by TN King
Morgan knew this would happen, that she would garner such a reaction. Even when she argued that she wasn’t anything special, that she didn’t understand why he was with her. How could he not be? He loved her. It was like a cold shock to his system, hitting him forcefully as he walked her down the second set of stairs that evening, hundreds of eyes on them as he did so. He loved her. He, Morgan Hunt, loved Ellie White. Without question and beyond a shadow of doubt. Her reaction to Chance just sealed it for him, securing his trust in a way that not many other things could. It wasn’t that he hadn’t trusted her before…however, he’d grown used to women’s reactions with Chance, even those that claimed to love him. Every woman would stop and stare at Chance, and it would be like game on all of a sudden.
But not Ellie, she had said she thought he was just okay, and she had sounded both sincere and confused as to why he was asking. Not that it was the reason he realized he loved Ellie, it was just another factor that made it all the clearer. He’d been struggling with realizing it for days now, he realized. It was everything about her, every nuance to her being, every little odd thing that made her so original. Even the infuriating ones. He now felt desperate to make sure that he didn’t lose her, holding her even closer to his side throughout the night.
The night that, as he had promised her, she had no reason to dread. She was like a social butterfly, fluttering from one group to the next, and capturing the attention and goodwill of everyone there. When she spoke people listened, engaging her in conversation, and those that hadn’t yet, had been insisting that Morgan introduce them to her. There was more than one brave soul who even felt comfortable enough to ask her for a dance. Not that Morgan need to have worried, she politely declined them all with her hand on Morgan’s arm the whole time.
He remained in awe. Awed by this graceful creature who’d been so distraught over having to do this in the first place, now turning the ball room into her domain, and hers alone. He felt positively intrigued, watching her throughout the night, leading her from group to group.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. He’d been anticipating it much longer before it actually happened, Chance making his way suavely over after they had finished another flute of champagne that had been passed to them. They were in between groups, leaving them vulnerable, and leaving the interaction more private than it would have been earlier.
Like an expert hunter, Chance approached them at his best moment.
Here it comes. Morgan thought wryly, eying his best friend warily.
“Morgan.” Chance nodded at him as he approached, his voice still amused from before. He didn’t sound as if he brokered any ill will to being referred to as the doorman.
This was something Morgan was more than slightly grateful for. As much as he didn’t want Ellie to fall for his charms, he also didn’t want them to get off to such bad footing that it would need to be repaired. “Chance,” Morgan replied affably, only just realizing that in his haste to keep Ellie all to himself, and his worry over Chance trying to strike out at her for himself, he’d never mentioned his best friend once by name through their conversations. He’d told anecdotes and stories concerning the man, as he was like to do with how much of his history involved him...
Chance shook his head as he smiled, a warm thing on his face, if slightly muted. His gaze shifted to Ellie, obviously becoming his sole attention as his features shifted, his lips changing direction and the smile breaking out over his lips the kind that Morgan would never be the recipient of.
It was one of his best, most dazzling smiles. The killer smile, the one that made most women fall all over themselves, trying to get a second of his time. Morgan recognized it, he had helped him practice it over the years, just as he had helped Morgan practice his. Next, would come the charm, the dazzling wit and repertoire. Where Morgan was good at sealing deals, Chance was equally as good at creating them out of thin air.
As if on cue, following script perfectly, Chance reached out with a flair, grasping Ellie’s hand and bending low over it in another elaborate bow. This time, lacking the sarcasm. His head lowered, lips feathering sweetly out over Ellie’s knuckles in the kind of greeting that he must have known she was unused to getting. His eyes lifted, lips still on her hand, the epitome of some sophisticated rap scoundrel.
Ellie’s eyes rounded, staring at him in a combination of shock and awe. She didn’t seem to know what to do or say, frozen in place with her hand extended, still only because Chance still held it.
“I’m Chance Givens,” he proudly introduced himself. “And you,” he continued, “seem to have wowed everyone here. Miss Ellie White, isn’t it?” he continued smoothly, obviously having caught her name from others that she’d actually been formally introduced to.
Ellie’s expression was blank, her go to when trying to assess how she should actually be handling a situation. She didn’t say anything for too long of a moment, wiggling her fingers to check his grip on her hand before slowly and carefully extracting it back to herself. “Are you one of Morgan’s employees?” she asked innocently, seeking out exactly how she should be responding, at a complete loss. Especially, when Morgan was offering her little to no help other than watching.
Chance’s eyes widened, looking both astounded and offended as his gaze slid to Morgan accusingly. “Is that what you told her?” he asked, a look that, if Morgan didn’t know better, almost seemed to be hurt coming over his expression.
Morgan shrugged offhandedly. Yes, it was an asshole move, not mentioning his best friend’s name. But in his defense, he had his reasons and he hadn’t realized not doing so because of those subconscious reasons, until just now. “I didn’t tell her anything,” he said matter-of-factly. Because, in truth, he hadn’t. Not about Chance Givens. He hadn’t even said anything about the ‘funny doorman’ as Ellie had called him. He let her make all of her assumptions on her own.
