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His gaze fell to her cleavage and he throbbed. She was arousing him right there on the dance floor in the presence of hundreds of guests. Heat continued to race through him. He had a sense of urgency to pull her into his arms right there and then and make passionate love to her.
He noticed out the corner of his eye that Mariam’s posture had changed to rigid but he chose to ignore it. “Oh,” Mariam seemed to have snarled, curling up her lip.
“Lucy, good to see you!” Antonio’s voice was reserved. “You look beautiful. Stunning.”
“Thank you,” Lucy murmured.
“Mariam, this is Lucy Shillerton,” Antonio continued with a tone of authority.
“Yes, I know. From that marriage agency.” Mariam seemed annoyed more than anything. Antonio was getting impatient with his so-called loyal assistant. Why was Mariam reacting to Lucy that way? In fact, if Antonio could remember correctly, she would always react that way to any dazzling female he would introduce to her, whether in a business setting or social situation. Perhaps he should be looking for another assistant.
“Actually, it’s a dream wedding planning agency,” Lucy corrected with a hint of humility. She seemed to flush at that moment. Was she embarrassed or nervous? Antonio wondered as his gaze continued to enjoy the sight before him. She radiated vitality that enticed him. There was just something about her that resonated with him and that pleased him very much.
“Yes, of course.” Mariam paused for a moment and as if eyeing her up and down surreptitiously she moved in closer to Lucy.
“Oh, wait a minute,” Mariam said as she reached into her satin clutch purse and pulled out a handkerchief. She then moved closer to Lucy’s hemline near her bosom. “Oh there,” she said wiping something off, perhaps an imaginary stain.
Antonio held Mariam’s arm and gently pulled her back. “I believe you will be making an announcement soon,” Antonio said with an underlying chill.
Mariam flushed. “Yes, Antonio. I…I’ll be going then. Nice to meet you, Lucy.” Mariam made her way through the crowd.
“I apologize for my assistant or soon-to-be former assistant’s behavior,” Antonio murmured. “She’s apparently a little insecure at times.”
“Oh, no worries. Actually, I didn’t notice anything strange. She seems really helpful.”
Antonio could tell Lucy was embarrassed by her expression and redness of her cheeks. But her reaction brought a delightful warmth to him. Lucy. Had. Class!
She certainly knew how to brush off an embarrassing situation and let it slide off like water off a recently waxed car. Antonio was becoming more fascinated by Lucy each and every time he met her. He was always a good judge of character and the way a person reacted in a negative situation spoke more volume than the way he reacted in a positive one.
It wasn’t how you treat your friends that makes you a powerful person, it’s the way you treat your enemies—with compassion. That revealed a lot about a person’s heart.
Just then a ballad began to blaze through the speakers and many guests took to the center of the dance floor.
“May I have this dance?” Antonio asked Lucy.
Lucy hesitated. “I…I’ve never danced like…um…in this situation…in a formal…”
Antonio grinned. “Don’t worry,” he teased her, “we’re not doing the waltz. I’ll take the lead, just follow.”
Lucy’s heart thumped erratically. She was all thumbs or toes when it came to dancing, even slow dancing. Heck, she really didn’t think she would have to dance at the Diamond Ball. What if she tripped over her floor-length gown and ripped the seams off and had to have Mariam come rushing to the rescue with her needle and thread that was probably stashed away in her clutch purse?
Breathe deeply, Lucy. It’s only a dance.
But that wasn’t the only thing that was making her heartbeat thump hard in her throat.
Antonio Romero.
My God!
She was getting up close and personal with the most eligible bachelor at the ball! He asked her to dance. Her!
After fretting she heard the song playing. It was that beautiful ballad again, “Lost in Your Eyes,” by Debbie Gibson. What an uplifting love song. The melody was one of the prettiest she’d ever heard. If that sultry serenade couldn’t tame a beast, Lucy didn’t know what could.
