“I can’t make it, my dog is sick and has a vet’s appointment on Friday evening. It’s not looking good.”
Colin dropped his head showing a rare display of emotion. I hadn’t ever owned a dog but I knew Frank did and he nodded back mournfully in solidarity with Colin.
“Sorry to hear that Colin, take whatever time you need. I know what it feels like to lose a fur baby.”
I winced at Franks words and looked over to Chris. He mouthed ‘love you’ to me and I took a deep breath in. I’m a Reid and I need to hold my head high, I thought. If Nan had taught me one thing it was that us Reid ladies never hid away, we took life by the balls and lived it to the full. You only had to look at my own Mum to see that was true. I’d been excited for this opening before everything happened and I’d worked bloody hard, not to mention spent a fortune on a knock out dress. To hell with Joe Madden, if he couldn’t handle me being there then tough, what was he going to do throw me and the rest of Parker Hayes out? It was a work event and I needed to be there. I’d go and I’d keep my head held high because I had nothing to be ashamed of. In fact going to this event may even help me move on.
On Friday evening Chris came round to ours to join in with the usual ritual of night out preparations. Robyn was coming with us too as our joint plus one so I felt more confident going into the lion’s den with them both by my side. Max had rung the home phone a few times and chatted to Robyn, but I hadn’t spoken to him. He always sent me his love but I knew he’d draw me back into Joe’s world if I let him into mine.
We turned up the volume on our party playlist as Chris preened his hair in my mirror, Robyn used my straighteners on her hair and I put the finishing touches to my make-up. We all sang at the top of our voices as Charli XCX sang about dirty sexy money.
“How you feeling about tonight baby girl?” Chris asked.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but having you two there helps. I just hope my being there doesn’t cause a problem for the company.”
“Why would it?”
“I don’t know, I just don’t want Joe to cause a scene. Does he know I’m home?”
“I haven’t told him or Max for that matter, they still think you’re away as far as I know.” Robyn shrugged.
“Same here, it’s none of his business where you are anyway Hun.” Chris was right. I was my own woman and I could come and go as I pleased.
Robyn went off to get into her dress and Chris went about the business of taming my wayward curls into a waterfall of bouncy blonde twists and swirls. Then he left me to get into my own dress. It was hanging up in a plastic cover on the front of my wardrobe. I unzipped the cover and took a deep breath, I still loved it. The top was a silk gold bustier, embroidered with a delicate gold threaded pattern and embellished with hand sewn Swarovski crystals, it made my boobs look fabulous without being tacky. The gold silk of the bustier ran the full length of the dress right to the floor, with the skirt clinging to every curve, but the embellishment became more sporadic from the waist downwards. At the sides and around the back was light gold chiffon fabric that flowed at the back into a gorgeous train dotted with crystals and edged in gold thread. Tiny golden roses ran along the length of the back, which at the time of ordering the dress had made me think of Joe. Now I just ignored them, they were like him, behind me, irrelevant tonight. I wore a simple gold necklace that rested just above my chest and in my ears I wore tiny gold roses, which I had brought especially to complement the dress. They had also cost a fortune so I was definitely going to get some wear out of them.
Once I had done all the finishing touches I stood back to admire the final look. Wow, I loved it. I felt like a Goddess and more importantly I felt powerful.
“Oh Ella, you look just beautiful. You look like a golden bride tonight.”
Chris had tears in his eyes, he was an emotional wreck just lately and I guessed it was because he felt the loss of the baby too but I didn’t ever say anything to him about it, I couldn’t.
“You’re getting soppy in your old age Chris.” I laughed and hugged him. He looked handsome as hell in his black suit, grey shirt and silver patterned tie. He had wanted us to be coordinated and we did look good together, gold and silver. He said we would stick together like glue and network as a pair tonight so looking the part was a must. I couldn’t argue with him, we looked like a power couple to be reckoned with.
