by Sapna Bhog
However, the kind of money being thrown here is beyond my imagination.
The bidding continues and finally the auctioneer calls upon the Countess of Farleigh. Hers is the last piece being bid. She stands as he introduces the piece and announces how old it is, whose family it belonged to, the cut and clarity of its diamonds, etc. All is silent until she sits and the auction begins. The bidding starts at twenty-five thousand pounds. Interested buyers raise their placards and the bid rises slowly.
From the corner of my eye, I see Celia leaning towards Damien, her breast squeezing against his arm. My hand clenches hard against the champagne glass I am holding. Celia inches closer and whispers something in his ear that makes him smile. That’s it! I’m done waiting in the shadows!
“How high do you think this bid will go?” I ask Gabriel through gnashed teeth.
“I think it should close at sixty thousand roughly. Anything more is criminal.”
“And how much is sixty thousand pounds in the scheme of Damien’s wealth?”
Gabriel raises a brow. “Pocket change.”
The bid is now at thirty-two thousand pounds.
“Good, because we’re buying that.”
Gabriel’s eyes widen, but before he can say anything, I raise the placard in front of me and say, “Forty thousand.”
A pin drop silence falls in the room. It lasts for a few seconds and suddenly everyone is whispering, trying to get a good look at me. I paste a serene expression on my face and sit back in my chair.
“What are you doing?” Gabriel whispers.
“I’m drawing his attention away from that hussy Celia Parker and to me.”
“Aaliya, that’s their family heirloom. He won’t allow you to outbid him. That necklace has been worn by seven generations of Duchesses in his family.”
“Brilliant,” I retort, “now the eighth Duchess, that’s me, is going to buy it.”
I focus back on the bid at hand. It has reached forty-four thousand now as more buyers are showing interest. Damien still has to place a bid though. I turn and find him staring at me. I raise a pointed brow and toast my glass to him. He angles his head and observes me for a few moments. Finally, he raises his placard on forty-six thousand.
“Well, well, you have awoken the monster,” Jonathan comments from my other side.
“Is that right? Then let’s rile up that monster some more, shall we? Fifty thousand,” I say loudly, increasing the stakes.
Jonathan laughs.
“I like her,” he tells Gabe.
I throw my head back and laugh.
Damien
“You cannot let that slip of a girl steal our family legacy, Damien!” My mother hisses in my ear. “Raise the bid, now!”
I give her a frosted look before I raise my placard for the first time. I’m not doing this for her. I hadn’t even planned on bidding on my mother’s necklace at all. Contrary to her expectations, I’m not her lap dog. Never have been and never will be. I was absolutely fine letting someone else buy that damn piece. My mother has several family heirlooms and plenty more new pieces. She could very well do without this one. Besides, if she had brought up David better then she’d never have lost the piece in the first place.
But then Aaliya raised the stakes.
My mother bestows a wide smile at me as I continue raising my bid on the necklace. I ignore her and concentrate on Aaliya instead. My lips curve as she once again counters my raise with a higher bid. All the other contenders back off, and now it’s just her and me bidding for a piece of my family heritage.
This woman has captured my attention ever since I laid eyes on her walking towards me in that stunning pink gown. But now, after she challenged me with her raised wine glass, she has snatched my concentration as well because I can’t stop looking at her. All the heaviness in my chest that was weighing me down ever since the event started has now disappeared as I enjoy this war of bids with her.
Each time I raise my placard, she raises hers, her eyes fixed on mine, a sexy grin on her red lips. I no longer suspect anything personal between her and Gabe, else she wouldn’t be eye balling me the way she has been for the last hour or so. That woman has fire in her and I know that sometime soon I’m going to light it all up and we’re going to burn together. She’s going to be mine and I’m going to bury myself so deep inside her that she’ll be screaming my name. My spirits soar as I look forward to that outcome. The evening ahead looks far more interesting and a lot more promising now.
The bid is now at fifty-six thousand pounds. She waits for me to outbid her, but I decide against it. Let her have the prize. I have a bigger conquest on my mind!
Aaliya
And just like that, he let me have his family’s necklace. He stopped bidding when I raised the bid to fifty-six thousand. I waited for him to raise the stake but he just stared at me and calmly took a sip from his whiskey glass. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he just shook his head in a subtle no.
There is stunned silence again as the auctioneer’s hammer goes down on the final piece. The man scratches his head and looks from side to side before marching to Damien’s table. He bends down to confer with Damien and his mother and Celia too leans forward to hear what they are discussing. Oh, I’d so love to hear that exchange right now. The Duchess and Celia throw a fierce look my way as they continue to whisper amongst themselves. Damien just sits there looking absolutely bored, letting them drone on and on until he slaps his palm on the table and both the women hush. He writes something on a piece of paper for the auctioneer who takes it after casting a last nervous glance at the Duchess.
“Unbelievable! You actually won! It was such a reckless idea, though!” Gabriel shakes his head at me as the auctioneer returns to his place and reads my name from the piece of paper that Damien has given him.
