I find him standing not far away, watching me, too.
So distracted by him, I don’t realize my mother making her way over to us. “Richard, come now. Our guests are waiting,” she sneers at me.
“I’m trying to have a moment with my daughter,” Dad snaps back.
I hold my breath, knowing that’s not going to go over so well with her. Mother hates to be put second. “Darling,” she says, but it’s said with such distain that I have to clench my jaw. The last thing I want is to make a scene, and slapping my mother, isn’t something I should even be thinking about much less actually doing it.
“There are more important people here to talk to other than Beatrice. Plus, the mayor is here, and your presence is needed.” It’s at this point Dad and I stop dancing. He takes a step back, looking at my mother with anger and frustration. “I said come and stop this nonsense.”
Any other time, Dad would’ve stood up to her. He would’ve knocked her off her high horse and told her where to shove it. But tonight, we’re in a public place, and now is not the time to cause trouble. It still hurts that my own mother acts this way towards me, but at the same time, I should’ve known it was coming.
Feeling a hand on my lower back, I turn my head, seeing Sebastian standing by my side. Comfort and appreciation flow through me, knowing he’s here to support me. As Dad notices him as well, he gives me a smile, leaning down to place a kiss on my cheek.
“Don’t worry about her,” he calmly says, and I know it’s his way of reminding me he’s here for me.
Unfortunately, his kind gesture angers Mother further. Her hard gaze turns cold, as she states, “You’re an embarrassment, Beatrice. Look at you, dressed like a tramp at a formal gathering, and you refuse to leave your father alone. He’s needed elsewhere, so I suggest you take your leave.”
My chest clenches, because her words hit right where she wanted. Swallowing hard, I drop my head, and then walk away, as Dad says something to her that I miss. It wouldn’t matter, if I heard what he said anyway. She did exactly what she wanted, and I let her get to me.
Quickly walking towards the private bathroom across the room, I immediately shut the door behind me, as I reach it. As hard as I try to keep her words out of my head, they fill my every thought. She knew what she was doing, and she always knows just what to say to make me feel like this. I can’t fathom why she tries her hardest to put me down at every chance she gets, and I hate myself even more for allowing it to affect me this way.
Placing my hands on the sink, I shut my eyes, willing the tears not to come. I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to remember what she said to me. It’s not like I haven’t heard it all before, but fuck, it just hurts. It hurts to know my own mother despises me for an unknown reason.
Just as I suck in a deep breath, the door opens, and I snap my eyes open, looking directly into green eyes. I’m not sure what it is about him suddenly coming to save me at every turn tonight, but I’m grateful he’s here. I don’t know what I would’ve done, if I hadn’t asked him to come.
As he shuts the door behind him, he doesn’t utter a word, once it’s closed. Turning around, he makes his way to me, only stopping inches away. Concern is laced in his gaze, and it’s in that very moment, a single tear falls down my cheek. He watches it fall, and then uses his thumb to wipe it away.
Once he looks at me, I hold his gaze, before licking my lips, and then whisper, “Please, sir. Make it stop.”
His answer is a deep intake of breath, as both hands caress each side of my face. Waiting for him to either reject me or give me what I want, I hold my breath. As he searches for something in my gaze, I silently beg him to make me feel something other than disappointment and pain.
I need him more now than I ever have before, and it’s up to him to give me what I need the most. It’s something more than the dominance and the commands he gives me. It’s the one thing I’ve been searching for, and I’m just now realizing what it is that I need more than anything else.
Love.
I need his love.
I stand still, as he steps back, and I just know he’s denying me what I want. Instead, his gaze holds mine, as he locks the door to the bathroom. It’s in that very moment that I realize how much sexual tension is around us. It’s so thick that it’s hard to breathe properly.
Panting, as he reaches me, I wonder if this feeling will ever go away. Will he always make my body hum with want and need with just his lustful gaze? I hope so. I hope I never lose any of these blissful sensations he seems to bring out of me.
“Turn around,” he commands in a deep and raspy voice, and instantly, I do so. I’m so eager to forget about tonight and everything to do with my mother, and he’s the only person that can do that for me.
Holding onto the sink again, I stand still,
