Luxurious venue, nice food, beautiful women, nothing more Stefan could ask.
Hm.... Maybe one....
Kara Singleton.
The goddess of the Singleton family. The most elegant, witty and fearless woman that he had ever laid his eyes on, the one that own his ass and he started to like it.
He watched her gliding graciously across the floor with the biggest smile on her lips for some guests who tried to talk to her and chat her up. Occasionally she would stop and shook their hands. She was kind of celebrity in a way.
Most people wouldn't know who the CEO of a company unless she was as beautiful as her.
She looked stunning in her strapless floor length maroon dress. Her gorgeous long neck framed softly by few strands of her chocolate hair that escaped her loose French twist.
A diamond necklace covered the top part of her chest matched with a pair of earrings and a bracelet that pull out envy gasp from the other guests' mouths.
A princess, she wasn't just a wealthy woman but her grace and charisma were mesmerising and made Stefan's eyes glued to her no matter what.
He had spent the last few weeks calming himself down. Since that night, his head was full of her. She was there twenty four seven. Invading the very private corner of his mind and she didn't plan to go away anytime soon.
Slightly regretting his stupid move to find out her weakness by stalking her, charming her, spying on her or whatever he called it, he wished he didn't. It had back fired on him hard.
He wanted so much to walk up to her now but he couldn't. Grandpa Singleton would scowl him big if not embarrass him in public. The hate in that old man heart was thicker than blood, he knew that for a fact.
The old Singleton never forgot to mention his hate toward Stefan's family in every chance he got. In every press conference or interview or business meeting, he would try his best to intimidate Angelopoulos.
Once he came up to Stefan and poked him on the chest, telling him to fuck off.
That was a nasty move and the media talked about it for months.
It wasn't anyone's fault. They were happened to be in the same room just like now and Stefan was trying to be polite. He came up to that old man trying to greet him as fellow business man but Joseph Singleton only pushed Stefan away instead.
It happened years ago when he was still very young and naïve. The time when he hadn't been in the business for too long and he didn't know his world well. If only it happened now, he would face that man differently.
He shoved his hands deeply into his pockets and his eyes were still glued to this one woman who seemed to rush walking toward him.
Him?
He looked around to check if what his face was there somewhere close by. The man who kissed her earlier, the lord mayor's son Jeff Brice. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Stefan was only seeing girls who surrounded him for a conversation or two which their chirps now disappeared in the background as soon as his eyes locked with Kara's.
Then what business that Kara had to walk to this section of the venue?
Her brown eyes were sharp on him, he could see them clearly, "excuse me ladies." She cut through layers of girls confidently as if she didn't know that they were there waiting for Stefan to pay attention to them.
Kara stopped in front of the man himself, looked up at him and greeted, "hi." She gave him a big smile like nothing happened, completely ignoring glares from all direction.
She heard some whispered in the background. Everyone knew their families were sworn enemies. Her ambush here was like initiating world war III about to happen but she shrugged them off. Unimportant people whispering unimportant gossip, she didn't have time for it.
"Hi?" Stefan replied with his confuse tone. He thought she wouldn't dare coming to him since her grandpa was in the same room and Stefan was sure that old man wouldn't happy to see her talking to the Angelopoulos boy.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked again, extending her hand like a prince charming asking for a princess to follow him.
"Yes sure. What's going on?" he pulled his hand out his pocket and took hers absentmindedly.
Kara dragged him away from the bunch girls who stared at her evilly. They knew how difficult it was to grab that man's attention and here the Singleton princess managed to make him do what she asked without breaking a sweat.
Kara stooped when she reached the dance floor, her hand was still holding his.
"What is it? Are you alright?" he asked with worry.
"I am fine. I just want to dance...." She grinned.
"Huh?" he blinked, taken aback by her weird request.
"Dance with me Stefan."
"Why?" he raised his eyebrows, fully aware of how Grandpa Singleton eyed them from afar together with his group. Bunch of journalists were ready with their cameras at the edge of the dance floor.
"Why not?" Kara asked him back.
"We both know what your grandpa will do if I touch you. What is going on?"
Kara groaned, she needed to proof to her grandpa that she wasn't bluffing and yet Stefan hadn't make his move.
"Please, dance with me?"
"Not till you tell me what's going on. Why are these journalists here ready to take our photos?"
"Stefan! I swear to god, dance with me!" she gritted her teeth, impatient by his hesitation.
"Are you feeling okay?" again he was taking his time.
"Stefan!"she slightly pinched his wrist.
"FINE!" he shook his head amused, "Come here!" And without warning he pulled her against his body till her cheek hit his hard chest. Shamelessly he rested his hand on her bare back and the other one held hers. From afar it looked like he was passionately handling his fiancé but Kara knew he did it because he was annoyed.
She arched back a little so she could glare at him, protesting his cave man move.
The way Stefan pulled her was rough as if he was angry but his face showed the opposite. Hazel eyes gazed at her gently and his lips twitched up.
"Yes?" he asked.
She shook her head when she saw his smile. "I hope this is not the way you handle your woman."
He laughed softly, "Of course not, I'll handle my woman like porcelain." He replied.