“Well, buying that necklace was indeed reckless, but capturing Damien’s attention was beyond priceless,” I tell him as I stand to accept the round of applause for winning the bid.
My eyes meet Damien’s as I sit and he gives me a slight nod. I raise my chin and acknowledge him with a tilt to my lips. My heart hammers a victory beat inside me. I’ve got his attention and now I’ve got to ensure I keep it fixed on me!
Damien
Ilean against a pillar in the corner of the ballroom, enjoying the smoky flavor of the malt as it goes down my throat. A few old acquaintances pass by and I acknowledge them with a slight nod, immediately looking away lest they decide to stop and make small talk.
A loud giggle makes me turn my head and I see two women walking towards me. They pause when they’re a foot away from me and whisper in each other’s ears, casting long glances my way. I don’t even bother to look at them because they’re just one of many who have tried to snag my attention tonight. Being single, rich and now a Duke makes me a hot commodity amongst many of the women in this room, unmarried and married alike. But their subtle and not so subtle invitations don’t interest me in the least. Instead, my eyes return to the one woman who has captured my interest and whom I’ve been observing for the last half an hour.
From the corner of my eye, I see the women approaching me and I move. I stroll along the perimeter of the ballroom and find another lone pillar and position myself there. This one gives me a better vantage point to observe my quarry.
Aaliya is still chatting with Jonathan. He hasn’t left her side the entire evening. Jonathan whispers something in her ear leaning too close to her for comfort and the urge to remove him from her side wars inside me. He is a complete ladies’ man and even though we’re not so close anymore, our friendship code dictates that I should stay away from a woman he is so obviously interested in. But with Aaliya, my instincts scream to swoop in and stake a claim. Strange!
I haven’t met Jonathan this evening and he’s also not taken any effort to stop and say hello. In these last few months, I’ve rejected all his invites, so I know he’s pissed off. But at this stage in my life, when I have so much going on, I can’t imagine
whiling away my time in mindless partying and womanizing, forget my lack of interest in any high-octane sport. He doesn’t understand it and I don’t have time for his petty tantrums.
I huff out an irritated sigh as he leans into Aaliya again and points at someone. He remains close to her, but she takes a step away from him, maintaining a slight distance between them. She’s completely aware he’s trying to charm her, but he’s not the one she’s interested in. Her eyes drift to where I was standing earlier and I smile at the frown that forms on her face when she doesn’t find me there. She swivels, searching for me through the crowd. I wait for her to find me and give her a grin when our eyes finally meet again. She blinks and turns to Jonathan.
She nods at something he says and her eyes seek mine, again. She smiles at me, a slight upward curve of her sexy lips and then she concentrates back on him. This fine dance between our eyes continues—she looks at me, I look at her and then her eyes drift away, only to return and the same thing repeats. It’s scintillating and has me engaged.
I sip my whiskey as Gabriel comes to stand by my side.
“How’re you doing since yesterday?” he asks.
“If you’re asking about Celia then I can’t even think of last night with her without making my skin crawl. And if you’re asking about the note then I guess it all feels more real now.”
Gabe swirls the whiskey in his glass, the ice cubes clinking at the movement. “Everyone you meet is a possible suspect. Trust no one and inform Mike if you suspect anything even remotely. You need to be careful, Damien.”
Frustration settles like a rock in my gut. Or is it fear? How can I move on in life when I am unable to find myself first? I can’t even think of a future when I’m still at an impasse about the mystery surrounding my accident and my forgotten past.
I puff out a breath. “As if my life isn’t fucked up enough already! Every time I meet someone new, I have to scan my brain to try and remember if I’ve met that person before and now, I have to add him or her to a suspect list! It’s fucking insane!” I raise my glass to my mouth and take a long gulp, relishing the burn of the alcohol. “I know I got lucky once but the next time, I may not. We need to find who is behind everything and soon before the next strike.”
“I do understand.” Gabe gives me a consoling nod. “And we will find them.”
I shrug.
Gabe splays his hand out. “So, how do you feel about all this? Your first social appearance as the new Duke?”
I look around the vast hall. My mother, as usual, has outdone herself. Everything looks beautiful and flawless. But that is to be expected. She has mastered the art of throwing the perfect gala and she has a lot of people to help her in organizing everything.
“It’s surreal to think that this house and everything else of the Duke of Kittridge belongs to me now,” I murmur. “God knows that I never expected to inherit all this. In fact, I worked hard for most of my life to stay away from it all.” A laugh escapes my mouth. “Do you know that my mother expects me to make this home my permanent residence now?”
“Society expects the same, Damien. This is all yours now.”
“Well, screw them all!” I scrunch my face. “I have a perfectly fine apartment that suits my needs and I’ll be damned if I have to give that up to stay with my mother. And Celia! She informed me earlier that she’ll be moving in here over the coming weekend.”
“Fucking hell! She doesn’t give up ever.” Gabe slices an angry hand through the air. “That woman is a bloody pain.”
