Chapter 2
Friday came faster than Howard wanted it to but soon it was time to be heading out for dinner. He knew Lisa was already in his home the moment he opened the door just by her sweet smell she always seemed to have, most likely from working at the bakery. He also knew that she was upstairs helping Chelsea finish up getting ready for tonight. Lisa was doing the same thing he had been doing, trying to spend as much time with Chelsea before she was gone... Just thinking about it made his eyes mist over. Walking up the stairs, he passed Chelsea's door and snuck a peak into her cracked door. Lisa was standing over a sitting Chelsea while brushing her hair. Chelsea had her eyes closed and was simply enjoying the feeling while be soothed by the gentle humming coming from Lisa's mouth. Lisa loved to hum and even Howard to a second to close his eyes and relax to the rythum.
Lisa... He didn't know if she ever would feel the same about him as he did about her, but over the past year they had seem to grow closer. Maybe because they both knew "their" daughter would soon be gone and they both would then be lonely? He hoped Lisa did like him but a part of him was scared to act on it. What if he got hurt like last time? He didn't think he could lose ANOTHER woman in his life, 2 was too many... Howard shook himself back awake and preceded down the hall. He changed out of his coat and tie and desided to wear her dark black botten down shirt. Chelsea's mother, Elena, used to tell him that black made him look devilishly handsome. He turned and looked into his wall-length mirror and really looked at himself. He atleast thought he still had it. His arms were still musculer, he didnt want other to think he was weak, and his hair was still pretty dark...just with a hint of grey around the edges. But hey that one commericial on tv says that women liked that right? Howard chuckled, that reminded him that he needed a haircut from Lisa soon, it was slightly touching the back of his collar. Looking closer at the mirror he took note that his eyes were still a bright deep blue, the same as his daughters, and that his sharp edges of his face still looked rugde. So atleast for now he felt that he looked good, but did Lisa...?
Lisa was the complete opposite of Elena... But maybe thats what interested him so much. When he first layed eyes on her walking into that bakery on her opening day, he couldn't take them off of her. And it must be true how they say "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach", cause ever sense he tried one of her sweet rolls...he was smitten. Her body is still beautifull, he thought while putting on his coat and grabbing his wallet from the dresser. She's always had that small,danity, but with thouse killer curves that made him grunt out loud. Just thinking about having her under him, wiggling and grabbing at him, made him suddenly hot under the collar. Stop it!!! He wasnt some 17 year old boy anymore! He was a MAN! He did a quick nod to himself in the mirror and left the room to go collect his girls that were waiting on him. Maybe one day Lisa could be his, but until then he would just have to deal with it, like it or not.
“Oh daddy isn’t this place just gorgeous!” Chelsea exclaimed clasping her hands to her chest. She couldn’t stop looking around the beautiful posh restaurant called Pierre’s. The gold colors painted on the walls with the dark wooded booths and tables made everything look so luxurious that Chelsea had a hard time keeping her mouth closed.
“I’m glad you like it baby girl” Howard told her while pulling her into a side hug while giving her a light kiss on her head. “I love it daddy, but you said this night was very important. Why are we here?” Chelsea asked looking at her father then to Lisa who was also there. It wasnt odd that Lisa was with them, it was just different for all of them to be going out. Usually they only had dinner together if Lisa had brought over some dinner that she secretely had been making esepecially for her dad but would always say "O i just happen to have soo much left over from the other day..." Yea right Chelsea smirked. Maybe this was her dad's way of slowly wooing Lisa? if so, then this relationship would take awhile before it began.
“We’ll talk about it later Chelsea, right now let’s just be together and forget about everything else.” He said squeezing her just a little closer. Chelsea was confused but put her thoughts in the back of her head. Her father was right, tonight was about relaxing and being with the two people she loved the most.
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They were sitting at the table enjoy their drinks, well at least Howard and Lisa were. Stupid law says I have to be 21 just to drink Chelsea mumbled under her breath. The waiter came and took their orders and now they were all three just sitting comfortable making small talk.
Chelsea was in the middle of the story of something that happened to her once in high school when she looked at her father and noticed that he had gone deathly pale and was looking past her shoulder. She crinkled her forehead.
“Father what’s wro…” she began to ask.
“Good evening Howard.” She heard the profound voice say from behind her. Chelsea stiffened. She knew that voice anywhere.
Victor.
That man gave her the creeps. Correction, his son gives me the creeps!
Please don’t have his son with him, Please don’t have his son with him! Chelsea chanted in her head squeezing her eyes tightly.
“Victor… Scott” Howard nodded to each. Shit! Chelsea let out a slow breath and turned to her left and looked up meeting Victor and Scott MacMillan’s eyes. Victor just radiated evilness off of him. A shiver went down Chelsea’s spine. She looked to the side of Victor where she saw Scott with a very…“fashionable”... girl on his shoulder. Chelsea wanted to scoff at herself. She just looks slutty, not fashionable! She couldn’t help but stare with disgust at her black dress that had a v-neck that ended below her chest when the dress itself ended just mid-thigh. Scott stared at Chelsea making her almost squirm in her seat. She had only meet Scott one other time and it was not pleasant.
