I scanned the crowd, looking for Judy, but she didn’t seem to have arrived yet. I did spot Hayden, talking to Keith. I was surprised to see him there.
Catching my eye, Hayden waved me over. I skirted the edge of the crowd, trying to avoid a lot of small talk, and reached them quickly. They both held glasses of wine. I noticed Keith scanning the crowd and assumed he was looking for women to add to his list of conquests.
“Hey, man. This is great,” Hayden said, clapping me on the back.
“Thanks, but most of it was Judy. She is a visionary.”
“Judy Mixon?” Keith asked. There was a look in his eye that I didn’t like one bit.
“Yeah. She’s the maid of honor, so we planned this party together.” And she’s mine, I added silently. My mostly-dormant possessive side was coming to life.
No. No, she’s not yours and you wanted it that way, I reminded myself.
I forcefully pushed my inner turmoil aside. I had to stop thinking like this.
“I met her when I signed an agreement with So Good. I have a fundraising event next month and I hope to see lots of their clients volunteering.”
“That’s great.”
“Have you been to their office? Lots of women working there. Not just a bunch of nerds, either. There are some hot pieces in that building,” Keith grinned.
“They’ve hired mostly woman. It’s a rarity in Silicon Valley, but I think it’s great,” Hayden interjected, defensiveness in his voice.
“Oh, I think it’s great too. I’m excited to work with them. If you know what I mean.” There was a predatory look on his face.
“I didn’t arrange a meeting for you so that you could get laid,” I told him.
“Lighten up. Damn, I formed a legit business agreement with them. It benefits both businesses. I just want some fringe benefits if I can get them.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t look good if you screw half the staff of So Good. Does your nonprofit really need the scandal?”
“Okay, fine. I won’t go after the staff. I can’t make any promises about the owners though.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I seethed.
“Judy. I bet she’s a fireball in bed.”
“You’re interested in Judy?” Hayden asked, shooting me a calculating look. He seemed worried that I would attack the man.
“Not just interested. Pursuing. Why do you think I’m here?”
“She invited you?” I asked, skepticism clear in my voice.
“Of course, she did. I’ll be going home with her tonight. Mark my words,” he said, still rocking that signature laid-back smile of his. He was somehow oblivious to the tension in the air.
“Oh, there she is now,” Keith said, staring behind me.
I whipped around and there Judy was, walking into the party with a huge smile. The whole gathering seemed livelier somehow as she made her way through the crowd, greeting everyone whether she knew them or not.
Her dress was white with large splashes of color, as if someone had flung paint at her. It was a tight, low cut dress with a slit up to her hip. Little was left to the imagination and I felt myself harden at the sight.
Her hair was gathered below her right ear and flowed down her chest in big curls. Flawless red lipstick drew attention to her mouth and I wanted to see those lips wrapped around my erection once again.
“Excuse me, guys,” Keith’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. Without further ado, he strode away from us and straight up to Judy.
I watched as she greeted him warmly, not at all surprised to see him. He must have been telling the truth then. He was her date.
“Maybe we should go mingle with the other guests,” Hayden said, sounding uncomfortable.
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just continued to watch as Judy hugged Keith. It was when he planted a kiss on her cheek that I finally looked away. Spinning on my heel, I stormed off to the wine tasting area. I needed a drink. At this point, it didn’t matter what the wine tasted like, I just wanted a full glass. Or two. Maybe three.
Chapter Seventeen: No Spark
I had convinced myself that this would be easy. I had a date. He was hot. I carefully chose a dress that I could rock. It was time to move on.
Or was it?
I couldn’t stop watching J.D. out of the corner of my eye. He looked gorgeous in his tuxedo, his dark hair combed back. The way he carried himself, with a relaxed sense of self-assurance, was distinctive and made it easy to track him in my peripheral vision. Hopefully no one noticed.
Keith certainly didn’t. He seemed to think that he was sweeping me off my feet. I had listened to him regale me with stories about his philanthropy and the interesting people he had met through his foundation. I wanted to be impressed. I wanted to find him fascinating because of his work.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t help thinking that he was prattling on about himself too much, without asking me anything significant about myself. He had too many stories to tell; he couldn’t seem to fit anything else into the conversation. Everything he told me made him look good. It should have been easy to fall for the charm.
The problem was his smile. The perfect smile with the perfect white teeth and one dimple in each cheek. I had thought, when we first met, that it was a nice, easy-going smile. It suited him. Now, looking closer, it seemed like a perfectly constructed mask, designed to disarm those around him.
Was I being too hard on the guy? Maybe I was just comparing him to J.D. and anyone would fall short at this point.
“Did that statue just move?” Keith asked, drawing my attention to the line of “statues” next to the wine tasting area.
“Yes! They’re living statues. Basically, people dress up as statues and pose at parties, shifting positions occasionally, it’s all coordinated to happen at the same time and see if anyone notices. You’ve heard of people doing street performance in cities like New York? It’s like that, but you hire them for parties. I knew I had to book them for this as soon as I heard about them.”
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this. I run an arts foundation.” He laughed and moved to one of the statues, closely examining her.
