His Unbearable Desire 1 (5 page)

Glenn turned to look at them as well. Seline was sitting on her new husband’s lap with her arms draped around his neck. They kissed tenderly as people took pictures of them.

“So they should be, it is the happiest day of their lives after all.”

“Have you ever had one of these yourself? I imagine that when a Huntington gets married it’s an even bigger event than this.”

Glenn smiled ruefully. “How I wish that were true. Unfortunately I don’t think our name carries as much weight as it once did. In some ways it’s a blessing. It means that we get a little privacy at least. But to answer your question no, I haven’t had one. I haven’t met the right woman yet. Some say it’s old fashioned but I want to make sure I get it right. I’m not like others of my pack, maybe it’s the right choice, maybe not, but I want the old-style romance.”

Ana nodded approvingly. It was rare to hear a man speak in such terms, especially when he could have had any woman he wanted.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you really fussy or something? I mean, you’re a billionaire you must have so many women flinging themselves at you.”

“This is true and I suppose in a way you could call me fussy. But I’m fussy in terms of the type of connection I want. Most women that approach me see my money first, and they generally have little on their minds. I want someone who I can talk with and who I can trust to be by my side no matter what. It’s not as easy to find as you might think.”

“Oh trust me I know all about that.”

“Relationship problems?” he asked.

In the background there was a smattering of applause as the bride and groom cut the cake, but neither Glenn nor Ana noticed for they were too entranced by their conversation.

“Lack of relationship problems. I don’t know, it’s probably just me being silly but I think I’ve forgotten how to meet people. It was so much easier when I was in college.”

“Well, a wedding is as good a place as any to meet someone new,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Ana smiled and flushed a little. To have flirted with Colton was exciting enough but now his cousin as well…she felt a little guilty but then she said to herself that Colton was nowhere to be seen and she wasn’t about to waste her time waiting on a dream.

“What did you study?” he added.

“Psychology. But don’t ask me to analyze you I wasn’t that good at it.”

“I would never ask you to analyze me I’d be afraid of what you thought.”

“Why is that? Do you have something to hide?”

“Don’t we all?” he said.

Ana shrugged.

“I don’t know. I like to think I’m pretty much an open book.”

“Hmm,” Glenn said as he leaned back into his chair and studied Ana.

She smiled and welcomed the challenge.

“Let me see then.” He looked at her carefully and placed his thumb and forefinger against his chin.

“You’re obviously smart and beautiful so I’m wondering why you’re working here this weekend.”

Ana went to speak but Glenn held up his hand to silence her.

“Don’t take the fun out of it, let me guess. I like to think of myself as a keen observer of the human condition, although I confess I’m a little rusty. Now then, as I said, you’re smart and beautiful and you’re here. Maybe you need the money, maybe you’re doing someone a favor…maybe both?” he guessed as he noticed the changes in her face.

She inclined her head and rolled her bottom lip under her teeth. He clapped and continued.

“Obviously single, but you’ve told me that so I can’t take credit. But from the way you keep glancing at the bride I’d guess that you’re a romantic at heart and you want something like this. You also don’t seem awed by most people in this room so I think it’s either that you’re used to being around these kinds of people or you don’t really know who they are and I’m inclined to think it’s the latter because you have a look of a small town girl.”

“You got it spot on, although I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.”

“A compliment, naturally. There’s something innocent about you,” he said, looking at her deeply. She felt her heart quicken and wondered if he wanted to corrupt her innocence at some point.

“And what about you, are you innocent?” she asked. Glenn gave her a cheeky smile and smirked.

“I’ll leave that for you to find out.”

Conversation was easy between them and as the guests mingled with each other in the background the two of them found ample opportunity to talk with one another. At one point Ana did catch her aunt’s foreboding stare but she chose to ignore it, enjoying her conversation with Glenn too much to let it finish before she was ready. As the party continued it was time for dessert and many trays were brought in and placed on the long buffet table. Ana gazed in awe for she had always had a sweet tooth and it looked to be a delectable selection of decadent desserts. She licked her lips.

“Sometimes I wish I was a guest at these things,” she said absently, her stomach hungering for a taste of those sweet things.

Glenn promptly rose and Ana was taken aback. Was it just a trait of the Huntington’s that they left so abruptly? She shook her head and started to clean his empty glass, although her eyes followed his gaze. He walked with confidence although his strides were more measured than Colton’s who seemed to barrel through the world without a care for who he might crash in to.

Glenn walked up to the dessert table and examined everything that it had to offer before he picked up a tray and brought it back to the bar, setting it down in front of Ana. He looked mightily pleased with himself and wore a huge grin. Ana looked around, embarrassed, for everyone was looking at Glenn.

