17|Entangled

Natalie wanted to weep with joy when Paul's phone buzzed in his pocket. God had heard her prayers and given her a moment of reprieve.

"Excuse me. I have to take this," said Paul, releasing her from his vice-like grip.

"Take your time." Natalie nodded, relief thrashing her body as she watched him vanish in the crowd.

She waved down a waiter for a glass of champagne and drained it in one go before dumping the empty flute on a nearby table.

She didn't care where the ornate-looking door straight ahead led, just as long as it took her away from here, even if it was only for a few minutes. So she dashed for it and was pleasantly surprised when she landed on an empty balcony.

For the first time since she arrived at the hotel, Natalie allowed herself to relax as she breathed deeply and filled her lungs with as much air as possible before slowly easing it out.

Horrified tears pricked her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. She didn't want to acknowledge what had happened on the dance floor.

She leaned over the railing and stared at the thousands of lights dotting the skyline. The city view from up here was glorious, and she could gaze at it the whole night. But, reality called.

"Where are you? Paul says you vanished, and he's not happy! I told you, you can't leave his side!" Emily was almost hysterical on her end as soon as Natalie picked up.

"What is he? Two years old? I just came out to get some air. I'll head inside now."

"Good! I'll let him know."

"Wait!" Natalie said quickly before Emily could hang up.

"Is something wrong?"

Natalie took a deep breath, suddenly unsure about everything, convinced she was overreacting.

Maybe that was what wealthy people did. They stared too long, held one too close and generally didn't understand personal space.

It could all be in her head, and Paul didn't rub himself on her thigh, even after she'd asked him to stop.

"Are you feeling better?" Natalie asked feebly, choosing to believe it was all in her head. She didn't want to cause trouble for her friend. After all, Paul was a VIP client.

Emily laughed. "Wait, is that it? I was so worried. I thought something was wrong."

"Well, my friend being sick qualifies as 'something wrong', don't you think?" she asked.

"I guess," Emily replied. "And to answer your question, I'm still feeling woozy, but I'm about to head home. Something's wrong with the alarm system, and the security guys don't seem to know what's going on. What the hell do I pay them for if they can't check up on this shit?"

Natalie figured it was a rhetorical question, so she laughed and moved along. "Okay, let me know when you get home, and just slip the spare key under the pot plant outside my door or give it to me at work on Monday."

"Got it!" Emily said. "Anyway, am I the best best friend in the world or what?"

"Oh boy, what did you do?" Natalie asked, already dreading her response.

"Well, I shared your fundraiser page in the work chat—"

"NO, EMILY!" Natalie shrieked as she paced up and down the small space. "Why would you do that? Oh God, this bad!"

"Before you kill me, allow me to share the best news ever."

"I don't want your 'best news ever'!" Natalie snapped. "And I sure as hell didn't want anyone at work to know about this. Now everyone will treat me like a charity case."

"Don't be ridiculous! People want to help," Emily argued. "And before you lose your shit, we've raised four thousand Rands since I shared the link."

Before Natalie could process the announcement, the door creaked open, and dread settled in the pit of her tummy. She quickly hung up without saying goodbye before turning around slowly, expecting to find Paul. She almost burst into tears of joy when her eyes landed on the stranger hovering near the doorway.

Clearly unsure how to proceed, he hesitated briefly but seemed to make up his mind when his gaze locked in on hers.

Aware she was still staring and probably looked like a deer caught in headlights, Natalie forced herself to break their eye contact and focus on the city lights in the distance.

She heard his footsteps and saw him approach from the corner of her eye.

Anger and irritation quickly replaced the relief she'd felt just seconds ago. Out of all the bazillion balconies in this hotel, he just had to choose hers.

Annoyed at the intrusion, Natalie turned to him, ready to boot him off her balcony. But her lips remained glued together, trapping her breath in her throat.

He wasn't the most handsome man she'd ever seen. But there was something about how his features—the slightly crooked nose, as if it had been broken and reset one too many times, high cheekbones, full lips, and those smoky grey eyes—worked in harmony to give him a face worth a second glance.

His longish ink-black hair, especially how it curled around his ears, was a bonus. Blondes and gingers were so overrated. Black hair was her kryptonite.

On any other day, if she didn't hate men as much as she did today, she would have found him incredibly attractive. But today, he was a nuisance she didn't want to get entangled with. The sooner he took his call or did whatever he came out to do and left, the better.

"Do you mind? She demanded, determined not to back the hell down as she glared at him. She fixed her posture and straightened her shoulders, hoping to match his mountainous height. But even with the help of her shoes, she still fell short in that department.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes." Natalie crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "I need to be alone."

"No one's stopping you. I'll stand over here, and you can remain over there. I won't talk to you, and you don't have to talk to me. We can both carry on in silence," he said with a casual shrug of his broad shoulders.

"I found this balcony."

"So?"

"So, go find your own. This one's mine. I'm sure there are plenty of empty balconies out there." Natalie stretched out her hands, gesturing at the expansive structure and grounds before them.

"How much?"

"Excuse me?" She glanced at him again, wondering what exactly it was about her that gave him the impression she was in the mood to argue with him.

"You claim this is your balcony, and nobody but you is allowed to be here. So how much did you pay for it?"

"You!" She shook her puny fist at him.

He grabbed her hand and gently pushed it back at her, dropping it at her side. "Relax, we don't want you popping a vein. I'll be out of your hair in no time. I need a minute to collect my thoughts."

He turned to the thousands of lights dotting the skyline, ignoring her frustrated sigh.

"God!" Natalie breathed in hard and closed her eyes as she said the first few lines of the Serenity Prayer.

No man— actually nobody— had ever rubbed her up the wrong way at first sight as much as this guy. Something about him irritated her to no end, and she'd need all the strength, courage and wisdom she could get just to get through the night if he insisted on sharing her space.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Natalie opened her eyes and was momentarily speechless when she found him looking at her.

She knew he was referring to the view of the city, but the intensity of his gaze holding her captive, coupled with that small, knowing smirk, said something else.

Her irritation went from zero to a hundred again, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his overpowering presence affected her in ways she didn't understand.

So she nodded and looked away, unable to take the heat from his piercing gaze. "It's incredible!"

"So, what would you do to make this incredible view yours? How far would you go?"

"Excuse me?" Natalie played with the latch on her clutch. Now more than ever, she was convinced this shameless stranger was low-key flirting with her.

"I mean, how much would you pay to make this view yours?"

She couldn't believe she was entertaining his question, but she found herself thinking it over.

"I wouldn't pay a thing," she replied after what seemed like the longest minute of her life, her voice coming out a little thicker than she would have wanted.

"Why?"

"Because it's priceless."

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Despite her annoyance, she liked the sound of his deep, unrestrained laugh. It had been a while since she heard someone laugh like that. Other than Emily, everyone in this town took themselves way too seriously.

"I like that, Miss—" he said, holding out his hand, suddenly looking way younger than she thought he was. She'd placed him at thirty or so.

"Na—" She caught herself, remembering Natalie Taylor didn't exist tonight. "Noelle. Just Noelle."

An electrical bolt surged through her body when their fingers touched. Natalie looked up, confusion—and maybe awareness, too—flitting in her eyes.

His small, knowing smirk was back again, but with a dimple alongside it this time. As if he wasn't already attractive enough!

Focus, Natalie thought crossly, pulling her hand away. She would not let down her guard no matter how cute that dimple was. This balcony was hers and hers alone.