by BWWM Club
Angelina forced out a cynical laugh.
“People willing to spend thousands on photographs and artwork do not just suddenly clear their schedules because you tell them to, you know.”
“I know, but I just need you to trust me, Angie. I will create such a buzz for the gala I promise you, it will be a success,” he said.
“I don’t know Adrian. How are you planning to do that exactly?”
“Well, it is simple, really. The thing is, I recently acquired a painting that may have been painted by the great philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau or by another artist Jacques Rousseau who was a close friend of Tsar Nicholas the second.”
“That all sounds great but I do not understand anything you just said,” she said.
“It’s simple really…” Adrian started explaining before Angelina shook her head holding up her hand.
“I was being sarcastic, Adrian. How do you even know that you can trust the facts behind the history of that piece anyway?”
“I had a curator look at it. There was no sign of any nuclear agents in the paint.”
“Meaning?” she was yet to understand where all this was going.
“Meaning that the piece was painted before the wars. So there is a very big possibility that it once hung on the wall of the Romanov palace,” he said. “The piece is worth a couple of hundred thousand at the very least, Angie. If that is not worth holding a gala then I don’t know what is.”
She looked at him and shrugged. She was a little convinced by now but she still had a million and one questions about how he was going to manage to stage an event of that magnitude in a few days.
“So, that’s that. But how exactly do you plan on getting what did you say, two hundred people here in a few days? And better still, to spend that kind of cash?” she asked. He smiled and pulled out his phone.
“Leave that to me,” he said as he quickly tapped and scrolled on his phone. She watched him as he made a call wondering what he was up to. “Jolene…hi? Long time, I know but I have been a little tied up with work and…” he looked at Angelina. “Other things,” he added with a smile. “So, where are you? Oh, really? What are you doing all the way in Prague?” He laughed. “Of course he did…well, I do have a predicament of my own. I have a little gallery out here in the States and I am kind of looking to put it on the map and for that to happen I need an art gala, an exhibit of its kind.”
Angelina grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and took a long sip.
“Yes, in two weeks, Jolene. I need you to work your magic in two weeks,” he said. “I have seen you do a lot more with a lot less, Jolene. Just tell me you can get out here as soon as possible. I can get you on the first flight out of Prague…great. See you in a few hours,” he said before he hung up.
He looked at Angelina and smiled.
“Everything has been taken care of,” he said, triumphantly. The look in his eyes said everything. She was still in the dark about what had just happened.
“Care to share on how you flying in some woman from the Czech Republic?” she asked.
“Well, as it turns out, I am a good friend of Jolene Parker, celebrity party planner,” he started explaining. “She has been known to pull hat tricks as far as parties are concerned. And she has done all the big parties you might know of. She is usually on the speed dial list of almost every celebrity in Hollywood…she is that good and she is going to be the reason why The Parisian is going to need valet parking next Friday,” he concluded.
“Valet parking…seriously, Adrian? Isn’t this a little of a reach?” she asked.
“Trust me. You don’t know what this woman is capable of.”
“If you say so. What do I do?” she asked.
“Nothing. She will take care of everything,” he shrugged as he stood up.
“When you say everything, you mean everything? As in caterers, security…everything?” she asked.
“Everything,” he said as he began walking towards the door. “Dinner tonight. I will pick you up at eight,” he said as he opened the door.
“What makes you think that I would like to have dinner with you tonight?” she asked feeling a little angry.
“Well, I think we both know that you want to be in my company tonight, Angie,” he said with a smile. “And don’t change for dinner. You look…perfect,” he added before he walked out.
She rolled her eyes and looked at her computer screen. She hated how he always seemed to have her right where he wanted: under his finger. Under his rule. Her heart was beating fast as she quickly launched a browser and began typing Jolene Parker’s name in it.
“Let’s see what you are all about Miss Jolene Parker,” she said to no one in particular as she clicked on one of the pages.
Celebrity event planner Jolene Parker with Sir Richard at Virgin Atlantic’s Christmas party.
“Okay, so you know people,” she thought as she clicked on another page.
One of the best parties ever, Kim Kardashian-West says of yet another Jolene Parker event.
“Is there someone who this woman doesn’t know?” she wondered as she looked at the many pictures of Jolene Parker with every celebrity known to man.
It was not just the fact that she was a popular person, Jolene Parker was also incredibly pretty. She was at the very least a threat. Flawless skin, long legs that seemed to go on forever and perfect hair. It was almost as if she always woke up with perfectly applied make-up and hair.
One particular photo caught her attention. It was of Jolene and Adrian. She felt her blood curl when she read the caption.
Dating or not? Even TMZ has yet to decide on this hot celebrity couple.
Suddenly, it was not just one thing that Angelina hated about this Jolene woman, it was everything. And to think Adrian wanted her to come to her gallery….all was certainly not well.
