Chapter 9 - Meet my fiancée, Julia

JULIA’S POV

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so cocky when Carlene had tried to warn me that strutting in here with a playboy like Damon was a bad idea.

With his reputation, some women in here who were glaring so openly at me hated me because he must have gone out with them in the past.

Or hated my guts because he didn’t.

And being a witness to how he dismisses women and make them shed tears, I don’t even think I will like myself so much if I was in their shoes.

“So, you are Damon’s flavor of the month?” one of the women who had a big rock on her finger and is supposed to be happily married to the creepy man who was blatantly checking me out asked while stroking my hair almost fondly.

She was lithe and looked so perfect in her strapless black gown, she was almost unreal. “Flavor of the month?” I asked trying to play dumb.

“Yeah,” she said conversationally, holding my arm and blocking off any woman who wanted to come close effectively. I looked at the spot where Damon was standing a few minutes ago but he was gone.

Fuck me! Of course, he was gone.

He left me to deal with a pack of wolves veiled as respectable humans in their expensive dresses and polite smiles.

“You know once upon a time, I was you… just basking in all the attention and light,” she seemed almost nostalgic as she stared at me like we share a kinship of sorts. “You know… it is not every night a woman gets to spend the night next to Damon. It comes with privileges and I shone just like you are shining right now.”

Her husband moved towards me. “Are you an actress or a model? I bet I will know__”

“Like I was saying “…She rudely interrupted and from the glint in her eyes, I couldn’t help but appreciate that he silently backed away leaving me to deal with his deranged wife who seems to still have a thing for Damon.

I might just end up dead before the 6 months are over at this rate, I thought drily.

“They all want a piece of you,” she chuckled drily. “I don’t blame them.” She eyed me now ditching the niceties, her face now having an unpleasant sour expression on it and I wanted to tell her how not pretty she looked right now but I doubt that will be very helpful. “You come in here, looking like a goddamn fairytale princess with fucking white hair! Like why is your hair fucking white and why __”

“Wow… Is that Julia?” a man I have never seen in my life muttered behind me.

I turned

“Just pretend,” he whispered and quickly put his hand over my shoulder.

I was so grateful as he swiftly moved me away from the polite well - mannered woman a second ago that was nowhere to be found, and in her place, a crazed woman.

“Thank you,” I whispered almost immediately after we have covered a decent distance away from her.

He smiled. “I couldn’t help but overhear. I have been watching you since you stepped into the room. You are kind of hard to not see.” he had a goofy smile on his face and his eyes shone with playfulness and youthful exuberance that I found nice for a change. Between Damon’s intenseness and the way all the men not minding their spouses ogled at me, this was really refreshing.

I touched my hair knowing what he was talking about. It is not every day you see a girl with pale blonde hair that was almost the shade of white and my complexion doesn’t help. I wonder if the effect of my hair will be so much if I was perhaps tanned. Perhaps I won’t look like a wraith whenever I walk into a room.

I won’t look so fragile and feel the same.

I laughed at whatever he said, liking the way his eyes shone with genuine interest.

If only I wasn’t dying… he will be the best choice for a boyfriend.

He was easy on the eyes with styled slicked brown hair and blue eyes. Not as hot as Damon but nobody should date a man that perfect, his exes will either kill you or his secrets will get you first.

A man that looks like the devil is probably the devil. My Nonna, God bless her soul will always say with a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

“I am Jason and I am here in my father’s place since he was caught up in work,” he grinned at me while he extended his hand. “So, you see I am used to saving the day,”

I laughed loving his goofiness and playful charm that didn’t make me feel dangerous things like what Damon’s presence does to me. This was cool and reasonable.

“Of course, Jason and I happened to be a damsel in distress tonight,” I said playfully as I brought my hand to meet his in a shake. “That was so embarrassing. Thank you.”

“It was an honor, milady.” He stepped closer to me and then brought my hand up to his lips and dropped a kiss I thought was both chivalrous and sweet at the same time.

I laughed again.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked and I stared at him, confusion in my eyes as I tried to catch on to what he was trying to say.

