When Love & Hate Collide [Completed]

Chapter 20 - The Party

We pulled up in front of a grand hotel whose name I couldn't catch before the car stopped in the patio. A black suited guard opened the Audi's door to let me out. I stepped out in the high heels, matching with the dress but not with the person wearing them. I was so not used to wearing such heels.

Balancing myself firmly I stood up straight while being utterly conscious of my bare back and limited fabric around my breasts. Noberto had repeated I was looking perfect before we started from Fritz mansion but I was nowhere close to feeling perfect. May be the dress was perfect, but for its rightful owner, which wasn't me. I was not made for such dresses.

Still, I had changed my dress at Fritz mansion like yesterday and got ready for the party. But when Noberto had seen my footwear, he had pulled out couple of racks full of women shoes. There was one of every kind. He had pulled out a pair of golden stilettos and told me to wear them. I had somehow managed to convince him that I will not be able to walk in such killers. Instead I had searched for something else with less of heels. 

Unfortunately, none of them were less than four inches. Finally I had settled for a black footwear with block heels. Fortunately it had fit me too. Though I was still not very confident, I was about to move around without falling on my face. That is, I had not yet fallen on my face till I reached the hotel. Who knew what would happen later!

Noberto handed the keys to the valet and stretched his hand towards me to take my hand. Before I know it, I was holding on to his hand as if my life depended on it and being ushered into a brightly lit glamorous hotel.

Noberto seem to know the place as he took me straight to the lift and within few seconds, we had reached the floor where the party was happening. Just when we were about to step out of the lift, Noberto squeezed my hand and whispered softly, "Breathe."

I looked at him in amazement and released the breath, I myself didn't know I had been holding. We walked out of the lift, took few turns and reached an entrance. Another pair of dark suited men, greeted Noberto and opened the door to usher us inside.

It was a grand sophisticated party with a large crowd of well-dressed men and women. Almost everyone seem to be knowing everyone else with lots of hugs & kisses being exchanged. Noberto seem to one of the favourites with everyone coming to greet him the moment we stepped in. That the number of women around him was significantly bigger than the men was no surprise to me.

Some of the ladies were openly swooning on him but what surprised me was that he didn't let go of my hand. At some level, I was even grateful to him for his support though it was he who was responsible for dragging me here when this was the last place I wanted to be.

Parties were not my cup of tea. I had hardly attended parties in my life, except the ones where I was working as a waitress. And even those were disaster for I would never have a minute to relax. By the time they would get over, I would be drowned in fatigue, praying to be out of that clustered, crowded environment. I never enjoyed these things like an everyday teenager.

So, being there was obviously not something I was very happy about but I had to give him credit for he had probably sensed my unease and therefore kept his word of keeping me close to him throughout.

Not that gesture was truly helpful in every way. I could detect open dislike, in some case even hostility directed towards me from some of those elegantly dressed ladies around Noberto. They would either ignore me completely or when Noberto introduced me, they would acknowledge my presence half-heartedly, before quickly going back to pandering all their attentions on him.

One such instance, I suddenly felt a glass of drink tripped over me by one of such desperadoes. She was immediately quite apologetic, crooning artificial sorry and offering to get the dress cleaned up for me but I could pick up the negative vibe from her.