Chapter Four

Cyn. 

The gala was hardly the intimate affair had imagined it would be. When he said he wanted to introduce me to the world, I thought it was going to be an intimate thing.. There were at least two hundred of Manhattan’s most elite social movers in attendance, and it made it hard for me not to be grateful for the dress I had chosen. 

If Ace hadn't bought me the shoes and dress, I would be definitely dressed for the wrong event. 

The dress was too short and too tight for my taste, especially with the almost no back, and with everyone's attention on me, but judging by the similarly bedecked Barbie dolls that were hanging on their date’s arms the look was par for the course.

Ace gave the stunning, reed slim hostess a kiss on both cheeks before putting his hand on my back and heatwaves shocked my whole system as he introduced me

“This is my wife Cyn, Cyn, this is Caroline Vance. She is the chairperson of all the House charity.”

“Nice to meet you.” i shook the other woman’s perfectly manicured hand,

“Nice to meet you too.” Caroline smiled warmly. “I didn’t think I would live to see the day when Ace would settle down. He has always preferred life in the fast lane.” She shot Ace a teasing look. “I guess you are merging into the carpool lane, huh?”

The smile on Ace’s face looked forced to me, but Caroline didn’t seem to notice. “Yes. It was time. When I met Cyn I knew I couldn’t let her get away.”

“Welcome to the club. You will enjoy it.” She gave Ace’s arm a squeeze.

Ace paused and pulled his checkbook from his pocket, and filled in an amount that made my eyes widen and handed it to her. 

Caroline took the check from his hand, a broad smile on her pretty face. 

“He is generous too,” she said, her comment directed at me.

I smiled back, hoping i didn’t look as confused as i felt.

“Yes, he is.” I added lightly. 

I had no idea how charitable or generous Ace was, I was just here because it was my duty but I couldn't really say that out loud. 

Ace chuckled darkly as Caroline fluttered off to greet the next couple that was entering the ballroom. He took my arm and led me to a cluster of tables that were designed with intimacy in mind.

They were small, so small that when i took my seat and Ace took his, our knees. brushed beneath the table and my heart sputtered at the contact of both our bodies.

“All of the food, and all the prep work that went into the food was donated,” he explained. 

“The guests paid two hundred dollars for each plate. All of the proceeds will go to my charity.” he said proudly and for the first time since we stepped here, I saw him smile genuinely. 

I smiled. “That is great. What is the charity for?”

A shadow passed over his face for a brief moment, his expression changing and I immediately regretted asking that. “Homeless children. It’s an issue that is close to my heart.” he said after a long pause. 

I realized at that moment just how little i knew about the man sitting across from me, my husband. His background wasn’t exactly a mystery, but there hadn’t been a lot of information on his childhood either. I had found out through my careful research when I was in London that his father had been a wealthy businessman who had moved his family to New York when Ace had been a young teenager. But between that event and his meteoric rise to success in the real estate industry and beyond i hadn’t been able to find any details about his life. 

He seemed to be close to his father too, but I also remember that night at my house, the day I was practically sold to him. There seemed to be trouble in paradise, and he had mentioned something about his dad forcimg him to marry me. 

But now, I was curious. 

About him, his life, his childhood 

I looked at him. He was engaged in a conversation with the couple next to us, his speech pattern eloquent, his manner perfect. His profile was aristocratic, and he wore tuxedos as though the whole concept of formal wear had been built around his physique. He didn’t look like a man who had ever struggled for anything

At that moment, though, no amount of research into his background could have prepared me for the very disturbing effect this strange man was having on me. I could hardly taste the gourmet dinner that had been prepared for the evening. Every few minutes my knees would brush his beneath the table, or someone would come to speak to him and congratulate us on our engagement, and Ace would take my hand and look lovingly into my eyes. Or, worse still, he would draw my hand to his lips and press a tender kiss to my knuckles and send the butterflies that had taken up residence in my stomach into tailspins.

Did he feel the same way I did? Did I have the same kind of effect on him? Because when he looked at me, it did not seem staged or unreal. 

When the plates were cleared, after-dinner drinks were served which I declined. My defenses were weakened already. No sense at all throwing alcohol on the burning fire of my attraction to Ace. So instead i sat still in my chair, and smiled at anyone that looked my way. 

After a few minutes, Caroline, who was standing on a riser at the far end of the room cleared her throat and the hum of conversation diminished.

“I would like to thank everyone for coming this evening. Your support means a

tremendous amount. And I would like to introduce the founder and reason of their successful event tonight. Mr. Ace .”

He gave her a wry smile, stood from his seat and bent down to drop a lingering kiss on my cheek before he crossed the long expanse of the room. I couldn’t help but notice the sheer masculine grace his

movements possessed. He stepped on the stage, his magnetic presence drawing the attention of everyone in the room and holding them, spellbound, in the palm of his hand. Me included.

“Thank you all for being here.” His rich velvet voice rolled over the room. My stomach tightened. “In these economic times I know making large contributions might seem like a lot to ask. But I ask you to remember that these children have likely never had the most basic necessities, even in the best of times. They don’t have food, clothing, or even shelter. They give no thought to four-star restaurants when they would give anything for a loaf of bread. What does fashion mean to them when they don’t have a coat

to protect them from the elements?”

I felt my throat constricting as i looked into his earnest dark eyes. Something near my heart shifted, and i wished more than anything that i could make it shift back. Because lust was bad enough, new enough, scary enough, without there being emotion involved.

Ace continued, his slight accent making his speech all the more compelling. “And how can we be concerned about keeping our summer homes when they do not even have the bare minimum of shelter?”

His speech went on, his words impassioned. He cited heart-wrenching

statistics about how many of New York’s homeless were children who had fallen through the cracks in the system. The charity worked to provide those children with homes that would give them a sense of family, an education, and even occupational training. The vision was to provide them with a base they could always come back to, even after they reached legal age.

When he had finished, many of the guests were blinking back tears, and i had a feeling the emotions Ace had brought out in them would be reflected in their donations.

He made his way back to where i was standing, pausing at intervals to shake hands and direct people to the donation area.

When he came back to my side he wound his arm around my waist and my heart did a freefall into my stomach.

“That was…” I struggled to sound unaffected “…a very nice speech.

I had no idea there was so much need.”

His dark eyes were clouded. “Many people assume that the government is taking care of all of the displaced children, but that is not the case.”

“Many people are unaware of what goes on in their own backyard. I consider it my duty to educate them and to do what I can.”

I chewed my lush bottom lip, and he had the strongest urge to use his tongue to soothe away the marks my teeth had left in the tender pink flesh.

“So not all of the nice things you do are for public image?” I said smiling 

He chuckled darkly. “Not all. But most.”

A pianist began to play a slow, jazzy song, and couples started to migrate to the dance floor. My body language was screaming that I didn't want him to ask me to dance.

“Cyn, I think I should have this dance with my wife.”

He was amused when i pressed my lips into a thin line, my tension palpable. What would it take to kiss those lips into soft, willing supplication?

Ace. 

She was the epitome of hot, sexy woman in the skintight red dress that showcased curves so tempting they would make a priest sin, and still she maintained that untouchable aura of hers that she always threw up like a shield unless I kissed her.

She looked at the people around them, as if evaluating the situation to see if she could get away with a refusal. “All right.” She said it as though I had offered her a jail sentence.

It was a source of fascination to me that this woman, who was so obviously attracted to me in all ways, so responsive to my touch, my kiss, acted as though physical contact between us was anathema to her.