Author's note: okay just a few things then I will get onto the chapter. One: sorry chapter 6 was so short, I just wanted to establish some sort of relationship between Shy and her parents and how she really felt now that Desmond had proven that he wasn't in it for love. I think I redeemed myself with chapter 7 though. Hee-hee. Two: thanks for the reviews, keep them coming…whether they're bad or good they're appreciated. Three: I am going to be making some little visual references to the movie Troy, before you guys get on me for being unoriginal. Remember it's supposed to be history repeating itself. Okay enough talk, enjoy chapter 8!
Desmond tapped on his wine glass with his spoon and the conversations at each table in the immense dining room ceased. They sat at a longer table at the head of the room to which Desmond had invited the Nikolias's to sit.
Desmond stood up and all eyes were on him, except for Zane's. His eyes were on Shy who sat across from him trying to ignore his stare. She glanced up at him from her plate when Desmond stood up and saw the soft look in his eyes. She exhaled a shaky breath and her stomach quivered. She had barely touched her plate at dinner, but her wine glass remained to be filled. She had fleeting thoughts throughout dinner about him. About how he might taste, about how he might feel, about how he might touch her. She would quickly brush them aside, but they would return less than a minute later and she would feel a shiver run down her spine. She didn't understand what it was. She had never swooned in her life and she wasn't about to start now considering how much she had heard about him while eavesdropping on whispers around her.
"In light of this of this evening," Desmond began. "I would like to first thank everyone for coming out to join my fiancé and myself on our happy occasion."
The crowd clapped lightly. Shy and Zane remained lost in each other's eyes. Evan, who was sitting on Zane's left, looked wearily at their fiery glances they were exchanging.
"I would also like to take this time to announce the joining of two other ventures. Nikolias and Son and Athens Corporation which I have acquired through Peter Angelis, my future father-in-law, have decided to merge into one Conglomerate rather than competing. Zander, Evan, Zane and Peter, join me in this toast." Desmond asked for them to rise with him.
Evan stood up with his glass and nudged Zane to do the same. Zane broke his stare from Shy and stood up. Shy watched as he raised his glass.
"To love and new bonds!" Shy's father resonated as he raised his glass.
"To love and new bonds!" They repeated.
"To love." Zane tilted his glass towards Shy without Desmond taking notice. He took a healthy sip and took his place sitting down, staring at her once again. This time, she couldn't hold his stare.
The party went well into the night. People began dancing as the many bottles of wine took effect on them. The band played more up tempo numbers, the bar was still stocked, and corks went a-popping.
Shy stood in the corner of the room watching all the happy couples embraced in each other's arms. There were many hearty laughs and coy giggles, but Shy was left all alone as Desmond kept himself busy with the lingering middle-aged ladies who resented her for taking the only eligible bachelor away.
They can have him. She said to herself sipping on her umpteenth glass of Merlot, bitterly.
And how he enjoyed the attention. He hadn't even glanced her way since dinner was over. Not that she didn't enjoy her peace, but even that left something to be desired. He could at least make it less obvious that he didn't really care for her.
Shy reached the end of her rope when she vaguely saw Desmond's hand rub over the backside of a young caterer, who smiled seductively and walked away from him. At that, Shy gulped down her last of the wine and left the glass on the nearest table as she stormed from the ballroom and up the stairs.
Zane felt her breeze by him as he danced with the fat older woman from earlier. He saw her pick up her dress and glide up the stairs not looking back. He looked over the fat woman's shoulder and saw Desmond surrounded by women who blatantly flirted with him.
"Excuse me." Zane stopped dancing and released his hold on the woman.
"But the song is far from over and I haven't been held by a looker like you in quite some time." The woman replied coyly, batting her eyelashes.
Zane smiled for the first time all night and mock bowed to the lady. "I'm afraid my bladder won't be held by anything if I continue this dance."
