AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Revealing and sexy, a perfect match for the black silk dress on top of the pile.
I got dressed with a renewed resolve burning beneath my skin – I wasn’t going to allow Liam to pull away. Living a loveless life was living a slow death. I was choosing happiness even if it came at the cost of future heartbreak.
When we got to the Ritz, everything looked like it came out of a fashion magazine. The décor, the setting, the people. Everything.
I thought I would feel misplaced, but Liam could make even the aridness of the moon feel like home. He kept touching me discreetly, whispering the names and positions of the people we met in my ear. His lips would sometimes purposely graze my skin, making me shiver under his warm breath.
There was always the comfort of his hand guiding me, on my back, on my waist, or on my hand. But still, there hadn’t been even so much as a whisper that didn’t relate to work.
Finger food danced its way through the large hall, followed by tall, crystal glasses of French champagne that was a little too bitter for my palate.
Everywhere I looked there were women dressed in haute couture, the high price tags evident on their perfect form and manicured nails. They were either models or lived like one. Not a hair out of place, their makeup as flawless as their noses.
I felt less.
How was it that the most handsome man in the whole room had me hanging on his arm when there was so much better to choose from?
My self-deprecation was cut short when a waiter stopped in front of us, a glass of something not bubbly placed in the center of his tray. “Your drink, Mr. Dornier.”
“Thank you,” Liam replied, taking the glass from the tray and handing it to me. “I believe that’s what you were drinking with Alison at the club. You seemed to like it.” I smiled at his thoughtfulness, taking a sip from the glass. “I like to see your nose all scrunched, but there’s no need to endure when you can appreciate.”
“You’re absolutely right, Mr. Dornier. Could you maybe do the same? Appreciate, I mean.” Liam looked at me puzzled, not sure what I meant. “Would you give me the pleasure of this dance?”
Liam’s lips spread into a blinding white smile, stretching out his hand in a silent request to take mine. But before I could take it, Liam’s eyes diverted over my shoulder, the cheerful glint giving way to something I couldn’t quite describe. Something I’d seen on his face only twice.
Bloodlust.
His shadows were pulling him under, fear making my body erupt into goosebumps. As an instinct, I turned around to see the source of the sudden change, the sinister stranger from the waiting room and his crooked smile chilling me down to my bones.
I heard Liam inhale sharply, and when I turned to him to avoid the man, his face had changed again. Now all I could see was a fake smile and a posture of forced formality.
“Mr. Mercier,” Liam greeted, his voice morphing to accommodate a hard, professional tone that hid the demons I’d seen just a second ago. “Thank you for your invitation.”
They shook hands vigorously, Liam’s jaw pulsing to the beat of his heart.
“This is Miss Jamie Harden. She’s the reason Verten’s project is as green as you’d requested it to be. Jamie, this is Mr. Mercier, Verten’s CEO.”
Fuck. Me!
This sinister creature before me had shivers running down my spine in a loop. He was thinner than I remembered him to be, his ice-blue eyes sunken deep into their purple sockets. He took my hand in his, placing a kiss on my knuckles, the clammy touch of his fingers on my skin churning my stomach in disgust.
I had no idea why I reacted this way to him. There had been nothing but caution and alert in my brain ever since I’d seen him sitting in that waiting room at AD.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss Harden. My men had spoken about the beauty of one of your collaborators, Liam, but their tales were far from reality. You are as breathtaking as this red rose, Miss Harden.” He took the flower from his lapel, handing it to me.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Mercier,” I replied, reminding myself that I needed to be as professional and polite as I could. But there was no easing my discomfort around this man.
“No work tonight, Liam. Please have a good time.” He smiled, making me hold back the shiver that grew at the nape of my neck. “I will be seeing you soon, Miss Harden. Maybe for a dance?”
Liam’s glower was fixated on me, taking a big gulp out of his glass of champagne while Mr. Mercier held my hand and made me twirl around as if we were dancing.
“I’m going to need something stronger,” Liam grunted as soon as Mr. Mercier left, pulling me along with him to the bar. “Fucking asshole.” He said with his jaw tightly clenched, his hand coming down onto the bar’s marble countertop like a sledgehammer.
I covered his clenched fist with my hand, plastering the most honest smile I could on my face. “Forget him.” I paused, watching as my touch slowly brought him back into the light. I wanted to ask why he got so worked up, but that would send him back to his murky shades.
“I’d still like to dance with you, though,” I said instead, my finger drawing circles on his skin while Liam poured a full glass of liquor down his throat.
He paused for a moment, reigning in his sour mood before replying with a smile, “Your wish is my command, Miss Harden.”
