She doesn’t respond.
“You dislike me.” I cock my head to the side, and she looks away from me.
“I just don’t like men like you in general. It’s nothing personal. Assholes are pretty low on my list. Especially unfaithful assholes. And you pretty much kept the truth about who you are from me.”
“A tad dramatic, don’t you think? I hadn’t met your friend until tonight.”
“But you knew you were going to marry her, right?”
“Got me there.” I let my hands slip slightly lower, and she reaches behind her, and she moves it just above her ass.
“What exactly do you want from me, Sai?” she practically rolls her entrancing eyes at me. She really is striking. The kind of beautiful that deserves to be sculpted or painted, so it’s preserved for eternity. I have had my fair share of gorgeous women, but there was something magical about this one.
“I want us to be friends, get to know each other better.”
Her gaze meets mine. “Friends?”
“Of course.” I say, spinning her out, then back to me.
Her eyes widen. “You’re practically engaged to my best friend. And I don’t do surreptitious very well. If you think for one second that I’ll creep around with her man, you’re badly mistaken. This just proves what an asshole you are.”
“Who said anything about creeping around. You and I have two very different definitions of friendship, Güzel.” I snicker.
“Stop calling me that!” She practically snarls, anger radiating from her.
“It’s what you are, as beautiful as a starlit night.”
“Charming.” she mumbles. “But wasted on me. I know your type, and if you hurt Amelia, you’ll be sorry.” The song comes to an end, and she abruptly pulls away from me, disappearing into the crowd.
“You best be cautious, boy,” My father comes up behind me. “There is no time for games, so whatever you think you’re doing with that pretty British girl best be forgotten. If I have to get rid of her to keep you focused, then that’s what I’ll do.”
I stare him square in the eyes. “There’s a place in hell for you, Father.”
“Right next to you, son.” He smirks and walks away like the self-assured asshole he is.”
That night, my hands keep me company, and all I can think about is the beautiful Kennedy and how much I want to have her pretty pink lips wrapped around me instead of my hands. Those eyes staring up at me. The more I think about her, the more I want her, no matter the cost. I just have to play my cards right. I can do that. Woo the girl, I should not be wooing. Make her crave me the way I crave her.
I’ve never had to beg a woman, and I am not about to start. I’ll have to find other ways of persuading her.
8
Kennedy
I can marklast night as one of the most frustrating nights of my life. I met the man my best friend’s going to marry, who also happens to be a sleazebag. I want to tell Amelia, but I don’t even know how to broach the subject. We’re sitting at breakfast, she and I on one end of the twenty-four-seat table, her father and his wife on the other end. I can barely see them across the food and fruit. Amelia says it suits her better, but it just makes me feel awkward. I’m close to my mother, so much so that being away from her always takes its toll on me. Uni life was the worst.
“So, what did you think of, Sai?” I decide to ask.
“The same thing I thought of him before last night. I hate the man. It’s true what they say about beauty only being skin deep. He’s rude, arrogant, and it’s obvious he’s only marrying me for duty. I mean, we both are, but I’ve heard dark things about that man.”
“Have you spoken to your father about maybe getting out of the whole thing?”
She sets down her cutlery with such force the servers look over in concern. She waves them off.
“I did. My father says that I have no choice in the matter. That I am not going to marry some commoner from London. Sai and I were promised to each other as children, and now we have to go through with this farce of a wedding. It’s our way, Neddy.” She sighs, looking defeated.
“Amelia – I – need to tell you something.”
She looks at me, concerned. “Is everything okay back home, did Morgan call?”
