Arms of Serenity (Rock Services) (3 page)

At the mention of Becca’s mom, Anne looked at her picture on the nightstand.
“I miss her. She was such a great person.” She turned back to Becca. “Have you been out to the house lately?”

Becca glanced at the picture of her mom.
It had been close to a year since her mom had passed away, and there wasn’t a day that she didn’t wish she was still there to talk to or hear her laugh.

“I went out last week.
I still can’t make a decision on whether or not to put it up for sale. This apartment is small, but the house is just too big and empty without her.” Becca shrugged, then smiled. “You can’t beat my commute to work here, though. Considering I never can get up on time, at least here I can just stumble down the steps. Can you imagine if I lived out there? Your chocolate chip, walnut, and raisin pumpkin muffins would never get made.”

“You made them.” Anne sat up excited.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Against my better baker’s judgment, yes
, I made you a batch. They’re in the fridge down in the shop.” She turned around to face Anne and placed her hands on her hips. “Just know that if the cravings get any weirder and you ask me to make something with pickles or sardines in it, I’m totally drawing the line.”

Anne wrinkled her nose at Becca.
“That won’t happen. Pickles make me want to vomit. But, oh goody I can’t wait to scarf up those muffins. I’m grabbing a couple on my way out today. That reminds me. Do you still want me to watch the shop when you go to this
gala
?” Anne emphasized the last word and laughed when Becca scowled at her.

“Yes, please and thank you
, and since we are back on the topic—when do want to go shopping with me for a new gown?”

“Not that I don’t enjoy watching your misery when I drag you from store to store, but why don’t you want to wear the one you got?
You look beautiful.”

“Have you seen this and this?”
Becca pointed at her chest and then to the hem of the dress. “I would never wear something this short or revealing normally. You know that. I don’t look anything like me.”

Anne shook her head
. “That’s the point, Becca. It’s a masquerade party. You’re not supposed to be yourself. It’s an opportunity to put on a mask and be whoever you want to be for the night. Nobody is going to know you. You’re the only person going from our town. Go, and have a good time.”Anne waggled her eyebrows. “In fact, I think you should embrace that inner vixen that I know you have in you and get a little black-tie action for the night.”

Becca laughed
. “Have I told you that you’re incorrigible? I haven’t embraced
anything
in a long time. I’ve given up on dating, remember?”

“Who said anything about dating?
Find a hot guy in a tux and have some fun for the night. It’s New Year’s Eve. Maybe then more than one ball will be dropping in New York City that night.”

Becca shook her head laughing as she watched Anne stand up and start moving toward the door.

“I have to get home and make dinner for Josh, wifely duties and all that.
I brought that clutch purse for you. It will go perfectly with the gown, and I left a surprise inside, just in case.”

Following her out into the kitchen, Becca asked quickly before Anne could escape out of the apartment.
“What surprise and what about shopping?”

Anne turned the handle to the apartment door and slipped into the hallway. “Nope, you’re stuck with the dress.
It’s for your own good. Just remember to embrace and enjoy.”

Becca closed the door smiling
and turned to grab the clutch off the table. What was Anne up to? Opening it, she found a new box of condoms. She closed the purse and laughed. “Incorrigible.”

Chapter Three

Nick sat a table against a wall in the ballroom of the Queen Marie hotel.
When his father had bought the old hotel, he had named it after his mother and given her the task of overseeing the renovations. She had seen its potential and worked to transform it from run-down to one of the most sought after and luxurious hotels in the city.

Only five at the time, Nick had been young
, but he could still remember that his parents were happy then. They held a partnership, both private and in business, built on respect and love.

That all changed when Hollsten Holdings became more successful and profitable.
With each purchase, his father became more obsessed with the company and his next dollar. He turned into the distant father that Nick could remember the most. The money and power had changed him, and that was one of the reasons Nick never wanted to follow in his footsteps. One of his biggest fears was turning into his father.

Nick had done a damn good job at avoiding “his responsibility” as his father stated for most of his years at home.
He smiled at the memory of his father’s face when he had walked into his office twelve years ago. Nick had told him he wasn’t going to get groomed to take over, didn’t want to be anything like him and that he was joining the Army. It was one of the few times that Nick could remember his father being speechless.

Before his father could have answered, he had turned around, walked out the door and out of his father’s life.
A few hours later he was on a plane to basic training and the start of his military career. He had never once regretted his decision … until Jack.