Her heart was racing as she looked at the many photos of Adrian and Jolene, and they looked a little more than friendly in each one.
Chapter 3
When Angelina opened the door, Adrian raised an eyebrow over the other. He had expected to see her in the same clothes he had earlier that day but no, she was in a wrap-around dress, definitely not the kind of dress you would wear to a restaurant for dinner.
“You changed,” he said, stating the obvious.
“Yes, I do have the freedom to wear whatever I want last time I checked,” she said.
“Yes, you do. I never once said that you didn’t but I specifically asked you not to change when I saw you earlier,” he pointed out. He looked at her and at that moment, he wanted to take her and punish her. Maybe put her in a strict strapado just to hear her beg. She had disobeyed him. No one ever disobeyed him. She looked at him and there was a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
“Well, you did and that was your opinion and I changed because in my opinion, Adrian, it was the right thing to do,” she said in a commanding voice.
Adrian’s blood was boiling. He had never been talked to like that especially not after he had given the instructions. He blamed the modern stories about role playing and BDSM. They made subs think that they actually had a say about what was expected of them.
“But she is not a sub,” he thought as he looked at her. “But she is mine.”
“So are we still doing this dinner or should I just go back to the house and change into my pajamas,” she asked in a condescending tone.
It took everything in him not to just push her back into the house and fuck the living crap out of her.
“Let’s go,” he growled.
She closed the door behind her and began walking towards the stairs. She knew that he was looking at her ass as she walked. She had to admit she had put on that particular dress because it was everything her earlier outfit wasn’t. It was equally sexy but it covered up a lot more than it showed.
“No chauffeur today?” she asked as he opened the passenger door for her.
“No, I thought I would just enjoy a leisurely drive
around town,” he said before he walked around to his side of the vehicle. He climbed in and buckled himself in.
“Leisurely drive? Just where are we going, Canada?” she asked. He looked at her and exhaled loudly. She was being sarcastic.
“You will go wherever I take you and you will like it,” he said in a commanding tone as he turned on the engine.
“Why the fuck do you keep on talking to me like that?” she asked. “Like you own me or something of the sort.”
“I keep on telling you, Angie, you are as much mine as I am yours.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
He took a deep long breath.
“Why don’t you strap yourself in? Safety first,” he said as he began driving.
Angelina was quiet for the duration of the drive to the restaurant. She knew her tone had touched a nerve. She had always tried to understand him but he was always so sheltered, so private. As far as she was concerned, she needed to know him. She was entitled to know him. But every time she tried knowing him, anything about him, he put a wall up and to be quite honest she was getting tired of it.
When they finally got to a restaurant downtown, she raised an eyebrow at him.
“What…” she asked when she looked at the big flashy sign, DiSchiavi’s. They had come to one of the new restaurants in town. As far as she was concerned this was an Uber restaurant. “There is like an eleven month waiting list to get into this place,” she said as a valet opened the door for her. She climbed out and looked at Adrian who was handing the key over.
“You have to know the right people and it also counts when you are a minor shareholder,” he said matter of factly as they began walking in.
“You own this place?” Angelina asked.
“Forty five percent of it,” he said as they walked to the hostess desk.
“Mr. Corday, nice to finally meet you. Right this way,” the woman said as she led them to a private table.
“So you partly own the place and the staff doesn’t know you?” Angelina asked as she sat down. “Have you ever been here, like at all?”
“Yes, opening night,” Adrian said.
“That doesn’t count because I know you probably came over for a few minutes,” she pointed out and a smile played on his lips. “And there’s my answer right there.”
“Your wine list, Mr. Corday,” he said as he handed him a card but Adrian shook his hand.
“A Vintage 1982 Dom Perignon. Talk to Jonah, he knows the one,” he said.
“What about for your main course?” the waiter asked as he looked at Adrian.
“I’ll have a beef sirloin, slightly spicy sauce and a mixed vegetable sauté on the side,” he said. The waiter was about to ask Angelina what she would have but Adrian was already talking again. “She will have a veal. Tell Jonah to make it the way Adrian Corday likes it. He knows exactly how I like it.” The waiter looked at him and then at Angelina before he nodded.
“Of course sir,” he said before he walked away.
“What the hell was that?” she asked as she looked at Adrian.
“What was what?”
“You ordered for me. I didn’t ask you to do that,” she pointed out.
“I don’t mind doing things for you, you know that.” He was looking at her intently.
“Doing things for me…seriously, though?” He shrugged. “I can’t keep on saying the same things to you, Adrian, you don’t own me!” Angelina said in a whisper but she was a little angry and she knew that he could hear the anger in her voice.
“Where is this coming from?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to speak, but that would mean that she would divulge the fact that she had met with the judge. She sighed.