We both headed downstairs, my arm threaded through Chris’s, to where Robyn was busy checking the contents of her tiny handbag and just about to down her last glass of wine.
“Oh my God you two look like a bride and groom.” Robyn said, her wine glass held frozen in place on her lips as she gasped aloud. “You’re the perfect couple!”
“Yeah if there’s no sex involved.” I joked.
“I could easily turn for you Ella.” Chris quipped kissing me on the cheek.
“Whatever dude, you’d soon miss cock.” Robyn spat out and I couldn’t help choking out a laugh, she knew him so well.
The horn of the cab blared at us from outside and we all steeled ourselves for what was about to unravel tonight. Robyn threw back her wine, I took a deep breath in and held onto my stomach to try and calm the butterflies and Chris did a little jump on the spot. What that was about I had no idea but it seemed to loosen him up.
“Let’s go kick some networking ass and show the world what we’ve got.” Chris said confidently, and the three of us headed out.
When the cab eventually pulled onto the long winding drive towards the club I felt like a young child seeing the first snowfall. My eyes were everywhere and everything looked out of this world. There were torches burning on either side of the drive, and when we approached the front of the building there were huge flood lights pointing upwards into the night sky and lighting up the exterior, making it look incredibly grand and imposing. The water feature looked like it was running on liquid gold. How that effect had been created I had no idea but it added that luxurious touch. I was impressed. There was a gold carpet running the length of the steps up to the double doors which were wide open and flanked by two burly but well-dressed 1920s style bouncers complete with fake tommy guns.
Beyond the doors I could see ladies dressed in cocktail dresses and full length gowns complete with beads, crystals, fringes and feathers. I was in heaven right now and any thoughts of bossy over controlling exes were the last thing on my mind as I glanced around me in awe and ascended the steps with Chris on one side and Robyn the other.
“Wow, you did a fantastic job Chris.” I was truly stunned.
“It was your concept Ella, Colin and I just added a few extra touches to your ideas.”
I turned to smile fondly at him.
“Don’t deflect the praise, you did this too and you deserve the recognition.”
He kissed me on the cheek and I hugged his arm closer to me.
We entered the foyer and I felt overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. The winding staircase behind the main reception desk was decorated in gold roses and twinkling fairy lights. Waiting staff wearing traditional 1920s outfits in black and gold moved seamlessly around the guests holding gold trays of champagne and canopies.
“I match the décor!” I joked.
“I coordinated it for you.” Chris said looking down at me, he knew how to put me at ease in any social situation and he had done a brilliant job tonight. I felt like I belonged here.
We walked further into the building, through the foyer and into the back where there was a large hall with a bar running the length of the room. This was also in the black and gold theme and led straight out to a marquee which was playing 1920s music for the older guests to show off their Charleston skills.
“Don’t worry, after the oldies leave the DJ is going to be playing our kind of music. This is just for the press and other guests.” Chris said indicating the marquee ahead of us.
“It’s perfect, I’ll be test driving you around that dance floor later dude.” I said elbowing Chris playfully.
I spotted Frank, Eric, Marge, Kim and a few others from Parker Hayes at a table by the DJ in the marquee and grabbed Chris’s hand pulling him towards them all. Robyn flounced off to chat up one of the bouncers who had caught her eye and was patrolling the foyer, and as was our routine we left her to it.
“Wow! Ella, Chris, you both look stunning!” Frank said holding both of my hands and standing back to admire my dress.
“Thanks Frank, is everything okay so far?” I ventured.
“It’s more than okay Ella, this is beyond anything I had imagined. You my girl are going places after this. I have a whole list of people desperately waiting to meet you tonight.”
“Chris and Colin did their fair share too.” I added.
“Oh I’ve no doubt, but it was your concept wasn’t it? Am I right?”
“Yes.” I grinned and turned to hold Chris’s arm again, and that’s when I saw him.
