She Doesn't Know She's His

It had taken her weeks, but she had finally found the right dress for the charity gala. Strappy, snug in all the right places, and a plunging neckline with delicate sheer lace behind. It toed the line between classy and slutty, but even her own mother couldn’t deny that it suited her. Her lace topped thigh highs were barely hidden by the almost dangerous slit up the left thigh, but her legs were just too perfect to hide. The 3 inch red heels were only a shade brighter than her own long hair, which she had left loose, though blown out and conditioned to a luxuriant shine. A simple silver chain graced her throat with a small, but exquisite emerald. Matching earrings completed the set and complimented the delicate silver and mother of pearl watch around her equally delicate wrist. Girls could afford to forget the time and get lost in the joy of an evening, but Elaine was no longer a girl. In her world speaking with one person too long was to slight another, and that would never do.  A woman’s appearance could speak volumes, if anyone cared to look. Tonight she was going for elegant, available, but far from easy. Discreetly appreciative glances from the door man and others in the lobby told her that she had struck exactly the right cord. Elaine always got a sense of power from how others, especially those who considered themselves among the elite, responded to her beauty. So many treated her as if she were simply a pretty face when she was in the lab, her degree purchased by her parents. None of them knew how many “favors” she had declined, determined to have something of her own.  Stepping out of the black Lexus her father had given her as a graduation present, Elaine made a point of smiling up to Bernard, her driver. This man had been her discreet chaperone since she was 15. Never in the way and always knowing exactly how to let a young lady know just how close she had come to crossing a line, while never letting her humiliate herself. Bernard had worked for her family since he was 21, as her father’s driver. When Jeramy Hilland realized that his daughter needed to be allowed some freedom, he had offered Bernard the position of chaperone/driver/bodyguard. A handsome raise and one on one defense training from the retired Mossad captain of Jeramy’s private security team made Bernard not only willing, but able to protect the cherished daughter of one of the most envied businessmen in the country.  Cameras flashed, but Elaine had made sure to tone down her smile so that no one would be able to say it was anything other than familial affection. Bernard had been her first crush, which he had handled remarkably well. The young man made sure not to damage a teenage girl’s delicate confidence, while also making it quite clear that he would never risk the royal beating her father would administer if Bernard ever thought of her as anything other than his precious charge. Passing years had shown Elaine the position she had put her friend in and she had made a particular effort to make up for the awkwardness she had caused, without ever bringing it up. Bernard would turn the car over to the valet and then take up his station with the other guards on the balcony of the main hall.  No one saw the slight tremble of her hand before Elaine firmly gripped her designer clutch and waved to the reporters she knew. Confidence and grace guiding her every move, the young woman made her way up the slightly textured marble stairs to the open doors beyond and into the loose throng of socialites, celebrities, politicians, and stupidly rich. To anyone else she appeared perfectly at ease, maneuvering among her father’s peers. Many of these people she had known her whole life. While she was rather fond of a handful, the majority she recognized for what they were, professional and political animals, who would use her as they saw fit if she allowed it.  In time she made it to the young women of her own stature and was able to relax a little.  All played the same game she did, walking the line of the expectations of their families, while pursuing ambitions of their own. These women were just as ruthless as those she had waded through, but they knew the strength in working together. What looked like simple chatter to anyone not listening was actually networking and comparing notes. When your family was as interested in a potential suitor’s social history as their pedigree, one had to know everything about everyone before even considering pursuit. Elaine had no intention of settling down any time soon, but many of her cohorts were being pressured by their aging parents. If Elaine was the one who connected a suitable match she would be favored by that family and have one less set of potential rivals. She also genuinely enjoyed seeing them happy, which helped distract her from the internal tension she was trying desperately not to let anyone see.  Leo had been waiting for over an hour, trapped in one ridiculous attempt at flattering and pandering after another. He knew she would be here, but no one had ever accused her of arriving earlier than was fashionable. Nodding to the handsome woman trying again to introduce a son who had just graduated from one of the ivy league schools, Leo made his excuses and stepped away quickly. He ducked out onto the terrace overlooking the front garden just in time to see her coming up the steps. From there he watched her the way many did, but unlike most, Leo had been attracted to her long before he knew who she was. Discreetly he made his way to the vantage point he had arrived so early to find. Sipping his drink he was careful not to be noticed observing her, drinking his fill of her smile, her laughter, and the natural way with which she treated everyone like her equal, but also someone to be respected. He watched, noting her habits, her preferences, even what she avoided. He noticed the slight loosening of her shoulder when she found the knot of blossoms among the aging garden and worked on memorizing the faces of the ladies she spoke most often to. By the end of the night he should know what he needed before approaching her.  