by T. N. King
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I can’t get her out of my head.”
“Megan?”
He nodded. “I saw her at a night club last weekend and someone spiked her drink, causing her to pass out on the floor.”
“Oh, my God!”
“Luckily, I was there. I carried her out of there and took care of her until she felt well enough to go home. Things got better between us. Or, so I thought.”
“Why was there animosity between you in the first place.”
“Kristina,” he sneered. “She always seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She got Megan believing she was my fiancée and Megan left, angry and upset. She quit her job and left my mansion. Even after I told Kristina it was over, even after I threatened to contact the authorities, she still insists on ruining me. Why did she have to ruin it all for me, Stella? That bitch. I don’t understand why she had to barge into my office.”
“Wait, she did what?”
“The other day, I had a meeting with Tristan Crawford and right in the middle of it, she came barging into my office like she owned the place. How the hell she got past my security is beyond me.”
“Did they know who she was?”
“Yes. I banned her from entering the building at all. She got into the building and got past my guys. Walked right into my office without a knock, grabbed on to me and forced a kiss on me, right in front of Crawford. I was livid.”
“She is a girl who goes after what she wants,” she teased.
“Not funny. I can’t get her out of my life, and now she is screwing things up between me and Megan. She forced herself on me, kissing me and tried to… I don’t’ know what the hell she was trying to do. She has done some pretty messed up things in her life, but why she did what she did in my office I’ll never know, especially in front of a stranger.”
“She ever do kinky sex things?”
“Some.”
“Maybe she was into exhibitionism or voyeurism.”
“She didn’t get away with much, but I’m telling you if I was there, alone with her, I don’t know what would have happened. I might have attempted murder.”
“So, what happened, afterwards?”
“I pushed her away from me and shouted at her for being so immature. Luckily, my PA phoned security and they were there within a couple of minutes to escort her out. But let me tell you, she didn’t go willingly.”
“No?”
“Oh, God no. She decided to scream her head off when they grabbed her and started pulling her toward the door.”
“What did she want?”
“She has this crazy notion that we are still together. She wears an engagement ring that she bought and tells everyone we are getting married. She’s fucking psycho!” he said raising his voice. “She got Megan believing that and it caused a lot of turmoil between us.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“So, why don’t’ you send your security team over to check up on Megan?”
‘This is why you are my favorite sister. Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I am your only sister,” she said.
He grabbed his phone and texted Black. When he got confirmation that it would be done he diverted his attention out the window and his thoughts went back to the days Megan lived with him and it calmed him almost instantly. He recalled the afternoon he caught her in the bath with one of his erotic books. The way she looked as she touched her body under the shower. The way she….
“Hello? Earth to Jensen.”
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his sister. “What?”
“I said, we are almost there. We will be landing in about ten minutes and the fund raiser starts in twenty. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Well, physically maybe.” She looked at him with a pathetic sincerity that told him she completely understood how he felt. “I can see your pain. I can see how much you love her.”
Jensen furrowed his eyebrows. “Love?”
Stella nodded, confirming his realization.
“Oh, God. Yes,” he said. “I love her!” His eyes got bright and his smile widened.
“Are you…blushing?”
“Me? No. I don’t blush.”
“You can’t say that anymore, big brother.”
“I’m sort of at a loss for words. I have never felt this way, never been in love. I mean, I thought I knew what love was when I first met Kristina, but this…this blows that all out of the water.”
He stood up and hugged Stella tight. “I am in love with Megan Jenkins!” he shouted.
“It’s about time you realized it. I was beginning to think I was going to have to rap you over the head with a love brick.”
“Oh stop. It wasn’t that bad.”
She raised her eyebrow at him and he put his hands up in defeat. He kept looking at his phone, waiting for some sort of update, knowing they just got the request. He couldn’t help but worry about her. He redirected his thoughts to try to calm his anxiety.
“Do you have a dress to wear for this thing?”
“Oh, yes! I bought the most beautiful gown at Harrod’s before we left London. It’s long, with….”
He knew she was talking, but his mind faded her out and although he was nodding to what she was saying, he couldn’t stop thinking about Megan. He clutched his phone in his hand, silently praying for some sort of message from Black. When it notified him of a text, he immediately opened it and read it.
On our way to her house…will keep you up to date.
He clenched his jaw as his anxiety ate away at him.
“I didn’t want to put it on until we were ready to land. Also, there will be elephants ready to take us to the fundraiser instead of taxi cabs.”
Jensen looked at Stella, realizing she was still talking. “Well, I think we should be moving along then.”
She punched him in the arm and scowled at him.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
“No,” he said, sulking. “I’m sorry. I am so distracted.”
“Cheer up. Tonight will be fun. Just….”
