1 Chapter one

Isabella:

Pushing the remnant of food on my plate, I swallow the big sigh bubbling up my throat and grimace.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Shit.

Here goes nothing.

"I'd like to turn in for the night now." I drop my cutlery knife carefully on my plate and stand. Slowly. Eyes on my mother who's chewing slowly.

"Can I come with you?" I startle a bit at my little sister's chirpy voice. I'd forgotten she was at the dinner table with us. She is already abandoning her cutleries as well to stand up.

"Oh no!" I squeak before I realize it, my mother's stern eyes and the curious ones of Toni, my little sister has me clearing my suddenly dry throat.

Why am I being so obvious? They can't know what I'm up to tonight.

"I'm just so tired. So I'm going to bed. To sleep." Did I have to add the 'to sleep' bit? I mentally slap myself upside the head.

"We can hang out tomorrow night." I ruffle Toni's hair to cover up my slip and make yet another because mother drops her cutleries as well.

"Don't forget tomorrow is your engagement party." She says.

"Yeah. Of course." How can I forget?

"I'll go up then. Goodnight sweetie." I kiss Toni's hair.

"Don't come down for dinner in your bathrobe ever again." Mom picks up her tabloid.

"Goodnight mother." I don't get an answer and take her silence as my dismissal.

"You need help getting ready for bed, madam?" I wave the overenthusiastic maid off as I hurry through the hallway and up the stairs to my bedroom.

My phone lights up on the bed as I lock my door securely behind me.

Matthew's text flashes on the screen.

I'M OUTSIDE.

Yipes!

I drop my bathrobe and smoothen my tiny black dress which is just about glued to my body.

I plop down in front of my vanity mirror, grabbing my phone and sending a quick text to the man standing outside waiting for me. A man I met two days ago if I might add. He's an Australian who seems to have no idea that I'm getting engaged tomorrow night, seeing as he kept hitting on me during his meeting with me the other day and the he's the only one I could think of to escort me to the club tonight. Everyone else is scared of my mother. And Luke, my best friend would only kill the fun by overprotecting me thereby ruining my plan to get drunk and party tonight to console myself of my pathetic life.

I'LL BE OUT IN TEN.

His reply comes in before I even drop my phone.

TAKE YOUR TIME.

"Awwwn what a gentleman." This is looking less of a bad idea by the minute.

My face looks a little colorless so I pinch my cheeks to bring a little color into them.

I look fabulous if I do say so myself.

I throw my phone into my Dior bag and slide my feet into my latest addition to my shoes collection.

"Perfect."

I hear the expected knock on my door and with one last look at the mirror, I grab my purse and hurry to my door.

"Your mother is in her study and Toni is in bed. You can take the staff exit."

"Make sure no one comes up to my room while I'm gone and have the staff door open for me when I come back, please?" Laura, my personal maid hands me the key to my Porsche and I slip a dollar bill into her hands.

"Have fun!" She calls after me.

****

"You look amazing, tonight." Matthew's Australian accent doesn't sound so enthralling as he whispers into my ear, which is the only way to hear him in this loud club.

"Thank you." I smile at him but said smile drops when I feel his mouth drag down my neck.

Okay, this is my worst idea yet.

I pull away from him with a nervous chuckle.

"You don't have to act so coy." He's pulling me to his body in seconds, his hand sliding down my back to rest just above my butt.

"We should dance." He nods to the dance floor downstairs.

My head spins and I wonder if I've had one too many drinks?

I'm certainly not going down there with him so he can grope me some more.

"More drinks?" I pull away to point to the bar just a few feet from us and nod without getting a reply.

"Where are you going?!" He doesn't sound too happy.

"Be right back!" I yell right back.

A take a second to calm my breath as I make it to the slightly crowded bar.

I'm not used to such a rowdy crowd, I debate just walking out the back door and going home to nurse the headache I can feel coming on.

I pull my phone out of my purse and shoot a quick text to Luke to pick me up and just when I'm about to put it back in my purse, I'm slammed into by some rude couple and my phone slips through my hands.

"Shit." Frustrated tears sting the back of my eyes as I plop to the dirty floor to grab my phone. Someone's foot takes that exact moment to smash my fingers and my phone.

"Hey, get off the floor weirdo!" I'm shoved with a knee by the rude idiot and I fall flat on my ass.

That's it. I'm going to start bawling on this dirty floor right now.

"You okay?" The deepest voice my ears have ever been blessed with filters through my haze.

"Ummm...I.. woah." Did I just say woah?!

I swallow down on the giant fist lodged in my throat as I stare up at the darkest eyes I've ever seen. This guy is stunning!

High cheekbones, prominent chin and a nose that looks a bit crooked but perfectly so.

"Here. Let me help you." He stretches a long arm to me and I tentatively give him mine.

"Oh." I gasp when both our hands connect and he pulls me up to stand too close to his tall form.

"You good?" Our eyes lock.

I nod.

Then lick my suddenly dry lips.

His eyes drop to my lips and instinctively wet them with my tongue.

"Gio. A little help here!" Someone hollers from behind us and my hand is dropped like hot coals and our eye contact break.

"Coming! Your phone." There's that voice again.

I clear my throat and rub my sweaty palms against my satin dress before accepting my phone from him, avoid contact with his hand. Will there be sparks? Or am I too drunk and imagining things?

"I'll get you a seat by the bar but I have to get back to serving drinks." He points to the bar and his coworker who's eyeballing me.

"Yeah. I need to use the toilet." I chuck my phone back into my bag and scurry away.