CHAPTER TEN
Nervously, I downed the glass of champagne, enjoying the sensation of the bubbles. I was glad for the warm feeling that spread across my chest, calming me down.
I continued to walk around the ballroom, feeling horribly out of place. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. I wasn’t cut out for this stuff. I wasn’t the beautiful woman that walked around, flaunting her stuff. I could never picture myself as one of those naked women, serving champagne. What if they wanted me to work as one of them? I blushed at the thought, gravitating toward a corner.
What was I supposed to do? I was just about to sit down when a handsome older gentleman with gray hair walked up to me. “Hello.” He said, his voice husky as he got inappropriately close to me. “I couldn’t help but notice you across the room…” He had pushed me against the wall, his hand on the side of my head, keeping me pinned without actually touching me. “And I must say, you’re the most ravishing creature I have ever seen…” His face got even closer to mine and I felt my breath catch in my throat. “I must know your name.” His blue eyes blazed with passion as he grinned, sending a shiver running right through me.
“E-E-Estella,” I told him, feeling shy all of a sudden. I noticed his eyes travel down to my cleavage and I felt my cheeks turn even redder.
“That’s a beautiful name… do you mind if I call you Stella?” He asked, pinning a strand of my black hair behind my ear. “You have the most beautiful hair…” He cooed. “And you smell divine.”
Even though some of his comments were a tad creepy, I was starting to warm up to him. There was just something about this man that screamed confidence. I liked that he was being dominant with me. I smiled up at him, timidly resting my hand on his chest. Before coming here, I had read up on Breslyn’s. Apparently, the more interest I piqued throughout the mingling event, the better my chances were at the auction. If I wanted to help my mother, I had to do this. I had to act like all those other girls if I wanted to do well.
I batted my eyelashes at him, my smile deepening. “Would you care to tell me your name, handsome?” I lowered my voice to a sensual tone, hoping it would turn him on. I could see the passion flash across his eyes.
“Thomas Mopother.”
My eyes grew wide, giving away my surprise. He was a well-known playboy billionaire. I had seen him on the cover of Gentleman’s Affairs quite a few times while browsing the magazines at the grocery store. I couldn’t believe my body was practically pressed against his.
“And it’s my pleasure to meet you, beautiful Stella.” He grabbed my hand, kissing it like an old-fashioned gentleman. I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped my lips.
Before Thomas could break away, another man approached, clearing his throat to get our attention.
“Don’t you think you ought to let other men get a shot at the most beautiful woman in the room? You can’t monopolize her like you did the oil industry.”
Thomas chuckled, straightening himself out. “I wasn’t monopolizing her, my dear boy. Just showing her my admiration.”
“That’s why you have her hidden in the corner, is it?” I glanced over Thomas’ shoulder to see another familiar face. He was Jason Louis, the famous pop singer from the 80s. My mother used to love him. He used to be my childhood crush while I was still in middle school. I couldn’t believe he was actually flirting with me. This couldn’t be real, right? This had to be some sort of a dream.
“Now move over.” Jason grabbed my hand and kissed it, just as Thomas did. Thomas laughed and walked away, quickly attaching himself to the next pretty girl, flirting with her as if it was his nature.
“You really are quite beautiful.” I felt like my whole face had turned into a bright red tomato. Here I was, standing right next to Jason Louis.
“T-Thank you…” I cursed myself for stuttering, but I just couldn’t help it. Jason was famous for only dating models and yet, here he was, flirting with me. Did he think I was a model? Plain, ol’, me?
He grabbed another glass of champagne from one of the naked waitresses and handed it to me. “Here, it looks like you need to unwind a bit. I can tell you’re new here.”
I nervously sipped at the drink, feeling embarrassed for looking so naïve. I wanted to ask him why he thought that, but I didn’t want to make an even bigger fool of myself.
“What do you say you and I go back to my room and we could have a bit of fun…” He grabbed a piece of my hair, spinning it on his finger, keeping me captive in his green eyes. I felt my knees go weak at his invitation. I couldn’t believe all the attention I was getting.
Suddenly, a large security guard appeared, clearing his throat. We both looked up at his serious face, wondering what was going on.
“Is there a problem?” Jason looked irritated that someone was interrupting his time with me. Somehow, during our conversation, his hand had wrapped around my waist. He pulled me closer, looking protective. I felt the weight of quite a few eyes on my shoulders. The glass of champagne felt heavy in my hand.
“I am sorry to interrupt –”
“You better be sorry. Can’t a man have a decent conversation with a beautiful woman?” I was actually shocked. I didn’t expect Jason to be so rude.
“I am sorry.” The guard said through gritted teeth. “But Victoria would like to have a word with Miss Ryder.”