Underneath It All (17 page)

“That would be nice. The fact you are talking to me about this is all I wanted.”

“I’m here to talk or whatever it is you need.”

“A strip would help.”

Reeve’s loud laughter filled me with so much joy and I found myself laughing with him. He was grinning from ear to ear and I was blushing a little.

“You’re lusting for me, I know that,” he said while shaking his head. I looked at him dazedly as he stood, stripping out of his suit and tie.

“Whooa! Wha…what are you doing?” My chest heaved as he unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. I was amused to see that.

“A strip would help right?”

“Uhm…yeah, sure.” I swallowed hard. He leaned back on his chair and showed me his almost naked body casually.

“So you’re alone right now?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Nothing.”

The smirk on his face made me raise my eyebrows.

“Can you turn around?” I asked. He obeyed.

“You like the tattoo?” Reeve asked and turned back around to face me.

“You think I should get one for me? Maybe…right here?” I stood and unbuttoned my pants, rolled them down a bit, and pulled the side of my panties down some and Reeve’s mouth fell open a little.

“I…I don’t know. It’s up to you.”

“Okay, how about a little further down? Let’s say here.” I had pulled my panties down a bit more. He simply looked up and met my gaze, realizing I was teasing him. I began playing with the hem before he spoke up.

“Then I’ll grab the tattoo gun and ink the tattoo artist’s eyes, ’cause I won’t let anyone see you naked.” He was biting his bottom lip. It was also enticing to see how he reacted to being more playful and possessive. “God, you’re seducing me.”

“You think so?”

“Why don’t you take that shirt off?” he dared.

Seeing how flustered Reeve was gave me all the more motivation to keep going. When I was about to strip my clothes off a knock on the door stopped me.

Reeve chuckled. “I’d much rather see it all in person.”

I let out a sigh. “Sounds good.”

“You have no clue how much I want to take you right now.”

“Same here.”

Another loud thud and I heard the irritated voice of Tats.
“Whoever is inside, open the goddamn door!”

“Do you feel better now?”

“Definitely. Thanks for cheering me up.”

“Anytime,” he said with a smile. “Before I hang up, I want you to know this weekend is Rogue’s birthday. Tell Mik he’s invited.”

I almost wanted to jump right inside my phone and kiss him.

“Thank you, Reeve.”

“Dammit! Open the door. Apple! Raven! Gats!” Tatiana knocked louder.

“I should let you go now.”

“I’ll see you later and continue where we left off.”

“I’ll pick you up later and we’ll celebrate your achievement being ranked fourth among the Psychology students.”

“Okay, take care.”

“See you later.”

I blew him a kiss before turning off the camera. He gestured catching the flying kiss and pressed it on his lips leaving me with a tingling feeling in my stomach. I immediately went to open the door only to smack into Tatiana’s fist.

“Aww, fuck!” I held my face and stepped back.

“Sorry!” Tats hugged me quick and soothed my face with her thumb.

“You shouldn’t be knocking while texting, you moron!”

“What took you so long to open?”

“I was asleep, okay?” I reasoned out.

“Fine! I’m sorry!” Tats looked at my pants and eyed me suspiciously. “Sleeping in unbuttoned pants?”

I flushed scarlet.

Chapter XIX

Keeping Up With The Gates

Today was Rogue’s birthday. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room at my parent’s house, curling my hair.

From what Reeve told me, it was going to be somewhat formal. Most likely dinner with some prominent people, while I sat there all doll-like and pretended I was simply a pretty little face, engaging in idle conversation and small talk and gossip. They’d done it that way for years since Rufus showed up, Reeve said; his father wouldn’t settle for any less. I should have known. The thought of meeting President Gates again sickened me.

I’d gone out and bought a new dress and spent time making sure my make-up was perfect. I wanted to look absolutely perfect for this night. Tonight wasn’t just about Rogue, it was about Reeve too.

It was almost 6:00; Reeve would be here any minute. I got more and more nervous with every second that passed. I paced from one end to the other end of my room, nervously chewing on my bottom lip.

I jumped when I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly ran down the stairs to the front door and took a deep breath before I opened it.

All I saw was a big bunch of stargazers and two legs.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” Reeve greeted me and lowered the flowers. “These are for you.” He smiled and handed them to me.

“Come in, handsome.” I beamed as I took the flowers. “Thanks for the flowers,” I said, inhaling their scent.

Reeve didn’t just look handsome, he was ravishing. He was wearing a tailored jacket over his waistcoat and a pair of pants that weren’t part of the original package. It was refreshing and stylish. He truly dressed to impress.

“Anytime.” He shrugged and stepped inside. “I love your curls. I’ve never seen your hair any other way than straight or up in a messy bun.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a vase, half-filled it with water and put the flowers in.

