Forbidden Secret

Chapter 16. Sophie

I agree with Christine that she will pick me up before the party to do our hair and makeup together. She's hired a famous makeup artist to get us presentable. But Christine is late.

Forty minutes later, when I had already reconciled with the fact that we would not be going to the party, I receive a message from Christine in response to a dozen missed calls from me.

"I'm sorry it took so long. I met my mother, and she threw a tantrum when I told her that I would be living alone soon. She begged me not to trust dad and said that he is deliberately alienating me from her," she rolls her eyes as I get into her car. "Her usual drunken raving."

"You never really told me why they broke up," I make an attempt to pull the answer out of her that has long been of interest to me.

"I don't know. According to mom, he left her as soon as he found out that she was pregnant, and dad doesn't want to talk about it," Christine shrugs.

"Why doesn't he want to?" I continue to prod as I fasten my seat belt, remembering how well my friend drives.

"I don't know. I think it's an uncomfortable topic for him," Christine pauses, checking for passing cars, then changes lanes. "Either he doesn't want me to know some dirty details that will tarnish his honor," she chuckles.

I ponder her words as we silently drive down the road towards the center. Perhaps Alexander does not want their shaky relationship between new, full-time father and newfound daughter to completely collapse.

For some reason, Alexander's past stopped bothering me as much as when I accused him of abandoning his daughter. I didn't know him at all then, and now I have before me the image of a strong man who knows what he wants and is sincerely trying to improve the relationship with his own daughter and correct the mistakes he made. Even if it means that he will have to give up his personal life. This is how he earned my respect for him.

"The dress is just drop dead!" Christine admires, after three hours on a chair under the close attention of a makeup artist and one bottle of champagne, that had been meant for two.

I really tried hard today. I chose the most beautiful and revealing dress in my wardrobe: a short black dress with small glitter and thin straps. I want to make a great impression in front of Alexander and not lose face in front of the "cinema bohemia".

"My Rosalies are perfect for you," Christine hands me a pair of her signature black leather high-heeled sandals with red soles.

"But what about you?" I ask as I try on the shoes. Thanks to a comfortable last, they sit on my feet like slippers, and my fresh scarlet pedicure looks even more elegant. Well, expensive shoes make women's legs even more beautiful.

"I brought a few pairs with me," she dismisses, showing off neon pumps from the same brand.

We are a little late to the party, having missed the introductory part and words of gratitude to the film crew. All the people present have already begun to have fun, dispersing through the spacious banquet hall of the restaurant, located in an old building, its interior decorated in neoclassical lavishness. In one word – pompous.

Christine begins to greet her acquaintances, to whom she happily introduces me as her best friend and future successful architect. I blush in embarrassment at her praise and take sips of champagne as often as I can, trying to calm my frayed nerves.

My gaze drifts through the crowd and people passing by, hoping to stumble upon a familiar male face. But Alexander does not seem to be here.

I go to the bar to grab a fresh glass of champagne and catch my breath from too much socializing. I haven't made so many new acquaintances in a long time and my introvert personality needs a recharge.

"Did you forget the outfit, or was that intended?" The languid whisper of a husky male voice triggers electrical impulses across the entire surface of my skin. His stubble, pricking his ear, spreads a gaggle of goosebumps.

I can't help but smile when I turn to face Alexander and catch his darkened gaze on me.

"You don't like my dress?" I playfully raise an eyebrow, surprised at my own courage.

"Is this a dress?" Alexander smiles. "In this, I would only let you walk around the house."

I want to be angry, but I can't. I like his possessive reaction to me. Coupled with a long time without meetings, this gives a stormy mixture that blows away with a wave of excitement.

For a moment, time around us slows down, and I see nothing but his dark eyes, which are drawn in like two whirlpools.

"I'll be waiting for you in fifteen minutes," he hands me a white plastic card. "Second door around the corner after the restrooms."

***

I grip the card key tightly with frozen fingers as I turn into the corridor I need and count up to the entrance I need. I look around and, making sure that there is no one around, I put the piece of plastic on the reader. The light turns green, and I press down on the metal knob, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my nervous trembling.

"Storage room? Seriously?" I chuckle, looking around the small room with the shelves, among which Alexander, in his perfectly tailored suit, looks as ridiculous as in my small, simple apartment or me in frayed jeans and a sweatshirt in his expensive Bentley.

"What's wrong with back rooms?" Alexander grins, putting his hands in pants pockets.

"You work on TV. Isn't this a bit of a cliché?"

"Perhaps," he tilts his head and squints at me from head to toe. "But it's quiet here and we can talk."

"Are you trying to force me to make a decision about our relationship?"

"I'm not trying," he shakes his head. "I just think enough time has passed to discuss the pros and cons of our... relationship."

I lean with my back against the door, giving my sandaled feet a rest, and at the same time keeping a bit of distance between Alexander and me. He already fills all the space around me, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to discuss anything sanely if I come closer to him. But I have been setting myself up for this conversation for too long.

"So, what did you decide?" He asks again.

I am silent, collecting my thoughts, which are bouncing around in my head because of his gaze.

"I'm ready to try," I stop Alexander with a wave of my hand as he takes a bold step towards me. "But I have conditions: Christine cannot find out about us, and I don't want to hide in apartments and hotels, I want to be able to go out with you in public but how do we make sure that no one finds out about us? You need to figure that out."

Adrenaline surges in my blood and my heart beats in my temples. My newfound self-confidence is shattered by the fear that Alexander might refuse me or send me to hell with dictating such rules.

"The cat has released her claws!" He grins and overcomes the distance between us, freezing a couple of inches from my face. "I don't like it when conditions are put on me, but I'm ready to listen to your wishes."

"I hope you do," is all I can say before Alexander's lips meet mine in a greedy kiss. Our teeth slam against each other, and his hands impatiently lift the hem of my dress and wrap around my buttocks, lifting me into the air in one motion and pressing me against the door.

I wrap my legs around his waist and finally lose my mind when I hear Alexander's quiet moaning through the kiss.

"Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to do this?"