Chapter 41: When Anger and Revenge get married, their daughter is called Cruelty - RUSSIAN PROVERB

It had been a mistake to agree to come to this party. All week he'd been out of sorts, focusing on solving his problems with Rick and Claire's murder. After Detective Riley's visit, he'd been more stressed and worried about how things would pan out to top it all off. The only ounce of peace he'd felt was when he'd been up twenty-thousand feet in the air with Cat. Although she'd maintained her distance and taken a seat in the back, he'd noticed the minuscule change in her breathing when he'd taken the seat opposite her. Pretending to be busy with her files, he'd fallen asleep to the music of pages flipping and her tapering slow breaths.

Now, ladies in gowns and exotic drapes of fabric ranging in each color spectrum of the rainbow swirled around the lavishly decorated ballroom at the Chateau Monfort. A few men were dressed like him in formal tuxes, though not all sported the severe black as he did. Others wore long flowing, hand-embroidered kurtas buttoned up to their necks with loose salwar.

'East meets West' was the theme of the party and as he looked around the opulent mood-lit room done up in shades of gold and white with twisted chains of curtains hanging from the ceiling, colorful sofas placed strategically around the room, he felt utterly bored. Live entertainment in the form of henna tattoo designers, snake charmers, dancers performing in lovely traditional garb, and even a tarot reader were the main attractions. A speakeasy with tones of Coyote Ugly was set up at one end of the room where exotic dancers in minimal clothing seduced their audience with their moves. He supposed the exotic setting was geared toward making guests more uninhibited and making them believe that anything could happen. Alex felt incredibly weary and jaded as he watched his Board members indulge themselves with every excess he'd offered to relax and make them more pliable to his demands.

More than 200 guests and acquaintances milled around him trying to get his attention forcing their dull conversation. But none held his attention as she did.

Cat had airily informed him she was coming to the party with a date when he had asked her to accompany him. In a prim, sorority girl voice that she'd never been a part of, she'd told him bosses didn't fraternize with lowly help and since he had already asked her to keep from socializing with his staff didn't that also include him?

He'd been livid. It had made him want to throw a childish fit of breaking things and then going out and finding her date and break every bone in his body. He'd wanted to show her the views from the Piazza Del Duomo, take her shopping in Quadrilatero d'Oro or stroll down the Naviglio Grande and explore the canal district lined with lively restaurants where he wanted her to taste the finest Cabernets and feed her the best risotto Alla Milanese. But before he could correct her misinformed and idiotic assumptions she had regally swept out of his office.

Where the hell was she? As Alex looked at the face of his grandfather's watch, he was yet again reminded of his burdensome duty and responsibility. But tonight was no time to think about that.

As Alex became aware of the sudden silence in the room and the air of expectancy that hovered around him, he looked up to see the most breathtaking view in his life. Cat looked absolutely radiant and alive. Walking down with her fingers resting on some guy's arm, she let out a peal of laughter. Time stopped and he had the very unsettling feeling that this was it. Nothing in his life was ever going to be the same again.

He hadn't known it, yet. But that fateful day in an introduction to psychology class, he wasn't even supposed to have been in, Alex had met his destiny. Try and fight it as much as he wanted, nothing would change that. Quick on these thoughts, followed a visceral reaction of acid rising in his stomach and heated anger burning in his veins. He literally shook with jealousy. Never having felt such an emotion for a man he'd never met before, it took more than a few moments to compose himself.

Just then, Cat turned to look around the room and her beautiful eyes sparkling with joy and life met his. Feeling mesmerized, he simply lost himself in the intense pleasure and excitement that only she could arouse in him. She wore some white shimmery fabric edged with red draping her like an Indian Goddess. The outfit only served to accentuate her gorgeous figure and shimmered like dewdrops sparkling in the sun with every move she made. Her halter blouse draped over bare graceful shoulders showcasing every dip and curve of her lickable neckline. The interplay of twinkly lights and glittering fabric dancing on her skin nearly bought Alex to his knees.

Overcome with lust and the immediate need to run his fingers down her satin-soft skin, he abruptly moved away from... whoever had been droning around in the background. He did not care if he offended anyone or seemed rude and arrogant.

All he could see was her, all he could think about was Catrina and her creamy luminescent skin, her luscious hair, which even now looked like they had long given up the battle to be bound. He longed to free those silken strands and weave his fingers through the rich, dark, and heavy mass. To rub the softness of her strands between his fingers and smell the intoxicating fragrance of crushed wildflowers. He longed to bury his nose in the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder that he knew aroused her to unbearable heights. Driving himself crazy with need he finally stood next to her.

"Dance with me."

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