?”
“Because I told him I needed a few minutes,” she said.
“To do what?” Vic leaned back against the bar. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going to lead. He knew where he wanted it to go, and it was far from this place and ended with them in his bed.
“To talk with you.”
Before he could respond, Evelyn tapped on a microphone, calling guests to make their way to their tables for the program.
“I should get to my seat,” Tachina said.
“Yeah, me, too,” he said.
But neither of them moved. They looked at each other, not saying a word.
“We’ll talk later.” She sighed.
“Yes. Later.” He nodded to her. They would be talking later. This he promised.
She turned and walked away. He watched the curves of her ass sway beautifully, unable to take his eyes off her.
Sydney appeared by his side. She tapped him on the arm and scowled at him in the most unladylike fashion she normally wouldn’t dare do in public.
“I hope you are not making a fool out of yourself over her,” Sydney murmured.
“I’m not interested in your opinion regarding Tachina.” He walked away from her and headed to his table.
Tachina took her seat at her table. Her eyes met his.
Something inside him shifted.
This was dangerous.
He wanted her.
This was one thing he was certain of.
The program wound down with applause and polite laughter. The clinking of glasses echoed through the air as servers weaved through the aisle with champagne trays. Vic finished off the rest of his water and settled back in his chair. Evelyn stepped up to the mic again.
“And now, to close our evening, we’d like to invite to the stage the CEO of Maxwell & Sons Development Group, Victor Maxwell,” she announced.
Applause swept over the ballroom. Vic stood from where he was seated and made his way toward the stage. Eyes tracked him. Old money, new money, politicians, donors, builders, and even his competitors were all in the room. He felt Tachina’s gaze before he found it.
She watched him as she clapped. Her date was seated next to her, speaking with a local politician whom Vic recognized.
But all he cared about was that she saw him.
Vic snagged a glass of champagne from a waiter.
He stepped onto the stage, shook hands with the coordinator.
The woman had worked her ass off tonight to ensure that everything went off without a hitch.
He murmured his thanks then went over to the podium and set his glass down.
The room stilled and fell quiet. Vic cleared his throat and offered a welcoming smile.
“Thank you. I promise not to give one of those speeches people pretend to enjoy while secretly wondering when they can head over to the bar,” he said.
Laughter rippled through the room. His gaze zeroed in on Tachina and found her smiling. He slid one hand into his pocket, and confidence filled him. He hated this part of his career. Being not only the man leading the company but also having to show his face.
“Tonight, you’ve seen the bones of the Artisan Avenue. You know the history of the building and the property and now you’ve seen what it can become. But projects like this don’t happen because of one man or a company.”
Murmurs went around as he paused. He motioned to the nearest display board that showed off the finish concept of the Artisan Avenue.
“They happen because of visionaries.” He let that hang with them for a moment.
Attention fixed on the screen behind him. There was a digital display that showcased the building as it was back in the early twentieth century and then what it looked liked right before they’d begun demolishing parts of it. Then it ended with what the building would look like once it was done.
“That visionary is Tachina Winston of Form and Function Studios.”
The murmurs grew louder. Heads turned as the attendees sought out Tachina. A shy smile appeared on her face, and she raised a hand to acknowledge herself.
“She took a historic building many of us have known about for decades and saw no limitation but only possibilities. She looked at the run-down structure on the lakefront and imagined a landmark that will redefine this district for the next century.”
Head nods and murmurs went around. Vic had everyone in the palm of his hand. His gaze swept the tables, and he caught sight of Sydney and the scowl on her face. He ignored her and kept going with his speech.
“This project wasn’t something that Ms. Winston threw together overnight.
Hard work, dedication, and research all went into this project.
She wanted to bring her artistic vision to life here in our beloved city.
There will be no other development like this one here in the entire country.
” He paused and let that sink in. Investors loved the idea of being apart of something exclusive.
He smiled again and nodded to the picture behind him.
“If you want to invest in something meaningful. If you want your name attached to the transformation of our shoreline, tonight is the night to open your purse strings and stop pretending you don’t have the means. ”
Roars of laughter erupted. He may have made a joke, but he was dead serious. The men and women here were some of the wealthiest people around.
Vic reached over and lifted his champagne glass from the podium.
“To preserving history by making new history. To the artisans, the developers, the doers, and to the future of the Cleveland shoreline.” He raised his glass. “To the Artisan Avenue.”
Thunderous applause flooded the room. He took a sip then stepped back and offered a smile to the audience. As he left the stage, the applause continued.
He sought out Tachina across the room instantly. She didn’t clap the loudest, but she watched him with something soft and stunned in her eyes.
It was pride.
Heat.
Emotions.
All wrapped up in one expression. That hit him harder than any approval from an audience ever could. He walked down the stairs of the stage without breaking eye contact with her. People reached his side to shake his hand, slap him on the shoulder, made verbal promises to donate.
He barely noticed.
He reached his table where his mother and father sat. Both gave him nods of approval. Sydney had somehow maneuvered herself into the seat immediately next to him. The chair had been vacant before he’d got up to go on stage. Where had she come from? She stood and smiled at him.
“Vic, that was some speech.” She reached out to touch his arm.
But he pulled back and shook his head.
“I’m going to sit over there.” He gestured to another table.
His mother’s and Sydney’s faces were rendered with shocked expressions.
He was not going to play this game with Sydney.
Not tonight. Not ever again. He didn’t wait for either of them to respond.
He simply walked past her, past all of the polite stares and those offering encouraging words about the project, and slid into a new seat.
Directly across from Tachina.
She hid a smile behind her champagne flute.
But he saw it in her eyes.