Sirena just rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she replied sarcastically as she walked towards the door. Pausing before turning into the hallway, she spoke to him. “Nail this gig so you can throw the party of the year. I already have a dress picked out.”
He stared at her retreating form, wondering if it were true. Love. He did feel differently about Belle than anyone else. He enjoyed being with her. When he wasn’t with her, he craved her. When she finally let him inside of her warmth, he felt … right. These thoughts occupied him for the duration of the meeting.
An hour and a half later, he walked out of the meeting, a signed contract in his hand. As predicted, Beast Industries would be The Lumière’s listing agent. He sold them on his idea for the “open house”; a formal ball, inviting only the who’s-who of the real estate game. He assured them an event of the caliber he wanted to throw would entice the rich and famous to see the property for what it could be, and felt confident they would get an offer quickly.
After escorting the three men out, he walked to his office, ignoring Sirena’s questioning glance as to the outcome. He picked up his phone, heart racing as the smile stretched his face. He was getting himself a date to the ball.
A date he might just be in love with.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Belle had never worn anything this expensive in her life.
When Aleks mentioned the property he acquired was the Lumière Hotel’s Penthouse, she was elated for him. In real estate land, it was akin to the Taj Mahal. When he told her about the ball, her elation morphed into distress. Aleks relayed that it was to be a white-tie affair. She didn’t realize that was a real thing.
She called Sirena in a panic. “I need a ball gown?! Like, a ball gown, ball gown?”
“What, you don’t have a closet full of ball gowns?” Sirena teased before assuring her she would take her shopping.
When Belle walked out of the dressing room, Sirena fell over in mock shock. “That’s your dress. Marry me, please!” She wouldn’t let Belle leave the store without it; and without promising to get their hair and makeup done together. Now, Belle looked at herself nervously in the mirror, feeling silly all dressed up.
She spun, the full skirt dancing around her. The pale golden fabric was delicately and exotically trimmed, and made from such a luxurious fabric it practically caressed her skin. The bodice featured a décolleté neckline covered in Swarovski crystals and cinched her waistline perfectly before flowing over the skirts.
The night of the ball, the stylist pulled half of her hair back into a loose knot near her crown and left the remainder flowing onto her shoulders in soft curls. Her makeup had been kept natural, light pink cheeks complimented by pouty glossed lips.
She slipped her feet into her heels before walking through the hallway, worrying with each step she wouldn’t meet his expectations. He waited at the base of the stairs, eyes finding her the moment she rounded the corner.
Magnificent couldn’t even begin to describe him.
The royal blue of his tailcoat suit was practically the same shade as his eyes. He wore an ivory waistcoat under his jacket, along with a matching royal blue tie and white ruffled shirt. His smile radiated through her as he climbed up the stairs to meet her.
He took her in, glancing up and down before commenting, “You are stunning.”
He bowed, grasping her hand as he kissed her knuckles.
Belle had to swallow to speak. “You’re quite spectacular yourself.”
He wrapped her elbow in his to assist her down the stairs and into the awaiting car. As they drove away, she felt his heated gaze upon her, pure desire written on his face.
“Remember the ‘jealousy’ incident last month?”
She nodded.
“It’s going to happen again tonight.”
A flush crept on her face thinking of him taking her from behind in her dress, her skirts bellowing around them. “I’ll make sure I scope out a closet for us when we get there,” she joked.
He nuzzled into her, inhaling her scent. “Closet, hallway, staircase; any and all of the above. I must have you tonight.”
Pulling up to the hotel, Belle was only slightly relieved they made it inside without disrobing.
The penthouse was incredible. She’d read about it online, but it was nothing compared to actually standing in the magnificent space. How often does an apartment have its own ballroom?!
Much like the home itself, the gala wasn’t like anything Belle imagined. She thought it would be boring — full of stuffy men and women in suits, noses in the air. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Everyone was partying. By her estimate, there were well over two hundred people. Aleks explained they weren’t all looking at the space to buy. He introduced her to several brokers, their clients, some friends and business acquaintances, politicians, even a few celebrities. It seemed all of the elite of NY were in attendance.
The entire penthouse was open for viewing with the ballroom housing the main event. The dance floor filled with party goers enjoying the DJ. Waiters dressed in tuxedos walked around with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Belle felt as if she were dreaming.
As a waiter passed her, she grabbed a glass of champagne for both she and Aleks. She turned to see him a few feet away from her, talking to one of the guests before he looked back and smiled at her. He reached for her hand and as she gave him the glass he kissed her on the cheek and thanked her.
She allowed him to lead her around the room, stopping to introduce her to the other guests. He introduced her by her name, never mentioning their relationship, but he held her close to him while he spoke.
Belle pulled on his arm when she saw a flash of red hair on the dance floor.
“Did you find the closet already?” he joked, with a sly smile at her.
Belle replied with a smirk of her own. “I found Sirena — over there, dancing.”
She dragged him over to meet her and her date for the evening. After some initial small talk, the tempo of the music changed as the DJ announced the arrival of the professional dancers Aleks had hired for entertainment.
