Page 66 of House of Bass

“Okay.”

“That’s it?”

“Did you want me to say something specific?” he questions, still standing in front of me at his full height, his presence looming over me.

“I don't know,” I start, pretending to think about it. “Perhaps something along the lines of: Annabel you are beautiful, the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, you look spectacular,” I say, my voice dripping in sarcasm as I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant.

Leaning my head back in order to see his face, his familiar smirk plastered there and a twinkle in his eyes that suggests he had been teasing me. And there I am falling for it once again.

He starts leaning closer, steady and unwavering, uncrossing my legs in one fell swoop as he makes his way into the space they left open. “Annabel you are beautiful, the prettiest woman I’ve ever encountered,” repeating my words back to me in a manner in which has me hot all over. He is so close now, less than a breath apart from each other.

There is something sexy in the fact that he is doing this with the others less than two feet away. Anyone could come out and catch us at any moment, maybe that is part of the appeal. His eyes shift from my eyes to my lips then back down to my eyes, then his tongue swipes the bottom of my lip, and I have to restrain a moan from filling the room.

Frankly the control he has over me should be embarrassing, I move in the same direction he does. Entranced by his every move. Finally he says the last bit in a seductive whisper, “You are spectacular.”

His lips are on mine as soon as the words are uttered, not wasting a second longer. I savour every swipe of his tongue and nip of my lip. I realise he loves doing that. Biting. Like a dog trying to claim what is his. I lock my legs around his to draw him closer as each movement has a moan pulled out of me.

He gives me a quiet shh signaling me to keep my voice down, voices are nearing but he isn’t stopping. I don’t want him to.

If we aren’t careful we are going to end up undressed quicker than we had put the clothes on.

Once the voices near, he slowly pulls apart from me and I want to draw him back. I whimper. Like actually whimper . Not wanting to stop but circumstances not permitting us to carry on.

“I promise, we will continue.” He winks and smoothes down his outfit, holding his hand out to pull me up. He and I stare at one another, his hands feel right in mine like this is where it has always belonged. Possibly, I am still dazed from the kisses or I am having another momentary lapse of judgement, but even as I can hear the footsteps rounding the corner, I slap a quick peck on his lips.

And this stuns him momentarily. I turn to look at the others who have now rounded the corner, Dan raises an eyebrow at his best friend, “You good?”

Arden recovers and just nods at his friend. MJ walks into the room and holds her boyfriend’s hand, Stassie comes out wearing a brown ensemble including the vintage brown fur coat I found specifically for her. It looks effortless on her, as usual. She wears the clothes, they don’t wear her.

When everyone else has gone out the front door, just as I am about to exit myself, Harley emerges from her room, likely assuming we’ve finally all left. Her headphones in her ear and in pajamas.

She is semi stunned to still see me but promptly recoups, “We’re going out to eat,” I say awkwardly, still reeling in shame from how I acted yesterday. “Do you want to come?” I ask in the hopes that she’s forgiven me and is ready to let bygones be bygones.

However, she doesn’t grace me with a reply, and walks around the house doing miscellaneous things: shifting the vase on my table and pulling the flowers out of them, as though I haven’t said anything at all.

“We don't have all day!” I heard from someone, male. The impatient bastard.

“I’m coming, hold on!” I yell back.

Harley continues to give me nothing as she now trims the stem from a new set of flowers, and I stand there in the hopes she’ll say something but doesn’t. Once the air has gotten so stale and stifling I finally say, “We won't be back late. Bye.”

We arrive at the member’s club at noon, it doesn’t matter as brunch is served until at least two.

The place is once again quite busy. We sat at our regular table with ease and I hailed one of the servers to get me a drink. It is just past noon but it’s never too early for gin and tonic.

“Day drinking?” Arden says when I’m done and I glare at him. He was sitting directly opposite me.

“It's noon. I’m noon drinking.” I say, and then continue, “Why are you only picking on me? Everyone else ordered something too.”

“Don’t drag me into this.” MJ cuts in, pausing her conversation with Valentina Spinelli, who is on the table next to us with Wren.

“Everyone else doesn't have a drinking problem.”

“I do not have a problem.”

“When was the last time you had a drink, not including yesterday?”

I try to make up a lie, not trying to digest the fact that I have had a drink of some capacity every day for a while. I simply need it. It makes me less worried and I like not having to feel stressed about my life. There is too much happening right now that I am struggling with. The drink simply helps when the weight of the world is dragging me down.