FALLEN: A New Adult Romance (First of the FALLEN Trilogy)

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

"Good morning, Grace." He nods to me, his arms crossed. He then looks over at Marcel, barely acknowledging him. "I was coming over to help you prep for today, but it seems my help is not needed now that he is here."

"Indeed, Paul. Hopefully, with Marcel here today, I will be less lost than I was yesterday when I was under your supervision."

"What are you talking about?" He retorts with genuine arrogance.

"Yes. I had dinner with Edith last night to evaluate how I'd considered your job. Clearly, your little feud with Marcel took the best of you, and it showed. She was very disappointed that I hadn't been given any information about the planning of the day. Thankfully, now she knows her son is here to support me through today."

"He wasn't even here for you yesterday. You were not his priority." He steps closer and murmurs in anger.

"We all have obligations." I try to sound as happy and naive as I can to upset him because I see Edith coming our way. I'm just so delighted Marcel is behaving himself and not choking him right now.

"Obligations?! How fucking stupid are you!?" Paul lashes out and raises both arms and letting them collapse down on his sides.

Marcel immediately rises to his feet and slams the book on the table in front of us in a thunder of noise.

"How dare you call her stupid?!" Marcel reacts with a solid and cold voice. He really shouldn't get upset right now. It was all planned, but I hadn't realised the reaction it would bring to the people standing close by.

"It's OK, Marcel. Get your author ready for the journalists. Scott has asked me if he could interview her in fifteen minutes. I'll handle him." Edith silently comes next to her fiancé and turns to him with the same cold tone her son just used.

He sits down by my side, and I feel gently his fingers brush with mine on my thigh.

I don't tear my eyes from Edith and Paul in front of me. He is furious. He looks at Edith for a second and storms off like a misunderstood teenager. I find his behaviour utterly disturbing, and I see just how affected Edith seems, and I'm not indifferent to that.

"What did he come here to tell you?" She breathes and asks me, clearly disappointed and worried.

"I don't know... He wanted to help me settle in, but seeing Marcel here, he just flipped."

She shakes her head and keeps her thoughts to herself. I know I played them both a little, but we need to plant seeds of doubts in their minds so that we can finally see Paul's true colours and put a stop to his plotting against the company and against us.

"If you have any questions, you can come and get me. I'll deal with what just happened. I wish I could have chatted a little more, but I'm happy to see you, Marcel. We'll have to talk later."

"Alright." He only responds. She smiles at us, still uneasy about the situation that has just happened and leaves us.

We watch her leave in silence until I feel Mace's breath against my ear before I hear his voice.

"You are such a dirty little liar." He murmurs very seductively, making the hair raise on my body in pure pleasure.

"Let's talk about you showing him who's in charge. Mmhhmmmm!!!" I am theatrical because I know how much he enjoys it. I can always get a smile from him, and that's precisely what I get.

I quickly briefed him on the interviews that I had yesterday to prepare us for the first journalist. It doesn't really go differently than yesterday, but he immediately started praising me when the journalist acknowledged Marcel. It makes me blush, and it reminds me how much I love him. I risk a few touches here and there, caressing his fingers or his thighs under the table. It satisfies me a little, but by lunch, we hurry back to our hotel room upstairs.