It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room, and all activity around me had stopped dead. I was frozen to the spot, I didn’t know whether to look away or go over to him, my brain went into a jumbled mess, I felt paralysed. I could hear my heart beat thumping in my ears so loudly I was sure the rest of the marquee could hear it too. My limbs started to shake and my breathing became short, erratic and panicked. The butterflies that I had tried to push away were running amok and multiplying at a rapid rate.
“You okay chick?” Chris whispered into my ear so no one else would hear.
“I don’t think I can do this.” I said dragging my eyes away from his grey sparkly ones and looking at Chris in fear. My fight or flight response was in full flow and my body was at war with itself trying to decide which mode to deploy.
“You can chick, stay strong.”
I knew he was coming over to us without even looking. I could feel his presence getting nearer, I could always sense him. Like a magnet he could pull me to him and render me helpless to resist.
“Mr Madden, Joe! So lovely to see you. I hope everything is going smoothly for you?” Eric and Frank shook hands with him but I kept my head down and focused on keeping my breathing steady.
“It’s phenomenal, so much more than I expected.” He replied, his deep velvety voice making my insides tremor and my tummy flip.
“Ella, I didn’t know you were back.”
He was addressing me directly now, and I had no choice but to answer, it would look rude and unprofessional if I didn’t. I lifted my face to gaze into his eyes. He looked as handsome as ever with his dark stubble and soft waves falling on his forehead. He took my breath away. His brow was wrinkled as if he was deep in thought. But his eyes were sharp and sparkling like diamonds, drawing me into him. The smell of expensive aftershave and Joe invaded my senses and sent my head into a spiral of confusion. The black suit that he wore looked gorgeous on him and he had a white shirt, gold tie and gold pocket square which matched the theme and me perfectly. He shuffled on his feet and I could see he was nervous, which helped to settle my own shredded nerves.
“I…spent time away…looking after my Nan, but yes…I’m back now.” I was stuttering, I needed to get a grip.
“It’s good to have you back, you look beautiful tonight Ella.” He said staring right into my eyes as if he was trying to say something to me without using words, trying to connect to my very soul.
“Doesn’t she just.” Frank piped up, “Always stunning our Ella, she’ll be fighting them off later.” I nearly choked for the second time tonight as Frank said that. This was a work event, did he think I was going to be trawling the dancefloor for a man? Sometimes the lines between boss and cute adoptive uncle were blurred where Frank was concerned.
“Hardly, I am still working for the company tonight.” I argued and blushed in embarrassment.
“Nonsense, you’ve had a tough time lately, you deserve a night off and some fun. We’ll get the networking over in a bit then you can have the night to yourself with young Chris and Kim here. I’m sure you’ll find enough dance partners to fill your card hey Ella.”
I was stunned into silence. I had no intention of answering Frank, I hadn’t a clue what to say and I couldn’t bring myself to look in Joe’s direction because I knew exactly what his reaction would be.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Joe snapped in that pissed off voice of his. Then with a casual, nonchalant glance around the marquee he turned on his heels and strode off confidently to the hall without a backwards glance at the rest of us mere mortals.
“What’s got his goat?” Kim joked, making us all laugh at her crazy turn of phrase.
“He’s a moody one he is. You never know what you’re gonna get with him. You deserve a medal for dealing with that all these months Ella.” Eric said shaking his head in disgust.
“Doesn’t she just!” Chris exclaimed, grabbing more champagne for us both from a passing waitress.
I just blew out a long sigh of relief, thankful that the first meeting with Joe was over, and hopeful the rest of the night would go without incident.
We were stood chatting and catching up on office gossip in the buzzing marquee when Max approached us. He walked straight up to me and grabbed me into a massive bear hug for slightly longer than I felt comfortable with.
“I’ve missed you.” He whispered into my ear so only I could hear. Then he stood back and smiled that dazzling kind smile of his.
“When Joe told me you were back just now I had to come straight over to check for myself. You look absolutely beautiful Ella.”