“Come on, let’s give them room.” Belle started to move from the floor but he held her tight, not allowing her to leave.
Aleks smiled at her worried expression. “They should be giving us room,” he joked as he looked at her.
“I can’t dance like them.” She looked around, eyes wide at the guests, fearful of making a fool of herself.
“Ah, but I can. Let me impress you,” he muttered as he kissed her, pulling her on top of his feet.
He expertly led her on the floor, spinning them around, one arm around her waist, the other holding her hand out to the side as she held onto his neck. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she laughed in her joy.
When she opened her eyes, his gaze stole her breath. “This is my favorite way to have you. When you laugh like this, when you’re carefree … I swear, my whole world stops.”
Her heart stopped at the candidness of his admission. He tightened his grip on her as he pulled her against him, his palm sending heat through her back. He spun her around and through the other couples, dancing as if they had been practicing their whole lives. His smile was infectious, never taking his eyes off of her.
As the song ended, a round of applause came from the bystanders while the other couples moved off the floor. Holding her hand, they remained in the center. Taking the microphone, he made a quick speech, thanking his guests for coming and reminding them to tour the building. He turned, thanking her for being with him before grasping her waist, dipping her and kissing her in front of everyone to see. The crowd roared with applause and whistles.
Before she could process the moment, the DJ ramped up the volume, guests rushing to dance. She wanted nothing else than to have Aleks on the floor, grinding into him, flooding him with lust. He kissed her knuckles, telling her he had a few more guests to meet before he was done “working” for the night. He warned against dancing with any other ma
n, lest he be forced to show her just how jealous he could become.
She could tell from his expression he would show her regardless.
After touring a bit on her own, and sampling a few more hors d’oeuvres, she saw Sirena dancing and decided to join. She was making her way through the crowded dance floor when she bumped into a tall male. Looking up to apologize, panic washed over her.
“Gabriel? What are you doing here?” her voice caught in her throat.
“Not so fast, sweetheart.” His grabbed onto her arms, pulling her against him.
“Let go of me,” she threatened, voice loud and strong. A couple next to them turned her way.
Gabriel bent to her ear. “You call attention to us one more time and you’ll be sorry. You’re going to stay right here with me.”
The venom in his voice sent a surge through her body. She was suddenly back in Aleks’ office, helpless to move as Gabriel pinned her. Her body began to quake as she tried to return to the present. She was still trying to process how Gabriel was even there. She noticed his tuxedo. He was impeccably dressed. He planned this. He came for me.
She glanced around, hoping someone would realize she was in danger. She felt paralyzed. She knew she needed to scream, to get away, yet being this close to him kept her from being able to react.
“You haven’t been home, haven’t been at his office. I thought about paying your boyfriend another visit until I read about this little soiree in the paper. I knew he would be here, and all bets were that his little whore would be too. Guess he likes to bring you out to show you off, hmm?” he sneered, as his fingers dug into her skin, reminding her not to call for help.
“So what, now you’ve turned to stalking? This is a new low — even for you,” she spoke through gritted teeth.
The song changed to a slow love song. She slammed her heel into his foot, causing him to stifle a yelp. He narrowed his eyes at her as his arm tightened around her waist, crushing her ribcage into his. Simultaneously, his large paws squeezed her hand, knuckles smashing against each other in his grip. She gasped, unable to move as the pain radiated through her body. Memories of him tearing her clothing flooded her mind. Her body trembled harder at the proximity of being so close to him again.
“You are mine, Belle. It would do you good to remember it. Tell me you’re at least getting paid to fuck him — please don’t tell me you’re doing it for free.”
The scorn radiating off him made Belle’s stomach churn.
“I never pictured you spreading your legs so easily. Is this all a ploy to make me jealous?”
This brought his narcissism to a new extreme. “My love life has nothing to do with you.” She attempted to sound angry but knew it sounded pitiful.
“Oh, please. If you were important to him he wouldn’t be all over that brunette right now, would he?”
Gabriel turned them, forcing Belle’s face toward Aleks.
She spotted him between dancing couples. Aleks talked to a tall brunette who looked vaguely familiar. They were standing too close for Belle’s comfort. The woman wore a seductive smile. Aleks spoke in her ear and she laughed as she placed her hand on his arm.
Belle couldn’t believe her eyes. A new rush of nausea crept up at seeing him with this woman. He’s flirting with someone while he’s here with me? Is it never going to stop?
“Want to take bets on how long it takes before he fucks her? I’m going less than 20 minutes before he brings her to a bedroom.” He laughed cruelly at his own words.
Belle watched as Aleks took the hand of the woman off of his arm and gave her a kiss on her knuckles before placing it back in front of her. Like he does with me!
“That’s assuming he hasn’t fucked her already. How long have you been away from him, hmm Belle?” His fingertips dug into her hip as he spoke.
She tried to ignore his taunting, but Gabriel’s words mirrored her own thoughts. Suddenly, she remembered why the woman seemed so familiar. It was the same brunette she had seen on her first day of the job, sans glasses. The woman who walked out of his office looking disheveled. The longer she looked another sickening realization hit.
