I’ve never had a man look at me like that before and I can’t seem to get it out of my mind.
I could tell what he was thinking this morning as he stared at me with that territorial look. I could almost see it playing in his mind…
I could hear the force in his voice as he kicked his brothers out of the room and then slammed the door closed. I could feel the tension in the air as he stormed over and threw me down on the table, ripping off my clothes as his hungry eyes feasted on what no man has ever seen before.
My phone buzzes and jerks me out of my fantasy.
Wow… I’m hot all over and this time I can’t blame the broken elevator.
I undo a button as I glance at my phone.
It’s just a Facebook notification. Another one of my friends from high school is having a baby.
I sigh as I flip my phone over to hide the happy yet depressing news. When is it going to be my turn?
I haven’t had any luck in the love department. I’ve never had a serious boyfriend and my virginity is still intact.
No one has ever lit that fire in my belly the way a soul mate does. Crazily, Westin is the only man who’s come close to that feeling.
I hid it well, but I was feeling it. The warmth from his gaze was flowing from my chest down to the area between my legs. It’s still flowing down there now.
And I have a date with him.
Thursday night, it’s going to be me and him at the fashion show.
I want to hate everything about this horrible event that’s another financial kick in the balls to our already hurting company, but I’m excited.
I’m already thinking about what I can wear.
But there’s nothing in my closet that would be suitable for a hot date at a fashion show, even one as garish as the one my brother’s throwing.
“I’ll buy something new,” I whisper to myself. “Something sexy.”
I grin as I hit the intercom to my secretary. “I’m heading out. I’ll be back after lunch.”
I have some shopping to do.
I’m going to buy something that’s going to blow Westin’s mind.
Chapter Three
Westin
The plastic bags are digging into my palms as I walk off the elevator and head to the conference room for my families’ weekly Thursday night dinner.
“You’re not Brooke,” Luke says when I walk into the room with the food.
“Great observation,” Eli says with a laugh. “I’m so happy you’re finally learning your siblings’ names. What’s my name again?”
“Dead meat,” Luke answers in a low warning voice.
“How come you’re bringing the food?” Nolan asks as I drop the Chinese food onto the table.
We’ve been having Thursday night dinners in this conference room for years and Brooke is always the one who brings the food.
“She’s bringing something more important tonight,” I say as my stomach rolls with nerves.
“What could be more important than food?” Luke says as he and Eli dive into the bags, pulling out the greasy containers.
“He has his date tonight,” Nolan says as he grabs the Kung Pao Chicken. “The one he hasn’t shut up about all week.”
I’ve been going crazy all week waiting for this night to come. I have a date with an angel.
The elevator dings open and I hold my breath as my younger sister Brooke walks into the room holding some bags.
“Did you get it?”
She nods at me with a smile. “Your little sister always comes through when it comes to fashion, don’t you know that by now?”
She starts pulling out all kinds of outfits—shirts, jackets, pants, shoes—all with the tags on.
There are too many to choose from and I don’t know what Victoria would like.
“This is my pick,” Brooke says as she holds up an oversized shirt that looks like a Jackson Pollack painting. “Hold that.”
My brothers are laughing their asses off as I hold the shirt against my chest while she ruffles through the bags.
“Where is—here!” she pulls out a ridiculous looking huge yellow fedora and places it on my head as my brothers lose it.
“You’re joking.”
Her smile fades. “It’s in style! You’re going to a fashion show!”
“It’s not going to happen.”
I toss the shirt to Nolan. “Use that as a napkin.”
He laughs as he looks at the price. “Two grand? For this? Maybe we should get into fashion.”
Brooke snatches the shirt back and stuffs it into the bag. “I was worried you’d be this way. So, I got you a backup.”
“That’s more like it,” I say with a breath of relief when she pulls out a gorgeous navy tuxedo with a classic white fitted shirt and a matching dark blue tie.
“I vote for the hat,” Eli says with his hand in the air. “You’ll look like a gay Indiana Jones.”
“I second that,” Luke says with a laugh. “Chicks love the man in the yellow hat from Curious George. Everyone knows that.”
“I’ll take this one,” I say as I take the navy tuxedo from Brooke. I doubt that Victoria is the type of woman to go for a man in a crazy outfit like the first one. But I bet she’ll like this classic look.
Brooke turns away as I try it on.
“Perfect,” she says when it’s on and I’m fixing the tie.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear this hat?” Nolan asks as he takes it. “Three grand?! What the fuck, Brooke?!”
Brooke frowns as she snatches it back from him. “You guys wouldn’t know fashion if it bit you in the ass.”
“I’d rather be bitten in the ass than wear that thing,” Nolan says with a shake of his head.
“What do you guys think?” I ask as I open my arms and do a spin.
For once, they don’t have a smart ass answer. I must look pretty good.
“You look incredible,” Brooke says. “Ready to go?”
“You guys aren’t staying for Chinese?” Luke asks.