“They’re all staring at me aren’t they?” he asked. Ana nodded.

“Don’t worry about it. Being a billionaire gives you an excuse to be eccentric. This is hardly the weirdest thing any of these people have seen. Tuck in,” he said as he picked up a cupcake and bit into it.

Crumbs fell down his shirt and some of the frosting got caught on his upper lip. Ana pointed to it and giggled, and Glenn cleaned it off, licking it off his fingers.

“I appreciate the thought but I really shouldn’t, I am working after all. It wouldn’t be professional.”

“Come on Ana, live a little, I’ll take the blame. Just say that I used my irresistible charm to convince you.”

She smiled coyly. When her name fell off his tongue she felt warm inside, as if it was natural for him to speak her name. She tentatively reached out and picked up the richest, darkest chocolate and placed it in her mouth. It melted on her tongue and she almost whimpered, such was the pleasure of the taste.

The texture was smooth and there was a hard outer shell that cracked between her teeth, releasing even more flavor. She flicked her tongue around inside her mouth and swallowed the molten chocolate that had been released, and any hesitation she may have expressed completely disappeared upon the sheer delight of the dessert.

“Good?” Glenn asked, although the answer was evident.

“So good,” Ana replied, barely able to open her mouth.

After that she picked up a few more things and enjoyed them immensely. The tray had a variety of things from decadent chocolate to fruit infused with cream, crunchy biscuits, tarts, and all manner of things. She and Glenn picked at them until they felt they were going to burst.

“It’s nice to see you have a healthy appetite,” Glenn said.

“Desserts have always been my weakness,” she mumbled through a mouthful of meringue, “can you not tell by my figure.” She swung her hips out to show off her clothes and watched Glenn give her an admiring glance.

“I’m not sure, give me a twirl,” he said, and she obliged.

There was something about him that put her completely at ease. With Colton she had always felt on the edge of danger, but with Glenn she wasn’t afraid to look or act silly, even when they were in a room filled with people looking at her. They continued eating the desserts and joking with each other, and the more they talked the more Ana was glad that Colton hadn’t turned up because if he had she probably wouldn’t have started speaking to Glenn.

She hated the idea of missing out on him because he was a lovely man and she couldn’t stop smiling. She found herself glued to him as he told her about all the people at the party and their various quirks and secret stories, tales of illicit affairs and dark dramas. It appeared that many of these people were all tangled up in some strange emotional web and despite them being in the upper echelons of society they were as prone and vulnerable to basic human desires as the rest of the world.

It was comforting to know in a way, for it showed that Ana had some common ground with them and could relate to them. Yet it was also worrying because these were the people in charge of the direction of society but in some ways they were no more qualified than anyone else, and only had the responsibility because of their birthright.

Still, she loved hearing about it all and was transfixed. She leaned in closer and closer to Glenn as he told her everything and she started to smell his musky, masculine scent. It was a seductive drug and she soon felt her mind becoming hazy. It was similar to the feeling she had experienced with Colton the previous evening but where that had been a violent explosion of passion this was more of a simmering thing, slowly building inside her, and she didn’t know how long it would burn but she was enchanted.

The desserts had almost disappeared and the party was getting into full swing. The bar was beginning to fill up with thirsty people but Ana did not want to be dragged away from Glenn so she resisted for as long as she could but eventually her aunt came up to her and spoke in a low tone directly into her ear.

“Come with me,” she said sternly.

Ana squirmed and made a face at Glenn, who raised his glass at her and turned around to disappear into the party. Ana instantly felt dispirited as it was the second time a Huntington had turned his back on her and she wondered whether it was becoming a theme, but at least she knew where Glenn was unlike Colton, who had simply disappeared into thin air. She didn’t have any time to think about that though as her aunt walked into the storeroom and then slammed the door behind her.

Chapter 6

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Ana?! I bring you here and put you in charge and all I see you doing is fawning over some billionaires. I know you haven’t worked here for a while but surely you haven’t forgotten how things are done. I’m not going to stand by and watch you flirt with the guests while there’s work that needs to be done. Do you have an explanation for this?” she said. Ana felt like a scolded child and bowed her head.

“I just…well, it’s like you said. Everyone needs a little magic in their lives and speaking to them feels…magical.” As the words came out of her mouth she realized how silly they sounded but her aunt softened. She placed a reassuring hand on Ana’s arm.

“I get that, I really do you, but you have to know that these people aren’t from the same world as us. They live by different rules. I don’t want to see you get hurt, especially not when there’s work to be done. Now go back out there and finish your shift. I don’t like telling you off, it makes me sound too much like your mother.” Ana chuckled and went back to work, disappointed that Glenn didn’t return.

