Chapter 5

RAINI LAVERNE

I had tripped on the puffy umbrella-looking bodice of the red-jeweled gown when I finally settled in beside the striking man.

“Hi,” I brayed, gritting my teeth and blowing off the choppy bangs of the hair my sister had butchered in her effort to make me look less like a grumpy nana and more like Cinderella.

It had not worked, and now I was stuck looking like one of the botched science experiments from one of our nightly horror flicks.

The dark-haired man only nodded, snatching up the menu with more grace than I could have imagined possible, and the impression of the long, ringed fingers he had curled around the purple plaque curled on the meat of my breasts rose unbidden in my mind.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Ugh! I shook my head imperceptibly, choosing to focus on the run of Italian words on the plaque instead of the non-too-gentle sway of the boat we were cruising on.

I’d never had any foreign cuisine in my life, past the watery mimosas my mother made every now and then. I felt the knot of anxiety squeeze my belly until the billionaire stepped in.

“Wine please, for the lady,” Zavier’s rumbling baritone came as the white-faced waiter nodded and backed away, a spring of pleasure bubbling in my stomach.

I fidgeted in my seat, tugging on my hair and dress as the man fired me with questions, watching with horror as an iron-faced woman settled opposite us, marking off my response on her checklist.

I tramped down on the urge to tear the notes out of her hands, settling instead for my own neat little questionnaire and stunning them both.

“You are quite a woman Raini Laverne, You don't intend to make this easy for me do you?” He laughed, running his fingers through the soft curls of his midnight-black hair in a way that sent sparks flying in my belly.

I shrugged noncommittally, damn near choking on my time when I attempted to replicate his cool aloofness.

The secretary snickered loudly, before excusing herself with a huff as I dabbed away at the drops of wine I had sputtered into my dress, avoiding the man’s amused smile.

The blush crept higher on my cheeks as I cursed inwardly. Kicking out every step of the way was the least I could do if I was going to be carted away from my family to some billionaire.

“You have no idea Raini, how fucking beautiful you really are,” Zavier whispered suddenly, brushing a knuckle against my cheek as I watched his gaze dip to my lips and then back up to my eyes before he pulled away.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as the heady feeling of the wine sloshing in my belly made the red hue of a blush settle leisurely on my cheeks.

“Thanks,” I breathed, bending so that my hair fell over my face before I caught the man roll his darkly-lined eyes and shake his head, as though he knew what I was doing and didn't recommend it, promptly tucking my hair back behind my ear.

The tingle in my cheeks spread to my nipples so that I felt the rose buds chaff sweetly against my bra, the wet pool in my panties making me rub my legs together maniacally, only now aware of how close he had gotten to me, with the tree trunk of his leg pressed up tightly against my own.

What was this man doing to me? There was something about Zavier, besides the fact that he was a freaking billionaire who could have anyone at all in the world that he wanted!

The sure set of his shoulders, and the delicate way he looked at me like I was an egg that he had to cradle.

What the hell was he doing with a woman like me?

“I, uh...I should get going, it's getting late.” I squeaked, feeling something in my chest break when the man did not immediately answer.

I turned to glance over my shoulder at the rush of blue-black water lapping reverently around us, the salt of the water catching in my nose hairs sending my stomach rumbling. It was beautiful, the way the overcast cobalt orange of the evening sky seemed to be kissing the black mass of water, the city lights winking at us like shy maidens.

I watched the man signal to the short, weather-worn captain who tipped his white hat and began to turn the boat around until the harsh yellow lights of the docks cast the billionaire in a ghastly yellow pallor.

“At least see the manor first before you go Raini,” The man pleaded in a voice that sounded like he was not pleading at all.

“My driver will drop you off, come on,” He whispered, extending his wide hand to me as he stretched to tower over our tidy little table. I hesitated, wondering what it was that could go wrong when one followed a strange billionaire to his mansion before placing my hand daintily in his, catching the lengthy exhale he heaved.

Did I make him nervous? I found that I quite liked the thought.

#

We had gotten to his stately manor, with luxuriously high ceilings and gold-lined walls at every turn until he’d shown me my room.

It was the only diamond-encrusted space in the whole manor, with high, blue-tinted floor-to-ceiling windows and a large light vanity.

For the second time since I met the billionaire in his luxury yacht, I felt full, complete. Like the steep hollow in my chest that had been eating away at my plump cherry of a heart since my father died was finally getting sated.

“I’m not sure about all this Zavier, I’ve never-” I croaked, feeling the tug of tears at my throat bleed into my voice before the man hushed me, seeming to think about it before he dipped his head to meet my gaze and his hands wrapped around my shoulders.

“Enough Raini, I know you're not as well off, but you're to be my wife now. I’m never going to let you go through that again,” Zavier whispered, hooking a finger under my chin until I nodded, sniffing loudly so that he laughed and broke away, just in time for me to catch the heart-shaped flowery garland on the bed.

“Whats this?” I whispered airily, more to myself than to the unimpressed mahogany of the upholstery as I marveled at the heart-shaped dandelions and orchids that wafted sweetly into my nose.

“I don't know, how the hell did it get past security?” Zavier growled and I whirled on the balls of my feet to face him, my mouth suddenly going dry as a chill ran down my spine as my knuckles went white where I had gripped the calling card.

I flicked it open, feeling my heartbeat thrum in my fingertips as my eyes trailed over the rustic barb of the words on it, a wave of dizziness slamming into me as the ground came up to meet me and the billionaire’s disembodied voice seemed to float above me.

I caught a glimpse of Zavier’s worried face before I let my eyes fall shut, mercifully, into the darkness.