Reaching for the doorknob, she heaved in a deep breath and opened the door. Without realizing it, she had closed her eyes as she’d opened the door. The silence from Vance, who she knew had been waiting for her just outside the door caused concern. Had he left? Did she look terrible? Facing her fears, she opened first one eye, and then the other.
Vance was still there. The pained look on his face confused her. “Vance?”
“I could strangle Leila right now,” he muttered.
Natalie’s hopes fell. “Is it that bad? I should have said no to it this morning.”
A strangled laugh burst out of Vance. “Bad?” He shook his head. “No.”
“Then what?”
“How am I supposed to keep my hands off you wearing that dress?” he complained. “It’s seriously killing me right now.”
Natalie thought he might be exaggerating, but she appreciated the compliment either way. Until she really thought about it. Frowning, she looked down at the dress. “People are going to look at me, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely,” Vance said, laughing, “but I’ll be by your side the entire time.”
She glanced up at him and forgot her own discomfort for a moment when she finally looked at him. Polished and handsome in his black tuxedo and matching black dress shirt, her fingers and toes started to tingle. It spread to the rest of her body in a flash as she continued to stare at him. “Am I hyperventilating?” she asked, sure she must not have been able to tell thanks to the tightness of her dress and the way Vance was distracting her.
Grinning now, Vance stepped forward and settled his hands on her hips. The tingling worsened, pooling in her belly so she could barely think. She wanted to move her hands, loosen the buttons on his shirt so she could feel his skin against hers, but she couldn’t seem to get her brain to communicate with the rest of her body.
“No,” Vance said, his smile wide and full of mirth, “you aren’t hyperventilating. Why do you ask?”
“I feel funny.”
He didn’t respond, just kept smiling and took her hand. He led her out of the bedroom and into the hall without speaking, seeming to enjoy his private joke. She wanted to make him quit walking and demand he stop teasing her or laughing at her or whatever it was he was doing, but her brain still hadn’t caught up with her body. She thought maybe he’d drag her all the way down to the car like that, but he stopped and pressed her up against the wall next to the front door. That’s when her brain really turned off and she found it difficult to breathe.
“You’ve never felt like this before?” Vance asked, still sporting his irritating grin. Natalie shook her head. It was as much as she could muster as far as responses went. Vance leaned in closer. “Not even with Thomas?”
Natalie started to shake her head, not sure what Thomas had to do with her weird anxiety attack…and then her brain clicked on and a scarlet blush flooded her entire body, bringing with it a shocking warmth. “Oh,” she whispered.
Vance’s teasing faded as he leaned in and lightly pressed his lips against her temple. “You make me feel the same way.”
His words were a jolt of electricity straight through her entire body. He didn’t give her any time to contemplate it. Half a second later he was pulling her through the door, locking it behind them and leading her down the stairs and out to his car. Neither of them spoke the whole way to the hotel where the gala was being held. Natalie was way too distracted by her own response to Vance and what he had said to do much of anything. He seemed distracted as well.
Too quickly, they arrived at the hotel and Vance handed his keys to the valet while someone else opened her door. Before the other valet could offer to help her out, Vance was in his place, taking her hand and rescuing her. Natalie had the suspicion he’d have to do that more than once during the night. Thankfully, Vance was paying enough attention to hand their invitation to the man guarding the door to the ballroom. Natalie hadn’t even thought to grab it off her kitchen counter before they left the apartment.
“Ah, Ms. Price. Thank you for coming. Mr. Moniteau asked that you and your guest be escorted to his table as soon as you arrive.” He gestured for someone and two seconds later a young waiter was at his side and given instructions on where to take the new arrivals.
Natalie had no idea they were being treated differently than anyone else until Vance leaned over and asked, “Do you know Michael Moniteau personally?”
“Do you?” she asked, wide-eyed and surprised Vance knew the man’s full name.
“No, but I’ve definitely heard of him. We’re sitting at his able?” he questioned.
Natalie could only shrug. She honestly hadn’t thought she’d made much of an impression on the man the one time they had met in a meeting to go over her analysis. Natalie tried very hard not to make impressions on people. Even the invitation to the event had seemed more like him being polite to the people involved in the project. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Time to think about the oddity ran out when they arrived at their table and Michael Moniteau stood and approached them. He didn’t make an effort to shake Natalie’s hand, apparently remembering her aversion to touching people, but his greeting was gregarious all the same. “Ms. Price, how wonderful to see you again! Donald told me you didn’t like these sorts of things, but I told him you simply had to come and I’m so glad he convinced you.”
“I, uh, thank you…for inviting me.” It came out almost more of a question than a statement, but he only smiled even wider.
“Now, who is your guest? Was I incorrect in addressing the invitation to Ms. rather than Mrs.?” It seemed an innocent enough question, but something in the way he eyed Vance put her on edge.
Still reeling from the whole experience, she was grateful when Vance took the lead and extended his hand. “Dr. Vance Sullivan,” he said politely, but not terribly friendly.