“Where’s your dad?” Reeve asked as I walked back into the living room.

“They went to the hospital for mom’s checkup. She’s been sickly these past few days.”

“Sorry to hear that.” He walked closer and moved his arms down my back pulling me closer to him.

I smiled weakly at him. “Are you sure I look okay?” I asked, to change the topic.

“Seriously, in that dress? You’re breathtaking, Agata. I could just eat you up.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, snagging my waist to tug me in and nipped my ear gently. “I’d love to see what lies beneath, though.”

“Nothing is stopping you.” My heart was beating so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest any second.

He pulled me to sit down on the couch and leaned in for a kiss but right before our lips could meet the door shot open “Agata we’re ba—Agata!” Dad yelled at the sight of us.

“Dad! I thought you’d be out until nine!” I jumped off the couch and walked over to them. Dad looked from me to Reeve and back to me.

“Your mom is already tired. We decided to come home. We will go back tomorrow for the test results.”

“Uhm…I…he…we…are going to Rogue’s birthday. I told you about that the other day, remember?” I looked up to see my dad with his eyebrows furrowed.

Dad exhaled sharply before turning and walking upstairs to their bedroom. He stopped midway and gave me a look that said,
You better be back home soon or I’ll be coming to look for you
.

“Be home before midnight,” Dad said.

“No problem, sir,” Reeve said politely before taking my hand and leading me out to his car.

“I’m so sorry about my dad,” I began, apologizing as soon as we were both inside.

“It’s fine really.” He smiled and suddenly grabbed my head and brought me in for a kiss.

He slowly pulled away leaving me breathing heavily and wanting more.

“You look good in a dress. You should wear them more often.” He smiled not taking his eyes off my cleavage. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face.

“Eyes on me, not on my cleavage.” I raised my eyebrows. He laughed, and winked at me, and I pouted at him.

The ride was less than thirty minutes; we soon pulled into a wooded drive already filled with cars. I stared at the massive house, wide-eyed. Reeve reached out and took my hand in his. The biting air was all around me when I stepped out of his car.

“Ready?”

I nodded and let out a subtle smile. Talk about showing me off as his girlfriend made me want to back out but I certainly couldn’t do that now.

He squeezed my hand. “You’ll be fine. The world needs to know you’re mine.”

Reeve opened the door and led me in. When we entered the mansion, Reeve’s hand automatically went up to the small of my back to lead me in the house. I pulled in a breath; I was really nervous. I could have used Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. He took off my coat and hung it on one of the racks by the front door.

He guided me to the living room where their father was seated in a cushioned chair.

“Reeve, I see you’ve brought Ms. Ferrero.” President Gates’ voice was hoarse. He looked pale and undoubtedly sick.

“Nice to see you, President Gates,” I greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Never been better,” he replied, no smile, no obvious emotion at all.

“Reeve!” A little girl squealed and ran into his arms. He swung her around and kissed her forehead before she ran off to meet and greet people coming around.

“That’s Ramona, my five-year-old half-sister.”

“And you must be Agata,” an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind. I turned around and saw a tall brown-haired man smile and extend his hand. He had the Gates look about him. I instinctively took it and awkwardly smiled.

“Red,” Reeve said, “I want you to meet Agata.” Reeve placed his hand at the small of my back protectively.

Red smiled at me, still not letting go of my hand. “Agata. It’s very good to finally meet you. I’m Redford Gates, Reeve’s brother…half-brother to be exact.”

My smile had faded but I still managed to say, “It’s very nice to meet you, Red.” I noticed Reeve’s cold dark gaze toward Red.

“Agata!” A loud voice rang over the entire room. “I am so thrilled you’re here.” Rogue attacked me with a big hug.

“Happy Birthday, Rogue!” I slowly pulled away from the hug and gave her my present.

She had on a beautiful ball gown in misty rose. It was intricately embellished with fine customized embroidery. Her youthfulness and sweetness were visible through the details of the gown.

Her hair was down, blowing in loose curls. She looked stunning overall. She just seemed…pale and tired. It wasn’t that she looked bad, in fact, quite the opposite but definitely something was off.

“How have you been? No, I mean…you…um…are you okay? Definitely, this huge party is quite a bit stressful.” She didn’t know I knew about her condition, and I didn’t want to ruin her night discussing as to when and how the bomb inside her chest would explode.

Rogue shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. I am so happy you made it.”

In truth, she wasn’t. I knew that she was slipping. Reeve told me without the sleeping pills to knock her out, she wasn’t sleeping; with no appetite, she wasn’t eating well; her chest still hurt. She’d been getting sick for a week or so, but now she was definitely starting to feel it.

“Happy birthday, little booboo.” Reeve pulled Rogue into his embrace, tucking her head under his chin.

“Oh come on, Reeve!” She heaved a sigh. “Do not call me that nick!”