They were all classical women, draped in floor length chiton dresses. They were poised elegantly, and looked to be made of white stone. It was truly living art. I didn’t know how they could hold those positions so long.
“Oh, I almost forgot the bubbles!” I exclaimed.
“Bubbles?”
“I bought some of those bubble machines for the party,” I explained, pulling him along to the stage area. I had stashed the bubble machines back there earlier today.
“Like soap bubbles?” he asked. I nodded while pulling out the four machines and lining them up along the front of the stage. “Don’t you think that’s a little...childish?”
“That’s what makes it fun,” I said flippantly.
I started filling the machines with the bubble soap. As much as I didn’t want to compare the two men, I couldn’t help thinking that J.D. would never call me childish. If I did something he considered silly, he would just laugh and maybe poke fun at me. I flipped on the machines and bubbles immediately started floating up out of them hovering over crowd.
“Isn’t it great?” I asked Keith excitedly.
“Uh, yeah,” he replied unenthusiastically. I tried not to let his reaction bother me. Elliott walked up to the stage and grabbed the microphone as we stood there.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his voice booming out over the crowd. “May I present our guests of honor, Damian Black and Gigi Stevens.” The couple walked through the archway leading into the garden as the party guests broke out into applause.
I joined in with the clapping, throwing in some cheering for good measure. Damian was wearing a black tuxedo with a blue vest that perfectly matched Gigi. Her dress was a halter top gown that cascaded down her body like water. Her hair was pulled back in a chignon and teardrop earrings glinted in the soft lig
ht. I suspected that those were a new gift from Damian. She looked so beautiful.
I pushed my way through the crowd, Keith hot on my heels, and greeted them enthusiastically. “Hey guys! How much do you love it?” I asked, my arms spread wide to indicate the party as a whole.
“It’s perfect,” Gigi said, her eyes darting around to take everything in.
“Yeah, you guys did great. Where’s J.D.?” Damian asked. I winced..
“I’m sure he’s around here somehow,” I replied, a forced airiness to my voice. I could feel Keith’s eyes on me, but he couldn’t possibly know about my connection to J.D.
“Are you hungry? Let’s grab a bite. I’m starving,” I said to Gigi, grabbing her hand and leading her through the crowd to a table of assorted foods. Most of them were small bites, but there was plenty of variety and I loaded up a plate with as much as I could fit. I knew everything was delicious, of course. J.D. and I had already tried it all to approve the menu.
The four of us took a seat at an empty table and Keith introduced himself to Damian. Oops, I forgot to do that. I shrugged to myself and pointed out the living statues to Gigi.
“Oh wow, that looks good,” Keith said to me, gesturing to the ham and swiss croquettes on my plate. “Can I try that?”
“Sure,” I said, grabbing one and holding it out to him. I expected him to take it from me, but instead he held my wrist in his hand. He then leaned forward, taking a bite from the food as I held it out. Slowly he pulled back, chewing his food while staring at me. It reminded me of my cake sampling with J.D., but without the sexual tension on my end.
Instead of releasing my wrist, Keith trailed his fingers lightly down my forearm. His barely there touch did cause goosebumps to break out over my arms, but I didn’t feel a spark.
“Delicious,” he said, his voice deeper than usual. I found myself unable to look away from his face. He wanted me, I could see it reflected in his hazel eyes.
“Keith!” a voice said loudly, and a hand came down on his shoulder, startling him. Keith pulled away from me and looked up into Hayden’s face. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
As he talked, Hayden subtly shifted his body so that it was positioned between Keith and me. I thought I saw Gigi throw a secretive little smile Hayden’s way.
“Come on, I’ve got a few people you should meet. They have deep pockets and the wine tasting has no drink limit. It’s a great opportunity for your foundation. Let’s go.”
Keith opened his mouth, perhaps to object, but Hayden physically pulled him up from the chair. Before I knew it, Keith was frog-marched away. I was slightly relieved. I guess I was still too emotionally raw to be dating.
Chapter Eighteen: Realizations
I was such a dumbass. That’s all I could think as I watched Judy and Keith. He talked non-stop, making grand gestures and using any opportunity he could find to lean closer or even touch her.
In an abstract way, I knew that Judy would eventually find someone else. She would date and have sex with other men. She could fall in love and marry another man someday. I knew I would have to deal with it.
Still, it was different when it was right in front of me. She wasn’t going to fall in love with Keith, not in a million years. He was a slime ball under all that charm and she’d find that out quick if they slept together. The problem was that she might sleep with him.
She had been rejected by me and now she was free to be with anyone. Ironically, I didn’t feel free like that. In all my determination to avoid labelling what we had as a relationship, I hadn’t noticed that I had belonged to her the whole time. In my attempts to protect myself from a commitment that I was sure would hurt me in the end, I destroyed myself by pushing her away.
I had to fix this. I had to step in before Judy fully accepted my rejection and fully moved on. I had to tell her how I felt tonight.
I watched as Judy and Keith sat at a table with Damian and Gigi. I found myself watching her from afar a lot these days. I saw the moment that Keith made his move. His fingers trailing across her skin filled me with rage. I was sure that I would have to witness their first kiss. I was all the way across the garden. There was no way I could stop it.