She could see him on the other side of the room talking with some other people and she prayed that he would look at her but he did not turn his head. A mixture of emotions were swimming within her and she wasn’t sure how to control them. Both men were alluring for different reasons and she didn’t know what to do about it, or even if there was anything to do.

The way that Colton had kissed her had reached deep down into her soul and yet he hadn’t appeared all day. What was she supposed to make of that? Then Glenn was so easy to talk to that it almost felt like she had known him for years, but he was gone now as well. She only had one day left and then it would be back to life as normal but she wasn’t sure she wanted it to go back to normal. After meeting the two of them she wanted to get to know them better and see how things developed, since she hadn’t felt that way about anyone for a long time.

A new chapter was beginning in her life and she didn’t want it to end even before it had begun. With her imminent move she felt like something big was coming and it seemed like Colton and Glenn could be a part of that. Whilst in the morning she had been sure that Colton was the man of her fantasies she wasn’t so sure at that point, for Glenn had entered the picture. They were both so similar and yet so different. Could she have been confused?

The shift continued and Ana was basically on autopilot as the drink orders came in. She gazed towards Glenn many times but her aunt was always close with a stern eye. At one point Ana’s heart leapt as Glenn came over and asked her to dance. Ana so badly wanted to say yes but she looked over at her aunt, who was watching her like a hawk, and decided against it.

“I’d love to but I’m going to get in a lot of trouble. Maybe after I’ve finished my shift? I should be able to get off a little bit before the party ends, and I’ve got a red dress I’ve been dying to wear.” Glenn raised his eyebrows in anticipation, took her hand, and lightly kissed it.

“I will be waiting,” he said, and again he disappeared.

Ana bit her lip and exhaled deeply as she continued to work, watching the time dwindle until the end of her shift. The people that came up to the bar were getting more and more bleary-eyed but the drinks continued being poured thick and fast. Loud cheers erupted as the groom was being celebrated by his friends.

Music pumped through the sound system and people were gliding around the dance floor, their moves getting ever more uncoordinated. Aunt Rose moved away, confident in Ana’s ability to remain focused on her job but as the party wore on the stream of people that were coming to the bar diminished until she knew that the other three could handle it.

She quickly told them that she was going to finish her shift early, wiped down the bar, and threw her towel to Cindy. She rushed up to her room, undressing on the way, and tried to ignore the leering glances of drunk socialites on the way to her room. Once there she splashed some water on her face and loosened her ponytail, letting her long dark hair flow down to the middle of her back.

She pulled her red dress off the rail and stepped into it, letting it nestle against her figure. She looked at herself in the mirror and knew that Glenn wouldn’t stand a chance. Thin red straps laced around her shoulders and the plunging top barely concealed her voluptuous figure. She ran her hands down her curves and smiled at herself in the mirror before turning around and heading back to the hall.

This time she was subject to even more glances. It was amazing what a simple change of clothes could do. As she walked down her heart was thumping in anticipation of seeing Glenn and being held in his arms. Although she enjoyed the passion of Colton she had a feeling that Glenn would be more romantic, and given the setting that’s exactly what she was craving.

She walked in and tried to avoid the glances of Liam, Mark, and Cindy as she walked past the bar. Aunt Rose saw her as well and Ana cringed, expecting another tongue lashing, but her aunt merely gave her a thumbs up. She walked through the crowd, looking every inch like she belonged, until she walked up to where Glenn had been standing with, presumably, his family. Yet he was nowhere to be seen.

She looked around frantically and then saw him walking out. She walked as fast as she could to catch up to him and he couldn’t fail to notice her. When he saw her he stopped and took in everything she had to offer. His jaw dropped and he looked to be in complete and utter awe.

“You look amazing,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Are you ready for that dance?” she asked, stretching out her hand, waiting for Glenn to take it. However, he ran his hand around his neck and bowed his head.

“I’m really sorry Ana but something has just come up that I really need to take care of. That’s the life of a man who has a company to run I suppose. You do look breathtaking though…I can’t believe I’m saying this and I hope I don’t regret this for the rest of my life but can we take a rain check?”

Ana’s face fell as she made a forlorn effort to hide her disappointment. Glenn moved away and she sighed. She’d gone to so much effort to come to him and he had simply turned her away like it was the easiest thing in the world. Perhaps Aunt Rose had been right, Ana thought to herself. She had been caught up in the magic of the moment. These damn weddings, they always seemed to generate a whirlwind of romantic ambience in which it was easy to get swept up.

Since she had gone to so much trouble she didn’t want to retreat back to her room just yet so she ended up going outside to get some cool air. There weren’t many people around, and those who were around were caught up in their own worlds and passionate affairs of their own. Oh well, she admitted, perhaps all that would be waiting for her in Newtown after all.