“Haven’t you been listening?” Brooke says as she wraps her arm around mine. “NYC’s hottest fashion show tonight. We’re out of here.”
I take a deep breath and leave to get the girl of my dreams.
I’m not sure if I have the right place when I arrive at Victoria’s door. It’s a nice building, but you would have no idea that she inherited a fortune from her father by the look of it.
I catch myself checking out her neighbors’ doors, wondering if I can buy every single condo on this floor. If I had my way, she’d be locked up in a secure compound where only I can get to her. These doors are a little too flimsy for my tastes and I don’t like so many people around something so precious.
Still, I like that she has simple non-extravagant tastes. I’m like that too.
Making money is a game to me. It’s a challenge. It’s fun. I see it as a sport I’m competing in that I want to be the best at. I don’t have much need for material things. I’d be happy living in a small house if it was full of people I loved. A pregnant Victoria springs to mind.
I shake my head of the alluring fantasy and take a deep breath before I knock.
My cock is already stirring just from hearing her move on the other side of the door. I can feel it thickening as blood rushes in. I lean closer to the door, my whole body aching to see her, to have her, to be in her angelic presence once again.
When she opens the door, I’m not ready for it. The sight of her takes my breath away. It stuns me like it always does. All I can do is stare in awe.
She’s stunning. She’s exquisite. She’s a rare elegant beauty.
And by the end of the night, she’ll be all mine.
Victoria’s cheeks turn red as she smiles shyly at me. The air thickens with a sexual fire as I look her up and down.
She’s wearing a long-sleeved gold sequined dress that shines with every move she makes, but it’s still got nothing on her. Victoria’s innocence radiates from within, shining out ont
o anyone lucky enough to be in her presence.
Her long strawberry blonde hair is loose around her shoulders, framing her gorgeous face. Lush dark eyelashes surround her big doe-like eyes as she looks at me as if she hopes I like what I see. I wish I could tell her that I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, but my brain is malfunctioning at the moment and I can’t seem to work it.
My heart starts thumping in my chest when I look at her sexy mouth and it takes some effort to yank my eyes away.
This girl is unbelievable. Her full luscious cleavage is on display with a plunging neckline surrounded by shimmering gold. Wars have been fought over girls like her. Friendships have been shattered. Lives have been lost.
And I bet the victors didn’t regret a thing. To be with a girl like Victoria would be worth anything.
It’s not just looks with her either. I could tell that the moment she marched up to our table with that ballbuster vibe. She’s smart as hell, sexy as sin, and tenacious as I dreamed my future wife would be.
“Ready to go?” she asks in that sugary-sweet voice of hers. I get goosebumps all over from just hearing it.
“You look incredible,” I say as I take one more look up and down her body. Her gold dress stops above her knees, showing her smooth legs. She’s wearing black heels with a lot of straps, but the only thing I see are her sexy little toes that are waiting for me to break out and massage.
“Thanks,” she says as she grabs her purse. “You look very nice as well.”
This moment is over too fast. She’s locking her door. I want to take my time admiring and studying every beautiful inch of her, but I can’t. We’re not there yet. We will be soon, but we’re not there right now.
It’s painful to be around her like this, keeping myself… restrained. One intense need after another is stampeding through me, tearing me apart. The need to have her in my arms, to tear that dress off, to spread her soft thighs and see if she’s as wet and warm as I’ve been imagining she is, to bury my cock deep inside her and claim her sweet sultry body.
Chill, Westin. Or, it’s going to be a long painful night.
I’m already rock hard when we reach the elevator and my dick is already aching when we step inside and I’m engulfed in her delicious perfume.
“Have you ever been to a fashion show before?” I ask.
She smiles shyly and shakes her head. “First time. I wasn’t sure what to wear, but the girl at the store said this would work.”
“If the people there tonight don’t like that dress, then they have no business being in fashion. I could watch you walk up and down that runway all night.”
She laughs, but I’m serious. I’d never get tired of looking at her.
We arrive downstairs and the limo is waiting for us. Brooke ordered one for me before she took off to go with her actress friends.
“You can’t show up to a red carpet in a car,” she said, rolling her eyes as she started dialing the phone.
The driver tries to hold the door open for Victoria, but one look from me has him rushing back into the driver’s seat. Nobody gets that close to my girl.
My eyes are all over her, watching her cleavage jiggle and that sexy dress rising up her leg as she climbs into the limo.
“It’s nice to be out even if it is a business event,” she says when we’re rolling down the street.
“Not a business event,” I correct. “A date.”
Her cheeks go pink. God, I love that color on her face.
“Okay,” she says with a smile. “A date.”
We start to get to know each other on the way there, asking each other the usual first date questions. It’s not just the usual boring procedure that it is on every other date. I actually want to know the answers to every menial question I ask her.
“Favorite movie?” I ask her.
“That’s tough,” she says as she glances up while thinking about it. “Favorite now or favorite all-time?”
“All-time.”
She laughs like she’s too embarrassed to tell me.
“What is it?”
