Coming Home

Chapter 3

She watched the skirts flutter around her. Red. Blue. Black. The women's heels clicked against the floor as they moved in time with their partners. The soft beat of the piano was mixed with the loud strung of the violins, creating a tune that made her feet itched to move with the rhythm. Venice sat still as she stared at the guests dancing. Her eyes glued to the women as they hopped, skipped and whirled as the men placed their hands on their waists. The scene unfolded beautifully before her eyes, wishing she was one of them.

Her anxiety slowly drifted as she focused on the dance. She'd been a nervous wreck since they got to the gala. Her fingers had shaken and trembled as she ran them down her legs. It didn't help when Max had shown a calm, relax demeanor. Though, she was surprised when her boss had placed his hand over hers, giving her a squeeze. He was reassuring her. Trying to get her mind off the event that she'd been stressing about for days. If only he'd been smart enough to choose Barbara as his date, then he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble. s

His college friend, Faye had come over at her house in the afternoon and started on her make over. Her glasses had been swapped for a pair of contacts and her strawberry-blonde hair was neatly piled up on her head. Her hairstyle had been an intricate up-do that had wisps of hair framing her face. The smoky eye-look Faye had done to her eyes brought out the green in her amber eyes. Her natural pouty lips glinting from the swipe of gloss on her mouth. She could barely recognize the reflection staring back at her.

And the stunned look on Max's face when he'd come to pick her up was an indication that he didn't recognize her as his secretary. His eyes had widened, his lips parted in shock as he took her in. He had run his gaze over her figure taking in the way her dress fit her hips and breasts. Her face had turned the color of a beetroot by the time his gaze landed back on her.

The surprising heat in his eyes shocked her. She hadn't thought of Max as anything more than her boss. How could she when he was responsible for putting funds into her bank account. And getting involved with him would only complicate things. She had sworn not to get romantically attached to anyone from the office. They were like a family. They worked closely together. Besides, it would never work out in the end. It would only cause heartbreak on her part. Something she wasn't ready to face again.

"You've gone terribly quiet," Max whispered.

She blinked as the memory faded. She turned her head to find his gaze on her. "I was just watching the dance."

They were seated at the center table accompanied by his family. Max had introduced her to his brothers and sister as soon as they were shown to their table. The oldest, Richard was married to his childhood sweetheart with two kids. He had the same dark hair as the other Smiths. Something that the brothers had inherited from their dad while their eyes remained like their mother's.

Then there was Caleb who was just two years younger than her boss. He was sweet natured like the older brother, though he flirted with her without shame. The younger brother only stopped when Max had murmured something into his ear. Caleb had given her a lopsided grin before trudging toward another victim. The younger and only sister the Smiths had was Eunice. She was shy and beautiful. Her red-hair stood out amongst the dark heads. She was the replica of their father, although she'd inherited the red-hair their mother had.

Max's parents were very kind and nice to her. They had welcomed her with open arms as if they'd known her for a long time. So why was Max so grumpy and broody during office hours? He was surrounded by a loving family who adored him. Venice didn't understand why he was so serious and uptight when his siblings were anything but.

Or maybe she just didn't know him that well. She'd gotten to know his type of bed partners but never his personal life. Max isolated himself from everyone apart from his family. For the first time in two years, she'd seen him relaxed.

"Would you like to dance, Miss. Zane?" Max asked.

She stared at him astonishment. "Dance with you, sir?"

"It's Max outside the office, Miss. Zane." He corrected her. "Why not? I'm not a horrible dance as some would think."

She bit her bottom lip, unsure whether to accept his offer. She wanted to dance. But a small voice inside her head held her back. She had never touched him before. They had never shaken hands or even accidentally brush against each other. Dancing with him would only be an alien feeling. But she found herself agreeing anyway.

"If I'm going to call you, Max, then you ought to call me Venice." She stood from her chair, accepting the hand he offered before whisking her away into the dance floor. She heard Eunice exclaimed in delight. A smile forming on the other woman's lips.

The hem of her burgundy dress lightly caressed her legs; the soft fabric touching her skin. Max placed his hand gently on her waist, their fingers linking together. Their feet aligned as the music wrapped around them like an invisible shawl. An electrifying sensation drifted down her back, her body trembling as he whirled her around. Her hands landed on his chest, their eyes holding onto the silent promise each soul held.

At one point she had thought of him as cold, savage and empty. But as they moved to the sway of the music, Venice knew she'd been mistaken. Like everyone else. He'd use women for his satisfaction and benefit. But she'd never seen him treat them in any way that they didn't want to be treated.

"You should smile every now and then. Pretend at least to be happy, so that my family won't think I've dragged you here by force." His mouth was pressed in a thin line and the words had barely escaped his mouth.

