"Possibly, Mr. Saunders,” I replied. I did want to know more about him, but I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.
“Please call me Nick,” he said with a smile that was sexy as heck.
“Okay, Nick,” I hesitated. It was weird to address a man so rich and powerful by his first name. “Before you go any further, I have to tell you something," I said, my voice low.
"Sure, Sara. May I call you Sara? You look so beautiful tonight. Do you know that?” he said.
"Yes, of course," I said. Hoping he hadn’t misunderstood, I corrected myself when I saw a grin spread on his face. "I mean, yes you may call me Sara. Not yes that I know I’m beautiful. You know… I mean...”
"You are beautiful and it's okay to admit that." He lowered his voice and drew closer to me. “You are the most beautiful girl here.”
"Thanks." I was too shy to dispute his comments.
"So, Sara it is then."
I nodded, not trusting myself to say another word. I had to stop acting like a teenager around him. “About the necklace you sent me,” I started but was cut off when a female voice called to him from afar. He turned his attention toward her. While he responded, I allowed my eyes to travel over him. He was dressed in a suit that had been crafted on him. His eyes, a deep shade of warm brown, were thoughtful and sexy. His mouth had a curve that deepened the few times he had smiled at me. I stole a glance at his upper torso and could tell he had great definition behind that suit, like someone who spent a good portion of his days working out.
"Oh no," he mumbled as he recognized the woman calling to him.
"What?" I asked as I turned to look at a skinny, dark-haired woman approaching us. She was hot. Damn, she was sexy. As she walked towards us, I felt like I was in some kind of well-rehearsed fashion show and one of the models was approaching me with well-practiced cat steps. She wore a shiny, short dress that fitted her like a glove and left nothing to the imagination, heels so high I wondered how she didn’t fall on her face as she walked towards us, and her lips were a bright red. Her curls bounced and fell back into place with every step. She was perfect, the kind of woman I had always wanted to be, and for an instant, I was jealous of whomever she was and whatever she was to him.
"Hi, Olivia," he called to her.
The way she looked at him told me without any doubts that the two of them had something naughty going on. Her face looked familiar, but I didn't feel like trying to figure out how I knew her. It didn’t matter anyways. I imagined that all the women at the party were A-list celebrities. I had probably seen every one of them on TV or in a magazine at some point in my life.
"Kiss me," Nick said to me, turning around to face me, his back to the fancy Olivia. “Now.”
"What?" I asked, sure he wasn’t talking to me.
"Kiss me now." His voice had lowered and his eyes pierced mine. I could not resist even if I wanted to.
"Nick!" The woman was at our heels. “Baby!”
Nick didn't wait for my response. I felt his hands on my waist, holding me like he owned me. He crushed me against him and put his lips on mine. The world stood still. Cliché, I know, but there was no other way to describe what I felt. I didn't kiss him back; I was still in shock. He broke the kiss as quickly as he had started it.
"Nick?" Olivia was standing right behind him, her voice low and angry.
I dared to look at her since I could feel daggers stabbing at me. This was not going to be good.
"Hi, Olivia," he said as he gave her a quick hug, ignoring the lips she had pouted out for him. They did indeed have something going on. Or rather, something went on between them that was no longer there.
I knew what had happened. He had used me as bait to pay back the woman, whomever she was. An old girlfriend maybe? The kiss was just to spite her and maybe get back at her for something she had done to him. In that instant, I felt so mad at him. How dare he use me like I was a common whore? Yes, I may have crashed his party, but that didn’t give him the right to abuse my mouth. Pleasurable, yes. But that was beside the point. The kiss had been rough and unwanted; well maybe not, but it wasn't my idea of how to kiss a man.
"Excuse me," I said to the two of them as I almost pushed Nick aside to get away.
“Who was that?" I heard the woman ask, but I didn’t hear Nick's response. I quickly rushed out of the tent. Tears were streaming down my face until I had walked for a bit. I heard a voice behind me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.