"Don't be nervous," he said smoothly, just above my ear. Just as we were about to walk in, I heard William's voice behind me, breaking the nerves that were just settling.
"Darling!" I quickly spun around, breaking Alex's hold on me. Relief washed over me as I saw his urgent smile, running up to greet me. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" He engulfed me, wrapping his arms around my waist just where Alex's were. I felt a strange twinge of guilt, knowing I was just about to walk in escorted by another man instead of William.
"It's all right, dear. We were just about to walk in." I smiled, holding back my disappointment that he wasn't able to ride here with me. It always stirred up the media when we were photographed separately. All of a sudden, our relationship was in jeopardy because we hadn't been ‘seen' together in over a week when in reality, William was on a business trip, and I had made plans to have lunch with some friends. Apparently, that was too much time apart.
"Thanks for taking my place, son," William said genuinely to Alex, patting his shoulder. His eyes flashed to mine for a split second and then his mouth turned into a firm line before he responded, "Anytime, Dad." I heard the condescending tone in his voice, but William ignored it.
"Shall we?" William asked just before guiding me through the door.
I turned around and saw Alex standing frozen. His eyes locked on mine as his lips stayed in a tight line. I flashed a small smile, silently apologizing for William's inconvenient interjection.
Alex had helped calm me-which William should've been doing all along-but he hadn't, and now I was walking in without Alex. A part of me felt guilty, when I should've felt ecstatic William made it, but the other part wished he hadn't.
Chapter Fifteen
The room was filled with Manhattan's finest. Women and men overdressed in designer clothes, a private auction was taking place on one end, and a full bar was set up on the other. Just to attend, it was almost a thousand dollars per table. But it was the way these events worked. I've learned quickly it was about the rich looking for a tax deduction and a way for them to network with other rich people.
It was the ugly truth, but it wasn't the reason I got involved in the first place. William knew that, but the press didn't. Tonight, they'd all find that out though. I didn't plan to hold anything back.
We took our seats just as a well-dressed server walked by and offered us glasses of champagne. William took two and handed me one, kissing me gently on the cheek. He knew I was nervous, but he wouldn't bring it up. He was used to these events and public speaking, but he was an icon. People looked up to him and when he spoke, power and confidence radiated off him. I wish I were like that, but when it came to something so personal, self-doubt was the only thing that overcame me.
"I'll be right back, darling," William said, quickly pecking me on the cheek before walking away. He knew almost everyone at these events and was always sidetracked as work conversations came up.
"Sure thing." I flashed a small smile at him as he backed his chair up and excused himself. I sat at the table alone, waiting for more people to arrive. The charity spokesperson would be tonight's MC. I knew, as soon as she stepped on stage, I'd be up there with her shortly.
I continued drinking my champagne, hoping the alcohol would calm any nerves I had left. My body shivered as a hand brush against my shoulders, and I saw Alex sit next to me out of the corner of my eye.
"Ten minutes in and you're left sitting alone." His voice was deep, irritation laced in his tone.
"It's fine," I insisted. "He knows a lot of people." I shrugged, taking another sip of my champagne but soon realized it was empty.
Alex waved another server over and grabbed two more glasses. "Here. You're fidgety as hell." I gladly accepted it, bringing the glass to my lips as soon as he handed it to me.
"Thank you," I finally said, looking down and circling my finger over the glass rim.
"You want to go over your speech?" he leaned in and asked. "Get another practice round in?"
I shook my head, not wanting to over-think any of it. "No, thanks. If I practice it too much, I'll become too emotional," I explained. "So I'd just rather talk about something else if that's okay?"
"Sure, I understand." I watched as he took a sip of his champagne. He was back to nice Alex again, and I wondered how long it'd last. After a moment of silence, he leaned in and whispered, "If I were here with you, I'd never leave your side. I'd make sure everyone in this room knew you were mine."
Apparently, it wasn't going to last long at all.
"Alex … " I began, but he cut me off.
"I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off of you long enough to even look at another woman, Mac. I'd remind you how beautiful you look, how you take my breath away, and how lucky I am to be here with you. The last thing I'd do is leave you alone." I kept my head down but could see him out of the corner of my eyes. His stare was intense, his eyes burning into me as he spoke the very words that could tear my heart in two.
I swallowed before looking at him, sympathy written all over his face as I followed where he was looking. He was looking at William from across the room, chatting with another woman. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and she was rubbing her hand up and down his arm.
"She's a friend of his," I explained. "It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" He raised a brow at me. "Men don't let their ‘friends' grope them, especially in public."
I scoffed. "She's not groping him. William is not the type of man to make a scene." He stood tall with his hands in his pockets, not encouraging the woman, but he sure wasn't stopping her.
"If you say so." He was still close to me, a little too close. I could smell the blend of his soap and cologne. It was a perfect mixture and suited him well, but it was making it impossible to think straight as it felt like he was interrogating me.
"William would never cheat on me," I continued, although I wasn't sure why I was defending my relationship to him. "He's a loyal man."
"And how can you be so sure?" he challenged. "Aren't you the type of girl that'd never cheat on him?" I shot him a death glare, but he continued anyway. "Just goes to show, people are capable of anything."
"Well, that was under the influence of a lot of alcohol and bad judgment. Or rather, no judgment at all."
He smirked, sending butterflies straight to my stomach. "It's amusing you say that."
I turned toward him and crossed my arms over my chest as I flashed him an insulted stare. "What's that supposed to mean? You know as well as I do I was beyond drunk and obviously made some poor decisions. Me waking up next to you with no clue as to who you were or what had happened proves that." We were right back to our argument from last night.
"Sure … but that only means consciously you were letting your guard down and going after what you really wanted."
"And what's that?" I challenged right back.
"A man who pays attention to you … gives you what you need. A man who doesn't waste time and lets everyone know you're his. A man who takes what he wants, which, by the way, you gave to me willingly. There was a part of you that wanted just that even if on the surface you think you're content with something else."
"That's not even close," I spat out, almost appalled at how blunt he was being. Basically, he was saying I wanted to cheat on William and that wasn't even close to the truth. "I'd never hurt William intentionally."
"No one intentionally hurts anyone, Mac. Well, unless they're a spineless asshole, but the brain works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, the subconscious part of you makes you act braver than you actually think you are. And in many ways, you're very brave. Just like you are for coming here tonight."
He snuck that last line in just as I was beginning to fume at what he was implying. I guess I believed some of what he was saying, but I'd never openly admit that I meant or wanted to cheat on William. In fact, up until I met Alex, I was completely one-hundred percent confident in my relationship with him. I was used to his late nights, early mornings, and busy traveling schedule. I'd become accustomed to his mid-dinner phone calls and hectic work days. I knew it came with the territory of being with him, and I'd fully accepted that. It gave me time to focus on my own career without being attached to the idea that William worked enough for the both of us. I hadn't wanted that lifestyle-the one where the woman stays home, having lunch dates with girlfriends, and chatting about the latest gossip. I loved working in fashion, and I wasn't going to give up what I'd worked so hard for in the first place.