19. Love on the Ninth Floor
One million dollars. Chase paid a hefty one million dollars for the diamond necklace yet Krislynn couldn’t be any further from jumping his pants. A dark scowl deformed her once delicate features and her eyebrows seemed to be in a permanent scrunch. Of course, it didn’t cross Chase’s mind once that she could be unhappy with what he so majestically did for her and so he paid her no heed.
When the auction ended, both Chase and Seth left to claim their purchased items which were held in another room down the hall for safe keeping. Michelle squealed delightfully when they left. “That necklace he just brought? He’s giving it to you, isn’t he? That’s so sweet! You’ll have to forgive him now.”
Krislynn just stared at her unresponsively until the boys came back. She knew that billions of girls out there would feel smitten from the tips of their hair to the ends of their toes, but she was not amused in the least. There were multiple times in her life where she wished she had even ten dollars more to live on, to splurge on a burger at a fast food restaurant, but held back. Did he just spend one million dollars at the snap of a finger?
“Shell-bell, look at me!” Seth raced back into the grand room with the license plate he had been obsessing over for the last week. He had, typical male, taken off his belt to latch the license against his stomach and roared dramatically as he pretended to have won the national wrestling smack-down. “Look at all these muscles!”
Through his suit, there was no way anyone could possibly see his biceps, but he nonetheless made the masculine poses and Michelle squealed and clapped enthusiastically. “Yeah baby,” she screamed. “You go get them!”
For a moment, Krislynn thought no one else could see how chaotic the both of them were until Chase’s voice resonated from behind her. “You’re an idiot,” he said dryly.
“So shoot me.” Seth laughed as he took the belt and the license plate off. “At least I don’t have an STD.”
“Are you implying that I have one?” Chase’s face wrinkled in mock fury. “Because I so don’t! I’m totally clean.”
Seth’s face was more than skeptical when he replied. “Are you sure now?”
Flipping him the bird, Chase planted himself back down on his seat, right in between Michelle and Krislynn. “Behold ladies, the one million dollar necklace.” With a flick of his wrists, he snapped open the red velvet box in his hands and revealed the diamond locket Krislynn had fallen in love with at first glance.
Michelle gasped at the sight. “Oooh... Pretty!”
Chase beamed at her before shutting the flat box and waving it in front of Krislynn’s face. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said with his chin tilted up. “Just make sure you don’t skimp out on vacuuming under the sofas and the beds when you clean my house tomorrow.”
When there was no reply, Chase lowered his head so that he could see her before grabbing her hand and placing the box on top of her palm. “Don’t act so humble,” he muttered. “I brought it for you.”
Her hands almost immediately pushed the box back to him. “Well, I don’t want it,” she said.
Seth whistled and shifted his eyes as the smile on Michelle’s face faded into a thin line. “It looks like the dance floor is now opening,” Corbin conveniently mentioned as the band that just took over the stage started to play. He gave each of the other guests at the table a quick glance before turning to his wife. “Feel like working the old bones dear?”
Following Corbin’s footsteps, Michelle and Seth also joined the dance floor as the elderly gentleman and his son left to socialize with the other guests in the room. Soon Chase and Krislynn were left alone in their own little bubble of tension though neither of them seemed to notice the disappearance of their other six guests.
“That’s too bad,” Chase finally said as he pushed the box into her hands once again. He couldn’t seem to understand why she was so upset. She wanted this necklace – he was positive of that. “I brought it already so you might as well just take it.”
“I can’t take it.”
“Why?!”
“Don’t you get it Chase?” Her eyes regarded him with hopelessness as she paused for a moment. “I know you have a lot of money. I know you’re used to buying girls whatever they want, but I’m telling you I’m not like that! Sure I was super mad about the hickey you gave me, but I wouldn’t have stayed mad forever. You don’t need to buy me something like this!”
“Well I just did,” he shouted back in the most civilized manner he could muster. “Can’t you just thank me like a normal person and get over it. I’ve just spent a million bucks on you.”
