Chapter Seventeen
Trace
She’s fucking beautiful.That was all I could think when I saw Cierra walk into the launch party. At that moment, I wanted to storm over there, grab her by the waist, and fuck her over the nearest table just to get some relief from the ridiculous tension that’d been plaguing me for the past few weeks. I wanted her so badly that I could almost taste her sweet mouth on mine, the tingle of champagne on her lips from the glass she grabbed as soon as she’d entered the room.
But then Victoria appeared at my side, and I was snapped back to the reality of the conversation I was having with the painfully dull journalists who’d cornered me as soon as they arrived, peppering me with questions about the company and the product. I forced myself to return my attention to them, knowing it was the right thing to do, but damn if it wasn’t difficult to keep my mind off the way Cierra’s curves looked in that dress, or the way her swooped-up hair exposed her delicate neck and that sexy-as-hell tattoo.
As the journalists droned on, I peeked over at Cierra, wondering if she’d noticed me, but it didn’t look like it. Or maybe she had and was just ignoring me like she’d done all week. Each time I looked at her, she had a group of attentive men around her, and the way she cocked her head and laughed while batting her eyes was pissing me off big-time. I didn’t know what I expected—she was gorgeous, after all, and I couldn’t have been the only one to notice that—but seeing her flirting like that made my blood boil.
“When do we get to have a go on those phones?” one of the writers in front of me asked, nodding toward the cells trapped under glimmering glass cases.
“Later in the night,” I replied. “They’ll come out soon, don’t worry.”
“I can’t wait.” Victoria grinned as she touched her pearl and diamond necklace. I had to admit that she looked stunning, and I noticed several men giving her the once-over as we walked through the crowd.
We’d agreed to go as friends to the launch, but when I picked her up, hope shimmered in her eyes as she looked at me with a nervous smile on her face. My stomach had dropped at once, and I regretted not going stag. When Victoria asked me to take her to the event, I’d agreed because I didn’t want to be bothered by women all night. Arrogant? Yeah, I was, but women did flock to me like flies to honey. I also thought I owed it to her since I’d taken off on her a couple of weeks before.
It would’ve been a lot easier if I were attracted and obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. There wasn’t any chemistry, not like there was with Cierra. I shook my head and glanced at Cierra again. The sparks were always sizzling between us, and that was pretty amazing. I’d never felt anything like it with any woman before. I’d had chemistry with other chicks I’d dated and screwed over the years, but it was purely sexual. With Cierra, it was more; it was deeper, more intense, and totally addictive.
One of the journalists started telling some story about another launch she’d been to a few weeks before, and I was glad for the chance to tune out again and let my mind drift in the direction of Cierra once more. She was nibbling on an hors d’oeuvre when she glanced in my direction, and I held her gaze until she slid it over to Victoria and then back again to me. We stood locked in our intensity, as if no one was in the room but us. My cock moved as desire began to flood my body. A small crease had crossed her brow when she saw Victoria, but Cierra was the only woman in the room I wanted to pay attention to, the only one I wanted to kiss, and the only one my cock was aching to be inside. She blinked once and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her back arching a little and her ass sticking out, just like it had that night I’d seen her bent over the bar at Beta. I felt something stir deep inside me, and then Paul came over, practically mauling her. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled as I stiffened.
“…so I guess I kind of expected something similar to that,” the journalist finished up, shrugging, apparently realizing that along the way she’d lost everyone listening.
“That’s interesting,” I managed. “This is my first big launch as CEO, so I’m just hoping everyone has a good time.” I took a deep sip of my red wine.
“I certainly am.” Victoria nudged me and I shot her a smile, then looked over at Cierra again.What the fuck is that asshole doing?Seeing Paul’s arm around her was like red to a bull. She looked damn uncomfortable too.Bastard.
“Will you excuse me one moment?” I smiled politely at the people around me, and they nodded. I strode off, downing the last of my wine, the alcohol pulsing around my head, the sight of Paul touching Cierra infuriating me. I couldn’t cause a scene, but I was stopping that shit. Now.
Then I was behind her and she fell into me once again, and I remembered what Sheila had told me. Maybe she was right and itwasfate. She looked up at me, her mouth slightly parted, and I had to fight the urge to grab her by the chin and push my tongue inside. We exchanged pleasantries that didn’t mean anything; there was so much unspoken between us. Paul had the damn nerve to wrap his arm around her again, and I was ready to intervene when Cierra smiled and fucking flirted with him. Thinking it was better that I leave than bust the jerk’s lip, I went back to Victoria, vowing to stop acting like a horny teenager and more like a mature CEO.
A few more glasses of wine later, I glanced over but Cierra wasn’t there. I scanned the crowd but didn’t see her.
“Aren’t we going to get something to eat?” Victoria asked, tilting her head toward the buffet table.
As we made our way over to stand in the long line, I kept searching for Cierra but she was nowhere in the room.
“There’s already a huge buzz about the event on social media,” Lindsey said as she and her husband, Bob, joined us in line.
“That’s cool. Have you seen Cierra?” I asked.
“Not in a while. She’s around.”
“No, she isn’t. I’ve been looking for her. Do you think she went home?”
Lindsey shook her head. “I doubt it. She’s been swamped with people all night, so she probably just went out for a breather.” She took a plate and handed one to Bob.
“Outside?”
“On the patio. Here, honey, try some of the smoked salmon. Richard said it’s very good.” She put a couple slices on his plate.
“Where’s the patio?” I asked as I put a scoop of tomato salad on my plate.
Bob pointed to a set of French doors. “Out there.”
I stared through the windows on the doors, trying to see if I could find Cierra in the moonlight.
“Aren’t you going to take any of the salmon?” Lindsey asked me as she piled it high on her plate.