Enough!
Forcing the thoughts out of his head in frustration, he glanced at his watch. It was 10 o’clock. Was it too early to leave? Nick drained his beer and decided he had been there long enough. He had done the necessary smile and nods to everyone who had come along. Hell, he even made small-talk to some of the girls Victoria had introduced to him. She was obviously trying to hook him up with one of her friends. Nick grunted. The last thing he wanted or needed was a relationship.

He was happy with no attachments.
The nights that he had taken a woman home they were gone the next day. He was always honest about what he was looking for up-front. There were no promises, no strings, and no complications. He had enough shit floating and rambling around in his head. He didn’t need to add anything or anyone else into the mess that currently was his life.

Nick got up and started weaving through the tables to find Brad and Victoria.
He had enough time to give his well wishes, make his way to the club, and find someone to bring in the New Year. He smiled at the thought. The best way to end one year and start a new one was in bed with a warm, soft body.

He nodded at those who were seated at tables and then started to make his way around the crowded dance floor.
Scanning the area, he spotted Brad talking to the sound guy for the band. Nick walked up behind him to wait until he was done.

Brad was talking loudly over the latest Dean Martin song that the lead singer was trying to cover.
Nick chuckled. Victoria definitely had her own style, and Nick knew his metal-head cousin had nothing to do with the music selection.

“Can you let the band know that my wife would like to do the presentation to the Women’s Shelter in about an hour?
By then, the press should be here.”

Nick caught the end of the conversation and thought his timing to leave couldn’t be more perfect with the newspapers on the way.
The sound guy nodded, and Brad patted the guy on the back before turning around to find Nick waiting with a smug look on his face.

Brad took the few steps towards him. “What’s so amusing?”

Nick put his arm around Brad’s shoulders and started leading him away from the stage where they didn’t have to yell to be heard.

“Have I told you how stunning you look this evening?
But isn’t it a fashion faux pas to be wearing white after Labor Day?” Nick chuckled.

Brad snapped his fingers in diva fashion.
“That rule is so yesterday, darling.”

“Now I know what you meant about standing out.”
Nick shook his head. A white tuxedo wouldn’t have been his first choice.

Brad shrugged
. “It was Victoria’s idea. She was worried we might blend in with the crowd with the masks.”

“Well there is no danger
of that happening.” Nick slapped him on the back. He didn’t doubt Brad’s wife would have many more suggestions throughout their marriage. Brad was obviously happy though, and wanted to make his bride happy, too.

Nick thought,
better him than me
.

“Congratulations again, Brad.
I wish you nothing but happiness.” Nick held out his hand, and Brad grabbed it for the shake. He put his other hand on his shoulder and pulled him in for a half hug.

“Thanks for everything, Nick.”
Brad nodded his head toward the door. “You should get out of here before Victoria gives her speech. She’s going to name the bigger donations and ask them to stand up and de-mask. Considering the amount you gave, you might want to be out of the here before that happens.”

“Thanks
, I owe you one.” Nick turned on his heels and started to make a dash for the door. He didn’t get very far before he was brought to a halt by a vision walking into the ballroom.

The woman was beautiful with
soft features, creamy skin and lush lips that begged to be kissed. Her long chestnut brown hair flowed past her shoulders and reached down to full breasts. Even from across the room, he could tell they could easily cradle a man’s head for hours. His gaze continued lower past her flat stomach, the flair of her hips and ended at a pair of long, shapely legs that were made to be wrapped around a man’s waist.

There was no denying how much Nick
wanted to be that man as he burned a trail back up the length of her body slowly eating up every delicious inch. He wanted to know if she tasted as good as she looked, and he groaned inside when he envisioned spreading her legs to find out. His balls tightened, and cock twitched in agreement to the thoughts running through his mind.

Suddenly needing a drink to distract him and settle the stirring that was happening between his legs, Nick once again turned on his heels.
This time he went in the direction of the bar. The beautiful vision was all curves, all woman, and exactly what Nick was looking for in New Year’s celebration.

****

Becca stood at the French doors that led to the ballroom. She could hear the music drifting through, and she took a deep breath trying to build up the nerve to go inside. She just couldn’t seem to get past the jumble of nerves that had settled in her stomach.

Becca wished her mom was there.
She always could make the situations that made her feel uneasy more bearable. Her mother had an uncanny ability to adapt to any environment and talk to strangers as if they were lifelong friends. She was that extra jolt of confidence Becca needed, and with her even the last two receptions had been almost enjoyable.

Geez
, just open the doors already
. What was she going to do? Turn around and go back home? It was time to put her big girl panties on and stop being such a wimp. She had come this far, and it was already late.