“No I can’t get over it and do you know why Chase? Because I have moral standings! I have pride in myself. I’m not like those trash whores you bring home to sleep with.” Her gaze lowered and stared at the velvet box before placing it back into his hands. “And I know. I know you’ve just spent a million bucks on me, but to tell you the truth, I’ve never felt more cheap.”
For a moment all Chase could do was stare at her. Then slowly, his gaze moved to the box in his hands and he opened it up to study the necklace resting inside. “This thing is only worth 85,000 dollars. Even with the crazy bidding, it barely reached a quarter of a million, do you realize that?” He tilted the diamond locket towards her before looking her in the eyes. “Why in the world do you think I named one million dollars for it?”
“Because you’re an idiot.” Instant reply. “Because you’re a show-off and an attention whore.”
The words stung a little, but Chase quickly brushed it off seeing that as harsh as it was, it contained at least a bit of truth. “Alright. Maybe 20% was that, but can you guess the other eighty?” Krislynn cocked her head to the side and when she couldn’t come up with an answer, he gave her a hint. “Where do you think all this money is going to end up?”
She had to take a minute to think it over and when she realized why he spent that much money on a necklace worth 85 grand, her lips parted and her eyes widened in shock. “No way. You raised the price by that much just so you can donate it?”
He laughed. “Well yeah! I’m not that much of an idiot to call out one million after 225 grand.” Stretching his legs out in front of him, Chase took the necklace out of the box and held it up to the light. “That’s what you wanted right? Even more than wearing this lousy diamond necklace, you wanted to help people, right?”
Chase wasn’t even looking at her, but at that moment, Krislynn found that she couldn’t take her eyes off of him and for the second time that night, her heart skipped a beat because of this man. No one, no matter how much they connected, no one had ever been able to understand her the way he just did. “How did you know?” Her voice was unimaginably soft when she spoke, but magically, he seemed to have heard her.
“How?” His sudden shock was followed with a weak chuckle. “I don’t know. I just... I get it. I get you. Does that make sense?”
It didn’t, but Krislynn found herself agreeing anyways. “Well, do you want this necklace still or what?”
A quick blush swept across her face, but through her embarrassment, she found herself nodding. “If that’s okay with you,” she mumbled.
“Of course it’s okay. I brought it for you. Do you expect me to wear this?” She laughed faintly as he circled the white gold chain around her neck and clipped it together around the back. “It suits you.” Chase pulled back and smiled at her, and when he saw her smiling back, he added, “Well miss, it looks like a certain mistaken little piggy owes me a couple of words.”
Krislynn pressed her lips together to form a tiny pout on her face. Her hand gently gripped the diamond studded heart on the necklace before extending out and giving him a smack on the shoulder. “You’re right,” she said boisterously. “I forgive you.”
Chase groaned. “That wasn’t what I was talking about!”
“Well, that’s all you’re going to get.”
The atmosphere around them quickly lifted after their resolved misunderstanding, and the two of them chatted away as they waited for Seth and Michelle to finish fooling around on the dance floor. Except two whiskey on the rocks for Chase and one more Long Island for Krislynn later, Michelle and Seth still seemed to be having the time of their lives.
“I’m so tired of sitting here and waiting for them.” Turning to Krislynn, he laid out his hand with his palm up. “I can’t dance worth shit, but do you want to do a twirl anyways?”
“No you dumb Donkey,” she giggled as she playfully slapped him across the face. True to word, she really was bad with alcohol and though she doubt she could stand up straight her judgement was still sort of hanging there – slightly. “Right now, I just want to crawl into bed or at least take off these shoes. These monstrous heels are killing me.”
Seth came back right at that moment to cool off with a glass of water. “Dude. Are we leaving yet?” Chase muttered. “How long is this stupid dance?”
He shrugged as he slumped down on a chair beside Chase. “Michelle’s still dancing.”
“Then let’s leave her!”
“We can’t do that,” Krislynn squealed. “She looks like she’s really enjoying herself.”