Chance smiled at her, his shoulders still held in a tight line. “I am on the board of Hunt Industries,” he said, dismissing the notion that he worked for Morgan. It’d been a sticking point just getting him to work at Hunt Industries period, but that was a whole other story. “I am also…” he paused, gaze moving again to glare at Morgan. “…Morgan’s best friend,” he finished, saying it as if that very title were currently in question.
Morgan shifted both out of guilt and amusement, a strange combination to be experiencing at once.
Ellie’s eyes widened, her flush overtaking her whole face and seeping down her neck as well. “Oh, I am so sorry. I can’t believe I thought you were the doorman,” she whispered in horror, her hand clapping over her mouth in abject embarrassment.
Morgan couldn’t help it, his body actually bending as he bent over with the laughter that seized him. The doorman. Chance Givens. It was the kind of comedic gold one only ever found rarely, and never when expected.
It didn’t seem Chance could help it either, chuckling slightly with a shake of his head. “Well, if you ever need a door opened and held for you. Just call me,” he offered smoothly fixing her with another one of those signature, panty-dropping looks of his.
Morgan’s laughter slowed, irritation filtering through him. There it was. The line. He knew Chance would bring at least one into the conversation. He’d had his ego bruised too, so even if he hadn’t been trying to get her he needed to repair it. Morgan just didn’t want to watch him do so in with Ellie, there were plenty of women in this room he could use that line on that wouldn’t entice Morgan to further endanger their friendship by breaking his nose. Any number of them. Morgan’s gaze slid over to her somewhat worriedly.
Ellie just stared at him, blinking in confusion. Apparently, she had missed the innuendo there, shrugging slightly, and looking around somewhat embarrassed herself still. “Ummm, well, thank you? I’m used to opening my own doors though,” she responded somewhat stiffly, looking over to where the actual doormen stood and staring at them for a moment. “This whole everyone opening doors for me and pulling ch
airs out and all of that is still pretty new. I doubt I’ll need anyone extra to do it for me though,” she replied innocently, talking through her nerves.
There! Morgan almost laughed again, impressed with how she had navigated that without even trying. Impressed at her having missed so obvious a come-on as well. His gaze swung back to Chance, a victorious smile painting his face. No go, buddy! She’s all mine.
Chance looked stunned for a second, his gaze swinging to Morgan again then tilting his head in puzzlement, as if he were trying to piece the whole thing together. At least, by his demeanor, it seemed he hadn’t been totally trying all that hard to ‘win’ her or come in between them. It was almost like he was testing the waters, testing her. His gaze shifted back to Ellie, staring at her hard for a few moments in that way only he could do. Like he was piercing through her soul and judging her actual character.
It sounded like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but Morgan had learned over the years that if Chance told him a person was a no-go or that a business deal was a bad one to go into, even if they all looked good on paper, Chance’s instinct on it had always been proven right. Chance just knew people, in a way that was truly enviable.
He seemed to find what he was looking for all of a sudden, his own features seeming stunned as he took Ellie’s hand again. “It was wonderful meeting you, Miss White. And I doubly look forward to getting to know you better later.” There was no hidden innuendo there, nor did he seem to be trying to come onto her any longer, his smile warm and friendly, again in a way that Morgan didn’t get to see him wear often. He pressed her hand for a half of a second before letting go of it, turning to Morgan with an awed shake of his head. “I have to congratulate you, Morgan. It seems that you’ve found it,” he said seriously, and left it at that. With a short bow he turned, leaving the two of them alone in a sea of people again.
And leaving Morgan more than stunned. This had been the last reaction he’d expected out of his best friend. He had been prepared to become irate with him, prepared even to have to deck him for flirting with Ellie too heavily and trying too hard, but what he said left Morgan rocked to his core. He’d congratulated him, and the way he had looked between the two of them, left no doubt that Chance had seen something that he himself had been too stupid to acknowledge up until now.
“Congratulations for what? You found what?” Ellie asked from beside him, still looking adorably confused, her hand lifting to the sleeve of his arm and tugging lightly. She’d still been staring after Chance, just as Morgan was, but now she turned, looking up at him and trying to pick his brain to find out what that odd encounter had just been.
Morgan turned toward her, his whole body alight with the warmth that Chance had left him as a gift. That Ellie had brought him. “For finding you,” he told her, dropping his hands to her face, grasping it on either side and allowing his thumbs to arch over the points of her expertly made up cheekbones. “The woman made for me,” he murmured, already having dropped his face towards hers, his lips were a mere breath away, brushing against hers with his last word. He didn’t wait either, adhering his lips to hers as soon as he finished and sealing the promise with a warm, lingering kiss.
Her body seemed to instantly melt against his, blue silk brushing against his hand-crafted tux. Her little hands lifting to curl into the lapels of his jacket as if she could pull him any closer to her than he already was. As if he needed the coaxing.
His hands fell from her face, wrapping around her hips and pulling her to him instead, his hands resting firmly against the small of her back, right where all of that hot skin met the V of that dress in the back. The same V that had been teasing him all night. He loved this woman. Heart and soul. In a way that shook him to the very foundations of who he was as a man.
