Chapter 39

Sara

Everywhere I turned, there was something sparkly, something worth more than all of the houses in Bonanza combined. I couldn’t believe what was going on around me. I almost had to be reminded to continue walking, getting caught up in looking around at all the beautiful people mingling and talking to each other. Everything was so glamorous, draped in luxury, and all the women looked like they walked right out of a high fashion magazine. Nervous or not, it was amazing to see with my own eyes. I knew once I left New York, I would never have a chance to see something like this again. It was definitely way far off from our annual fundraiser in Bonanza, but that was probably a good thing because it would scare the town off, and they were our only donors to the event. The whole thing was extremely overwhelming, and I didn’t know what to even do with my hands, so I had one latched onto my purse and the other around Ryan’s arm.

As we walked through the endless sea of people, Ryan introduced me to face after face. Some were women draped in jewels and others were strong businessmen wearing designer suits and smelling like whiskey and cigars. There were so many people to meet, and I was having a hard time concentrating. Ryan held my hand tightly, though, seeing that I was feeling very out of place and very overwhelmed by it all. I just had to keep telling myself that it could be worse, though thinking that thought made me even more nervous than before. I was worried I looked like a fool, like a small-town girl playing dress up. I was worried I was going to say something wrong, something that embarrassed Ryan or myself. I was worried they were going to figure out I was so awkward that I didn’t deserve to breathe the same gold-encrusted air that they did. All of those things were whirling around my head every single time he introduced me to someone new. It was a bit more than distracting, and it was making my palm sweat.

However, everyone he chose to bring me into contact with seemed very nice. No one asked any questions of who I was, no one had any unkind words to say to me or to Ryan, and the smiles actually seemed genuine. Their calmness began to seep over into me, and I started to settle into the situation a little more than before. My shoulders relaxed a bit, and my smile became a lot less forced and a lot more meaningful as we made our way to our seats. Ryan pulled my chair out from the table and smiled down at me as he took a seat next to me and pulled my hand into his lap. Once the speeches began, I forgot all about the rest of the event, engrossed in the struggle the organization was going through. They were trying desperately to keep these wild animals safe from poachers, and it was almost a losing battle at times. I was near to tears when the pledges started, and it was interesting to watch the people hold signs up in the air with their pledges written on them. I had never seen a charity event do that before.

I looked over as Ryan held his sign up with so many zeroes, it took me a minute to make out how much he was pledging. The entire room oohed and aahed, clapping as the announcer called out his pledge. I smiled and squeezed Ryan’s hand, proud of him for making that large of a contribution to something so important. After dinner, we all stood around, mingling, looking at the photos the organization had out everywhere and just enjoying the event. Ryan leaned over to me and squeezed my hand.

“If you would excuse me for just a moment, I need to speak with a gentleman across the room,” he said.

“Sure.” I smiled, blushing as he winked at me.

I turned and walked over to the tables where the items for the silent auction were displayed. I walked around the tables, looking at the beautiful items that were up for sale. There was everything from famous paintings donated by the Art Conservatory to trips to exotic places. They were all things I would never be able to afford, but they were really neat to look at. I was about to continue down the line when I heard a woman’s voice behind me.

“Are you here with Ryan Reines?” the woman asked.

I turned around with a smile on my face and was met with the glare of a statuesque female. She had a bit of an accent, but I couldn’t totally make it out from that one question. She was wearing a long, silver, sparkly dress, her huge breasts barely covered. She had diamonds around her neck and up her arms almost to her elbows. Her complexion was perfect, and it looked almost as if they had airbrushed her perfect face on her body. I shifted slightly in my stance, feeling uncomfortable with how close she was standing and how she was shooting daggers with her eyes. I smiled again and nodded my head, watching a menacing sneer move across her lips. I didn’t know what I had walked into, but I was starting to feel a bit attacked. She looked me up and down and laughed.

“So, you’re the new girl,” she said. “Where did he find you, a barn? I tried not to believe the papers, the media likes to make things up, but now I can see they pegged you perfectly.”

I had to admit, I was more than slightly taken back by her comment. I had no idea who this woman was, but she was standing there in front of everyone, attacking me. I went to open my mouth to respond, but before I could, Alec walked up and winked at me.

