Chapter Two

 

Gavin

 

Stella was a beautiful woman, and after only a week with Isabella, she’d proven to be a very wise choice on my part.

I watched her with my daughter, how she lovingly attended to her every need. She would be an amazing mother one day. Isabella was lucky to have her.

“There is a charity event this evening,” I said, realizing I hadn’t given her much warning.

Her bright-green eyes widened as she stared across the breakfast table in my direction. “Tonight?” she asked.

“Yes. I apologize for the late invitation. This is an event for a client, and I just found out myself,” I assured her.

She nodded, but I could tell she was nervous. I wondered if she’d ever been to a formal event before, and if not, how would she act?

“I’ll have Stephanie from my office help you with all the last-minute details,” I said, pushing my coffee mug to my lips.

My eyes lifted over the mug, watching her push her scrambled eggs across the plate. Her nails were painted pink, not professionally, and not well. Her hair was long, blonde, but not styled, and she didn’t seem to wear much makeup, not that she needed it on any other occasion, but tonight would be special. This was the first public outing, the one where she’d be introduced as my girlfriend. I needed it to be perfect. I needed her to be perfect. “She’ll arrange an appointment at the spa,” I said, scooting my chair back and standing to leave.

“What about Isabella?” she asked, her eyes filled with a genuine concern.

“I’ll make arrangements for her to get home, and to have someone stay with her,” I assured her.

“A new woman?” Stephanie pried as I gave her the assignment of handling Stella’s needs.

I smiled, but didn’t answer. Speaking about my personal life wasn’t something I did at the office, or anywhere. Stephanie knew enough. She didn’t need to know more.

“I’ll handle it,” she promised, and then slipped out of my office.

I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. This wasn’t the first time I’d taken a woman to a formal event. There was just something different about Stella. I hadn’t even tried to sleep with her yet, even though there were nights my dick was so hard I could barely sleep beside her.

She was sweet, a little naïve, and always seemed nervous when I was around. I promised I wouldn’t make her do anything she didn’t want, but I wasn’t sure how long I could wait for her to warm up to me.

Stephanie informed me that Stella was being properly taken care of, and hinted around for me to give her details about the new mystery woman in my life.

“I’m gonna take off early,” I laughed, ignoring Stephanie’s sleek form standing in front of my desk.

“Have a good time tonight,” she said, her bright-red lips parted and sensuous.

I knew she was after me, and had been ever since I hired her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t attractive; hell, my dick stiffened every time she bent over. I wasn’t willing to involve myself in anything messy. That’s why Stella was so important. It was all the benefits, with none of the mess. Isabella didn’t need to see anymore dysfunction in her life than she already had. Every time I looked at Stephanie’s perfectly manicured nails, I pictured them digging into my flesh in anger. I knew I was busy, too busy for a real relationship. It pissed women off, made them jealous, and jealous women had a tendency to create drama.

I snuck out of the office, slipped into my black Porsche, and drove home. My mind was on women. I missed the touch of a woman, and I knew if Stella didn’t warm up soon, I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. I made sure there was nothing in the agreement that stopped me from visiting a female friend late at night for benefits not received at home. Still, I didn’t want to. The risk of being caught meant that Isabella would possibly find out. That was a risk I wasn’t willing to take, at least not yet.

The house was quiet when I entered. Isabella was outside, swimming while the sitter watched. I slid upstairs, pushed through my bedroom doors, and noticed the gorgeous red gown spread out on the bed. There wasn’t any sign of Stella, so I began to undress. I assumed she was still out, working on her last minute touches since I wasn’t due home for another hour.

I slipped out of my clothes, and stretched in front of the mirror. Yeah, I still got it!

Going to the gym twice a week was really paying off. I looked better at thirty-eight than I had at twenty-eight.

I grabbed my towel from the back of the closet door, loosely wrapped it around my hips, and pushed open the bathroom door.

Stella stood there, her frame long and lean, covered only by sheer white panties. Her breasts were small, but displayed a perkiness I loved. My eyes lingered on her hips, wide, but lean. My dick reacted with a quick jump beneath the towel as blood rushed between my legs. My balls clenched upward, tightening against my body as she jumped, covering her breasts with beautiful, manicured hands. The pink polish matched the color of her nipple, sending more blood to my member than I could control.

