Chapter 12

I followed Casper gingerly, suddenly very aware of my surroundings. He had twice refused to answer my question about what I was doing here and what my role in his life was, but here he was, introducing me to his best friends. He was walking ahead of me, and I could see his straight, muscular back and the strength in his legs as he took each long stride. Watching his body move was enough to make me feel like he was too good to be true. Out of all the girls in the world, all the women who no doubt threw themselves at him, why did this gorgeous, successful man choose me?

Casper waved at two other men standing by the bar. He walked quickly toward them, and I followed. When we reached them, I stood back a few steps while Casper hugged each of them in turn. I could see that the three of them knew each other well and had known each other for a very long time.

“Lily, meet my buddy Nash. Nash, this is my friend, Lily Fitz.” Casper turned to me suddenly, catching me by surprise. Friend?

“Hello, Lily. You look lovely this evening.” Nash said, a knowing smile spreading on his face. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible that this particular group of friends were all this beautiful to look at. Just like Casper, Nash had an athletic build. However, he wasn’t as clean shaven and smartly dressed as Casper. With a shaggy head of dark hair and a day or two of stubble, Nash was wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and casual pants. But his jaw was sharp, his eyes were steely gray and narrow, and he had the same beautifully bronze skin as his friend, Casper.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, and extended a hand to him. He shook my hand gently like he was afraid of breaking me or something and then exchanged a happy grin with Casper.

“And Lily, this is Vincent,” Casper added, directing my attention toward the other man standing with them. Vincent shook my hand ferociously, giving my wrist a shake hard enough to make it hurt if it lasted any longer. This guy, unbelievably, was just as handsome as his two friends. Tall, dark haired, and with a chiseled jaw. His eyes were a shimmering lava black that seemed to pierce into my soul. He was sharply dressed just like Casper and had no smile on his face. For a moment, I felt like I had done something to offend him, but then he suddenly looked away from me, at Casper, and gave him a wink.

I was blushing again. I felt deeply scrutinized, conscious of myself, and surprised that I was feeling this way. Never had I felt less confident. Casper had done something to me to make me feel this self-conscious. There was simply no other explanation.

“So, you’re the gang then?” I blurted out. The three men were eyeing me up, studying me closely, including Casper.

“The gang? I don’t know if we would call ourselves that,” Nash said, breaking into laughter. It made me blush a brighter red.

“We’ve been friends a long time, yes, if that is what you’re asking,” Vincent said, turning his dangerously dark eyes toward me. I looked away from him, embarrassed. Casper suddenly took a step in my direction and placed a hand on my back. It sent goose bumps all over my skin.

“I didn’t think Casper had any friends,” I managed to say, gulping down my growing embarrassment. I hoped that they would all blame my bright red face on the hour of dancing.

My comment made the men laugh, including Casper. And by this time, I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. My mind was still reeling from not knowing why Casper was introducing me to his friends.

“Seems like she’s sized you up pretty well,” Nash said, and Casper shook his head.

“There have been times when he’s come very close to not having any friends, but we’ve always rallied back to him. Boyhood pacts,” Vincent said, taking a slow sip of his drink.

I smiled at him and then turned to Casper with a purposeful look. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room,” I said, gently prying myself away.

“Of course,” Casper said to me with a smile. I nodded my head at the other two men and took brisk steps away from them. I needed to put some distance between me and them, especially Casper. It was all too overwhelming. My heart was beating out of my chest, but I surprisingly had a smile on my face that I couldn’t hide.

It was late now. The sky darkened to a deep purple hue, and the sun was beginning to set in the horizon. I noticed the bathrooms were at the back, and I walked toward them like I was on a mission. When I first got into Casper’s private jet, I hadn’t known what to expect. A fun party and being introduced to his childhood friends weren’t any of the expectations I had.

I didn’t know what more I could possibly want or expect from this night.

I needed a couple of minutes to clear my mind, and I walked into the women’s room with my sandals flapping against the tiled floor. The place was empty, which was a relief, because I intended on locking myself up in one of the stalls and having a good long think about what was going on. I wasn’t going to let Casper change my life forever. Hopefully, this was just going to be a whirlwind exotic vacation.

****

I couldn’t be sure how long I was in the restroom, but it couldn’t have been very long because when I returned to the main party area, I spotted Casper still with his two friends, standing in a huddle in the corner.

