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“Quiet,” I snap, just to make her stop talking even though I barely registered what she was talking about in the first place.
Looking close to hysterical, a verbal waterfall starts coming out of her mouth. “Mr. Smith, I’ve never told you this but everyone thinks you’re a catch. I k...know you can be ruthless but any woman, like my daughter for instance would be lucky to have you, earn that soft spot of yours...
“The hell are you blabbing on about?” I grunt, barely even listening. “I don’t have a damn soft spot.” My jaw starts working again, my brows curving over my eyes. “Except for the one reserved for Nell.” And she didn’t even have to earn it. She had it the minute our gazes met.
“Sir, you are making a mistake...,” my secretary pants when I swipe my head around.
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” I say in a low voice but threatening enough to make her scram and leave me alone with agonizing thoughts about Nell being in danger. Finishing drink after drink, I vaguely notice my surroundings turning blurry.
The sparkling light from the chandelier starts bothering me, giving me a headache. Women in gowns throw me plasticky smiles, clutching to the arms of men in tuxedos who raise their champagne glasses my way, but I don’t bother raising mine back.
More cars are coming up my driveway, limos, Bentleys, Spyder’s belonging to people I do business with but right now I want to tell everyone to fuck right off.
I won’t be able to relax, until I know that Nell is safe.
Someone tugs on my arm and I turn, only to see Lulu.
“Big Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Skipper,” she says, shoving at a guy to stand in front of me.
“Mr. Smith it’s an honor to meet you,” the lanky boy says, reaching his hand out but I brush him off focusing on Lulu.
“Have you seen Nell?” I ask in a tense voice and she looks at me with narrowed, black liner drawn eyes.
“No. I haven’t,” she says. “And I don’t want to talk about her.” She inspects her nails. “Frankly, I don’t know why you always keep talking about her.”
“Because I care about her,” I snap and Lulu gasps. “Do you understand that?” I pound my fist over my heart. “I. Care. About. Her.”
“Big Daddy, you’re lying,” Lulu insists, looking like she’s close to having one of her tantrums. “You don’t even have it in you to care this much.”
I thought so too. But Nell has brought it out of me. She’s managed to find something cold and numb within me and turn it into something warm and made it come alive.
“I can’t lose her,” I tell Lulu. “If I lose her, I’ll be lost myself.”
“That’s the alcohol talking,” Lulu says, clasping my arm and she rattles it. “Please let it be the alcohol.”
“It’s not, it’s the honest truth,” I say grabbing another drink and Lulu lets out a curse then drags her boyfriend out on the dancefloor where she proceeds with giving him orders on exactly how to move.
Sometimes I worry about her. I really do.
“Did you find her?” I bark at one of my security guards who walks up to me but he shakes his head. The disappointment makes me see red and I swing at him, my knuckles meeting his jaw. “Said I want her found!” I bellow and the music stops.
Someone snaps a picture in my face and I blink, furiously lashing out with my hand and the camera topples.
My guests stop dancing, everyone looking at me and the security guard swipes his hand over his cracked lip. I know my eyes probably are bloodshot and I know I look like the monster, they all say that I am. They don’t know how to deal with me. Only Nell does.
And she’s not here.
Clasping my secretary’s arm, I hiss in her ear, “Get everyone the fuck out of here.”
“B...but sir...?” she protests in confusion.
“Now!” I snap, walking up the staircase up to my office and I pace back and forth and I’m so drunk, I can barely walk in a straight line, Picking up my phone, I dial the number to my main security guard, snapping, “Found anything yet?”
“Nothing” he responds, “we’ve searched the grounds...”
I hang up, rage filling me, transforming me and I decide to take matters into my own hands. Starting from the bottom in my now guest free house, I turn everything upside down, no holding back. Objects fly, doors are slammed and I roar her name down the never ending hallways.
The staff stays out of my sight, terrified of me and when my eyes land on Nell’s empty bed, newfound rage rises in me. I’m willing to work like a damn slave for that trophy between her legs and I don’t take my prize being taken away from me lightly.
