Chapter Douze

          When Ryan and Elizabeth arrived home, they were surprised to see Richard, who returned two hours after storming out. Neither were particularly thrilled to see Richard but Thomas was. After he got word of his son's return, he caught the first train back to London, forgetting all about his client. Thomas decided to throw a party in honor of Richard's return. Invitations were sent out and a date was sent.

          The band was raging in the ballroom the night of the party. And this brings us to the present point of our tale…

          Christian was getting a glass of wine when he saw her coming down the staircase. The sight of her took his breath away and he almost dropped his wine.

          Setting the glass down, he walked as quickly as he could to Satine. She smiled when she saw him.

          "You look…amazing," He said breathlessly. Satine laughed and look his arm.

          "You don't look so bad yourself," She whispered into his ear. He chuckled, putting his other hand in his pocket. In doing so, he felt the box and he smiled. Another hour or so and he'd ask her.

          "Want to dance?" He asked, withdrawing his hand from his pocket. Satine grinned and took his hand.

          The two twirled across the dance floor, but Christian didn't see anyone else in the room. His gaze was focused solely on Satine. He smiled, knowing that this amazing woman loved her.

          When the song was over, he pulled her onto the balcony.

          "Satine, I wanted to ask you something…but not here," He said quietly, taking her hands in his. There were too many people around.

          "Alright," Satine said, smiling.

          "Meet me in my study in about ten minutes," He whispered before leading her back into the ballroom. He kissed her cheek before walking upstairs. He wanted to get everything right.

          Satine waited ten minutes, like Christian had said, before walking upstairs to his study. He wasn't there when she arrived so she took a seat in front of the fire. It was blazing; it's flames casting shadows across the walls.

          She smiled, remembering how they had made love in front of that fireplace.

          About five minutes later, she heard the door open. She knew it was Christian, so she didn't bother to turn around.

          "Hello, darling," She said softly, her eyes still on the fireplace.

          "I'm glad you can use such an endearment on me."

          She gasped, spinning around in the chair. It wasn't Christian.

          "R…Richard," She stuttered, jumping out of the chair. Richard grinned, making her shiver, and stepped forward. He was standing in front of her after a moment.

          "I've wanted to get you alone for sometime…years…twelve, to be exact," He whispered in her ear, making her want to cry. Before she could react, he pulled her face to his and pressed his lips to hers.

 She pulled away, tears flowing down her cheeks. Richard laughed and looked over her shoulder.

          "Oh, hello, Christian."

          Satine spun around and gasped. Sure enough, Christian was standing in the doorway and, judging by the look on his face, he had seen Richard kiss her.

          "Christian…I…"

          He glared, shooting daggers at her with his eyes, "Get the hell away from me…whore."