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The first part of the evening had gone well so far. The night was still going to be long. And he had other things to attend to. Still, he would be handing out several prestigious scholarships later, then he would leave. He looked over to the far corner and saw that his grandfather was having a great time, dancing with his young fiancée. Antonio’s stomach clenched.
Where was that woman?
Was she trying to avoid him?
Did Lucy think she was going to get out of his demands so easily? Antonio loved his grandfather, even though they didn’t always see eye-to-eye but he wasn’t about to lose him to some foolish, rushed, high-risk wedding to a young woman he barely knew. And Lucy Shillerton was going to make sure that didn’t happen. At this point he knew his grandfather would only listen to Lucy if she convinced him that he should hold off for now.
“You seem preoccupied, cuz. Got a lot on your mind, I see,” Lucas commented with a wine glass in his hand. He was gently swaying to the beat of the song and leering at the women as they brushed past the two men on the second level of the grand ballroom.
The dance had already begun and music was booming through the speakers as the live band played. Shortly before, Antonio and Lucas were discussing a potential merger plan with one of their offshore businesses.
Antonio breathed deeply. “I’ve always got business on my mind, Lucas. You should know me by now.” Antonio realized he sounded more agitated than he intended. A wave of apprehension swept over Antonio. Should he tell Lucas what was really bothering him?
“Oh, I get it,” Lucas said as he lifted his wine glass to his lips to take another taste. Antonio’s held his glass on the rail as he leaned against it and peered out at the guests. “You’re not thinking about that little missy from the agency, are you?” Lucas continued, gazing over the balcony. Lucas playfully gave a wink to a young woman walking by who met his gaze. She seemed to have gushed and smiled at him then waved. Antonio noticed Lucas never missed an opportunity to flirt. No matter what the occasion was.
“Now what makes you think I’m thinking about Lucy?”
“Well, for one thing, you didn’t say ‘that girl’ like you would often say. You used her name.”
“And your point?” Antonio quizzed as he lifted his wine glass to his lips.
“My point is, cuz, she’s the first woman I know you’ve been so preoccupied with and you haven’t even slept with her.”
“How would you know that?” Antonio was trying hard to hide his agitation with his young playboy cousin.
“I know. Besides, you don’t usually see them afterwards. You avoid them like the plague.”
Antonio was glad no one else was around to hear their conversation. “You really don’t know me that well, Lucas. For one thing, I always let a woman know upfront that there will be no relationship. It is their problem if they persist after the fact.”
“Oh, you are good, cuz. Really good. But I know when you’ve fallen for one.”
“I don’t think you do. I’m more concerned right now about getting our grandfather away from the clutches of that opportunist nurse of his, and Lucy seems to have the right influence on getting him to come to his senses. Nothing more. Nothing less.” Antonio was getting ready to walk away from the conversation. He felt heated up under his dinner jacket.
Antonio proceeded to walk towards the short staircase to the lower level of the ballroom when his breath ceased.
Lucy Shillerton.
CHAPTER TEN
Antonio didn’t even bother to look at his cousin, whom he could see from the corner of his eye looking where his gaze was fixated. Lucas looked from Lucy to Antonio then back to Lucy with his mouth open. So what? Antonio didn’t care how foolish he might look at that moment or how awestruck he appeared. The truth stood that he was awestruck. And it took a lot to get that sort of reaction from him.
My God! This woman has been transformed.
She is a goddess.
Antonio felt the mild twitch in his groin. A surge of heat raced through his body. A grin of amusement touched his lips as he watched Lucy make her way through the ballroom looking lost, unsure of herself. She looked like a beautiful homecoming queen yet she did not exhibit any of that confidence.