I just grinned back at him, “Here I am, back home.”
“Ella you are a popular girl tonight.” Frank joked, shaking hands with Max and introducing himself.
As they exchanged pleasantries I glanced over Max’s shoulder to see Joe stood in the corner glaring at Max, his arms folded over his chest and his stony face frozen into a surly expression. Something between jealousy and fury, I couldn’t tell. When his eyes met mine his expression softened and I felt my frosty heart start to thaw against my own wishes. How could he do that? Make me go from hate to want in seconds all with a single look? Would he always have this hold over me? I dragged my eyes away from him and back to where Max and Frank were deep in conversation. They must have been talking about me as they were both smiling over at me, but I had absolutely no idea what they’d said. I’d been sucked into Joe’s hypnotic bubble from across the marquee and the rest of the world always ceased to exist when that happened.
“Would you excuse me for a minute, I need to freshen up in the ladies.”
I excused myself and gave Chris’s arm a squeeze to say ‘wait for me I’ll be right back’, then I made my way back towards the main hall where I knew the ladies’ bathroom was. I kept my blinkers on determined not to be distracted from my destination by a certain set of sparkling predatory grey eyes.
I reached the ladies room and was just about to push the door open when I felt a familiar arm snake through mine and pull me down the corridor.
“Do you plan on ignoring me all night Ella?” Joe said starkly into my ear as he part walked part dragged me along with him.
“I don’t want to cause a scene Joe, I’m here for work nothing else. Just let me go please.” I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp and slow him down. I didn’t appreciate being dragged along by him like a naughty child.
“No, Ella. I won’t let you go. You walk out on me, I don’t hear a word from you for over two months and you think you can just walk back in like nothing has happened and forget I even exist. We were supposed to get married a few weeks ago or did you forget that too?” He stopped in his tracks and turned me to face him, but his grasp on my arm didn’t ease up.
“Of course I didn’t forget. I didn’t forget all the shit you’ve put me through either. How is Anna by the way?”
I spat that last comment out with as much venom as I could muster, making sure to glower at him with my most evil piercing stare. He lent down to meet my scowl with his own grey stormy eyes, pinning me to the spot.
&n
bsp; “That was bullshit just like I told you but as usual you didn’t believe me, you never believe me. I’ve never laid a finger on that woman and I never would. It would be nice though if the woman I love had some faith in me. I do have self-control Ella, I have never and will never cheat on you. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”
I broke eye contact with him in mock exasperation, hoping to break the spell he was attempting to put me under. Looking into his eyes and losing my sense of self was always my downfall.
“Maybe because you haven’t stayed faithful to a single woman in your whole life.”
He lifted his hand to touch my chin and move my head so I was facing him. The feel of him touching me again sent my senses into overload.
“That’s because I’d never met the one until I met you. You know how I feel about you Ella. Nothing has changed. Not for me anyway. I still love you and I still want to be with you. Please just come and sit with me in my office and let’s just talk. We can sort this out, we can get things back on track, I know we can.”
“No Joe we can’t...you seem to forget she had photos of you, naked photos from her bed. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten that part.” I pulled away from him, I needed to create distance between us.
He crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels, clenching his jaw tight in irritation. He was getting annoyed that the conversation wasn’t going his way I could tell.
“I don’t know how I got in that bed I wasn’t conscious that night. She probably drugged me to get me there for all I know. Why won’t you believe me?” he snapped.
“Because I’m tired. I’m tired of the dramas and scandal that being with you brings. I can’t deal with it anymore. I want to be by myself.”
He sighed and hung his head down.
“I know we’ve had a rough ride, but I’ve tried in every way to show you that you come first with me always. I can’t help my past but I never meant for it to hurt you so much. Please at least talk to me. What we have, it’s too strong to ignore. You need me Ella. You need me as much as I need you. Admit it, you felt it as much as I did in that marquee. We are drawn to each other, we are meant to be together.”
Forever Yours Page 4