The pilot interrupted her attempt at cheering him up. “Please have a seat as we descend toward the runway. We will be touching down and arriving on time, Mr. Dean.”
They sat in their seats and buckled up as the plane descended out of the sky.
Jensen kept his eyes out the window, a big sigh escaping his depressive mood.
“I should never have left London. I should have checked up on her.”
Stella looked at him with a solemn look, knowing he was hurting.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Megan
That morning, Tristan surprised Megan with a bouquet of white lilies and pink roses.
“Good morning,” he said, handing them to her when she opened the adjoining door between their suites.
“Oh, wow. They are beautiful, Tristan. Thank you.” She couldn’t’ help but think about the flowers and gifts that Jensen had delivered to her but she tried to push it into the back of her mind so she could enjoy the ones handed to her by a man who seemed to truly appreciate her.
“How about some breakfast and then a walk around the city? I would love to show you a few of my favorite places.”
“I would love that.” She grabbed her purse, locked up and followed him out toward the elevators. They spent the morning at the Eiffel Tower and took in the sights at the beautiful Louvre Palace.
“It says here that this palace was built in the twelfth century as a fortress under Philip II,” Megan said as she read a plaque on a wall. “There is a museum here.”
“Yes. It is Le Louvre. The one we talked about last night at dinner. I wanted to bring you today since we missed the opportunity last night.”
They walked along to the museum and when they went inside, Megan was awestruck.
&
nbsp; “How big is this place?”
“This museum houses over 380,000 pieces of art including Egyptian antiques, Greek and Roman pottery and sculptures, Islamic art from ceramics and glass to textiles and metalware, different sculptures from Michelangelo’s collection, stained glass pieces and the Mona Lisa. You said you liked art.”
“Oh, and I do. I am so excited.” She pulled her phone out and pulled up the camera. She positioned it on one of the paintings on the wall and took a picture. Her flash made others turn around and look.
“No pictures,” Tristan said, quickly swiping her phone. “It strips the quality of the pieces. Some of the paintings are light sensitive.”
“Shut up. They are not.”
“I am not kidding.” He pushed the button on her phone and held it until the power turned off completely. He handed her phone back to her and put his arm around her. “Come on, let’s go and see the Mona Lisa.”
After they spent a few hours in the Louvre museum, they walked around the block to Carrousel du Louvre. When they went in, Megan gasped.
“What is this place?” She marveled at the glass staircases and the delicate monuments that stood in the middle of the lobby.
“It’s a mall. I wanted to take you shopping.”
“This… is a mall?”
He smiled at her naiveté and enjoyed escorting her into a life she wasn’t aware of. They went into a few different shops and she bought a few beauty items while he shopped for a new money clip. She tried on some very large floppy hats and giggled when she saw her reflection in the mirror. When he turned the corner wearing a black fedora that matched his suit, Megan nodded in approval. She flirted with him and his new sexy mafia look and kissed her hand, blowing it in his direction.
When they left the store, he took her hand and led her outside, hailing a cab.
“Where to now, my good man?” she said in a horrible English accent.
“We have one more stop before some lunch. Then we can head back to the hotel.”
“What is it?”
“Didier Ludot La Petite Robe Noir.”
“Here we go with the French again,” she teased.
“It is a little boutique I want to stop at.”
The taxi cab took them around a few blocks and stopped in front of a plain looking building. When they got inside, she saw dresses and coats that had price tags way out of her range.
“Tristan,” she whispered as he pulled her along. “Tristan!”
“What?” he whispered back with a grin.
“This place is too much, too expensive. Why are we here?”
“I want you to try this on.” He motioned for a sales associate and picked up a stunning black floor length dress. Megan’s mouth dropped when she saw it. The associate escorted her into a dressing room where she carefully tried on the dress. She looked for a price tag but it was removed. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe how amazing she looked. The dress was sleeveless, seemed on both sides just at the neck, exposing her shoulders and hugging her breasts. It was form fitting along her waist and her hips, then flowing down to the floor and spilling in a puddle at her feet. The waist was peppered with small diamonds from just underneath her breasts to her waistline. She felt elegant, sexy, seductive and graceful.
When she emerged from the dressing room, Tristan smiled immediately. The seductive look on Megan’s face told him exactly what he wanted to know.
He turned to the sales associate. “We are going to need shoes to go with that dress.”
“Tristan, no.” She tried to protest, but it was no use. He was already pulling out his credit card.
When they walked out, she was quiet. He walked into her, bumping her off balance. “What’s with the silent treatment?”
“Where am I ever going to wear such a dress?” she scolded.
“Tonight, as a matter of fact.”
“What’s… tonight?”
“I would love it if you would escort me to a charity ball.”
“A charity ball? It sounds fun.”
“It is okay. Kind of boring, but with the right company… we could have a good time.”
“I would love to.”