“I don’t mean it that way, not because you are not pretty enough or anything. Obviously, you are. You know you are right?” he asked then face palmed himself. “It is a dick move to make a move on you since you are here with him. But it won’t be the first time that Damon had left his date behind and left.”

My eyes widen in shock. “He abandons them and just leaves? Yet nobody says anything?”

He shrugged. “He gets away with anything. He is untouchable,” he smiled sadly at me and then staring at the door briefly, looked back at me. “He has been gone for so long, so I was wondering if you’ll like to be escorted out because it is very unlikely that he plans on coming back__”

“I doubt that,”

Chills ran down my spine at the tone of Damon’s voice. It was creepily calm, with something primal laced underneath that I couldn’t place my hand on.

I turned.

His turquoise eyes were darker than usual and although his face remained cold and void of emotions, I noticed his clenched jaw and the way his eyes narrowed on Jason as he stalked towards us in impossible and sexy-as-hell strides.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see that we were beginning to attract an audience. The chatter around us was quickly dying.

“Snow white,” he said in a deceitful quiet manner that made my heartbeat quicken even though I know I have done nothing wrong. I slowly met his stare, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was glaring hard at poor Jason.

“You have something to say to me?” he asked, his eyes not leaving Jason’s who gulped and looked away.

“Damon, we were just talking…” he teasingly brought his finger to my lips halting the argument I was about to make on behalf of Jason even though I don’t think I did anything wrong by socializing.

I gasped, grabbing his dress shirt in shock as he snaked his hand around my waist, bringing me closer to his rock-hard body. It was a possessive daring action that should make me appalled as a twenty-first-century-women but it sent a tantalizing thrill down my spine at the thought of being claimed by such an unyielding cruel man. He made me feel something unholy.

His eyes were on mine and he gave me a slow cruel smile before he raised his voice, addressing everyone at the party who was no longer pretending not to be listening with rapt attention. “I think there was a misunderstanding on who she belonged to because I didn’t point that out when I introduced her.”

“What are you doing?” my breath quickened mystified by the man in front of me and what his intentions were towards the scene he had gone ahead to create.

“Staking my claim, Snow white.” He whispered back, his eyes twinkling with desire, lust, and anger. He leaned into me.

I could feel the pulse in my neck throbbing as I pictured how we must look. My hand clenched on his dress shirt, his hand firmly on my waist pinning me against his body while he leaned against me in such a way that I could feel his hot breath against my face.

“Meet my fiancée, Julia,” he announces with a cocky grin and to me, he said with a low growl. “Rule number one, I hate sharing,”

My eyes widen in surprise as my body became boneless at his outburst, the spot in-between my leg dampened at his hot breath against my face and the narrowed slit of his eyes.

And because I have a death wish and don’t know when to shut up, I elevated my head to meet his harsh stare. “I did nothing wrong…” I tilted my head further and gasped as the little movement scraped my lower lip against his and that is all it took.

His lips crashed against mine, claiming, demanding, and possessing. He fisted his hand around my hair, to change the angle of our kiss while my breasts smashed against his rock-hard chest.

God, yes! My mind chanted forgetting the crowd, forgetting common sense as lust rippled through me. I have been kissed, I was not a complete prude, and I’ve had on-and-off relationships albeit nothing serious. I’ve never been kissed like this, possessed like this.

Damon held on to me, forcing me to take his fury, his lust. His talented lips and tongue robbed me of the will to think. I moaned against his lips, craving more and the mortification of my desire made me sober.

I pushed him slightly and he stepped back watching me like he intends to grab me again while I tried to catch my breath and with some luck, my sanity.

“What was that for!” I managed to ask breathlessly.

He stared at my lips. “Snow white… I did say I am staking my claim,”

My gaze darts over to the faces behind us and they were staring. Their mouth was slightly ajar. I wonder what got them more surprised, the kiss or our fake engagement Damon thought so wise to announce over a kiss.

His gaze was still dark and I was still trying to catch my breath when I noticed the cameras angled toward us going off like firecrackers.

Fuck.

Of course, we have just been captured on camera. I had no doubt a picture of me and Damon kissing hot and heavy will make the cover page of the New York daily, the announcement of our engagement the headline, and my parents believe I attended a birthday party with a friend.

I am so lucky!