‘I know, but I’d rather suffer on the dance floor than spend another second listening to that tool blow his own trumpet. Just one song, I promise.’
‘Fair enough,’ I reply, as he spins me around and pulls me into his arms. ‘You really should take lessons in preparation for situations like this, though. I’m not sure if my poor toes can handle a whole song with you.’
He throws back his head and laughs. ‘I’ll try my best not to step on your feet this time.’
We only get a third of the way into the song before we’re interrupted.
‘Do you mind if I cut in?’
My heart flutters when I turn my head and see Brock standing beside us. He’s dressed in a tuxedo, and like I imagined, he looks absolutely breathtaking.
‘Be my guest,’ Theo says, stepping aside.
Brock gives me a pantie melting smile as his arms slide around my waist, drawing my body flush with his. ‘You look beautiful in that dress, sweetheart. Absolutely exquisite.’
‘What are you doing here?’ As thrilled as I am, he’s the last person I expected to see tonight.
‘When you said you were going to a function with Theo, I called him. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow night to see you again.’
‘You came here tonight just to see me?’
‘Yes. Does that surprise you?’ He glides me effortlessly around the dance floor. Wow, can he dance.
‘A little,’ I admit.
‘You obviously have no idea how much you mean to me then. I’d travel to the ends of the earth if it meant I’d get to see you, Jade. And I couldn’t wait until tomorrow night. You mean too much to me.’
‘M agreed?’
He nods.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I want to hit him for keeping this secret from me.
‘I needed to see your face when I told you.’
Swoon.
Theo made sure Brock had a seat at our table, and although I was there as his date, my eyes spent most of the night fastened on my man. We even played footsie under the table a few times, and at one stage he held my hand. It’s like we crave some kind of physical contact when we’re in each other’s presence. That’s how I feel—I crave him. I’ve never felt so drawn to someone as I am to him. It’s both scary and wonderful.
Theo was kind enough to let me travel back to his house in Brock’s car. I even got to kiss him goodnight before Rupert arrived to collect me. I floated all the way home.
All day Tuesday I’m on a high, anticipating our impending date. By the time I arrive at M’s for inspection, you couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face if you’d tried. Which in hindsight, was a huge mistake on my part. I’m so caught up in my own little world that I’d forgotten to hide my new found happiness from M.
‘What are you looking so pleased about?’ she asks suspiciously the minute I enter her parlour.
Shit. ‘Nothing,’ I reply, trying to keep my cool but failing miserably.
‘Don’t lie to me, Jade,’ she says as she comes to a stop in front of me. She latches onto my hair, yanking it hard as she pulls me to her. ‘Do you think I’m a fool? Does this sudden mood change have anything to do with Mr Weston? He was very persistent about seeing you tonight.’
Double shit. If she even suspects that there’s something going on between us, I know she’ll forbid us from seeing each other again.
‘No … no,’ I stammer. ‘I’m just feeling happy today. It has nothing to do with Mr Weston. Why would you ask that? He’s just another client.’ I know I’m babbling, but I can’t seem to control it.
Her evil eyes narrow, but I get the impression she may just believe me. She releases my hair from her death grip, and my scalp stings. ‘I’ll be keeping a close eye on you two,’ she warns. ‘If I suspect for a second there’s more to this, I’ll put a stop to it immediately. Do you hear me?’
‘There’s nothing going on between us,’ I say, determination setting in. I’m not going to say anything that could blow my chances of seeing Brock. ‘As I said, he’s a client, nothing more.’
‘Make sure it stays that way.’ The look she gives me has my stomach in knots. I know she means every word, and now that her suspicions are raised, we’ll have to be extra careful.
‘Are you okay?’ Brock asks as we travel back to his house after dinner. He took me to a lovely restaurant overlooking the harbour. I enjoy every second of my time with him, but M’s words were still playing on my mind. Maybe the wise thing to do would be to keep our distance for a while until things cool down, but the thought of not seeing him makes me sick to the stomach.