“Aren’t you late for another engagement, Natasha?” he said. “I heard your coven was supposed to summon the devil in the Junior Miss section of the Saks Fifth Avenue. You would hardly want to be late for that. Where in the world would you find your next skanky outfit?”

I pursed my lips together and held back a laugh, though a smirk was inevitable. The woman hissed at Alec like a cat and rolled her eyes, glancing at me one last time before walking away. Alec laughed loudly, taking me by the arm.

“I’m sorry for her,” he said. “Apparently, they allowed the poachers to this event too. They will let any old riffraff into these things these days. And by the way, you look absolutely stunning, seriously. Everyone in the place stopped and stared as you walked in. You have to be the most beautiful woman here tonight.”

I smiled and laughed, taking his arm as he led me back over toward Ryan. Ryan finished his conversation with the man and walked toward us, meeting us in the middle. I smiled at him and looked up at Alec, who was still clutching my arm in his.

“I leave you alone for five minutes, and the wolves descend.” He laughed.

“More like the white knights descend, my friend,” he said, laughing as well and handing me over to Ryan. “And just a note, not everyone here is your friend. You might want to keep a better eye on your beautiful date.”

Ryan looked at me with curiosity, and I just shook my head, looking up as the silent auction results were being announced. Not long after that, we called it an evening, and I was kind of glad to be done with the whole thing. We went back down the red carpet and out to the limo, climbing inside and letting out a deep breath. I watched out of the window as we started down the street, leaving the chaos of the evening in the rearview window. I was quiet, staring out at the passing city, thinking about the woman who had approached me.

“A hundred-dollar bill for your thoughts?”

“That’s quite a jump from a penny.” I laughed.

“Your thoughts are worth more to me,” he said. “What are you thinking about?”

“The gala,” I said. “It was a lot different than I thought it would be. Almost everyone was so welcoming, there was so much money raised for such an amazing cause, and the silent auction was crazy. There was a trip to the rainforest on there. And, now that I’ve shaken Oprah’s hand, I will be the new celebrity of Bonanza. They’re all going to lose their minds over that.”

“I like Bonanza.” He laughed. “Easy to impress. So, what did Alec mean when he said I needed to keep a better eye on you? Did something happen?”

“I bid on a yacht with your name,” I joked.

“Funny. And if you did, that would be okay too.”

“I wish I had known that when I saw the trip to Istanbul on there.” I laughed. “No, it wasn’t that. It was Natasha. She came up behind me and wasn’t too pleased. Alec stepped in, hilariously might I add, and put her in her place.”

“Oh good god,” Ryan said, looking mortified. “The thing with Natasha was, it was supposed to be a fun time, a girl to see the sights with, party with, just have fun. But in the end, she lied about everything, and it didn’t end up being fun at all. She was a mistake, and I got buried in it, coming out of it too late. She’s bitter and angry, but I promise you I don’t have any feelings for her anymore, not even an inkling. I—”

Before he could go on anymore, I shook my head and leaned in, kissing his lips. He whimpered slightly and reached his hands up, putting them on my face and kissing me back passionately. He leaned into me, and we slid together, the gap we had kept all night between us now closed. He ran his hands down to my neck and cupped the back of it, his tongue moving through my mouth, tasting my champagne lips. It was wild and passionate, everything that our relationship had been from the beginning, and I felt like I was instantly lost in his embrace. He pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes.

“You are everything that Natasha isn’t,” he whispered, sending chills up my spine. “You are sweet, wholesome, and good but dynamite in the sack.”

His words were turning me on more than I could express. There was a warmth between my legs and an aching in my stomach, a longing to be close to him again, to feel him inside of me. I wanted to be part of him and him part of me like we had been at the vineyard that late Friday night. When the limo pulled up in front of the complex, we climbed out and hurried to the elevator and then into the penthouse. As soon as the door closed, we were all over each other, trying to make it to the bedroom but failing miserably. He turned me around and unzipped my dress, pulling it over my shoulders and to the floor. I reached forward and unbuckled his pants, watching him kick off his shoes and socks and step out of them. When everything but his boxers and my panties, heels, and jewels were off, he walked forward, pressing me against the wall. He reached down and grabbed my ass to lift me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He pushed forward, grinding his huge cock against my warm, wet panties, and I moaned loudly, feeling him rake up my clit and back down.

I was going to fuck this man, and he was never going to be the same again.