Shaking his head, he asks, “Why are you allowing her to move here?”
“I don’t fucking care where she lives as long as she stays away from me.”
A curse escapes my lips. Someday, when I do marry, and I will have to as I’m now expected to marry and sire the next Duke and continue the family line, I may consider moving here. That too after I pack Celia off and move my mother to some other estate. I definitely can’t stomach the thought of living with either of the women ever.
My thoughts spin. Why am I contemplating marriage at this point? It’s way too soon. And what if there was a special woman in my life whom I’ve forgotten? But I cross that thought out because Gabe would never have kept that from me. The last five years of my life still draw a blank in my mind, but I trust Gabe.
He is the only constant I’ve had over the last five years, as I deliberately left everyone and everything I knew behind. I always assume that I must have dealt with something painful and horrific in the past five years, that’s why I have forgotten that period specifically and that’s why Gabriel doesn’t talk much about it. After my unexpected seizure in the hospital, my doctor has warned Gabriel from presenting me with any pertinent facts about the last five years of my life. So, Gabriel, in his over cautious, over protective way, is easing me into that forgotten part of my existence.
My eyes land on Aaliya again and I see Jonathan lead her to the dance floor.
I face Gabriel. “So, Aaliya Singh? You two seem close.”
His response is sharp and swift. “Yes, we are.”
“Did I know she was your friend before…” I splay my hand.
“You did.”
“And this is practically her first trip here?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
I’m certain I haven’t met Aaliya before because I haven’t traveled anywhere in the last five years, at least anywhere that required a visa or a passport stamp. Which is again strange to me because I used to travel frequently all over the world for business, pleasure and my love for extreme sports. But the pages of my passport remain curiously blank.
Gabe turns to me. “Why is Jonathan suddenly insisting on working only with you on his renovation project? He has outright refused to work with anyone else.”
“Because now the bugger can claim to anyone and everyone that a Duke designed his house. It’s also his way of seeking my attention. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s given us carte blanche on this project, which will make us millions, I’d have refused him long back.”
“That and the fact that he is a friend,” Gabe says, “and if he goes somewhere else, it will be bad for business.”
I’ve considered rejecting this project several times. I have too much on my hands already. What with the jewelry houses and our vast estate portfolio also falling under my purview, I barely have time to sleep as it is. But designing is what gives me balance and it stabilizes me in the madness that has become my life now. Hence, I agreed to work with Jonathan’s idiosyncrasies, which have been too many so far.
My eyes drift to the lovely Miss Singh as she dances with Jonathan. Her eyes meet mine once again before she returns them to Jonathan. His hand moves lower on her back and she immediately takes a step back from him, shaking her head. She says something to him that causes him to smile at her. They resume dancing and this time, his hand stays firmly in place at her waist.
“I do not like that blighter anymore,” I tell Gabriel.
His expression remains serious as he continues to watch Jonathan dance with Aaliya Singh.
“I think you need to indulge him, Damien. Talk to him. When you decided to leave England five years back, you cut off all contact with everyone including him and he’s never forgiven you or me for that.”
I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t have time for this right now, Gabe. I don’t even remember why I took the decision to cut off from everyone and leave. I don’t know why I chose to keep him out of that decision. So, what do I say to him? How do I make him understand anything when I don’t understand it myself?”
Gabe shrugs. “Nevertheless, you need to talk to him. He is hurting and he is a good friend. Why are you still keeping him at a distance?”
He’s right. Subconsciously, I’ve kept a distance from Jonathan. It makes the least sense because although my mind has rewound to five years back, I can’t bring myself to become the same person I was then. And somehow that is impacting my friendship with Jonathan.
“Where are you going?” Gabriel asks, as I take a step away from him.
“Am getting to know your Miss Singh better. I hope you don’t mind?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
He tilts his head to the side, studying me.
“Of course not,” he says finally.
I dip my head as he salutes me with his glass.
Damien
“Mind if I cut in?” I ask Jonathan, tapping his shoulder.
He looks from me to Aaliya and back at me and takes his time releasing her.
“Save a dance for me later.” He gives her a naughty grin before disappearing into the crowd.
I turn to Aaliya and give her my hand. She takes it and wraps her other hand around my shoulder.
“Hello again, Aaliya!”
“Hello, again,” she repeats after me.
I inhale and her soft fragrance envelops me as we sway to the music. It is sharp and striking, just like her.
“Congratulations on winning the bid,” I tell her.
Her dark gaze clashes with mine. “You let me win. Why?”
“I couldn’t let a beautiful woman lose.”
“Even though it was a piece of your family history?”
“I figured that if you were willing to pay an insane amount of money on a necklace, knowing it was my family heirloom, just to gain my attention, then I was willing to back off.”
She raises a sharp brow. “Perhaps I bid on it because it’s beautiful and I wanted it.”
A laugh escapes my mouth. “You and I both know that’s not true.”
She dips her head. “Well thank you very much, in any case.”