“What’s wrong Chelsea? Jealous…” Scott smirked at her while roughly grabbing the girl that was around his arm ass. She jumped only a little but Chelsea could see the pain in the girl’s eyes. She no longer felt disgust for the girl, but sadness.
Returning back to Scott, Chelsea scoffed. “I would never be with a pig like you” She sneered. The table became very quiet and it just didn’t sit right with Chels. Why is nobody saying anything? Chelsea turned her attention back to her father and took notice of the paleness in his face. Her attention was turned back when she heard the clearing of Scott’s throat.
Swinging her head back to look at him, she couldn’t help but notice the smirk on his face.
“See that’s where you wrong darling…” Scott spoke very cold. “You will be mine and very soon. My birthday is coming up, and I can’t wait to have you as my present.”
A gasp could be heard coming out of Lisa’s mouth.
Chelsea looked at Lisa confused then stared at her father about to ask him what Scott was talking about. Howard stood up immediately almost knocking his chair out from under him.
“That’s enough Victor. Thank you for saying hello, but we are about to eat our dinner and we would like to do so in private.”
Victor just smirked at Howard for a moment. Obliviously he could see that Howard had not told young Chelsea of the arrangement.
“Very well then, I see my table is ready. We will see you soon Howard.” And with that Victor and his Son plus date/slave left.
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“What is going on?” Chelsea asked through clenched teeth. She tried to portray that she was composed but her grip on the arms of the chair gave away the struggle she was having trying to keep calm.
Howard took a minute but then finally spoke.
“Baby girl… you have been arranged to marry Victor's son... Scott.” He said trying to sound like he was not about to cry.
“WHAT!” Chelsea screamed. Everybody in the restaurant quite talking immediatly Chelsea noticed, and apperantly they were all looking right at her. She caught Scotts face looking at her across the way with a very large smirk on his face. Why I oughta go smack that smirk right off his face!!!!! Chelsea yelled inside her head.
Instead, slowly the embarrassment finally seeped in and she sunk down into her chair.
“What are you talking about?!, I barely know Scott! How can I be arranged to him?!?” she whispered/ yelled across the table.
Howard knew that now was the time to tell his story. He sent up a silent prayer, looked back down at Chelsea and began.
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Chelsea stared shocked at Howards face. She couldn’t believe that she was arranged to the arrogant.. most egotistic... what was the word? O ya! ASSHOLE!!!!!
Lisa sat there the whole time very quietly. She never spoke a word during the whole conversation. Finally she decided it was her time to talk. Quickly Lisa reached over grabbing Chelsea’s hand.
“It ok Chels, We will work something out. Your father and I have discussed this situation and we have thought about this for awhile and…”
“Hold up!! Wait! You knew!?” Chelsea seethed. She couldn't have pulled her hand out of Lisa’s grip fast enough,as if she had the plague.
“Well… Umm yes...You see...” Lisa stumbled to get out quickly.
“You have got to be kidding me! You knew and never told me!” Chelsea yelled at her. “Chelsea calm down” Her father’s word echoed with authority.
“Calm down!” Chelsea shrieked. “You kept this from me my whole life! You and You!” she said pointing too each of them “How could you…?” Tears sprang to Chelsea’s eyes and she knew she needed to get out of there and NOW.
Chelsea stood, reached down for her purse and B-lined for the door.
“That didn’t go very well…” Lisa mumbled under her breath.
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Chelsea couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough. She had to squeeze herself through the crowd of people waiting for their table. Well they can have my table, along with my traitors that are sitting there too! Chelsea thought. She could barely make out the dark wooded door ahead of her from the tears that were now leaking down her cheeks blurring her vision.
Almost there!
Finally she reached the door handle and pulled.
BAM!
Ouch! Chelsea’s hands flew out to steady her for the fall. She couldn’t find anything to catch herself with and so decided to brace herself for the fall on to the hard marble floor.
A few seconds passed and Chelsea was still waiting for the impact, but nothing happen.
“Are you alright? I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.” Chelsea quickly looked up to find out where the deep, rich and sexy voice had come from. Her eyes locked with a pair of eyes, the deepest shade of blue. Chelsea’s eyes widened scanning his face. She couldn’t help but notice how he was slowly lifting one side of his smile a little higher than the other. That has to be the sexiest smile ever!
Slowly her gaze flowed down his large muscular chest that his t-shirt seemed to mold perfectly too. Looking a little further she could see where his arms where extended, they were completely wrapped around her to keep her from falling. Infact she could feel the heat radiating from his palms seeping into her lower back. She almost wanted to close her eyes and purr out loud. Thankfully she kept some of her common sense .
OH MY GOD!
Chelsea quickly came back to reality noticing that she still had tears going down her face most likely smudging her makeup. Great, just when I meet Mr. Super-Hot-Sex-God, I would look like a red puffy puffer fish!
She quickly pushed herself off of him with her hands. “Sorry” Chelsea mumbled completely embarrassed. She squeezed in between him and the door, leaving him and her traitors behind.
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