She was also the woman he had taken home that night. The woman he tried to hide from her. The woman he had slept with. Repeatedly.
Belle couldn’t speak, didn’t want to prove Gabriel right. She felt feverish, chills wracked through her body. Gabriel pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“When are you going to realize you’re just his whore of the moment? I would never treat you that way.”
“No,” she started, through her teeth, “you would just force yourself inside of me while I begged you to stop.”
Having regained her thought process, she opened her mouth to scream, yet he was too observant. His grip on her chin tightened, his fingers digging into her bones so deeply she lost her breath. “I would force myself inside of you every day if I needed to until you realized you belonged to me.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered, “You’re disgusting.”
“I’ve been working you since high school, trying to break your stubbornness. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you would be my wife.”
Belle couldn’t believe what he said. Sweat formed on her back as her resolve began to waver.
“I was wearing you down. And I almost had you exactly where I wanted you … until him. Since him, you’ve pulled away. He’s the only thing standing between us — between you realizing you belong to me. I had to show you who really wanted you — who really cared. After all, look where he is. About to fuck another woman while you’re here, with me.”
Bile rose up her throat. He has no idea how wrong his thinking is. He’s so much more dangerous than I thought. He’s going to keep coming after me.
She tried to pull back but he wouldn’t allow it. He held her in too tight of a grip for her to get away. Her only saving grace, Aleks, was too focused on another woman to realize she was in trouble. Fear wrapped around her heart. Her trembling turned into uncontrollable shaking. Her head spun and she felt weak, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t hold back anymore as her eyes watered. She closed them tightly, trying to imagine herself anywhere else but in this situation.
“We need some privacy,” he muttered, more to himself than to her.
He moved them towards the back of the crowd. She needed to stop him, having deduced he would take her somewhere secluded. Fear kept her from opening her eyes. Her body shook harder as another tear fell down her face. They bumped into another couple and heard a soft, familiar, “Excuse me.”
Sirena! She found the strength to snap her head back and look directly at her friend. Sirena’s smile disappeared when she took note of Belle’s face. Acting quickly, Sirena grabbed Belle’s arm, stopping their movement.
“Belle! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Who’s this handsome man you’re dancing with?”
Belle looked at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Somehow, her brain kicked into high gear, pushing through the terror. Smart girl.
“I — I’m not sure. I was looking for you when he came and asked me to dance.” Belle looked up at Gabriel casting daggers down at her. She hoped he didn’t catch on they were playing with him, trying to stall for time.
“Come, Belle,” he gruffly replied as he looked for a way to part the crowd. Behind him, Sirena mouthed to her, “Where’s Aleks,” taking note of Gabriel’s vice-like grip.
Belle could only move her eyes in the direction she thought they came from, cursing at herself for not keeping track of where they were moving. She watched as Sirena told her partner to “not let them out of his sight”, and took off.
Gabriel continued to move through the crowd. Belle tried to plant her feet, to make it difficult for him to drag her, yet he effortlessly lifted her so she couldn’t touch the ground as he walked them towards the edge of the dance floor. She could see Sirena’s date watching, giving her a small sense of comfort — until he made their way through the e
ntrance into one of the less occupied rooms.
Gabriel cursed, halting. Her hand was now numb under his grip; her body compressed against his, unable to move.
“Get your hands off of her.”
Aleksandr.
Belle tried to turn her head towards him, but Gabriel’s grip prevented it.
“This is none of your concern, Wolfe. Move along.”
With Aleks near, Belle found her strength to fight back, and bit into the flesh of Gabriel’s pectoral muscle.
“Fucking bitch,” he exclaimed, as the hand on her waist reached up, grabbing a fistful of her hair at the base of her scalp. He pulled down hard and twisted, leaving her neck strained awkwardly sideways. Her tears left a black smear on the front of his tux. She sobbed as he twisted his fingers in deeper, turning her to face Aleks.
Aleks’ face twisted in pure hatred. Taking a step forward, he growled in a low voice, “Get your fucking hands off her.”
“Gabriel, please—” she started to speak when he tugged her hair, jolting her head back further. A strangled cry escaped her lips. She saw Aleks’ body tense at the sound.
“Come any closer and I’ll snap her neck,” Gabriel threatened. At the angle of her body against his, she was certain he could.
“I’m not going to tell you again.” Aleks’ eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists. Defiantly, she pushed against Gabriel as much as she could, trying to again connect her heel to his toes, but he still held her too high against him to connect.
Belle recognized the look on Aleks’ face. He was going to kill Gabriel. She tried to remember what Aleks had taught her about defending herself. With all of her might, Belle swung her thigh up, hard. Hair at the base of her neck ripped from her skull, yet her knee connected with Gabriel’s groin. As he bowed forward, his grip loosened and Belle managed to break free.
Lightening quick, Aleks grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.
“Get back here, sweetheart,” Gabriel gritted through his teeth, squeezing the hand he still held onto, causing her to cry out in pain.
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