She strolled along the wooden decking and made her way around the other side of the hall. The voices receded into the distance and she could be alone with her thoughts again. That’s when she saw him. Colton. He was leaning against the wall with a cigar in his hand. A plume of smoke emanated from his mouth and drifted away into the air.

Ana froze and gasped. He turned and walked towards her, throwing the stub of the cigar away. He looked disheveled and wild, just as he had when she had met him in the woods the previous night. But things had been different then. She hadn’t known Glenn.

Colton came up to her and kissed her without saying a word. His warm breath washed over her lips and for a moment she succumbed to his insatiable lust, but then she pushed him away.

“No, we can’t,” she said. Colton looked confused and his chest heaved with heavy, passionate breaths.

“I’m…I met your cousin today,” she said.

“Glenn?” he asked in a growl.

“Yeah and we, um, well, I don’t know what we did but I haven’t seen you all day. You can’t just come here, kiss me, and run away again.” Colton came right up to her and stared into her eyes.

“I’m not running,” he said. He was standing so close that she could feel the heat from his body and he exuded sexuality.

Her wet eyes gazed at him and her breath was halting and rapid. His hand came up and grabbed her waist. She gasped as he pulled her into him. In her peripheral vision she could see that his biceps were tensing and threatening to burst through his loose shirt. He placed his face close to her and his stubble scratched her perfect skin.

“Why weren’t you at the wedding today?” she whispered.

“Because I didn’t want to go. They’re all phonies in there and they don’t care about anything apart from themselves, my cousin chief among them.”

“He seemed quite nice to me…”

Colton flew into a rage. He slammed his fist against the wall and his eyes glowered with a dark rage.

“You know nothing about my cousin. Nothing!”

“I know a damn sight more about him than I do you!” she retorted. Colton’s nostrils flared and he turned away slightly, although Ana could still see his profile.

“He just…he seemed nice. And he was there with me today. You weren’t. I don’t want to get in between anything that’s going on here but I’m not going to be available only when you want me to be.”

“Where is he now?” Colton snarled. “If he’s so precious to you where is he? You haven’t put that dress on for just anyone. Was it for him? Did he promise to dance with you and kiss your hand?” As he mentioned this Ana’s face fell. Colton came forward again.

“I bet he made you feel special didn’t he. It’s a trick I’ve seen him play a hundred times before.”

“H-how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Look in your heart, you know it to be true,” he said in a disparaging tone.

Ana wasn’t sure what to think. Glenn had been so genuine, so warm and kind that she couldn’t believe he would lie so blatantly like that. But the simple truth was that he had abandoned her and Colton was there in front of her. She leaned forward and reached out with her hand, caressing Colton’s arm. He looked at her hand and then his eyes travelled up her arm, meeting her eyes. He smiled darkly and came up to her again, and the two of them lost each other in a long, desperate kiss.

When they finally released each other Colton had to keep a hold of Ana to ensure that she did not fall to the ground. They walked hand in hand. Ana wasn’t sure where they were going but she was willing to follow Colton. As they moved farther away from the main building she glanced back and wondered if Glenn was in there. She still wasn’t sure whether Colton was telling the truth or not but she had made no promises to Glenn, no obligations…but if that was the case then why did she feel so guilty about walking away with his younger cousin?

They went along the wooden decks and Colton stepped into a boat. He held out his hand, although Ana drew hers away, unsure of whether she should go ahead. She looked down at him.

“Ana, this is life, it’s happening right now, do you really want to ignore it because of Glenn? Come with me.” She found herself stepping into the small rowing boat.

It was almost an involuntary action because his magnetic charisma drew her in like a magnet but she knew she wanted it. All she had to do was look at him and everything melted away, the wedding, Glenn, everything else apart from her thundering heart. As she stepped into the boat she almost lost her footing for it wobbled in the lake. Colton caught her though, and as the moonlight sparkled in their eyes she knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be.

They settled down in the boat. The night was cool and the water was colder than the land so Ana folded her arms and tried to stop herself from shivering. Colton’s powerful arms propelled the boat forward, pulling and pushing the blades. They sliced through the water quietly, silently, the two of them stealthily working their way across the lake into the intimate darkness.

“We shouldn’t go through there,” she said as she saw that they were heading to the tunnel of love.

In the darkness the branches looked like long thin arms with spindly fingers stretching overhead, cocooning them. The moonlight broke through in shafts.

“Why not?” he challenged.

Ana couldn’t come up with a suitable answer. For so long she had wanted to see what this mysterious tunnel held at the end but she had never explored it or ventured in. She had even resisted the temptation in her exuberant youth, for she always thought that she wanted to only know what was beyond the tunnel on her wedding day. But it felt like there was nothing she could do to stop Colton.