“Doctor,” Michael said appraisingly. “Respectable choice.” He nodded approvingly in Natalie’s direction, but there was a definite hint of disappointment in his tone. Vance stiffened as they broke the greeting.
Gesturing at the table, Michael said, “Please sit and enjoy the appetizers. Dinner won’t be served for another hour, but there are cocktails and dancing as well. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”
It was a gracious offer, but Natalie just wanted to hide and escape his intimidating presence. “Vance promised me a dance,” she said suddenly. If Vance was surprised by her announcement, he didn’t show it.
Michael nodded. “Wonderful, though I do hope you’ll save a dance for me. I was so impressed with your work for us I’d love to hear more about your plans for your career.”
Her plans involved staying far, far away from him, but she only nodded and said a silent prayer of thanks when Vance started leading her away. As soon as they were tucked away on the dance floor, Natalie relaxed despite the crowd of people around them. “It wasn’t just me that was freaked out by him, right?”
Vance’s eyes narrowed. “That man is definitely interested in you and he’s used to getting what he wants, but I have no intention of letting go of you tonight.”
“I want to go home,” she pleaded.
Slowing, Vance’s expression changed from annoyed to apologetic. He pulled Natalie against his chest and kept dancing. She was so frightened by the prospect of not being with him that she stayed huddled against him and tried to block everything else out. “It’s going to be okay, really,” Vance said soothingly. “Moniteau is aggressive, but I’m not letting you out of my sight, okay? If he doesn’t get the hint that you’re not interested, I’ll take you home, but I don’t want this to cause trouble for you at work either. I’m sure his company is a big client for your firm.”
Natalie bit her lip, knowing this must have meant a lot to Donald if he had risked forcing her out of her shell to attend. Considering that her leaving might get him in hot water, she shoved down her apprehension and nodded. Besides, if hiding from Michael meant dancing with Vance all nigh
t, she thought she could probably live with that.
“You called me Nat earlier,” she said, trying to distract herself.
“Did that bother you?” Vance asked. “I just kind of said it without thinking.”
“No,” she said quickly. “It was nice. I’ve never had a nickname before.”
Vance smiled. “Good, because I kind of like calling you Nat.”
She relaxed against him, not for the first time amazed by how close they had become and how much she had come to trust him. Maybe Vance would be the only person she’d ever be so comfortable with, but Natalie found she was okay with that. As they moved around the dance floor without speaking, she let her mind wander, wondering what it would be like to be in a real relationship with Vance.
It was clear to her that he still hated being in his apartment. They had stayed the night there twice during the week, mostly, she thought, because Vance was trying very hard to tell himself he could handle it. The other nights he had been more than happy to stay at her apartment. He slept better in her apartment too. Those two nights at his place had been long nights with him tossing and turning relentlessly.
She didn’t think he’d ever be comfortable in his apartment again, but the solution that kept creeping into her mind seemed positively ridiculous. Then again, much of their relationship probably seemed ridiculous from an outside view. What did it matter if they took it a step further? Natalie had no real friends to speak of outside of Vance’s close-knit group that was more like family than friends. It made her smile to hear little Warren call everyone aunt and uncle and claim Amelie as his cousin even though none of them shared blood. They were family by choice, and to someone like Natalie whose worst trauma had been inflicted by those she shared blood with, that truly meant something to her.
Knowing none of his friends would judge them for another unconventional step, she looked up at Vance and asked, “Do you want to move in with me?”
Vance’s eyebrows rose, and though his mouth opened, he didn’t actually say anything.
Fear stabbed at her that she’d just made a fool of herself, but she refused to relent. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay, but I know how unhappy you are at your place and you sleep better at my apartment and I love having you there, or if you just want to find a new apartment on your own that’s okay too and I’ll help you if you want, but I just want you to be happy and you just aren’t when you’re back at your apartment.”
It all tumbled out of her mouth, her thoughts barely keeping up with her tongue. Unsure of his response, she pinned her bottom lip between her teeth and waited.
“Are you serious?” Vance asked.
She nodded, though her confidence was slipping.
“Yes,” he said quickly, “but not just because I don’t like being in my apartment. I had already been considering and had pretty much decided to move.” His hand moved from her shoulder and slid onto her cheek. “I want to be with you…all the time, because I feel good with you and I love spending time with you and because I love…”
“So sorry for cutting in,” a booming, jovial voice interrupted. Vance scowled at Michael Moniteau while Natalie tensed to the point of barely being able to breathe. “I usually give a few words at these things to acknowledge all the hard work everyone has done during the year and congratulate a few key players who’ve really made a difference, and I was hoping I could steal Natalie away for a few minutes to introduce her to the crowd.”
Vance looked less than pleased with the turn of events. Natalie felt like she was going to pass out while at the same time strangely confident. She’d taken a huge risk asking Vance to move in with her…and he’d actually said yes. More than that, she was almost positive she knew what he was about to say before Michael had interrupted him.
Before Vance could step in and try to save her from this, she looked at Michael and said, “Of course. It would be my pleasure.”
