Catching the Storm

9. Lights, Camera, Action

So sorry for the late update, I've just had a lot going on.

Anyway, Enjoy!

Crystal's POV

I was late to the gala. I knew Jackson was going to pitch a fit if the number of times he'd called my phone was any indication, but I didn't give a damn.

He was already there but I knew he wouldn't be inside just yet. He was the one who was supposed to be getting the both of us in. Therefore, my tardiness would only serve to delay him and force him to wait for me outside.

True, I figured he could go in without me and that would complicate things for me, but even if he did, I still had a plan to get in. So, it really wouldn't matter if he chose to actually escort me into the gala. I could get in on my own. Though, my way could pose a problem in the long run but I doubted it.

Jackson, like the gentleman he's not, had sent a car to pick me up after I'd fail to show on time and he'd taken his own vehicle (wherever he'd managed to get his hands on one) by himself. Noah would be staying with the yacht in case something went wrong and we needed to get away fast.

If I had my way, nothing was going to go wrong.

I was driven through the open gates of a grand estate and when the driver came to a stop in front of the huge mansion, I thanked him and opened the door, stepping out into the cool night air.

Jackson was waiting at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the front door, looking both stunningly handsome and extremely pissed off.

I noticed the exact moment he'd noticed the car drive up because until that moment he'd kept his facial features very serene, but the moment he knew that that was the car he'd sent for me, the expression changed. His suit was dark and I couldn't tell for sure if it was navy or black but I was willing to bet it was black. His button-up shirt underneath matched his suit and the tie he had on was an eye-catching royal blue.

I had seen the tie he planned on wearing beforehand because he'd held that one up as well as a red one and asked Noah which one made him look more "dashing."

I had told him no tie in the world would ever accomplish that.

He'd simply laughed the insult away.

Though Noah had pointed to the royal blue one and I had decided in that moment that I was going to make sure that when I went to this gala, that there would be no doubt that I was with him. As I said, I wanted all eyes on him. I wanted people wondering who he was.

I was looking to stir up trouble and for that very reason, I had chosen a dress the exact same shade of blue as his tie.

I walked up to Jackson and he turned his full attention from the car and driver to me instead and I got the satisfaction of watching his carefully constructed facial expression crack and shatter before my eyes.

His eyes went wide as he looked me up and down. From the sparkling silver shoes and the hem of the long dress, all the way up the long silt that stopped well over halfway up my thigh, the torso of the dress that hugged my curves and breasts and to the large diamond that was pinned right between my breasts. His eyes, of course, stopped there.

I rolled my eyes before walking past him toward the door. I heard his intake of breath as I walked past and he caught sight of the back of the dress which was completely open back with a matching diamond clip pin that was pinned where the dress stopped, right above my ass. I ignored him and continued walking.

I had curled my hair and pinned it all out of my face with several diamond-studded pins that matched my dress and shoes. And of course, I had also taken the time to do my makeup which I actually kept rather simple instead of trying something overly complicated.