"Good." She commented shortly, slightly disappointed that he didn't treat her that way. Oh well, he hated her anyway, what did she expect? And she was sure when she told him about the marriage thingy he would go nuts on her.
They glided quietly following the song ignoring camera flashes that started to flicker in the background.
"Miss Evil. You look beautiful tonight." Stefan finally got the chance to compliment her.
"So do you!" she replied him honestly, admiring him in the tux.
First time she got up close and personal with this Angelopoulos man in tux and she was trying her hardest not to get nervous. He looked like a model from magazines, too handsome to be real and her heart beat faster.
It was just Stefan she thought, slapping herself mentally.
"Was that your newest boyfriend?" he must refer to Jeff Brice.
"Nah... Just went for a couple of dinners with him. Where's your date?" Kara looked around trying to find his date.
"I don't know where she is." He shrugged, he seemed didn't care where the girl went. Which was typical of him Kara thought. He could get a girl as fast as he blinked, loosing a date tonight wouldn't worry him.
She felt Stefan pulling her closer.
Too close, everything was too close......
She remembered that night when she kissed him.....
"Why are you avoiding me?" came his long due question.
"What? I am not avoiding you." Kara pretended to look confuse.
"Yes you are. And I don't like it."
Kara jaws went slack, what was that supposed to mean?
"I am just giving you a break, after what you've done to me when I was drunk. Consider it as my thank you gift."
He rolled his eyes to her answer and deep her hard as his protest. Kara giggled.
"I thought I never say this but I am kind of missing you though." Again a weird statement came out from his mouth.
"Oh yeah?" Kara didn't know how to answer that.
"Uh huh..." he nodded. His body swayed gently across the dance floor following the slow music. "Are you sure you are not dating that jerk?"
"Who?" Kara stopped her steps but Stefan pulled her even closer and it pushed Kara to move or she would twist her ankle.
"Jeffrey Brice. Lord Mayor's son. The womaniser and biggest asshole in the city."
"What? He is not." Kara protested.
"Yes he is. You see that girl in blue over there. That's his secret girlfriend." He swang Kara to the right and tipped her slightly so she could take a peek toward his shoulder to the bar area.
"Really?"
"Ask him where his lips parked before he kissed you. Miss Evil, I am warning you. He is not what you think he is." Stefan mumbled.
"Aw Stefan.... That is so sweet of you. Why are you telling me this?"
"Hey, I am not as evil as you are, you know. I hate seeing you crying." he run his hand slightly along her spines. She was shivering. For a split second she regrated her decision to drag him into her mess. Stefan was too good for this. He was too nice, too caring to be involved in her dirty game and she didn't have a heart to hurt him, again!
"Stefan..." she lifted her face to see him but he didn't let her. He pulled her closer against his body and he rested his cheek on her temple. His aftershave was so fresh and masculine, his hand spread widely on her back and he was humming to the song that the band played.
These Arms of Mine, an old song from the famous movie, Dirty Dancing. Kara surprised that he knew this song. Sounded romantic for ironically a sad song.
It was so weird for her to feel so safe and taken care of in a man's arms. This was the first time she felt this way and she liked it.
"Are you okay now Kara?" he finally asked.
"Yes I am....." she whispered, stunned by his question. She knew he was asking about that night, the night when she decided to show her vulnerability toward him and told him that she didn't remember anything after.
He knew she was lying.....
"You know I'll be there for you when you need to talk. Okay?" again he said softly next to her ear.
"I know...." Kara closed her eyes. Surrendering to her body that surprisingly responding well to him.
Stefan felt her body relaxed against his when he run his hand along her back one more time. She pushed herself closer to him and hide her head inside the crook of his neck. Exactly what she did when he carried her back home that night.
Stefan circled her small waist with his hands and he felt she lifted her arms around his neck.
The closeness was so weird yet so familiar.
They were enemies, they supposed to hate each other and avoid each other but the attraction between them was so strong that even Stefan couldn't pull himself away from Kara.
He wanted so much to find out whether she felt the same.
"Should we get out from here? Go somewhere quieter?" he asked.
Stiffened she pushed his chest a little so she could look at his face. She wanted to tell him the reason why she was dancing with him. She wanted to beg him to help her. She wanted to threaten him and blackmail him one more time if he didn't want to cooperate.
"Stefan..." she chocked when his hazel eyes stared at her with gentleness that she never saw there before.
Oh shit!
She couldn't do it. No, not now when everything was so perfect.
No she couldn't....
Her gaze flickered between his eyes and his lips.
Slowly she pulled his neck down which Stefan gladly accepted and gently pressed her lips against his.
The crowd gasped, the flashes flickered and the girls mumbled their disappointment but none of it matter.
His lips were soft, his hands were rested on her hips gently, and his growl was like a song in her ears.
She was in heaven and she didn't want to get out from it. Not tonight. She needed this. Stefan's body was warm and his arms were protective. She liked being inside his embrace.
Just tonight, just for tonight, she would enjoy his gentleness as next time he knew about her plan he would probably kill her.
Tomorrow.
She would tell him tomorrow.......