Tangled In The Deal

Chapter 4

Lily

The throng of guests seated in the auditorium glistened and shimmered every which way in their sparkly evening dresses and power suits.

This year's turnout was surprisingly bigger than last year's considering the fact that we were barely coming out of the worst economic depression we had experienced in the last century.

I guess the rich will always be excited by any opportunity to show off their wealth.

“Mr. Bowen, is that you? Why, you look splendid this evening. This new haircut literally took twenty years away from your face. Absolutely handsome!”

I beaned a picture-perfect smile that I had practiced every night unfailingly in the past week.

Oh well, time to make some money myself. One down, one hundred and forty-nine to go.

I greeted a few more guests until the red carpet interviews were over and it was time for the event to kick into full gear.

With shaky legs, I hiked my way to the podium to deliver my welcome address. Before me were business moguls, strongholds in the corporate world, politicians, celebrities, professors, and even a representative from the royal family.

I did not dare fumble this opportunity.

As I cleared my throat and began my speech, I noticed that all the butterflies in my tummy slowly started to recede. My eyes rested on Sarah's beckoning smile and I knew in that moment that I had the power to crush any mountain that stood in my way.

As I watched the captivated looks in people's eyes, I felt myself taking over the hearts of all the distinguished individuals who were in attendance.

I was unstoppable, and before I knew it, I had stopped reading from my notepad. I was addressing the entire crowd of a hundred and fifty high-profile personalities in my own words and with my own strength—that is until he showed up.

Arriving very fashionably late was the crème of all crèmes. A part of me knew that more than half of the population in attendance only obliged my invitation because they heard that he would be in attendance.

It was partly why I remained adamant about him attending the event physically—I knew that without him, my entire plan would go down the drain.

Since he was a VVIP guest, he had two seats reserved in the front row—one for him, and the other for his date.

The rumors did not lie. He was beautiful.

I had never met a more chiseled face structure in my entire twenty-three years, scouring and drooling after the faces of delicious-looking men all over the world.

It was as though a veteran sculptor sat in place for five days and four nights, chiseling away any unnecessary bit to produce the perfectly chiseled face.

But it wasn't just his face.

Damian Blackwood had to be a solid 6’4 considering how he towered over the rest of the guests like they were murines.

With sleek raven hair atop a well-chiseled face and a body that belied consistent gym membership subscriptions, the media didn't do justice to the gorgeousness that he was at all.

These TV reporters need to be sued because how is it that not one picture could accurately showcase just how good-looking this man is?!

By the time I caught myself in my train of thought, I had already blurted out his name like an i***t.

I saw the confusion that quickly licked the faces of everyone in the auditorium like a forest fire in the middle of summer.

Lily, you retard! What the f**k did you just do?!

I looked at Sarah with hopes that I would be able to find a clue to fix the predicament I had thrown myself into.

Nothing. I got absolutely nothing.

Think, Lily! Think!

“Mr. D-Damian Bl-Blackwood, everyone! Let's give it up for Mr. Blackwood!”

Like an imbecile, I kept gesturing to him to stand up for recognition. His response speed was a few seconds too slow, but all in all, I was able to get him on his feet to smile and wave for recognition.

Nailed it!

After patronizing the crowd with an awkward smile and wave, he finally sat down and I was back in control.

I managed to finish my welcome address without any other hitch and gave a modest bow before leaving the podium.

The real work begins now.

I had to wade around a sea of guests to find the people that I had already selected to show my business proposal. It wasn't going to be easy in the least bit, but I didn't plan all that to give up so easily.

“Go hard or go home, Lily. You've come too far to give up now. First, we're going to find Mr. Blackwood then w-”

Bam!

The sound of a glass tray crash landing on a tiled surface echoed across the hall. I had tripped on my dress, hit a waiter, and made a huge mess of myself in front of a hundred and fifty guests.

But that was not the problem. The fact that pink liquid was currently dripping off my hair and the sleeve of my dress had fallen a whopping forty-five degrees was not the problem either.

The problem was that in a bid to steady myself while trying to fall, I had reached out into the air for anything with solid matter and my hand had found the suit collar of the third richest man in the United States.

He was kind enough to have held on to me by placing an arm around the small of my back to steady me.

A rather strong arm, if I may… wait! This is NOT the time to be swooning over his big-boy arms! Get up!

I hurriedly stood to my feet and stumbled again from whiplash. This time, he held my waist with both hands and stared at me like I was an alien cockroach visiting his home planet on a reconnaissance mission.