My towel flinched as my own hand gripped at the material to hold it in place. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were home yet,” I apologized.

She didn’t speak. She just stood there, her hands covering her breasts, and her red-painted lips parted, quickly matching the color of her blushing cheeks.

“I was just hopping in the shower,” I said, suddenly calmed, turned-on, and relentlessly after a reaction.

My hand released its grip on the towel it held in place, letting it drop to the floor. Her eyes drifted immediately to my cock, half-hard, but still impressive. I watched her carefully, looking for a green light to make my move without receiving one. Her eyes quickly moved back up my body, only making contact with mine briefly before landing on the floor. “I’ll let you get ready,” she mumbled, sliding past me, her hand brushing my chest as she passed.

I slid into the shower, turned the water to cold, and tried to shake off the tension created between my legs and in my mind. Fuck, she was gorgeous.

Blood slowly left my member as the cool water rolled down my face, my chest, and my legs. Even if she had given me the green light, tonight wasn’t the night. It was too romantic, being out in public, dressed in formal attire. It would feel like a date, possibly confuse her—or myself, for that matter. Tonight was pretend. There was no need to confuse reality and make-believe.

“Are you decent?” I asked before opening the bathroom door to enter the bedroom.

“Yes,” she replied softly.

I opened the door to find her standing there in front of the large mirror. The red gown that was on the bed now flowed along her body, clinging to all the right parts.   The long slit in the side ran up her leg, offering a sneak peek at her smooth, tan skin. The back was open, revealing the most sensual part of a woman: the arch just above her tailbone. “You look amazing,” I gasped.

She blushed. I loved that she seemed not to realize the full extent of her beauty, or its impact on men.

“Thank you,” she replied.

Her makeup was applied professionally, perfectly, and her hair styled in a loose up-do that showed off the long line of her neck. I couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect woman in my dreams.

Our driver arrived, whisked us away to the banquet hall, and I proudly walked into the room with Stella on my arm.

She was impressive, not showing any signs of nerves amongst the other guests, even though I knew she must have been a wreck on the inside.

“How did you two meet?” Jack, an associate, asked.

I was debating on throwing out the original story I’d mentioned, figuring she hadn’t had time to prepare. “I was spending time in Barcelona, soaking up inspiration for my art, when Gavin walked into my favorite coffee shop,” Stella said without hesitation.

My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as she continued to give details about the coffee shop, and how she’d declined my advances. That wasn’t part of the story I’d given her, but the way she told it, I believed it happened.

“He showed up there the next two days in a row. Finally, I couldn’t resist. Although, if truth be told, I fought to say no to his first offer,” she smiled in my direction as she spoke.

The topic quickly jumped from how we met to interest in Stella’s work. She spoke so eloquently about her passion that anyone near was immediately sucked into her words.

We danced, ate, and Stella wowed anyone I introduced her to, except Stephanie, whose red nails were sharp as razors, and out for blood. Yeah, I was glad I dodged that bullet. It was obvious she could be one wildly jealous woman.

“Barcelona?” Stephanie interrupted Stella from her story.

She nodded and smiled.

“I spent time there last year. Where did you stay?” she asked, her tone sopping with sarcasm.

“I spent most of my time on the sea, but I did stay in La Rambla for several months,” Stela replied without hesitation.

“So, you are familiar with Palau de la Musica Catalina?” she asked.

It was obvious she was trying to stump her, not believing the backstory I’d created for her. I gripped her arm tightly, pulled her in close. “Can I steal you away for a moment?” I asked, eyeing Stephanie with a disgusted glare.

“Yes, of course. I was honored with tickets to see Leonidas Kavakos and Enrico Pace. The hall was beautiful,” Stella responded.

I smiled at Stephanie, who now doubted her own doubt. I pulled Stella away, whispered, “You’re amazing,” in her ear, and spun her onto the dance floor.

“I knew I better do my homework,” she giggled, snuggling her face into my neck.

Her moves were as graceful as her demeanor, pulling the attention of every man in the place to us.

It was a perfect night.