“Just don’t order for me anymore. I am not a child,” she said dismissively. “I mean, what’s next? Are you going to be cutting up my meat too?”
“I can if you want me to,” he said smiling.
“I’m serious, Adrian.”
“I know, but trust me, one bite of that veal and you will be doing a very different dance,” he said.
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Guess we’ll see.”
She was relatively quiet for the rest of dinner and even though she didn’t want to admit it, she was having a great time. The veal was better than she had expected. But the last thing she was about to do was tell him he was right. She found herself wondering why she was pushing him off that much after all, she did have very strong feelings for him. She would have done anything to have a normal relationship with him. But she didn’t think he spoke normal. Maybe the word ‘normal’ wasn’t even found in his vocabulary.
“Angie? Did you hear what I asked?” Adrian asked, snapping her back into reality.
“I’m sorry,” she took a sip of her wine. “What did you say?”
“I asked you if you enjoyed the veal,” Adrian said again.
“It was alright,” she lied. She hadn’t really paid attention to her food. All she cared about was getting the truth out of him.
“So, now that we are done with dinner, I should probably tell you that I know you spoke to Everett.”
“Are you checking up on me?”
“No, he called me wondering why some curvy woman was giving him grief about a case I filed.”
“He called me curvy?”
“Not you too,” he shook his head.
“Not me too, what?”
“Well, he kind of has a way with the ladies. That’s how he has three ex-wives and a runway model for a current wife,” Adrian said.
“Well, he didn’t get to me if that is what you are afraid of.”
“I’m not. So, why did you speak to Everett behind my back?”
“So, now I need your permission to talk to people?” Angelina asked, her anger was rising. ”It is not like you are being very forward about your own secrets anyway.” She took a long sip of her wine.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Jolene Parker.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“What about her?”
“When were you going to tell me that you had a past?”
“How do you know about that?” he asked. He looked shocked that she knew about that.
“Google. Heard of it?” Angelina knew she sounded more condescending than she expected.
“Well, Google should have noticed that Jolene and I never had a relationship,” he said.
“Really? Because I can pull up a number of websites that say otherwise.”
“If you must know, Jolene and I were just…whatever we had was purely physical,” he pointed out.
“Really? Is that why you felt compelled to take her to parties and take touchy red carpet photos?” she rolled her eyes again.
“Nothing like that I promise. We just had a number of friends in common so it was not unusual for us to bump into each other at various functions,” he explained.
Angelina was not convinced. She still had a million and one questions for him.
“If you say so. I mean, it looks like I have to go through some kind of security clearance before I talk to someone,” she retorted again.
“I didn’t say that. All I want to know is why you didn’t talk to me if you had reservations,” he said.
“I trusted you once. To file a restraining order against Carlton and I turn around to find that he had an assault suit against him?” she shook her head.
“You don’t trust me?” he asked.
She shook her head. She had said a whole lot of things. And that was what he had chosen to take out of the conversation.
“You are taking everything out of context,” she said as she looked at him.
“No, you just said that you don’t trust me,” he said again.
“For God’s sake will you stop being fixated on the one thing?” she asked, getting even more irritated. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a few bills before he got up and straightened his jacket
and then walked over to where she was before he pulled the seat. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“We’re leaving,” he announced.
Angelina would have talked if she didn’t see how angry he was. She looked up at him and slowly stood up. He took off his jacket and draped it lovingly on her shoulders.
“I don’t need…” she started before she heard him exhale loudly.
“For God’s sake, Angie stop being so damn stubborn,” he growled.
He then slipped an arm around her waist and walked her out. She knew that he would have words for her at length if she even dared get confrontational with him. She was quiet as they waited for the valet to bring his car around. She almost broke her vow of silence when he handed the valet a hundred dollar tip. She was a bit skeptical about him driving considering that he had just had two glasses of vintage Dom Perignon.
“We’re here,” he said when he pulled up in front of her building.
She looked at him and wondered what was going through his mind. He had been unusually quiet the entire ride home and now that they were outside her building, she could see that he was trying hard not to react. His hands were firmly around the steering wheel and he was not even looking at her. She began opening the door and that was when he turned to look at her.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked.
“Getting out of the car,” she said wondering why she had to state the obvious.
“I always open the door for you, you know that,” he said before he got out of the car. She looked at him as he walked around the front of the car to open the door for her. She was as surprised as she was confused. “Come on. I’ll walk you up.” He once again slipped an arm around her waist and walked into the building.
When they got to her door, he pinned her body against her door and kissed her deeply.
“You are so maddening sometimes Angelina,” he said when he pulled away.
She looked into his eyes, her heart racing.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked in a soft voice.
“If I come in, I will punish you for disrespecting me,” he stated.
“What kind of disrespect are you talking about?” she raised an eyebrow.