He had to be different from the others who pursued her.  He had to know she would choose him.  She didn’t know who she was to him, she couldn’t possibly know. But he had to have her for himself, soon.  Leonidas had been born into a family that extended across the country. Their financial roots ran back to early colonial times when land was cheap and the Natives still lived in their traditional homes. The family had agreed it would be right, and also in everyone’s best interest, to work with the people who had lived in these lands for generations. They recognized that ownership of the land was merely a means of protecting it, and not actual possession of it. Over the years forests had been successfully cultivated and managed, providing some of the best quality timber on the continent. The Natives who lived in these forests were asked only to let the warden of the territory they were in know which trees should be culled, and to keep trespassers out. This arrangement allowed the family to list those who lived on their lands as employees of a sort, enabling them to provide legal protection that would otherwise have been kept from them by others.  In Leo’s time as the head of the family he had taken the management of their assets a step further. Working tirelessly with the Natives who still held to their traditional homes and territories, Leo had located ideal areas to establish renewable energy sources on the family’s land. Rocky cliff faces became fields of small wind turbines, encased in mesh cages to protect the local wildlife. Areas of dessert grew solar panels that were arranged to also provide some shelter for local wildlife. Where others would have built dams to harness the electricity available from the rivers, Leo continually financed companies that were developing alternatives, allowing areas high in the mountains to be used as testing sites. Those cold, snow melt streams held little life, but were so fast running that they were ideal for determining how well a device could handle abuse.  Family and Natives alike benefited from the revenue provided by Leo’s efforts. The Natives were able to cement their place in the financial world by investing the profits Leo insisted they share, and the Family ensured the loyalty of a new generation, which was critical.  In an ever shrinking world, the Family needed to know who they could trust, and who they couldn’t. Their secrets weren’t many, but those they kept could bring about an end to the prosperity so many had sacrificed to gain. Running a manicured, but calloused hand through his hair, Leo glanced back to Elaine’s guard. The young man had chosen the same vantage point as Leo had, on the balcony at the far end of the hall. While Bernard may not have Leo’s senses, the young man had history with Elaine and could read her well enough that he didn’t need heightened hearing to know when the young woman was almost ready to leave. This was the moment Leo had been waiting for. Taking advantage of his size and the respect his expensive appearance earned him here, Leo gently bullied his way through the crowd to be sure that Elaine would have to pass by him as she made her way out. He wanted to be sure that she saw him here, even if he had no intention of approaching her tonight. Leaning against the short granite wall, anyone who saw him would assume he was waiting for his driver to come collect him. Hearing Elaine coming up on his right, he stepped out away from the wall, just in time to bump into her.   He had known who she was to him for months, but never had they touched. The almost electric shiver that ran through him caught him off guard, even though others had told him what to expect. Elaine stumbled automatically reaching out to avoid falling. Leo caught her hand and the shiver went through him again. By the widening of her stunning green eyes Leo knew she felt it too. A moment went by that seemed to last forever, and nowhere near long enough as they stood there alone among so many others. Seeming to realize that her hand was still in his, Elaine suddenly tried to retrieve it when Leo pulled it to his lips and gently brushed them across her soft skin while keeping his eyes locked on hers. He was already able to identify her scent anywhere, but this close it was intoxicating and he simply couldn’t resist.  Pushing down every instinctual urge that told him he couldn’t let her leave without him, Leo released her hand and stepped back, “My apologies young lady, I didn’t see you there.” His naturally deep voice would be audible to her, but no one else nearby. Doing his best to seem casual, he bowed to her and smiled before turning and walking away. Despite every fiber of his body, and the growl in the back of his mind, telling him that he couldn’t leave her there, that was just what he had to do. Leo walked over to where his cousin, and driver, waited with the exquisitely maintained black vintage Ferrari that was his ultimate guilty pleasure. Without looking back he slid into the passenger seat and looked to his cousin for the nod that would tell him Elaine was still watching him, and allowed himself a foolish grin when he got it. He knew he would need a long run and a cold shower before he could even think of sleeping, but knowing she had seen him, reacted to him the way he had hoped, was worth being tired in the morning.