A/N: Hey gorgeous readers! This chapter is definitely the gateway to all the drama and chaos so I hope you'll enjoy.
Song: Just Be Mine
Artiste: Cher Lloyd
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I stood in a corner and studied my surroundings. From where I stood, I could see the expanse of most of the incredibly wide banquet hall.
People of high stature gossiped over gingerly held refreshments and glasses of wine, fruit punch or the various options of sizzling flutes of champagne available.
Waiters bustled about, carrying trays of appetizers and glasses half filled with wine and champagne back and forth.
I spotted my dad and Dontae's parents huddled together entertaining a conversation with a tall beer belly man with light creases around his eyes and glistening auburn hair that was slowly transforming into grey.
I faintly remember him introducing himself as the host of this event as well as the owner of the very hotel we were in.
I have a strong feeling that he's the one my dad and Dontae's parents are trying to strike a deal with. Hence why my dad was so fussy about getting that file to Dontae's parents quickly before we got here.
Something piqued my interest from the corner of my eye and couldn't help turning my head to fully assess the image before me.
Dontae was engaged in a conversation with a girl who had shiny brunette hair. A few sections were dyed a shocking neon pink and her hips were adoringly wide. Her bronze skin glistened under the luminescent diamond chandeliers shimmering from the ceiling. Long legs extended from a daring slip built into her pale yellow cocktail dress which came to a stop just at the top of her ankle.
She was nothing short of stunning and it was sad to say that I was intimidated from where I stood. I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow morning, her face was plastered on the front cover of every magazine across the country.
I rolled my eyes when she threw her head back with crinkled eyes, then placed a flirtatious hand on Dontae's muscular arm.
Dontae showed no interest in removing her intruding hand and I shook my head at him even though he was too busy to even notice me.
Typical Dontae.
I wanted to scoff.
He's still the same playboy he was years ago. Entertaining a hoard of girls both old and young who are always ready to throw themselves at him with just the snap of a finger.
It was honestly appalling.
Suddenly the atmosphere felt too cloggy for my throat and lungs.
I have to get out of here before I suffocate from all this place of endless social interaction.
Just as I was thinking of escaping, a door leading to what seemed like a lonely, inviting balcony begged for my attention. And I obliged to its call.
Eagerly slipping through a few couples who were performing another round of old time dances to the awfully tedious tunes that were echoing around the banquet hall, I slid the light glass door open upon reaching the entrance door and closed it behind me once I was safely locked outside. Away from the crowd.
I sighed in relief when I was finally in my own company.
I took note of the dark sky and the few balls of bright yellow gases that were beginning to greet the earth with their gorgeous glow from high above the ground.
I was starting to miss my bed and the warm, cozy duvet which seemed to be a good friend of mine.
Quincy had excused himself after we had finished two rounds of the waltz back to back. He excused himself and we exchanged contacts and we said our goodbyes.
The light bulbs just outside on the walls neighboring the balcony, casted a light glow over the ground which was just a few feet below me.
I placed my arms on top of the cold, concrete structure that served as a safety mechanism.
An eye quenching garden of luscious flowers was visible from where I stood. I could identify lush, radiant, aromatic daffodils, red roses, white roses, sunflowers and lilies.
It was a breathtakingly refreshing sight. Far more enjoyable than the room inside crowded with people gossiping and chattering away like noisy parrots.
"You look cozy."
I nearly jumped over the edge of the balcony like I was Jet Lee or Jackie Chan reincarnated but calmed my thoughts and instead chose to try and dig my fingers into the hard concrete to settle my emotions.
I spun around and narrowed my eyes at the intruder.
"Are you trying to send me to an early grave Dontae?"
He chuckled and rested against the wall next to the sliding glass doors. I suddenly appreciated the privacy that the navy curtains -which were drooped over the sliding doors-allowed. It would be embarrassing if anyone from inside had seen the way I had just ungracefully jumped.
"Is that a rhetorical question? Or do I have to answer you?" He cocked an eyebrow, mirth controlling his features.
"You are impossible," I accused.
"You should be apologizing for almost causing my death. I could call the cops on you for your sudden attack."
"Cops," he scoffed. "No one would find my fingerprints or any eveidence on the crime scene even if something did happen to you."