“Well it’s still early and I don’t want to end the night quite yet.” Seth finished his glass of water and stood back up. “Why don’t you guys cross the street to the hotel and sleep for an hour and then we’ll meet up and go somewhere. You ladies are looking fine tonight and it’d be a waste to go home at...” His words trailed off as he took a peek at his Rolex. “...10 pm. We’ll find you in an hour and then grab a midnight snack before we go out, ya?”
Chase shrugged and pulled Krislynn up from her seat. “Sounds fair. I’ll text you with the room number.”
Krislynn could barely believe what was happening. “Wait! No way Chase! No way! First, I’m not going to go out after midnight and second, I’m not going to be cooped up in a hotel room with you for an hour!”
“Why? Scared you won’t be able to resist me?” The cocky smirk on his face said it all and it must be this comment that drove her to prove him wrong because the next thing she knew, she was inside a hotel room with him.
Still, she made the best out of her situation and took off her dreadful heels before throwing herself onto the bed. She lasted there only for a moment before walking out to the balcony for some fresh air. “You scared to fall from this height?” Chase asked as he came behind her and peered over her shoulders. “It’s a long drop from the ninth floor.”
Her reply was not short of an ounce of arrogance. “I’m not scared of anything.”
“Bullshit.” He laughed as he took a seat on one of the chairs placed outside. “Everybody is scared of something. Tell me what you’re scared of.”
Krislynn dug her fingers into her hair and pulled a series of hairclips out. Her auburn hair fell down softly before spreading around her shoulders. “What are you scared of?”
“I asked you first.”
“I asked you second.”
Chase lifted the bottle of wine he had taken out of the hotel cooler and brought it to his lips. “Caterpillars,” he said. “They’re so gross and hairy – scares the shit out of me. So do snakes and centipedes and worms.”
Krislynn laughed as she compared all of the things he mentioned. “Are you scared of your dick?” She asked.
He returned her laughter as he passed her the bottle of wine. “That’s apparently the one long thing I’m not scared of.” He watched her burst into hysterics before he questioned her again. “Well, it’s your turn. What are you scared of?”
She looked at him amusingly before taking a small sip of wine. “It’s a secret.”
Chase didn’t push the topic further and they slowly moved onto other things. The cool night breeze brushed against their skin and as Krislynn pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, he couldn’t help but realize just how beautiful she really was.
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the romantic atmosphere and the city lights glittering all around them or maybe, it was just the fact that he had reached a new record in his sexual drought. Chase could think of a million maybes, possibly as much as there were stars in the sky, and somewhere along the way he lost count and decided fuck it – she made him breathless and he wanted her tonight.
Bringing her arms around her body, Krislynn suddenly shivered before struggling up from her seat. “It’s getting a bit too windy outside. I’m going back in.”
He nodded and followed her back inside, but they barely made it passed the entrance before he grab her arm and pulled her into him. It only took a second for her to fall against his body and even less time for him to spin her around and pin her against the glass doors. His lips met hers with a feverish need and felt those soft, supple lips of hers melt like warm ice cream over his mouth. Although she didn’t exactly kiss him back, he did note that she didn’t push him away either.
When he pulled away, he found her staring at him with a look of skepticism as the tip of her tongue slipped out of her mouth and traced her lower lip. “I don’t remember giving you permission to kiss me,” she said.
Chase’s eyes darkened with lust as he saw the playfulness in her blue eyes. “I don’t like asking for the things that I want,” he said. “I like taking them by force.”
His lips collided into hers again and this time she responded by pressing them back. Her arms draped around his neck as he slipped his arm behind her waist and pulled her tightly against him. Chase’s hands couldn’t keep still as he felt himself harden, and as one hand massaged up her naked spine, the other skilfully untied the halter of her dress – the only thing keeping the damn thing up.
Chase had to step away to marvel her when he finally unhooked the dress. Like a movie set on slow motion, the dress slipped off as it kissed and caressed every reachable inch of her body before melting into a puddle of silk at her feet.