The woman's face melted into a look of appall. Zane winked and walked away. He went to the base of the stairs and made sure no one was looking when he started ascending them. He nodded his head at a flustered couple coming down and continued up.
Shy heard her doorknob turn from the bathroom where she was staring in the mirror blankly looking for herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and closing and she looked over her shoulder but saw no one. She went to the doorway of the bathroom that faced the entrance to the room diagonally and leaned her shoulder on the frame.
And there he was, standing with his hands tucked into his trouser pockets, looking beautiful staring down at her shoes that were thrown at the foot of the bed that faced him head on.
"You're not supposed to be in here." She said evenly to him, making him look through the canopy poles of the bed to the bathroom door.
"Neither are you." He said, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at her.
"This is my room." Shy said fidgeting with the excess fabric from her dress.
Zane walked over to the balcony doors and looked down at the shadows that were being cast from the light inside onto the courtyard. "That's your party."
"If you think you are going to charm me, you can stop now." Shy stood straight in the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest.
Zane faced the carpeted floor and cracked a smile for the second time that evening. He looked at Shy with his grin and saw her exhale. "Are you afraid that you are going to be charmed?"
Shy swallowed hard and took a sharp breath in. "I know enough about you to prevent that." Shy broke his gaze and started to walk past him.
He stepped in her path in front of the balcony doors. "You don't know anything about me."
Shy, obviously flustered by him, walked around him to her vanity. "I know you take pride in sleeping with other men's wives."
"Girlfriends." Zane corrected with a smug smile as he turned to her.
Shy turned her back on him so he wouldn't see her face flush and took off her earrings, placing them gently on the tabletop. "I know you are too proud."
Zane looked at her through the mirror and saw her face flush with aggravation. "I'm not here to sleep with you. You left, I thought something was wrong."
Shy looked into the mirror to see him. He wasn't staring at her body. He was looking at her face. The smug smile was replaced by a look of genuine concern and he was right. Something was wrong, which meant that he actually paid attention to her. She turned to him and leaned her hands on the back of the expensive vanity chair.
"He invited my family to stay the rest of the weekend." Zane cleared his throat. "If that makes you uncomfortable --"
"Why would it make me uncomfortable?" Shy pounced on his words, nervously.
Zane raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know, because it's your romantic weekend and it would be littered with business if we stayed."
Shy faced the carpet and mumbled, "It would be littered with business if you didn't."
Zane heard her and took a step closer to her body. She looked up at him with sad eyes. Now that her shoes were off he seemed taller. She knew what would happen next, but she did nothing to prevent it. He raised his hand to her cheek and she leaned into his touch. A warmth filled her face and soon traveled down to her shoulders and made its way through her body. She closed her eyes a moment and let it sink in. It was that feeling that she'd heard girls talk about but can't quite describe. It made her exhale slowly.
"Stay." She found herself saying almost too low for him to hear.
Zane watched her eyes open and look up at him. They were different now. They weren't sad anymore. They were glassy and he knew she had never been touched like that in her life. He became numb. He didn't know what to do. Feelings came over him that he had never experienced before with a woman. He felt a tightening in his stomach and the hairs on his arm stood up. Her skin was so soft, she was so beautiful, but he didn't feel lustful. He had been with enough women to know what lust felt like and this wasn't it.
He let his other hand travel to her other cheek and leaned into her face slowly. He placed his lips on hers gently, not hungrily like she was used to. Her eyes fluttered shut as he slipped his tongue past her lips and kissed her. Her heart wanted to explode, her stomach flip-flopped and her head spun. She reciprocated his kiss just as softly and his shoulders slumped. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he cupped her face in his hands.
Shy pulled back suddenly and looked at him.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, letting her face go.
"Go." Shy put her head down in shame.
Zane clenched his jaw to prevent angry words from slipping out and left the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. Shy touched her lips and looked out of the balcony doors. She saw Evan throw a cigarette away and enter the house.