I gasped.
"You are such an insensitive prick."
"Thanks for the compliment hon. I get that a lot."
I glared at him and crossed my arms across my chest as the breeze began to blow chilly.
Before I can register it, unpredicted warmth circled my shoulders and arms and I inhaled sharply when Dontae's familiar cologne tickled my nostrils.
"What are you doing?" Is what I asked when I saw his head ducking downwards, moving closer to my face.
My eyes widened and I felt a surge of panic stirring inside my stomach.
He's not going to kiss me, is he?
"Relax," he said firmly. "I'm not going to kiss you."
Did I just say that outloud or did he read my mind?
It was then that I noticed his long, slender fingers that were moving swiftly to adjust the warm, sweet smelling suit jacket that was draped droopily over my shoulders.
I blushed profusely and gripped the warm fabric for dear life as it acted like a lit furnace, forcing the much needed warmth into my body.
My cheeks began to grow hot again and I used a hand to try and cool them down.
Crap!
Although I was overwhelmed by embarrassment, I tried to play it cool as I muttered a grateful 'thanks' and turned back to the view below me that seemed to steal my attention and whisked me away with its otherworldly beauty.
It was silent for a while. I could feel Dontae's presence next to me as he examined the outdoor's entrancing occupancies.
"So why did you come out here?" Dontae popped the question, breaking the weird silence that persisted between us.
I cleared my throat.
"Is that why you came out here? Because if so, you didn't need to leave your Victoria secret model to come babysit me."
I turned to gauge his reaction.
His eyebrows furrowed in what seemed like momentary bafflement before they rose in comprehension.
"She isn't one of my concubines if you must know. She's just an acquaintance."
I pursed my lips and he enlightened me further. Though I know he didn't have to.
"Her father is a business associate of my parents so we have met on several occasions. He is actually the owner of this hotel. He introduced himself earlier over the microphone. But Linda," he stressed, "is more into girls so I don't think there's anything brewing between us if that's what your mind is cooking up."
I groaned in embarrassment. I should've known he wouldn't show up his bad habits so open in an event like this where his parents are roaming freely.
Also, I should have known that my dad was going to try and make a deal with the owner of a lavish, five-star hotel.
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and pursed my lips as I assessed my mistake.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry Dontae. I shouldn't have assumed such a big thing. That was rude of me."
Dontae laughed easily.
The wind transported the sweet sounds of his laughter throughout the night in a beautiful melody.
"God, I can be such a big idiot sometimes. It's just that she was being so flirty with you so I thought she was into you. And you were entertaining her."
His eyebrows creased with amusement and he relaxed against the balcony's support system.
"Oh, so you were watching me?"
I groaned internally.
I said one thing and he had to bring up something totally different. Ugh.
"I wasn't watching you." I clarified quickly. "You just so happened to be in my line of view and I caught a glimpse of you."
"I was just kidding. Geez. Are you always this serious," he asked curiously.
I pursed my lips again, this time possibly taking away some of the gloss from my once shocking ruby red lips.
"I don't know."
We slipped into silence again until Dontae broke it once more.
"Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to just grow wings like doves and fly?"
I sighed dreamily. My head tilted to the sky as my thoughts ran with thoughts of it.
"Everyday."
My response was low and soft. But I know that Dontae still heard me.
"What's running through that mind of yours?"
I smiled lightly, easing my nerves and calming my tensed body as his light conversation slowly dissipated any trace of my nerves.
"Um, nothing really."
"It can't be 'nothing'. You were really zoned out a while ago." he said and I watched his lips hold a dashing smile which made my stomach flutter weirdly.
"You're annoyingly observant," I replied with an eye roll.
Turning so that my back was facing the garden, I watched the waiters bustle about, passing out fancy beverages, namkeen dishes and sweet snacks to the high status guests.
A group of five middle aged men like my dad were visible through the small view through the glass doors that the navy curtains allowed.
The men seemed to be traversing back and forth about business as one man pulled out a small business card from a pocket attached to his jacket and handed it to one of the five men in the group.
My eyes shifted to another group. This was a group of four women who clearly didn't like each other from the fake laughter they let out and the way they glared at each other when they thought no one was watching. They practically threw their bling at each other's faces, giving off saccharine smiles.
