My God! Necker Island is owned by Richard Branson, and Bastian wants to take ME there! I feel a panic attack coming on, and I slide down the wall, sitting on my heels with my arms around my knees and my head hanging down. The elevator stops at the 100th-floor Private Club, and I scramble to my feet as three men stagger on. They argue about which floor to get off on and push at least ten buttons. Laughing at not being able to hit the right one, they decide to go to the lobby and find out what floor they're supposed to be on.
Then they see me trying to be small in the corner.
29
Sebastian
WHAT THE FUCK!I throw the plates I took from the table into the sink and rush out of the room, heading straight for the door. Samaera left the condo! She must have left the laptop in the Bugatti.
When I enter the foyer, she's already gone. And the elevator indicates it's stopped at the 100th-floor Private Club. My heart seizes in my chest.
Although Central Park Tower is secure, Sameara is a beautiful young woman alone! And drunk rich men can be aggressive. Especially if they think she's an escort looking for a sugar daddy.
I hit the elevator button and watch the steel box carrying my girl go down the numbers, stopping on at least ten floors before it arrives at the lobby. I memorize each one, just in case. Then it starts its accent back to me. I pace around the foyer, a paranoid fuck having all sorts of bad thoughts about what could be happening to her and praying nothing has. As soon as the doors slide open, I step inside and push the lobby button.
Although the super-efficient elevator is designed to travel from top to bottom in a minute and a half when there are no stops, it seems to take forever. When the doors open, I take two steps out and scan the area. Samaera is not here.
I rush past everyone milling around and head straight for the concierge's desk. There she is! Standing in the middle of a group of three men, chatting them up. They are laughing at something she's said.
As soon as she sees me, she smiles and waves me over. "See, Gentleman, I told you I had a handsome young man already, and he would be down in just a moment."
They turn to look at me, then part so that I can retrieve my girl without having to knock them out of the way. There is no doubt I would kick some serious ass if they didn't.
She hooks my arm and pulls it tight to her body, pressing it between her tits. She says, "The valet has gone to retrieve my laptop from the car, babe. I should have told you I was leaving to retrieve it. I apologize."
I don't say anything because my heart is still hammering in my chest.
One of the men says, "Well, boys, our lost princess does indeed have a King. Let's go."
Samaera and I watch them walk away, and she says, "I fucked up! I'm sorry!"
I take a deep breath and exhale before I answer. "Yes, you did. Don't wander around without me."
The valet returns with the laptop, and I carry it in one arm while Samaera holds the other. On the ride up to the condo, we stop twice as people get on and off. I catch a young girl looking back at Samaera as the family exits. When I glance down, her expression is subdued. Then she reaches up and wipes a tear away before it can escape. My reaction surprises me. My gut wrenches, and I shake her clutching hands free to put my arm around her shoulders and draw her in protectively under my wing. The next thing I know, she's got her face buried against my chest, and she's sobbing. I hold her tight, letting her cry.
When we reach our floor, she pulls herself together but grabs my arm again, clinging to it as we enter the condo. Without speaking, I put the laptop on the table by the door, then wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. For all her bravado, she was scared. I kiss the top of her head.
30
Samaera
I have only beenthat afraid once before in my life. I was young and too trusting. A date took me to his house under a false pretense and tried to fuck me. I don't know if he would have raped me or not, but after I told him no and showed him pictures on my phone of my four older brothers, he decided it was best to take me home. It shook me up, and tonight's close call did too.
Bastian's dominant presence when he arrived left no doubt to anyone that I was his girl. My mind flashed back to the bar and how he came to my rescue then, and it dawned on me that he had indeed already claimed me as his. My heart melted completely.
What's happened between us is crazy. But it's real. There is no need to fight it. No need to deny it. No need to doubt it. All that will do will harm it and possibly scar it. It's pure and true at the moment. If I don't embrace and acknowledge it in its truest, purest form, then when will I?
When the family got on the elevator with us, I couldn't help my thoughts going to that place. Having a family has always been my ultimate goal. I ran away to New York City, chasing not fame but fortune. My mother struggled financially raising us alone, and I swore I wouldn't have children until I could support them with or without their father's help.
When Bastian put his arm around me, I lost it. All fight left my body. I will never have to worry about having enough money. I will never have to work another day in my life. We can have as many kids as we want as long as we focus on each other.
I squeeze him so hard he grunts, "Oomph." But he doesn't let me go. He's willing to hold me until I'm ready to face him again.
Cherishing this astounding moment of revelation, I immerse myself in him. His smell is clean with a hint of musk. His height makes me feel small, yet doesn't make me feel frail. He's strong physically, emotionally, and mentally, yet he gives his strength as protection and support, not smothering or commanding, not demanding either. Allowing me to be me, but like right now, nurturing me when I need it.
It's remarkable, really! How strange love infiltrates your soul when you find the one who completes you. And how perfect and harmonious the completion is.
I relax my grip on him and lean back to look at the most handsome man in the entire world. The words "I love you" will go unspoken for now. To say them will only cheapen them. Now is the time to live in love.
