Chapter 6
Six
NICO
The women left with happy smiles, which is probably due to the large number of one hundred-dollar bills I stuffed into their hands.
As I wait for Regina, I splash two tumblers with brandy and stand by the fireplace, a welcome moment of solitude I didn’t expect tonight.
By now I should be knee-deep in well-wishers and hangers-on, all vying for my attention and cozying up to me for their own agendas.
If I had my way, I would remain in this penthouse, but I’m here to do a job, and luckily the first part of my plan was executed before I even stepped foot inside the place.
A nervous cough alerts me that I’m no longer alone, and I curse my thoughts for distracting me.
I turn, and my hand freezes in mid-air, the brandy glinting against the flames as I observe a masterpiece standing before me.
“Regina?” I arch my brow, and she giggles nervously.
“I know, this is insane, right? I mean, those women, they must be fairy godmothers because how is this person me?”
Her smile is genuine, pleasure dancing in her eyes, and I must hand it to the women they did an excellent job, but then again, the subject has everything in the right places to make it an easy one.
“You are beautiful.” I state the obvious, and she blushes, her cheeks now glowing with heat rather than pinched by ice.
Her smoky eyes dazzle, and her sweet lips are curved in a soft smile, offering me a tempting desire to sample them for myself.
As I extend the glass toward her, I smile, which is an act that shocks me more than her.
“Drink this. It will chase away what’s left of the chill inside you.”
Her fingers brush against mine, and she blinks, her lashes dusting her cheeks as she gazes at me from under them.
Innocence is a powerful weapon to wield on a man who rarely experiences it, and I am mesmerized as she sips the brandy, her eyes lighting with pleasure as she feels the burn.
I am resisting the sudden urge to reach out and wrap my hand around her head and pull her close, to relish the flavor that rests on her tongue, to taste her, then devour her whole.
“You have been so kind.”
She breaks the spell as she glances around the room.
“I, um, left your jacket in the bathroom and your, um–”
She stops, a pulse racing furiously in her cheek, and she glances down, her face heated and flustered.
“Firearm.” I finish her sentence, and she nods, her eyes lowered.
Reaching out, I tilt her face up to meet mine and say huskily, “Protection is important to me. You never know when you may be required to defend yourself when you live in my world.”
She nods, her lower lip trembling as she stares into my eyes and, against my better judgment, I run my thumb against her lower lip. Her eyes glaze and her breathing heightens, and I am lost in the moment—lost in her.
She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, with not a hard edge in sight, and it fascinates me.
The elevator door opens, and I drop my hand as the waiter wheels the trolley into the room, effectively breaking the spell.
I turn, jerking my finger toward the small table set by the window.
“You must eat before we make our way downstairs.”
“You really don’t–”
“I said eat, Regina. I will not take no for an answer.”
I hand more dollars to the waiter and as she approaches the table, I hold back her chair as she drops into it.
As I push it in place, I allow my fingers to drift along the base of her neck, and she shivers.
Her skin is as soft as silk, and her reaction a desirable one.
Perhaps this is my lucky night, and this isn’t such a bad deal after all.
I could have some fun with my new wife, and now the idea has taken root, it’s growing fast. Yes, Regina Stone is perfect in every way, and she doesn’t realize yet just how much all of this attention will cost her in the end.
As it turns out, the price she will pay is her soul.
She finishes up eating, and I glance at my wristwatch. “We should head to the gala. You should be warmer now.”
“I am and well–” She huffs a delicate breath. “Thank you. You, um, are so kind, and I’m not sure how I am going to repay you.”
I let the silence have a moment before fixing her with my usual penetrating gaze.
The one that keeps my business associates guessing and my enemies quaking in their boots.
I make her nervous—obviously. I can tell that from the slight tremble of her lips and the heavy breathing she attempts to disguise in vain.
She is either petrified or turned on, and it will be interesting to discover which, but not now. That will come later when I decide whether she is worthy of my attention.
“Tell me your story, Regina. Why did I find you shivering on the red carpet unable to make it inside?”
A cloud enters her eyes, and she slumps in her seat.
“I was meant to be here with my boyfriend Connor. He invited me ages ago and yet at the last moment canceled—I mean like ten minutes after he was supposed to pick me up.”
I say nothing, and she sighs heavily. “He told me he had COVID and when I told my friend, she insisted I shouldn’t miss out and offered me a ride instead.
I mean–” She shrugs, a slight giggle betraying her nerves.
“I don’t usually do things like this, and I was, well, excited for the opportunity.
I had made such an effort with my appearance too, and I was crushed when he canceled. ”
Picturing her effort reminds me she has a lot to learn about fashion choices, but I keep my comments to myself as she carries on.
“Anyway, I arrived and walked the red carpet. Something I’ve always wanted to do, and yet when I made it inside, the woman at the door told me my name wasn’t on the list. When I explained, she told me that Connor was already here with another woman.”
Now it makes sense, and rather than be annoyed for her, I am counting my luck because this is perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.
“So COVID was obviously just an excuse so he could bring another woman in my place.”
She slumps back in her seat, the glow from the candle catching on the sparkle from her dress, and I don’t believe I have ever sat across the table from such a dazzling companion. She wears tragedy well, which is good considering a life with me will be extremely tragic, for her anyway.
“So–” She forces some brightness into her voice.
“I was thrown out, asked to leave and actually escorted from the premises by the doorman and I found myself back where I started, without a Plan B. My ride had already disappeared off into the sunset and I was almost naked under the bright lights. The thought of catching a cab or a subway home, even walking wasn’t a good one because when you are wearing the latest naked trend it would have drawn the wrong kind of attention. ”
My knives are sharpening under the table at the thought of her suffering. From the doorman to the woman on the door and definitely her boyfriend, for want of a better word.
“Then you rescued me.”
Her soft giggle drags a smile from somewhere deep inside me, and as she fixes those beautiful eyes on me, she whispers, “I am so grateful. You really were my knight in charming armor, and I will never forget your kindness.”
“There is something you can help me with.” I lean forward, noticing the uncertainty heavy in her smile as she shrinks back in her seat. She is probably fearing the worst, and frankly, if she realized what was running through my mind right now, she would undoubtedly suffer a heart attack.
“As it turns out, I am also without a date to the gala. We could help one another out.”
“What happened?”
Her eyes widen, and I shrug. “I neglected to arrange one.”
“Wow.” She laughs softly. “That’s seriously bad planning. Weren’t you excited to get your invitation? I know I was. I mean, you probably go to these things all the time, but this is the ‘thing’ of the year. Don’t you have a girlfriend, wife or mistress perhaps that you could have asked?”
For some reason, she has forgotten her nerves, and her words spill out like unguarded mistakes.
“I have none of the above. So, Regina, it appears that the stars aligned tonight and directed their beams on us. So, will you do me the great honor of being my date for the Diamond Gala?”
“I would be honored, Nico.”
I stand and move around the table, and as her hand slips inside my much larger one, I tighten my hold.
I help her from the chair, and as she stands tall beside me, I catch our reflections in the window and admit we do look good together.
I still can’t believe how perfectly things worked out, and tonight will be all my pleasure as my plan falls into place.