Back in her hotel suite, Megan was growing more nervous as she showered and got herself ready for this ball she was invited to. She didn’t know what to expect but she knew Tristan would guide her through. She sat in front of the mirror and looked at her image.
Would he kiss her again, like he did last night? She touched her lips with her fingertips. It was nice, but not like Jensen kissed her. When she remembered the way Jensen kissed her so passionately her heart ached. She wanted to move on from him and start fresh with someone else, but she wasn’t sure if Tristan was that someone. She didn’t feel a connection with him.
She applied a smoky dark color to her eyes, giving her that French bedroom eye look. Her stomach started to hurt as she filled her lips in with a bright red lipstick and slipped into the dress Tristan bought for her. She put on a pair of black three-inch Jimmy Choos heels and accessorized with some jewelry she was able to borrow from the hotel jewelry shop. Trying to calm her nerves, she took a few deep breaths and shook her arms while looking at her image in the full length mirror.
“You can do this, Megan.” She closed her eyes and tried to think positively.
She was curling her hair when she was startled by a knock on her door.
“Shit!” she yelled, dropping the curling iron to the floor. “Hang on!” She picked up the iron and threw a couple more curls in before unplugging it and walking quickly to the door. She shook her arms again and forced a smile before opening the door.
Tristan stepped back when he saw her, shaking his head. “Megan. I did not think you could get any more beautiful.” He took her hand and spun her slowly around, taking in every angle of her. “You…are stunning!”
“Thank you,” she said shyly, looking down and blushing.
“I am a very lucky man to have such a beauty on my arm for this evening’s events. We will be the envy of the entire ball.”
He handed her a single long stemmed rose, as red as blood and took her arm. He didn’t take his eyes off her as they walked down the hallway. A luxury town car waited for them outside of the hotel and drove them to the ball.
“What sort of charity is this ball for?”
“To save the forests. It’s more of a political hob knob event than anything else.”
“Ah.”
They pulled up to a beautiful venue that sparkled with little white lights and beams of light that traveled along the path and over the lawns and gardens. Once they got inside, they were directed to a large conference room decorated with the same white lights. Red drapes cascaded down parts of each wall giving the white room a beautiful and rich splash of color. An orchestra played along the front and tables of fruits, nuts, breads and several main courses lined the back wall with attendants standing behind them ready to serve. As they sat at their designated table, Megan saw a single carpeted runway leading up to a stage that displayed several paintings and sculptures.
“Champagne?” A lovely woman in white presented a tray of flutes filled with the bubbly liquid. Tristan took two and nodded at the woman.
“Here you are,” he said handing one to Megan.
“This is lovely,” she said, looking around. I feel like I am at the royal ball.”
“Well, if we were, you would be the princess,” he said kissing her hand.
She felt like he was being way over the top with this romance stuff. It didn’t seem like the same man who hired her a few weeks ago.
“Would you like to go up to the auction bar and check out the items?”
“I… um… I think I’ll pass.”
“They could have some beautiful pieces that sell for a steal. It’s a good idea to get a feel for what you are interested in before the bidding starts.”
She felt her face get warm. “I… didn’t bring any money. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
“Thank you, Tristan.” She put the note in her purse and together they walked along the carpet up to the stage. She stood next to him, admiring a painting that was close by on a pedestal, as Tristan looked at the list of items that were up for auction.
“Oh, look at this,” he said. Megan redirected her attention to the list and saw a special event scheduled for the evening. “Charity date auction,” he read out loud. “Sign up for a chance to bid yourself to the highest bidder. What is more exciting that a date with a mystery person? Raise money for charity and have fun while doing it. Megan, you should do this.”
“Me?” she blurted out. She started smiling when she thought about it. “I don’t know.”
“Can you imagine how much money you would bring in?”
“Probably not that much.”
“I disagree. Look at you. You are stunning.”
“Stop it.”
“I will make a side wager for 1,000 that you bring in more than 10,000.”
“Are you insane? Who would bid that kind of money for a date with me?”
“I would,” he said.
She looked up at him and saw the intensity in his eyes.
“You really think I should do this?”
“Absolutely. And, to make you feel a little safer, I will be sure to be the highest bidder.”
Her smile broadened. “I’ll do it.” She grabbed a pen and signed a waiver, writing down a small description of who she was. She felt giddy and excited to think she could be a part of something good in the world.
Back at their table, dinner was being served as the auctioneer began introducing the items.
“I do apologise for beginning the auction portion of this evenings events so early and while dinner is being served, but we do have several pieces we need to focus on this evening. So, if you will bear with me, we will get the bidding started very soon.” A tall blond haired man stood up on the stage, microphone in hand. His skin was dark and his smile was brilliant. He could have easily passed for a surfer dude at the beach with the right attire.