A woman like you… deserves to be understood, cherished, adored… worshipped.
Hiswords rang in my head, and I blushed heavily as I tried to push him out of mind. Beckham wasdangerous. He was conniving, dominant, seductive… Everything about his nature screamed danger in the face of a woman trying to hold her marriage together.
“Rosenna,” I heard from downstairs, and I grabbed my clutch as I walked out of our bedroom door and went down the steps.
Gavin gave me a head-to-toe glance and clenched his jaw. “Ready?”
I nodded, grabbing his hand as he led us out to his car.
When we made it to the event, Gavin went by valet parking, and Kira immediately ripped open the passenger side door and checked my hair, makeup, and nails.
She looked absolutely stunning but was focused on ensuring I looked presentable.
“Is this really necessary?” Gavin said, irritated.
I shrugged as Kira opened my clutch and grabbed my lip gloss. I never asked her to do all that she did; she was just the sort of perfectionist who wanted everything to be done a certain way.
“It is if you don’t want my foot up your ass,” she muttered, concentrating on her task at hand. My eyes widened as she carefully placed the gloss on my lips. Noticing my expression, she smiled harmlessly as she looked over to him, her tone perking up. “Kidding! Love you, Gav. Should be only a sec.”
He stepped out of the car, annoyed.
Kira looked back over to me and rolled her eyes. “You know I’m not kidding.”
She put away the lip gloss and fluffed my hair a bit, then held my hand for me to step out. As I stood, she fixed my dress, and Gavin waited impatiently.
“Cheer up, Gav!” She advised, “No need to be so grumpy. Now, Rose, smile. All the time. We’re going to find Vincent, give him a good laugh or two, and let him walk you around the room to introduce you to some people. We may be at a charity event, but we still need to make a profit. Catch my drift?”
“You are absolutely insane,” Gavin muttered.
I had to hold back my laugh as I nodded, listening to the woman beside me, who basically had dollar signs for eyes.
We entered the building, and it was stunning—decadent, but not in a flashy way. I’ve always admired architectural integrity, and here, every inch demanded attention.
The ceilings arched high above us, adorned with intricate carvings that framed crystal chandeliers. Along the walls, delicate sculpted flowers bloomed from the stone. Even in its age, the structure felt alive.
A few heads had turned to look at us as we walked, and we heard a man’s familiar voice as he excused himself from the group he was talking to.
“Just a moment, gentlemen. Rosenna, darling, I’m so glad you could make it,” Vincent said with a smile, though he and I both knew I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. “Kira, sweetheart, you look incredible. The both of you look absolutely stunning.”
I smiled, letting out a small laugh. “Thank you for having us, Mr. Garcia.”
“The pleasure is all mine…” His attention turned to Gavin. “I don’t believe we’ve officially met yet. Vincent Garcia.” He held his hand out.
Gavin cleared his throat. “Gavin Johnson. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
Mr. Garcia nodded but gave me a side glance as if he’d confirmed something… and I knew exactly what it was.Gavin and I didn’t share a last name.If it were up to me, I would have changed my last name to his in a heartbeat… but when we’d gotten married, Gavin wasn’t too keen on changing last names just yet, said we needed more time. Five years later, people still ask how I still refer to myself as Ms. Hart even though I’m married.
“Rosenna, I have a few of my associates I’d like to introduce you to, and—oh, Kira darling? The event planner has been rather inconsistent today. My assistant is having a bit of trouble coordinating everything. If you could, would you stop over by the end of the stage and make sure everything is all right for me?”
She nodded. “Of course, sir.”
His smile grew further. “You’re such a doll. Thank you.”
We went our separate ways. I looked over to Vincent as we walked before I shook my head. “I have the feeling you may be trying to steal Kira away from me, Mr. Garcia.”
“Of course I am, darling. She’s wonderful to work with and can do almost everything… but I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll only steal her occasionally.” He winked, and I laughed. Gavin remained silent.
“Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Rosenna. She’s the businesswoman I told you about along with her very persistent assistant.”
