ZORA'S POV Katherine gasped, looked again at what I had just given her, and stared at me in surprise. I smiled, trying to act as though I didn't know what her excitement was all about. She squealed in delight, darted forward, and wrapped her arm around my neck, hugging me tightly. "Oh. Thank you, Zora," she cried. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is like a dream come true. Finally, I will get to hobnob with the big shots in the big city and it's all thanks to you. Thank you." "That is a whole lot of thank yous," I said. "And hey- you are choking me. Ease up a little, will you?" She relaxed her hold a little but did not entirely let go. She laughed as she said. "I am just showing you how grateful I am. In fact, you are my only love, Zora. No one else even comes close." I snorted and laughed, giving her a disbelieving look from under my lashes. "What? But it's true though." "Really? I would like to see you repeat that statement in front of Drew. I would really love to hear
ZORA'S POV Cheryl looked around the hall and stamped her foot impatiently. "Where has Trey gone off to now?" she said, half to herself. "He told me that he would be close to the bandstand, but he isn't there." I looked around myself. A lot of people were in attendance at the Gala. They were constantly in motion and it was very hard to focus on individual faces. The place was busier than a beehive. "Don't let it get you upset," I told Cheryl. "I honestly don't think you can find anyone in this crowd. Trey may even be looking for you. He will turn up eventually... he always does." Cheryl shrugged. I stepped forward to take a drink from the tray a passing waiter carried. Katherine did the same. She dug her elbow into my ribs to get my attention. She leaned in really close. "Hey. Is Drew really here? Have you er- spotted him by any chance?" I shook my head. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Well, he had better turn up soon before I lose it. I don't know how my talk with him
ZORA'S POV I felt the bile rise and clog my throat as I made a mad dash for the restroom. I could barely see the door knob. Before I could attempt to reach it, the door was jerked open. That was the first indication I got of the fact that I was being followed. I looked around wildly, caught a flash of white, rushed towards it, and bent over it, just as the bile rushed up my throat and out of my mouth in a flood I could not control. It kept coming in floods, making me feel like my guts were being wrenched from the inside out. I felt warm, strong hands descend on my back and rub it in soothing circular motions. I would know the feel and texture of those hands anywhere and could identify the perfume he always wore. Elliot continuously murmured words of sympathy. Gradually, I began to feel better as the feeling of nausea passed. With a shaky hand, I turned on the faucet and rinsed my mouth several times to take the bitter taste out of my mouth. I let the water run for a while and t
ZORA'S POV Just as I tried to remember all that had happened last night, it felt as though a floodgate opened. The memories of my misbehavior flashed before my eyes with startling clarity. I wished now that I had remained ignorant of what I had done. Ignorance was bliss in this instance. I recalled how I had stupidly had a lot to drink, ignoring the advice of Cheryl and Katherine, how I had kissed Elliot even though he had told me not to, how he had fought for the restraint that I was supposed to have in the first place, and how he had finally given in and kissed me back with such passion that had taken my breath away. If he had not pulled away when he did, I shuddered to think about what I would have done. For Pete's sake! I had already been undressing the man. The thought that all of this took place at a Gala, attended by hundreds of people, any of whom could have walked in at the critical moment, was enough to make me flush with embarrassment. I groaned and put my hands over
ELLIOT'S POV With swift, confident strides, I walked towards Zora's office. Her secretary spotted me and frowned, as though she did not look pleased to see me, which eventually turned out to be the case. I came to a stop in front of her desk. "Good morning, Mr Garrett," she said before I even had a chance to speak. "I am sorry, but you can't go in to see Ms. Zora, especially since you do not have an appointment." She looked at the book on which she noted down appointments and smiled at me apologetically. Then she resumed typing away at her computer, a gesture of dismissal if I had ever seen one. "Look," I began, giving her my most charming smile. "I need to see Zora. I have done so countless times before. Remember? Why is this time any different?" She sighed. "Mr Garrett, I'm afraid-" "I will take it from here, Elle," said Cheryl, who was walking up to us. "Hi, Cheryl," I said, giving her a smile that seemed to roll off her, like water off a stone. She nodded curtly in ack
ZORA'S POV I was frozen in place. I could barely even breathe, let alone move. I felt that if I did, I would make a complete ass of myself like I had done the other night. What riled me the most was that Elliot was so aware of the power he held over my treacherous body. I could not suppress the shiver of pleasure that rocked my entire frame as he whispered into my ears. I barely paid attention to his words, just the subtle nuances of his words, the feel of his hot breath on my skin, and the heady smell of his perfume. Ever so slowly, having delivered his speech, as he had said, he withdrew. "And I will get you back, Zora, by any means necessary even if it is the last thing I do." We looked each other in the eye. I wanted to tell him how I never wanted to set my eyes on him again, and how I would not have given him the time of day if I were in Georgia and he had come there. But the words seemed to be stuck in my throat. I suddenly felt his hands grip my waist, holding it in plac
ZORA'S POV "Calm down, Zora," Katherine yelled in a quavering voice. She was far from calm herself. I could see the naked fear in her eyes which I knew was a thousand times amplified in mine. I was shaking uncontrollably and had been in that state since Katherine told me my kids were missing. I had the presence of mind to take a cab here. My teeth chattered, my feet wobbled. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to get myself under control. Thankfully, there was a chair directly behind me. I took a few steps back and sank into it. I probably would have fallen if it wasn't there. My phone kept slipping out of my grasp. I let it fall onto the seat beside me. "He isn't picking up. He isn't picking up," I kept muttering to myself over and over again. That sentence played over and over in my head, eclipsing every other thought. That was the central point of my fear. The driver was not picking up his calls and I was literally falling apart at the seams. "Where could he have ta
ELLIOT'S POV I alternated between regularly glancing at Zora and the road before me. It broke my heart to see her like this. She rarely ever was so broken and devastated as she was now, no matter the challenges she faced. The last time I had seen this broken version of her was when her father had died six years ago. She had completely gone to pieces and grieved in such a way that I began to fear for her physical health. I had done my best to stand by her, to offer the comfort she needed, but she had pushed me and everyone away. That was the beginning of the end of our relationship. I was forced to watch until she became a mere shadow of her former sunny self. After that, the communication gap between us kept widening until it became a chasm that none of us could get through. I turned a corner and once more glanced at Zora. Even though she was asleep, a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, taking some black stuff that was probably mascara along with it. It fell, leaving a da