I tried to hurry to my feet again but he pinned me in place. Then it came. Strong and powerful, yet gentle and calm. I could feel it piercing through my soul and spirit, leaving me thirsty for more.

“You seem to enjoy falling into my arms, Miss. Lily Harper. However, I'm going to need you to wait for a few seconds before you slowly get back on your feet. We don't want you experiencing another case of whiplash now, do we?”

I was melting. There was something about his rich baritone that pulled at my auditory senses, but even more than that, my olfactory senses were being teased in ways I never imagined a woman's sense of smell could be engaged.

There was something wild about his scent and it wasn't just his perfume. I couldn't place a finger on it but he smelled like the wild.

Danger.

Yes, that's it. He smelled like danger and as if by premonition, I immediately started to perceive murderous intent being directed at me.

It was a line of sight but it felt like the line had a pointy arrowhead that was aimed at the back of my head. I immediately stood up to find out who my attacker was, only to be greeted by the most beautiful ivory tower I had ever witnessed.

It was not every day one got to meet a natural blonde since almost everyone wanted to dye their hair into the beautiful color but my mental assailant was one.

Her hip-length, ivory-colored hair framed a well-defined that boasted high cheekbones and striking, sapphire blue eyes. She was the definition of “gorgeous” in every man and every woman's dictionary.

Even though her murderous intent had decreased drastically, I could still feel her cold, death stare on me. Possibly for still being in the same space and breathing the same air as her strikingly gorgeous date. Rightfully so too.

I'd probably do worse if I was in her shoes and some i***t was trying to play Disney princess with my hunk of a date.

“Mr. Blackwood! It's s-such a pleasure to see you. My name is Lily Harper and I'd appreciate it immensely if you could spare me a bit of your time.”

This was NOT how I had planned this entire conversation to go.

“No.”

No?! What does he mean by no?

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. No. I've got a very important meeting with the Speaker in thirty minutes that I am already running late for and it looks like I'll need to make a stop at Miles thanks to someone.” He was staring at his crumpled suit collar and I passionately begged for the ground to open up and swallow me.

At least give him your business card, dunbass!

“Could you?! C-Could y-you at least consider a meeting with me sometime?”

With outstretched arms, I held my business card with both hands and gave a deep bow. He stared at me, one brow almost touching the roof of his perfectly styled raven hair. He then gestured to a middle-aged man behind him with a nod and the man collected the card on his behalf.

Pink with embarrassment, I stepped away from his path and gave a short apology bow as he stalked out of the auditorium with his entourage following closely behind him. I felt the piercing gaze of his date again and I cowered in mortification.

End me. Please. Just end me.

I stayed glued to the spot, unable to move because I feared any slight movement I made would bring the crowd's gaze on me again. I wanted every single one of them to leave. I needed them to exit the building so I could crumble onto the floor and cry my eyes out.

Next thing I knew, the room started to blur in and out. I shook my head vehemently with hopes of returning focus in my vision but it proved to no avail.

What's going on?

I was still trying to process the sudden changes I was experiencing in my body when someone screamed for help.

What the hell is going on right now?! Did someone pass out?!

Then it hit me. I was the one that passed out.

The cold, unwelcoming embrace of the tiled floors had hit me square on my hip and back, leaving me with little time to process the goings-on in my surroundings.

As I looked up at the blinding fluorescent ceiling lights and smiled weakly.

The realization that I may have finally gotten an answer to the prayers I'd been praying for ever since my parents’ deaths seeped into my consciousness like butter on a slice of fresh toast.

I'm finally going to die. No more debts. No more sharks aiming for my neck. Just peace. Peace…

“Miss. Harper!”

Uhn?

“Miss. Harper, stay with me! How many fingers do you see?”

I conjured all the will I had left in my frail human body to open my eyes again and I was greeted by the most beautiful emerald gemstones I had ever seen. They were big and round and warm. I wanted to collect them.

As I stretched my right arm feebly, the weight feeling heavier than lifting a huge boulder, my gemstones suddenly possessed hands that held mine in theirs.

Wh… what's happening? Wh- wait a minute!

I forced myself to open my eyes fully and there he was.

Crouching over me, his eyes were filled with so many emotions, it left me breathless. He was the kind of man any sane woman with a heartbeat and a working reproductive organ would dream of.

“Miss. Harper, are you alright?”

Why the hell is Damian Blackwood holding my hand so passionately and asking if I'm alright?!