The day had gotten away from her
, and what she wanted to accomplish before leaving had taken longer than she expected. It had started with getting up late and had progressively turned to crap. She had burnt the cookies for the safe New Year’s Eve party sponsored by the City Council and had to throw the batch out to start over. In her rush, she had knocked a glass over shattering it on the kitchen floor. While cleaning up the broken pieces, she had cut her finger, and the only bandages she could find were Scooby-Doo Band-Aids that she kept in the shop for kids’ “boo-boos”. That unexpected accessory added a certain elegance and charm to her gown.
Not!

All of the delays had caused her to take a later bus
, which was full of drunken partiers—destination Times Square for the ball drop. The highlight of her ride into the city was sitting next to a large sweaty man with bad breath who had kept leaning in to hit on her the entire two hours.

The taxi ride from the terminal had been no better with the craziness that seemed to be on every street.
By the time she had made it to the hotel, she was tired, frustrated, and more than annoyed.

When she got to the front desk to check-in, the doors to the Grand Ballroom were directly across from the lobby
, and she could hear the clinking of dishes coming from the party that had already started. She didn’t want to walk in while dinner was being served. Arriving then would cause everyone to notice her entrance, and the thought of all those eyes on her made her stomach do summersaults. So, she had gotten her key and gone up to the room taking her time to get changed.

Her crappy day had put her mood in the toilet.
The perfect ending was now being somewhere she didn’t want to be, with people she didn’t know, and in all likelihood, didn’t want to know.

Becca gave herself a mental shake.
She was over-thinking again. There was no rule that she had to stay the whole night or be a social butterfly. All she had to do was make an appearance.

Ok
, the plan is to find Victoria, then the bar, and then slip out in an hour
. Perfect. With the time limit set and the thought of a strong drink or two, she had enough encouragement to put on a smile, a fake one, but it was a smile nonetheless, and pushed open the doors.

Grand was an accurate description for the ballroom.
Becca stood on a marble landing with steps that led down the main floor. The white marble covered the entire room with pillars reaching to the ceiling on both sides. Rows and rows of tables were to the right lined up in front of a mammoth fireplace built into the wall. In the center, each of the tables had an enormous glass vase and colorful bouquet that was high enough where people seated could see across without the flowers being an obstacle. The tops of the tables were covered in black and gold linens, and the hotel staff was busy collecting gold cutlery that had been left behind by the guests.

Three large chandeliers hung down the middle of the room.
Below the third was the stage and dance area, which was illuminated by lighting coming from beneath the floor. Couples were dancing to an old Sinatra song. Becca thought it was the one from
Casablanca,
but she wasn’t sure.

To the left was, not one, but two bars.
One was placed at the far end of the room, and the other was closer to the steps and landing. The barflies had gravitated to the one by the stage and dance floor. A buffet table was placed in between the two bars, and Becca’s stomach rumbled reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since early in the morning. She quickly adjusted her plan to include a stop at the buffet before leaving.

Victoria’s style was all over the room and the party.
She did nothing small or inexpensive. Becca took another deep breath, squared her shoulders and started walking down the steps to find her. The faster she gave her well wishes, the faster she could get something to eat and drink and leave when her hour was up.

As she walked down, Becca scanned the guests.
She couldn’t help but think that the scene resembled a red carpet event. Most of the men were in black tuxedos though a few had taken the masquerade theme a step further with Phantom of the Opera masks and capes. The women all looked glamorous in their gowns and expensive jewelry that sparkled in the lighting.

She hoped she would recognize Victoria.
The last time she had seen her was at her second wedding over three years ago. With everyone wearing masks, it might be difficult to pick her out among the crowd. She spotted a group with their backs toward her that seemed to be focused on something in front of them. Knowing Victoria, if there was attention, she was at the center. Becca decided that was a good place to start.

As she headed toward them, the group parted down the middle like the Red Sea
, and a couple emerged. Becca had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Without a doubt, it was Victoria and her new husband.

The woman was wearing a gold gown with a white lace and pearl bodice.
She had so many hoops under the skirt that people needed to move aside as she passed. The ensemble was completed with white gloves up to her elbows, a gold mask with matching lace and pearls, and her blonde hair was in spiral curls cascading down. She looked like a southern belle who had been puked up from
Gone With The Wind.
The man was a bad flashback from the disco era in a white tuxedo with a gold vest and western tie.

The couple was headed straight for her.
Becca reinforced her smile and braced for impact.

“Rebecca
, darling, it’s so very nice of to come. You look lovely.” Victoria leaned in and gave her air kisses on both cheeks.

Becca suppressed the urge to groan and thought
her cousin was still as fake as her chest. “Hello, Victoria. Congratulations.”