She belonged with him, this Ellie White. She belonged to him and he intended to make sure that it stayed that way this time. For as long as he could assure such a thing. His tongue delved into her mouth, a hot, sweet promise along the edge of her lips, as he tasted her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ellie
The night had gone so much better than she’d ever expected. It had been a dazzling haze of meeting one group of people after another, everyone being so kind to her, and without any of the rudeness that she had been afraid of. Of course, maybe that was Morgan, and her being on his arm the whole time. But she didn’t care, it had been nice. She’d found all sorts of things to talk about with these people, common interests that she never would have expected having with any of them. From popular culture to pressing political matters, the conversation was ever flowing.
The only strange blip in the evening had been meeting his best friend. She had heard a lot about him, she realized, even if not by name. She didn’t know why Morgan had let her think that he was a doorman, or why it had felt as if it would be such a monumental meeting between her and this Chance as it had both during and after their introduction. She felt very much as if she were missing something, but she shrugged it off as Morgan seemed happy enough with it. He certainly seemed unbothered by the whole thing, and so she would be too.
A man stood up on a stage as the music slowed in the ballroom, Ellie and Morgan came to a spinning halt from where he’d been leading her all around the dance floor. They had only just started dancing for the first time that evening, taking a break from meeting all of his business associates and friends to just enjoy one another’s company. Not that it lasted more than a few seconds before that short tapping on the microphone commenced.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Tri Star Charity Ball,” a short man greeted enthusiastically.
Applause broke out, the kind of polite thunder that you never actually expected to hear in real life.
The man waited, lifting his hand after a moment, and the crowd again died down into complete silence. “We will be starting our auctions. And we have had a special placement for the Feed- The-Children charity.” The man looked around, seemingly to build up the anticipation. “Yes, Hunt Industries has a special donation, especially for this evening’s functions.” he concluded rocking forward onto the balls of his feet with an excited roll.
More applause again, only this time Morgan shifted, grasping her arm and leading her away from the dance floor and towards the main stage, skirting the crowds and groups of people as he went. “That’s our cue,” he whispered into her cheek, so close that she could feel when his smile formed against it.
Her own lips tilted in response, despite having no other reason to smile at all. It seemed his smile was suddenly enough of one. Ellie’s eyes took in all the rows of faces as they passed, distracted and worried at the same time. “O-our cue?” she stuttered, only just keeping from stumbling along with it because of his hand holding her upright.
“Yes, sweetness,” he reminded her gently, “the dress, remember?” His finger running along the V in her back as if to exemplify it, or maybe to trigger her memory.
She just didn’t remember. She didn’t have any clue as to what he could be talking about. What did the dress have to do with anything? And why was he leading her up the steps onto the stage? Her heartbeat thundered, a terrifying flash from Carrie bolting through her thought process. The humiliation, the bucket of blood and all. But that was silly, that had nothing to do with right now, and this wasn’t her prom.
He paused at the edge of the stage, just out of sight of the crowd, and bowed low for her to proceed him onto the stage.
It dawned on her slowly, a shock to her system. The dress. That was right. They were supposed to auction off the dress.
The man on the stage above them spoke again, “The starting auction involves something utterly beautiful…” he began, hyping the crowd up.
Ellie’s eyes widened, growing in her rapidly paling face. “You mean I have to go up there and stand in front of everyone?” she squeaked, her fingers knotting into balls at her sides. He couldn’t mean that, surely there was some mistake.
Morgan’s smile droppe
d, looking at her in concern. “Why yes, Ellie. They have to see the dress in order to start the bidding,” he explained, as if that had all been discussed beforehand.
It certainly hadn’t. He’d said nothing about standing on a stage in front of all of his peers when she was just only learning how to make conversation with them. She wasn’t some model! She wasn’t even one of them. She wasn’t supposed to be here, and she just knew that they would see it on her the minute she stepped under those bright lights. Her breathing began coming quicker, heartbeat accelerating to all new heights.
Morgan seemed to catch up a second too late, staring at her face, and the concern growing in his own. “Ellie,” he tried, realizing that her gaze wasn’t on him at all—but on the crowd out there that she was supposed to be standing in front of. All in their jewelry and their bedecked suits and dresses. With their multi million dollar homes and their yachts. “Sweetness,” he tried again, hand going to her this time. “Look at me.” he commanded.
Her panic had been growing, building within her chest like an unstoppable force. At his demand though, her panicked gaze swung over to him, like a deer caught in the headlights. Only she wasn’t in the headlights yet, she was just being threatened with them.
“That’s right,” he soothed, stepping closer to her as he spoke. “Just look into my eyes,” he purred, rolling the words off of his tongue almost hypnotically.
As if she had no choice her body stilled, focus tapping onto his face and staying.
His gray eyes shone, looking at her with a loving warmth that she couldn’t ignore. “You are the most stunning woman here,” he started, his voice low and sure in a way that she envied. “You are better than all of the other women here combined even. You have a huge heart and a kind of strength that they will never have. I know you can do this. Just think about all of the hungry that will be taken care of just off of what you are wearing. This is what you wanted, remember, to feed a small country? This is your chance sweetness.”