“Just to the table bruh, just to the table!”
Gabe's eyes fell to me, and my goodness the anger there was so real I felt it to my core. I bit my bottom lip as I carefully slid my arm out of Kenny’s. Gabe opened his hand holding it out toward me.
“Come here baby.” He said so low that only the four of us could hear.
I looked down feeling slightly embarrassed as I left Kenny’s side to go to Gabe’s. His big warm hand engulfed my smaller one and he gently pulled me close until the side of our bodies touched. Kenny watched this all with a sly grin on his face. He put his hand over his heart.
“Damn… I’m jealous as hell!”
“Well... then!” Mercedes hissed as she uncoiled her arm from around Gabe’s. She gave me a look that made me feel like she wanted me dead. But by the time her eyes got back up to Gabe’s, her flirtatious smile was back in place.
“This way boss man!” She purred, as she turned and sashayed across the floor. Kenny stood looking at Gabe.
“You could have at least let me escort her to the table?”
“No, I couldn’t!” Gabe grumbled.
Kenny chuckled. “I can’t say that I’m mad at you bruh. Hell, if she was mine, I wouldn’t let anyone else touch her either.”
We began to follow Mercedes across the floor. Kenny fell into step on my other side.
“You’ll have to excuse his brut behavior, when he was younger nobody taught him how to share his toys.”
I chuckled, thanking God for Kenny. His silliness was going to make this night more bearable. As we walked to the table it felt like everyone stared at us. I felt so self-conscious. Not just because I was uncomfortable in the dress I was wearing, or the fact that every step I took caused my dress to brush against my tender breast and my center that still throbbed from Gabe’s touch.
No, those reasons were not the main reason for me feeling self-conscious. Gabe’s reaction to Kenny holding my arm was scary as heck. Not to mention embarrassing. The look Mercedes had given me only rubbed salt in the wound. And one thing was being made completely clear. I needed to get away from Gabe before it was too late and I ended up sharing the same fate as my great-grandmother.
“Ladies and gentlemen…” Kenny called when we reached the huge round table gaining the small crowds attention.
“I don’t need to introduce you to our illustrious leader and the CEO of our company, Gabriel Calhoun. However, please allow me to introduce you to his lovely fiancée, Yasmin. Yasmin, these are a few board members who have helped make Calhoun Investments one of the leading companies in its field today.”
“Oh, it is so nice to meet you!” An older man said as he and what I would assume was his wife approached us to shake our hands.
“My name is Tim and this is my lovely wife, Julie.” Julie didn’t look to be quite as old as Tim. Her brunette hair that she had up in a lovely bun had only just begun to gray on the sides.
“Nice to meet you both!”
“Wait a minute! I’d recognize that accent anywhere!” Julie said clutching my hand in hers.
“You’re a fellow Texan!”
I laughed, just now realizing she spoke with a slight southern drawl.
“And you are so pretty.” She continued. “I know you must hear that a lot. You’re like, amazingly beautiful!”
Embarrassed, I thanked her for her compliment. When they moved on, another couple followed and another.
“It’s going to be a long night for you sweetheart! Everyone in this room has been dying to lay eyes on Gabe. He’s like the phantom of the business world.” Kenny who had not left my other side said for my ears only, as Gabe who still clutched my hand in his joked with the mayor about how he was coming for his job next.
The hairs rose on the back of my neck and a chill raced down my spine. I turned to look around the room curious as to why the air suddenly felt different. There was a tall handsome brown skinned man standing by the bar watching me. What made him stand out was the fact that he was not casually doing it like some of the other men in the room, who would laugh and talk a bit before they would glance my way.
No, this man was turned facing me completely as he sipped on the brown liquor in his glass. When he saw that I was looking back at him, he winked at me. And it was something about that wink that made me feel cold all over. I must have made a sound or something because Gabe suddenly glanced down at me.
“What’s the matter?”
Although I didn’t feel like it, I smiled at him.
“Nothing, I’m okay.” His eyes raked over my face in a way that made me feel like he could read me. Like he could see straight through me to what I was hiding. He turned back to face the men in his small group.
“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I think I will escort my lovely fiancée out to the terrace for a little fresh air.” Barry, who I found out was Gabe’s attorney, Kenny and the mayor all nodded.
“Sure.” The mayor said.
I didn’t look toward the bar as Gabe led me across the ballroom floor, but I could feel his eyes on me. For the life of me I couldn’t tell why his gaze felt different, but it did. It felt familiar and cold… evil! I inhaled when we walked out to the candle lit terrace. Its beauty had startled me. I was not expecting it.
“Oh wow! This is amazing!” I cried looking around at the many candles.
The empty terrace overlooked a big beautiful garden that was well manicured. I turned around looking at the way the candlelight cast a warm golden glow on the building