I wasn’t sure what made me take the back route toward them instead of walking straight in everyone’s view. It was very unlike me to try and eavesdrop on their conversation, but nothing about my relationship with Casper was anything like what I had done before. So, I just went with the flow.

This back route was dark, with no lights and hidden out of view with a jungle of plants and trees. The music from the party had died into a mellow sound in the background as I approached them, making sure that they didn’t notice my shadowy, looming figure crouching and making my way toward them. I knew what I was doing was wrong, unnecessary, and something that would be very embarrassing if I was caught, but I was filled with sudden courage somehow and was on a mission to eavesdrop on this conversation.

I stopped in my tracks and crouched down when I heard Nash’s unmistakably confident voice.

“You plucked her out of a protest?” he said, pricking my ears with his words. They were discussing me! I bit down on my lip.

“I didn’t pluck her out exactly. I was down there and saw her getting elbowed by one of her pals. She was basically on the ground, passed out and bleeding out of her nose,” Casper said, followed by a loud laugh from all three of them.

I took in a deep breath and licked my lips. Where was this going to go?

“So, what is she doing here then, Casper?” Vincent asked.

Even over the music in the background, I heard Casper take in a deep breath. My ears were pricked. Vincent had just asked Casper the same question that I had. Was he going to give his friend a straight answer?

“She is the wildest and most beautiful creature I have ever met in my life. I had to see her again, and this was the only way I could think of,” Casper said, causing my heart to skip a beat. I wanted to scream out, go running out of the bushes and into Casper’s arms. I didn’t know what he meant by that exactly, but in that moment, it was enough for me.

Then I saw a woman approaching the group, taking quick, knowing steps toward them, and I crouched down further.

“Casper, this is a great party! Hello, boys.” Her voice was loud like she was drunk, but she sounded sophisticated and wealthy. Through the leaves, I saw her more clearly now. She was a beautiful blonde – tall and full figured. She was in an animal-printed chiffon dress that was translucent enough for her red bra to be visible. Rubies glimmered from her ears and on her fingers. The back of her dress was entirely missing, so she was bare until just an inch above her butt, I saw Casper’s gaze wander there and back up at her face.

My blood boiled instantly. How could he do that just a minute after what I just heard him say to his friends about me?

“Surprised to see you here, Samantha,” Nash said, raising his glass to her.

She was holding a glass of champagne, which she raised to him with a twinkle in her clear blue eyes. Then she turned to Casper again, her wide smile displaying a bright white set of teeth. It was evident who she had her sights set on.

“I wouldn’t miss a Casper Argent party for the world,” she said, and swayed toward him, knocking their shoulders together and then breaking into a fit of giggles.

“I think we should go check out the bar again, Nash,” Vincent said, dragging his friend away by the arm. The friends were leaving Casper alone with this Samantha woman, and I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. What was happening? Why was Casper not pushing this woman away?

“Casper, I’ve been waiting for your phone call,” the woman said, turning to him the moment the other two left. She wasn’t going to waste any time. Casper had that deadly smile on his face, the one that usually made me blush painfully, but now made my blood boil with rage.

“I was busy, Sam. You know my schedule. But you’re here now, and so am I,” he said, warmly accepting the arm that she slipped into his. She was drawing herself close to him. She took a large gulp of her champagne and nodded her head.

“Indeed, we are. Fancy me being in Hawaii just when you throw a party,” she said, as I bit down on my lip harder. I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to endure overhearing this conversation. It was driving me nuts.

“Something tells me that this is more than just an innocent coincidence,” Casper said lightheartedly and followed the woman’s every movement with his cool gray eyes. She was still hanging from his arm, swaying gently to the music, sipping her champagne. They were both blissfully unaware that I was there behind them in the dark, clearly overhearing everything that was being said. I was now a witness to the real Casper Argent, the one that he clearly kept hidden away from his friends, too.

“I saw you dancing earlier with some girl I didn’t recognize. A girl in an ugly silk dress?” she said, and she was giggling again. “But how about we set the floor on fire now? Just like the old times?” she said, positioning her body out of his arms and in front of him now.

Before I could hear what Casper replied to that, I was rushing toward them, ignorant of the state of my unruly auburn curls or the leaves in them after the time I had spent in the bushes.