“I can't believe that we get to go to the grand opening of the new hotel!” Lydia exclaimed, dancing around the kitchen in her little black dress.“Considering that Jane is dating the owner, it's not that crazy. It's really sweet of Charles to invite us, though,” I replied. I looked around, trying to find my shoes. “Lydia, did you borrow my black heels?”“No. They're in the front closet,” Lydia replied.“Instead of in my closet where they belong?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips. She flashed me a big grin that told me she had totally borrowed them. I sighed.“It's just too bad that Wickham couldn't get the night off,” Lydia said with a sigh. “It would have been so nice to have an agent with me at the party. I can feel it in my bones that I'm going to meet a producer tonight.”"Remember, tonight is about Charles' new hotel, not finding a producer. Or an agent, or being discovered," Jane warned. "I don't want this night to end up all about you."“Fine. You two act like I have no so
Mr. Darcy caught me as I bounced off of him, making sure that I didn’t fall. He wore his trademark dark suit that fit him to perfection. His face was freshly shaven, and he smelled amazing because of course, he did. Memories of our dance and the passionate dreams that followed surged through me despite my best efforts to forget them.“Oh, hello,” I said once I regained my balance. I wasn't sure how to talk to him now that I knew the truth. I wanted to slap him again, but I knew that wasn't appropriate. I needed to pretend to be civil. For the sake of Charles and his opening, at the very least."Elizabeth," he greeted me. The way his accent curled on my name made me sound far fancier than I actually was. "Would you like to look around the hotel with me? I was hoping you would join me for a drink as we looked it over.""Sure," I replied without thinking. My smile was brittle as I realized I just agreed to spend time with him. I didn't want to get a drink or anything else with him, but i
Mr. Darcy held my hand in his as he hurried up the stairs. I could barely keep up on my heels as we went, but there was no way I was letting go of him. Not now. Not with this heat and need coursing through my veins.Anger and fury had transformed into need and lust.The second floor of the hotel was deserted. Everyone was downstairs and in the ballrooms enjoying the festivities, so no one was up here. Mr. Darcy looked up and down the length of an empty hallway before pressing me up against the wall and kissing me.The kiss exploded into me as a hot, intense tangle of tongues and teeth. Everything was raw desire as my mouth found his. One hand gripped my hip as the other tangled in my hair, pulling me into him. I wanted more than this, but it was a good start.My hands slid into his jacket and started undoing the buttons on his shirt. I could feel the muscle and tension beneath my fingers. I fumbled with the tiny buttons, unable to focus with the onslaught of all the emotions: hunger,
"I feel stupid, oh so stupid, it's amaaazing how stupid I FEEEEL," I sang softly to myself. No one on the subway even looked at me strangely. People singing on the subway wasn't considered weird in New York City. I half expected someone to throw me a dollar.I pressed my forehead into the cool glass of the window and watched the dark brick walls of the subway pass by. I felt so stupid.Why in the world did I sleep with him?I couldn't wrap my head around it. I could understand that he was the most attractive man I knew. I could see how that might make me do something I now regretted. I wanted to pretend that I'd had some whiskey and some champagne, so I probably wasn't in full control of my faculties. I knew that was a lie.I'd known exactly what I'd been doing when I slept with him.I'd wanted it.And now I was paying for my stupidity.I checked my phone again, but there wasn't a single message from him. He'd slept with me, walked out on me, and then didn't even have the decency to
“That one makes your butt look amazing,” I said to Jane, checking out her form in the mirror. “Seriously, your booty is out of this world in that dress.”Jane laughed and turned so she could see herself better in the mirror of the dressing room.“I do have a pretty fabulous ass,” she admitted with a giggle.“That's the spirit,” I said with a grin. “You should try on the pink one next.”“You mean the one with the slit down to here?” She pointed to her bellybutton. “No way.”I raised my eyebrows at her. “You know you want to.”She rolled her eyes. “I'd never actually wear it.”“And you'd wear this one?” I pointed to her current dress. It was bright red satin and hugged every inch of her so tightly that only her skin color was left to the imagination.“Good point,” she conceded. She picked up the pink dress and headed toward the changing room. She paused at the door, turning to look back at me. “Thank you for this, Lizzie. I'm having fun.”“Good. My evil plan is working,” I teased, dry w
I wanted to turn and throw both drinks in his face, but they were expensive and I didn't want to waste good vodka on him."Mr. Darcy! What a pleasant surprise," Jane greeted him, a smile filling her face. She didn't see my wide eyes and the subtle head shake I was trying to send her. Given her state last night, I hadn't told her about what happened between Mr. Darcy and me yet. As far as she knew, everything was sunshine and roses between us. Or at least as much as there ever had been.“Indeed,” Mr. Darcy replied. “Are you two waiting for a table?”“Nope,” I quickly replied. I turned and put on my best bitchy smile. “We're actually just finishing.”An older man in a smart blue suit came up and tapped Mr. Darcy on the shoulder. “William, our table is ready.”“Excellent,” Mr. Darcy replied. “Fritz, I'd like to introduce you to Elizabeth and Jane.Fritz's gray eyebrows raised and he smiled. “It's a pleasure to meet you both,” he replied warmly. “Would you care to join us? They gave us a
“Okay, seriously Lizzie?” Jane followed me into our apartment, finally getting frustrated with my lack of words on the subway. “If you aren't going to tell me what's going on, then I have no idea what to do to help.”I slammed the front door hard enough to make the walls shake. "I don't want to talk about it right now," I told her. I vibrated with an uncontrolled fury that I was afraid I was going to unleash on her. "Go to your yoga class."Frustration filled Jane's face at not being able to help me. “You pull us out of a fancy restaurant and fume the whole way home,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Come on, talk to me. Maybe I can help.”I shrugged her hands away. “You can't help,” I told her, doing my best not to sound cruel. “And I don't want to tell you because it will just make things worse.”“That's exactly why you should tell me,” Jane reasoned.“Go to the gym. You have your yoga class that you love,” I replied. She didn't move, so I sighed. “I'll tell you when y
If someone had told me the sky was made of lemon meringue pie, I would have believed them over what I just heard Mr. Darcy said.“Is this a joke?” I asked him. “Are you serious?”“Very serious,” he said softly. He took a step forward and put his hands on my shoulders, peering into my face with unjustified hope. “Please, say that you feel something for me, too.”I pulled back from his touch. “Oh, I feel something, but it is very far from love.”Confusion and something that might even be mistaken for hurt crossed his face, but I knew better than that. He had to be playing some sort of game with me.“You honestly think that this was the way to tell me you love me?” I asked. I wasn't cold anymore. I was livid.“This wasn't what I planned,” he said looking around at the rain. “This isn't how I planned to tell you.”“No, not the rain,” I corrected. “'I can have anyone. Any supermodel, heiress, or actress. I could have women more beautiful and accomplished than you in a heartbeat,'” I repeat