Reeve chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Someone here wants to greet you.” He looked toward the door. I followed his gaze and saw the figure of my twin brother.

He looked astonishingly handsome wearing a dark blue suit over a pair of sneakers. Mik walked over to Rogue and his fingers reached up and lovingly pushed a piece of hair away from her face.

I smiled, my heart swelled with happiness looking upon the joyous couple.

Rogue quickly averted her eyes to Reeve and when their eyes met she mouthed a very grateful “thank you” to him and he smiled in return.

“Just for tonight,” Reeve said, and we walked off to let them savor the moment they had together.

Nightfall came quickly and the mansion was hurriedly filled with guests, mostly socialites, wealthy businessmen, and famous personalities. Reeve took his seat and he pulled out a chair for me to sit down next to him. My stomach was growling and grumbling the entire time.

The other two occupants of the table came and sat in front of us. I recognized the man as Red, but couldn't remember the woman he was with. “Hello, I’m Eve Cromwell. How do you do, Agata?” said the woman in a black, tight-fitting bare back mini dress. She smiled seductively as she took her seat and looked over at Reeve.

“I’m very well, Miss Cromwell,” I politely replied.

“Agata, I don’t believe we’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting. Whenever I go for a visit to Reeve’s office, which is quite often, you’re nowhere around.”

Go for a visit? What the hell?
“That’s right. It’d be inappropriate to see me in his office all the time.”

“Is that right? But being in a relationship with him isn’t?” Eve commented in a sarcastic manner.

I was about to say something, but Reeve said something before things could get out of hand. “I heard out of a whole twenty-five neophytes that had gone, thus far only four made it through.”

As soon as he picked up his fork I grabbed mine and started scarfing down food. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the food was sitting right before me.

“They are a bunch of weaklings,” she said, and stared at me for a while.

Suddenly, realization dawned on me. Eve was one of the big sisters of Zeta Kappa Omega sorority. I felt a pang of jealousy hit me when I remembered her with her arms snaked around Reeve that night I went to a frat house party.

Red, who was sitting right across from me, looked up from his plate and smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling a little as he asked, “I’m assuming you like the food?” I looked up with a strand of meat sticking out of my lips. I sucked it in and nodded, smiling as much as I could with my mouth full.

Reeve gave him a cold stare but Red didn’t even flinch. Red was flirting with me, I knew. He never missed a chance to throw me a bold, sexy glance and those hadn’t gone unnoticed by Reeve. I noticed his grip on the spoon was tight as he tried to suppress his growing jealousy.

A very sophisticated looking lady passed by our table. I wasn’t sure who she was at first, but her identity was obvious after Ramona ran up to her blurting out, “Auntie Rita!” she then stormed off to play with other kids.

Reeve stood up smiling and went to greet their Aunt Rita and offered her a seat. She turned to Eve and Red, greeted, and kissed them on both cheeks. I was quite relieved someone joined our table. The atmosphere of the room was getting heavy. I absolutely needed a light or a strong drink.

“This is my girlfriend, Agata,” Reeve introduced me proudly.

I thought she was Rufus’ sister though she bore no resemblance. “Rita Gates,” she extended her hand.

“Thank you, I’m Agata. It’s nice to meet you.” The woman seemed warm and friendly.

“I know we don’t know each other at all,” she started, “but I just have to thank you for whatever you’ve done to Reeve. The last few weeks he’s seemed a little bit better. I mean, he’s not as irritable and cranky as he has been.”

“I haven’t done anything, actually,” I replied shyly.

“If you haven’t, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I agree,” Eve butted in. “Reeve hasn’t let any woman get close to him, except me of course. He hasn’t let anyone get close to him since Lucy passed away,” Eve added.

God, I hated her. She came here and flirted with my boyfriend in front of my face and had the nerve to bring up Lucy’s name. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact Red was her date.

A beaming and full of life Rogue took the microphone and announced, “I thank each and every one of you for coming to my birthday party. I now open the dance floor. Enjoy and have a great night!” Everybody cheered and started dancing. Rogue walked over to our table and pulled Reeve onto the dance floor.

“No, I don’t dance.” He hesitated.

“Please, brother. It’s my birthday. I want to dance with the most important men in my life,” Rogue pleaded. He couldn’t say no to those eyes of the birthday girl.

I was so busy watching them dance that I didn’t notice somebody sit down beside me.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll steer clear from Reeve,” Eve whispered in my ear.

She walked off and joined them on the dance floor, immediately sliding her hands up Reeve’s chest, feeling every inch of his muscles until they found their way around his neck.

Although I was filled with anger, I wouldn’t say anything more in the matter just now. Not when Reeve seemed like he was having a good time watching Rogue enjoying her seventeenth birthday.