Michael smiled triumphantly and Natalie had the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she leaned in toward Vance and brushed her lips against his cheek before pulling back. He was too stunned to react when Michael directed her toward a stage to their left. Natalie hated the idea of being up in front of people, especially if she had to do it next to Michael, but knowing Vance would be waiting for her when she escaped gave her enough strength to persevere.
Before meeting Vance, Natalie had seen everyone around her as a potential source of more pain and judgment. That really hadn’t changed. People could still be cruel and demanding and hurtful. People like her father demanded respect through manipulation and fear. People like Michael often expected it because of their wealth and prestige. The difference between them and Vance was that he earned her respect and love through kindness and compassion. Understanding that seemed to put everything else in perspective.
Chapter 29
The Roof
Stifling his irritation at Moniteau was only possible by focusing on his pride in Natalie for taking control and not being afraid. Moniteau annoyed him to no end, but Natalie couldn’t have been less interested and had surprised him by not shying away. As Vance walked back to the table to wait for Natalie, a man who seemed familiar but he couldn’t quite place walked up to him.
“Vance Sullivan, right?” he asked. Vance nodded and accepted his extended hand. “Donald, Natalie’s boss.”
“Oh, right, sorry, it’s been a rough few weeks. I knew you were familiar, but I couldn’t remember from where.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Donald said. “You’ve had a lot on your mind.” They shook hands, then Donald stuffed both his hands in his pockets before glancing to where Moniteau was leading Natalie onto the stage with several others. “Thank you for coming,” he said without taking his gaze off Moniteau. “He insisted she come, but I knew she couldn’t handle Michael’s personality alone. He’s a big client for us, but he’s a bit much to take sometimes.”
“I can imagine,” Vance said.
Donald shook his head as he watched Moniteau parade himself around on the stage. “She’s been doing a lot better lately at work, but still, I figured this would be too much to ask of her without some backup, so I really appreciate you coming.”
“It’s really no problem. We pretty much spend most of our time together anyway,” Vance said.
Moniteau started speaking, going on and on about how great his employees were and how much he appreciated them—and eventually moved on to introducing the people he had brought up on stage. Trying to pay attention so he could make sure Natalie was all right, he was suddenly distracted by an unexpected face in the crowd.
Grabbing Donald’s arm, he pointed across the ballroom to a balding, frumpy man loitering around the edges of the room. “Do you know that man?”
Donald narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve seen him in the lobby of our building a few times, but I don’t have any idea who he is. Why?”
“He lives in Natalie’s building and he seems to have some kind of interest in her I can’t figure out,” Vance said worriedly. “Is there any reason he would be here tonight?”
“Unless he works for Moniteau, I can’t see how he even got in,” Donald said. He now seemed concerned as well. “I know Natalie alerted security that someone was trying to get in contact with her that she wasn’t interested in talking to. She tried to play it down, but I got the sense she was pretty worried.”
Vance dragged a hand down his face. Of course Natalie tried to minimize the risk her father posed. “This isn’t the guy she warned security about, but I’m beginning to think he’s connected in some way. He always seems to know things he shouldn’t and is always around when you wouldn’t expect him to be.” He glanced back up at the stage, seeing that Natalie was the only one left standing with Moniteau.
Feeling that something was wrong, he turned to Donald and saw the same expression on his face. “Should I get security?” he asked.
Vance nodded. “I think that might be best, just in case. At the very least, that man, I think his n
ame is Howard, shouldn’t be here if he wasn’t invited.”
In agreement, Donald took off toward a well-built man with an earpiece. Anxious to get Natalie away from any risks, he tapped his foot impatiently as Moniteau rambled on, extolling Natalie’s intelligence and skills. It seemed to take forever before he finally wrapped up his thoughts and escorted Natalie down from the stage. When they reached the bottom step, Vance was there waiting.
“We need to leave,” he said as he took her hand.
She didn’t ask questions, just grabbed his hand and looked ready to bolt. It was Moniteau who slowed them down with objections. “Dinner hasn’t even been served. Please, you must stay.”
Out of patience, Vance rounded on him. “We’re leaving,” he snapped.
“Vance, what’s going on?” Natalie asked worriedly.
Even Moniteau seemed concerned now, especially when security came striding toward him. “Is there a problem?” he demanded when they reached him.
One of the security guards stepped up and said, “We’ve detained a man who snuck in without an invitation. He claimed he was a guest of Ms. Price’s, but he seemed quite agitated and is clearly not being honest.”
Natalie paled and clutched Vance’s arm. “My father?”
“No,” Vance said quickly, “that weird Howard guy from your building, but I think there’s something odd going on with him.”
Moniteau took control after seeing Natalie’s reaction and pointed at the man who had spoken. “You will escort these two to their car.” His attention switched to the second guard. “I want to speak with this Howard.”
The guards nodded and went their separate ways, the one assigned as Vance and Natalie’s escort ushering them and Donald toward the entrance. “Maybe she shouldn’t go home,” Donald said as they rushed out of ballroom.
“I’ll take her to my apartment. She’ll be safe there.”
The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) Page 25