SAVAGE LOVE

Chapter 15

“I haven’t got a closed mind.”

I was slightly seething now. This building was full of people with closed minds, but I was not one of them.

“Of course you do. You don’t think I belong here. You don’t think I’m good enough to be in amongst this level of society.”

The harsh clench of his jaw gave him away. He felt that way about himself, but he was deflecting his inferiority onto me.

“Do you want to know what I really think?”

I stopped and stood opposite him, giving him my full attention.

“I think this place is full of the most pompous, arrogant and self-important people I’ve ever come across. These people around you, they think they’re something, but they’re not. They don’t bring beauty to life. They don’t make art or music. They don’t write poems or enrich people’s souls. Their definition of a rich life is light years away from mine, but you want in with these people, then be my guest. I’m pretty sure you’ll fit right in.”

He didn’t bite back, instead choosing to huff out a strained breath through flared nostrils and walk straight past me. He strolled confidently to the bar to order himself a whiskey. Judging by the sour look on his face, Michael wasn’t too thrilled with my dose of honesty. Truth hurts, Mr. Doulas.

I followed him to the bar and was taken aback when he plastered on a smile and asked me what I’d like to drink. He blew hot and cold so quickly I was starting to get whiplash.

“So, what’s your plan for tonight?” I asked, taking the glass of white wine he’d ordered for me and sipping this time.

“There are a few gentlemen here that need softening up. They need a bit of a nudge to see a good opportunity when it presents itself. That’s where you come in. Something tells me you’re pretty well versed in making men warm towards you, and getting what you want.” His grey eyes twinkled as he spoke in a low voice, eyes darting around the room behind me.

“What gives you that impression?”

He looked down at me then, holding me in place with his icy stare, and making the rest of the room freeze around me.

“Women like you always do. You’re the masters of manipulation.”

“Wow!”

I took a huge gulp of my wine. It was either that, or explode in rage at his sweeping misjudgement of my whole s*x.

“You certainly hold women in high esteem, don’t you?”

“I say it as I see it.”

Who the hell had crapped all over his life to make him so bitter and twisted?

“You see what you want to see. We aren’t all heartless bitches, you know.” I didn’t care what his opinion was of me, but I couldn’t let him get away with slating all women as a vz x

“Whatever, love. Just do your job, okay? Starting now. Mayor Davenport is on his way over here and he’s target number one. Play nice and smile.”

Holy Crap. Mayor Davenport. Mick Davenport, or rather Uncle Mick as I usually called him. He was my little brother Nate’s godfather and one of my dad’s best friends.

“Bianca? Is that you? I had no idea you’d be here tonight.”

He kissed me on the cheek and gave me a friendly hug.

“Hi, Uncle Mick. How are you?”

He looked down at me with pure warmth in his eyes. Uncle Mick was one of the good guys.

“I’m good. I’ve missed your dad since he’s been off sailing the seven seas. My Friday golf game just isn’t the same without his sarcastic wit putting me off my swing.”

“Must run in the family,” Michael muttered under his breath behind me.

“No Justin tonight? Have you kids broken up? I’m so behind the times. Gloria never tells me anything.”

“Or rather, he never listens when I do tell him.” My Aunty Gloria, Uncle Mick’s wife, sidled up behind him, grinning that she’d caught him out on his gossiping.

“Bianca, sweetheart, you look absolutely stunning tonight.” She grabbed me into a massive bear hug. “This isn’t your usual haunt though, is it? What brought you here tonight to hang out with all of us oldies?”

I loved Aunty Diana; she was a real girls’ girl, and my mum and her had been thick as thieves for years.

“I think that’d have something to do with the gentleman standing beside her,” Uncle Bryce replied, sounding none too impressed.

“Hmm, I can see who she’s with, Bryce. I just want to know why.” Diana looked Micheal up and down with distrust painted all over her face.

“Uncle Bryce, Aunt Diana, let me introduce you to my date for this evening, Micheal Douglas.”

I turned to Micheal, bringing him into the conversation.

“Pleased to meet you.” Micheal held his hand out to shake theirs, but Diana kept her hands firmly at her side. Uncle Bryce shook his hand, but frowned as he did.

“Are you? Do you two? Erm.” Uncle Bryce was lost for words. That was a first.

“Isn’t it obvious, Bryce? They’re together now. Bianca must’ve upgraded. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

All eyes landed on me, and I felt myself getting hot and flustered, redness moving over my chest and creeping up to my face.

“Yes. Something like that.” I managed to get the words out. God knows how with how tight my throat felt. This would get back to my parents by morning, I just knew it. My anonymity was slipping through my fingers quicker than grains of sand.

Micheal snaked his arm around my waist and gazed at me with as much adoration as his frozen heart could muster.

“It’s all pretty new at the moment. We’re taking things slow.” He placed a kiss on my cheek, and I let out a low breath I hadn’t even realised I’d been holding in. It must’ve looked like a romantic gasp, as Diana pressed her hands over her heart.

“Oh, aren’t you two just the cutest couple here tonight. I can’t remember the last time I saw Bianca so enamoured. It suits her.” She winked at me, and then spotted another friend of hers across the room. Waving at them, she gave her excuses and left the three of us to our awkward encounter.

“So, Douglas, you say? Micheal Douglas?” Uncle Bryce was scrunching his brow in thought, trying to piece together some long lost memory.

“I own a few local clubs and bars,” Micheal stated proudly. “I have one currently in the building and licensing application stages. Elite. Have you heard of it?”

I took this as my cue to jump in, but I didn’t need to.

“Yes, I’ve heard of it. So you’re the Douglas trying to push through the late license for the new… establishment.” Uncle Bryce’s cheeks took on a rosy hue.

What sort of establishment was this Elite club? It looked like Uncle Bryce wasn’t too keen, so it didn’t take a genius to guess it involved women and… other stuff.

Micheal took a swig of his whiskey, and that nervous tic in his neck kicked back into action, but his face remained passive.

“Yes, that would be me.”

Uncle Bryce nodded thoughtfully and furrowed his brow, obviously wrestling some moral dilemma in his head.

“I saw that on my desk a few weeks ago. I’ll look into it for you when I’m next in the office. I’m sure we can get that all signed off.”

Micheal’s demeanour changed in an instance.

“Thank you, sir. That would be really, really helpful. The delays have cost us a lot of time and money.”

Uncle Bryce’s face relaxed slightly. “Anything I can do to help. A friend of Bianca’s is a friend of ours.”

“Thanks, Uncle Bryce.” I gave him another hug and he chuckled.

“Actually, I’ve also been looking into planning permission for another venture. A new charity of mine.” We both turned to face Micheal as he spoke with renewed vigour. “I’m looking for investors and funding for a new initiative. A place of refuge for the homeless people of this city. It’d also serve the men at risk in our community, suffering with their mental health.”

Woah. I felt my ears prick up in an instant. A charity? Micheal Douglas was investing his dirty money to help other people. What was in it for him? He didn’t do ‘charity’.