This seemed worse than if anyone were to bluntly tell you that they hated you to your face.
A soft chuckle wafted through my ear canals and I followed the direction it came from.
"It gets annoying, doesn't it?"
Confused by the tone that Dontae was using, I turned to face him with furrowed eyebrows. "What?"
He motioned towards the group that I was staring at not too long ago.
"Doesn't it get annoying to watch people base their personalities off of what they have and determine what social hierarchy people should fall into?"
"Y- yeah. Um, I guess," I answered pathetically.
I stared wide-eyed at Dontae for a while before I fully recovered from my initial shock.
I really am seeing a different side to Dontae. Not that it was bad. But I thought that after so many years of being in the spotlight, he wouldn't really care much about anything. Anything like the topic he was now discussing so casually.
"It is annoying honestly," I mumbled. "To see people change themselves and try to run with the crowd."
Dontae nodded and went back to staring inside the busy room.
I took a really deep breath before running a hand through my hair. "Is it bad that I like someone who's high up on the social class ladder?" I queried nervously.
It actually surprised me how I was talking to Dontae. It felt as if we didn't spend years on end separated from each other.
It felt like old times when we used to sit in his room or my room or the living rooms of our houses and just talk about anything we found interesting.
It took a while for me to notice the loud, booming laughter that surrounded me and I blinked in surprise at the culprit.
"You are hilarious Nessie. It's nice to know that you've developed a nice sense of humor after all these years." He ran a hand through my hair, messing up my curls and I slapped his hand away at his assault on my curls.
He jumped back and pouted playfully. But when he saw me tighten my arms across my chest and shoot a glare which could equate to a sharp dagger positioned at the throbbing pulse of his neck, he sobered up and cleared his throat.
"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. "I thought you were joking."
I huffed and turned away from him.
He awkwardly cleared his throat before I saw him run a hand through his hair in the corner of my eye.
"Look, I'm not going to judge you ok? But the question is... How the heck are you going to get a guy like..." He gestured for me to fill in the name of the person with the flick of a hand.
I blushed a little as I remembered the boy who always used to pique my interest since I first started Mckinky High.
"Um... Sean. His name is Sean Charlton."
"Wow," I heard Dontae mumble, probably thinking I've completely lost my mind.
"But I'm gonna need help..."
He raised an eyebrow, "are you saying you want me to help you?"
He made it sound like I was planning a trip to the moon to see if the planets really did orbit around the sun.
A few seconds of silence passed. Dontae seemed to be deep in thought. Until he spoke.
And for some reason, I was nervous. I wrung my fingers together and bit the inside of my mouth as anxiety began to gnaw at my skin, tauntingly.
"Fine." Dontae said.
"I'll help you get your lover boy."
I almost suffered from a horrible case of whiplash as I turned my head in his direction.
"Really?!"
I seemed just as surprised as he was.
I hadn't expected him to agree.
And I smiled ear to ear, internally breaking into my celebratory dance in the form of a constipated chicken.
"Than-"
"But there's a catch." He interrupted, suddenly looking exactly like his mom and dad did whenever they were in business mode.
"What?" I asked, suddenly skeptical.
He stared at me.
Like really stared at me.
And I could sense that what he was going to say next would demand a challenge.
"You have to be willing to go all out to get what you want."
Pausing for effect, he continued to study me with an unreadable expression. I swallowed and mentally prepared for what was to come next.
"And there's no go-backs. Which means that if you agree now, after today you will have to follow my terms for the next few months until you get your lover boy."
I knew that my answer would either change my high school life for the better, or for the worst. And a part of me just knew that I wouldn't be able to handle any of this. And so, I didn't overthink it.
"Yes." I said with conviction. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
My voice was strong but my insides were silently screaming at me to back out while I still could. But I didn't relent. I was already shoving a well manicured hand in Dontae's direction.
That smirk that crept over his lips was enough proof that he was interested in this as well. And as his large palm closed over my small one, the deal was sealed. And it was too late to back out now without looking like a coward.
"Well Vannessa. You have yourself a deal. Let's see if you can handle everything that's about to come your way."
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Your amateur author,
Fetish_For_Melody 💞