Then, Hayden stepped in. Good old Hayden, with his nose that couldn’t stay out of my business, not only broke the moment between them, he took Keith away. I could only hope that he wouldn’t return. I took a step forward, planning to seize this opportunity to talk to her, when a man stepped into my path, looking livid.
It was Elliott, Judy and Gigi’s assistant. Wearing a white fedora and a leather jacket, his skinny body looked slightly bigger, but he was no threat for me. I didn’t know why he looked so mad anyway.
“Do you know what you did?” he asked, clearly fired up for a confrontation.
“Uh, no?”
“You hurt her. You’ve changed Judy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whatever happened between the two of you a few days ago has dulled her light. She used to be a shining presence that I could aspire to. Now she has this heaviness about her. She tries to hide it, but I can see how hurt she is. I know it has to be because of you.”
I said nothing. I knew I had messed up, but hearing it from a near stranger was rough.
“So? What are going to do about it?’
I didn’t hesitate with my answer.
“I’m going to make it up to her. I’m going to get her back, whatever it takes.”
Elliott narrowed his eyes at me, seemingly thinking over my words. When he accepted them as truth, he nodded and moved aside.
“Then go get her,” he said, approvingly.
I saw that Damian and Gigi were making their rounds through the crowd, socializing. Judy was alone at the table, nibbling on one of the cupcakes we had picked out together. That felt like such a long time ago now. I hoped she was thinking of me while she ate it, remembering the fun we had together.
Movement caught my eye and I realized that Keith was making his way back to Judy. Speeding up, I tried to beat him there. The party had grown a lot since I arrived. There were tons of people in between Judy and me.
I saw Hayden standing with Damian, Gigi, and Aaron. They were directly in Keith’s path and it looked like they had been at the wine tasting, all four were holding glasses of white wine. In my desperate attempt to keep Keith away from Judy, I waved frantically, trying to get Hayden’s attention. It didn’t work, but Gigi noticed me.
As she stared I pointed at Keith and shook my head no, hoping to convey that they should intercept him and keep him busy for a while. Gigi tilted her head and I was sure that she didn’t understand. Renewing my attempts to reach Judy, I elbowed my way through a group of people I didn’t know. If it had to come down to a confrontation with Keith, then so be it.
“Oops,” I heard Gigi yell out loud. I turned just in time to see the worst fake tripping in history. With an over-exaggerated flailing of her hands, Gigi flew right into Keith, managing to spill her wine down the front of his white tuxedo pants.
“What the hell?” he exclaimed as Damian pulled Gigi away from Keith, looking at his fiancé in bewilderment.
“Sorry, I tripped,” Gigi said, not sounding sorry at all.
“Dude, did you wet your pants?” Hayden suddenly said, his voice at megaphone volume. Every single person in the vicinity stopped what they were doing to look, except me of course. I took this as my opportunity to whisk Judy out of Keith’s sight.
I could hear Keith spluttering indignantly behind me and almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.
Reaching the table where Judy sat, I saw that she was watching the scene with concern. When she sensed my presence, her head snapped in my direction, her eyes wide. I stood beside her and held out my hand.
“Will you come with me?”
I hated that I saw hesitation and distrust on her face. I didn’t want her to feel that way about me, ever.
“Just to talk,” I said, keeping eye contact with her, “Please.�
��
Maybe it was that magic word that did it, but she slipped her hand in mine and allowed me to pull her up. Placing my hand on her lower back, I guided her away from the party, toward the gazebo by the water’s edge. No one was in this area and I wanted as much privacy as we could get.
Leading her into the gazebo, I reluctantly released her hand and indicated she should take a seat. I remained standing. I had a lot to say and needed to move around while I did it. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to lay it all on the line for love.
Chapter Nineteen: Confessions
J.D. paced in front of me, his hands running through his hair in agitation. I kept my eyes glued to his form. The lean lines of his body were illuminated by the low lighting of the gazebo and the newly risen moon shining off the water of the pond.
“Did you know my parents are divorced?” he asked out of nowhere.
“No,” I responded. I knew very little about his childhood.
“Yeah. My dad left us when I was ten. No explanation other than he ‘didn’t love my mom anymore.’ Then there’s my Uncle Pete. His wife of 30 years cheated on him with a younger guy. They’re married now, and Pete has never gotten over it.”
“Okay,” I said, confused. Why was he telling me this?
“Then there’s my cousin Darlene. She’s head over heels in love with a different guy every few months. None of it lasts,” J.D. stopped pacing and took a seat beside me, his face inscrutable.
“Are you telling me once again why we can’t be together? Because I’m sick of hearing it,” I said angrily. I shot to my feet, wanting distance between us. “So, you’ve seen some relationships crash and burn in your life. Who hasn’t?”
I stepped up to the railing of the gazebo, holding my arm out toward the party. “Look at where we are,” I said, meeting his gaze. “We’re here to celebrate our best friends finding love and getting married. This isn’t the place for your commitment hang-ups.”
Hard Copy: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Tech Titans Book 3) Page 8