She sighs. “Beauty and the Beast.”
“The Disney movie?”
She laughs. “Yeah, the cartoon not the remake. I must have watched it over a hundred times when I was a kid. And another hundred as a teenager.”
“You’ll have to watch it with me one time. Maybe on our second date.”
She raises her eyebrow, giving me a cheeky look. “Let’s see how this one goes first before there’s talk of a second.”
“Ooh, is that a challenge?”
She grins as she bites her bottom lip. “Maybe.”
“One thing you’ll find out about me, Victoria. Is that I’m always up for a challenge.”
The limo pulls up in front of the venue and there’s a ton of people outside. Photographers are snapping away at all of the models and VIP’s on the other side of the barrier.
When it’s our turn to arrive, the driver opens the door and then quickly leaves before I can shoot him another menacing look.
A possessive growl rumbles out of my throat when the cameras turn to us and people start taking pictures of my girl.
I have to steady my breath as I put an arm around Victoria. The date won’t be a success if I go into a jealous beast mode and start destroying every camera in sight.
“This is so not my scene,” she whispers to me as we advance down the red carpet.
Someone more famous than us arrives and thankfully, the photographers’ attention moves behind us.
“Wasn’t that your date at my brother’s wedding?” Victoria asks as she points toward a crowd of good looking people by the fence.
I laugh when I see who it is. It’s Brooke. She’s there with a few friends, posing for the cameras. She looks right at home in the spotlight. She’s always wanted to be a famous actress and right now, that’s exactly what she looks like.
“That’s my younger sister,” I say with my nose scrunched up. “You thought she was my date?!”
Victoria laughs. “Maybe a little.”
I bring her over to Brooke and I’m so proud to show her off.
“Look at you guys,” Brooke says as she smoothes out my lapel with her hand. “I must admit I do have some good taste. And look at you, Miss Brown! I love that gold dress!”
“Please call me Victoria. And thank you. I love your outfit too.”
I stand back and watch as the two women in my life chat about fashion. It’s clear that Brooke is way out of Victoria’s league when it comes to clothes and designers, but she’s trying to keep up, which I love.
“I’ll see you guys inside,” Brooke says when we’re ready to go in. “Enjoy the show!”
“She’s nice,” Victoria says as we walk into the building.
I’m glad they’re starting on the right foot. If I have my way, they’ll be sisters-in-law one day soon.
Victoria stops when we step inside and her whole body goes rigid.
“Are you okay?” I ask, turning to look at her.
Her face is pale and her mouth is hanging open.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Chapter Four
Victoria
It’s way worse than I thought.
My brother is out of control. There must be two thousand people here and they all seem to be holding a glass or two of expensive champagne.
“Shrimp?” a beautiful blonde wearing furry lingerie and bunny ears asks me as she holds out her tray full of shrimp.
“Why not?” I ask as I take the largest shrimp I’ve ever seen. “I’m paying twenty-six thousand dollars for it.”
I dip it in the cocktail sauce and the gorgeous waitress scampers away with a furry bunny tail bouncing on the top of her ass.
I have to give Westin some serious points. He didn’t look at her once. It’s like he’s only got eyes for me.
“How is it?” he asks after I swallow my first bite.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” I say,
nodding in disbelief. He grabs us two champagne flutes off another bunny’s tray as I finish the sucker off.
“What kind of champagne is this?” I ask the bunny before she leaves.
“Special edition Diamonde,” she says with a smile. “Mr. Brown had it specially made for this party.”
“Of course he did,” I say as I down half of it. I’d gulp the whole glass down but it probably costs the weekly salary of one of my workers (plus the bubbles are burning the inside of my nose).
“I see what you mean about your brother,” Westin says as he looks around at the enormous displays of roses twisting up to the high ceilings. “Your father would not have approved of this.”
“Nope,” I say with a shake of my head. “Even when my father was a multi-millionaire, we still lived in the house that he grew up in. He could have afforded to live anywhere, but he kept us in the suburbs around the ‘salt of the earth type of people’ that he grew up with. He didn’t want us living with materialistic snobs who bought their kids Ferraris on their sixteenth birthdays and looked down on everyone else who didn’t.”
“Talk about your ultimate backfire,” Westin says as someone in a top hat walks by.
I burst out laughing, nearly spitting my champagne out all over him. “Yeah, I don’t think his plan worked out too well.”
Gabriel always wanted to be in with the rich crowd, I just didn’t realize how much until now.
Westin’s hand finds the small of my back and I get shivers all over even though he’s only touching my dress. We start walking through the crowd and my eyes start wandering around, trying to find my brother.
Westin on the other hand is only focused on me. There are gorgeous people all around us. Models, actresses, playboy bunnies/waitresses, and he’s not looking at any of them.
No man has ever made me feel so beautiful before. I feel like I’m the only girl in the world according to him.
I like it. I like him.
I just wish our first date wasn’t somewhere that’s making me feel ill. One more thing my brother is ruining for me.
Love At First Touch Page 2