Venice choked on a laugh. He did drag her by force! Max didn't take no for an answer. He didn't give her a choice but to come tonight. She couldn't exactly turn away Faye when she'd come knocking on her door. The woman was nice and Venice figured she'd let her boss get away with this one. Luckily, she'd managed to drop by her aunt's grave this morning, and spent a few hours cutting away the grass that had grown during her last visit. That at least eased her mind from things.

Another song came on and she found herself pushed back, her feet twirling, landing in a different man's arms. Breathless, she lifted her chin and stared into a familiar pair of green eyes. Caleb. He grinned down at her; his teeth white and perfect. He was just as handsome as his brother. But in a young, boy-ish way.

"I've come to whisk you away from my brother," Caleb said as he jerked her to him, clasping her waist lightly.

She smiled at the younger man before looking over her shoulder. Max stood in the far corner of the room speaking to a beautiful woman. She was brunette, tall and lithe like the rest of the women in the gala. Venice didn't have to guess that she was a supermodel. She'd seen that angel face before. Perhaps in a magazine? Or maybe on one of those billboards hanging on top of the skyscrapers. She wasn't sure which one but judging the way Max laughed at what she said, he was captivated by her. The woman seemed mutual.

"Do you know her?" Caleb asked.

She shook her head. "Her face seems familiar."

"She is quite familiar with everybody. She was the face of the Millani Inc. campaign just a few weeks ago. Max agreed to post her billboard on his company in exchange for a partnership. The Smiths Incorporation was in the middle of launching their ownn underwear line when the offer came up. My brother was smart enough to strike up a deal that seemed to work on both companies."

She remembered now. She recalled the brunette striding into the office with her bodyguards in tow, her co-workers trying their best not to stare. Shirley Jones. That was her name. She'd walked in wearing a thousand-dollar dress looking for Max. Venice had directed her straight into his office without hesitation. Her boss had warned her about a special guest, an important one who could possibly make the launch of their underwear line sucessful. And just as her boss had expected, the underwears they'd released became a hit within the first week.

Max and the other executives couldn't be happier. Thanks to the deal Max had striked, Millani Inc. supporters recognized some of Smiths Incorporation's products and the sales went up a ton in the following days.

When the dance finished, Caleb led her back to their table as Max continued to have his chat with Shirley. An unpleasant feeling rushed over her the longer she stared at the woman. She didn't understand what it was about her that made her unsettled.

"She's like a leech sucking off of Max," Eunice mumbled beside her. It felt great knowing she wasn't the only one not fond of Shirley Jones. "I don't even understand what he sees in her," the younger sister continued.

"Eunice." George Smith casted his daughter a warning look. "Don't talk about her like that. She helped your brother get his company recognized."

"Smiths Incorporation is already popular, dad. Max needn't have partnered with her in order to get a sucessful launch. He's just too good to her that's why."

Eunice spoke as if she knew the other woman well. She could feel the annoyance rolling off of her as Eunice sent daggers toward her brother's direction. As much as she didn't want to listen or get curious, Venice couldn't help but wonder what history these two shared. The family Smith didn't seem to like the supermodel despite her angelic features. Maybe there was something more than meets the eye.

"You can't blame a person who once loved." Janine Smith replied as she tucked a strand of red-hair into her ear. "Love can destroy a man's life, my dear. And your brother is a fool for falling for a facade one puts up to protect her real identity."

What did that mean? His mom seemed to be talking in riddles and she didn't know where the conversation was leading to. She ought to shut them out. But her ears strained to hear more of what Janine would say. Silence met her as she sat quietly, pretending to study her trimmed nails.

"You're making our guest uncomfortable," George answered sharply.

Venice looked up and looked around the table. They were all staring at her as if they expected her to complain. "No, no. I'm all right, sir. Please don't mind me."

"I go by the name George, my dear. There's no need to be so formal with us. Max have told us about you." He'd told them about her? Panic seized her. Her eyes almost bulged at the thought of him making stories up about her. No, no. He would never do that. Her boss was a professional. He'd shown her nothing but respect. So it wasn't possible for him to gossip like an old woman. And somehow, she wanted his family to like her. Even if this would be the first and the last time she'd see them.

Suddenly, Caleb chuckled. "Calm down, Venice. Your thoughts are too loud not to hear them. You look so scared I wonder what Max have done to you."

"He hasn't done anything to me," she whispered.

"Well, then. You've got nothing to worry about." Janine squeezed her hand. "He's told us great things about you, dear. I'm glad you've managed to survive working for my son. He can be a tough one to crack, you see."

She gave the woman a tiny smile. "I'll do almost anything to keep my job."