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Aidan nods. “And then after the boring speeches, some dancing.” He looks at me. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.”
Pushing Landon and Ava out of my mind, I give Aidan a grin. “Game on.”
They announce dinner soon after. We are all at the same table. Landon, me, Aidan, some members of the board of the Shelter Project and their partners and dates. Ava is with us also, but she’s alone.
She’s seated on Landon’s other side, like a constant reminder that she is one of the big unanswered questions in our relationship. I try not to bristle as she engages his attention again and again. Instead I concentrate on Aidan, listening to his jokes, and joining him in conversation with some of the others on the table.
After dinner, Landon goes up to give a short speech about the Gold Dust, the history and the refurbishment, and his decision to work with the Shelter Project. He mentions some of their successes around the country, and how he hopes the gala would raise enough to make a real difference. There will be an auction, he announces, naming some of the exclusive items he and other sponsors of the Shelter Project have donated. He is in turn serious, then smiling, his voice low, almost sensual, with an appealing cadence that makes it impossible not to listen to him.
I watch him with rapt attention, unable to look away. I want to tell myself that he’s mine. I want to believe it. I want it to be true with every single fiber of my being.
“He’s wonderful isn’t he?” Ava leans over Landon’s seat towards me, her voice a low murmur only I can hear.
I contemplate her face for a short moment. “You already know that,” I reply.
She chuckles, then looks over at Landon. “How do you women bear it? Holding on to him, even when you know that at best it’s only for a little while, and soon you’ll have to let him go.”
I look her squarely in the eyes. “How did you bear it?”
Her smile widens. It’s a self-satisfied, almost catlike smile. “Oh, it was never like that with us. He was so in love with me. I suspect he still is. No matter how many times I walked away from him, he always came for me. I believe I broke his heart when I eloped for my first marriage, but the reunion after my divorce…” She chuckles. “It was worth it. It’s been worth it every time to come back to find him still waiting.”
Still waiting. It made sense. Maybe I had been wrong to imagine that he didn’t commit to the women before me because of some aversion to love, because of the scars from his childhood. Maybe he’d simply been waiting for the woman he really loved.
My eyes go to Landon on the stage. He’s still talking, but his eyes are on me. My heart tightens, with desire, hopelessness, love… I swallow. “Good for you,” I tell Ava, my voice slightly shaky. The room erupts into applause as Landon finishes his speech and hands the podium over to one of the board members of the charity.
There are more speeches, then the auction. A musician has donated a private concert, someone else a cask of rare wine. Landon’s donation is a special edition chronograph which goes for more than a million dollars.
When the auctions are over, the music kicks up a notch, and Aidan takes my hand. “Still up for the challenge?” he asks.
“Of course.” I follow him away from the tables. A pop singer is doing a rendition of one of her hits over the sound of the orchestra, and on the dance floor guests are already moving to the music. I follow Aidan’s lead, responding to his catchy exuberance and letting go of my inhibitions.
“Wow,” he says after three songs. “You could dance circles around some professionals on Broadway.”
“Oh, you flatter me sir,” I reply theatrically. We both laugh. My laughter is cut short when I look back towards the tables and I see Landon and Ava, still seated. They’re leaning towards each other, talking.
Aidan follows the direction of my gaze. “She’s trying really hard,” he snorts.
I don’t reply. To me, it looks as if she really isn’t trying so hard. He’s there with her, after all. I grab a flute of champagne from a passing server and down large gulp.
“Another dance?” I ask Aidan, my voice bright.
“Anything you want.”
Landon cuts in a few minutes into our dance, just as the singer starts a slow, soulful rendition of one of her hits. Aidan hands me over to his brother with a cheerful nod and disappears into the party.
Landon’s hands encircle my waist, and I place my hands on his shoulders, trying and failing to make myself immune to his raw sensuality. We’re barely moving, just swaying gently to the mellow music.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks.
I shrug. “Aidan has been excellent company.”
It’s a dig, and he recognizes it. His lips lift in a small smile. “I’m glad you two like each other.”
“What’s not to like? You know I think he’s great.”
He nods, and I look away from his face, ignoring the temptation to lean into him and place my head on his chest. To feel his warmth and the steady rhythm of his heart, to close my eyes and immerse myself in him alone.
I hear him breathe and feel his chest expand. “Rachel,” he starts. “What happened earlier in the suite…”
