Blind Attraction (8 page)

“Come on in and let me introduce you to everyone,” he chuckled, holding out his arm for her to take.
Victoria got the impression that he was having a bit of fun at her expense. Was this just some huge hoax? 

Tentatively
, she looped her hand through the crook of his elbow, following him into the lavish, indoor gardens. She felt as if she was walking into the rain forest, with the lush, green foliage. Even the temperature and humidity had subtly increased and she thought that having an indoor party in a faux-rainforest was brilliant. The flowers were huge and colorful and she wanted to stare at everything but figured that would make her appear gauche so she tried to discreetly take everything in. She was pretty sure her eyes were as big as they had ever been.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Phil asked, interrupting her observations. He laughed softly when she jumped and looked up at him with huge, violet eyes. “Jimmy was the one who decided that this was
going to be the venue for our company parties, that’s why he gets paid the big bucks. He has a real talent for seeing the big picture; for creative thinking and innovation.”

“This place is ama
zing!” Victoria exclaimed, her eyes brightening as she smiled. “The place where I worked in high school had a few appetizers in the break room – and they made us punch out before we could join the party. Of course, immediately after we had our allotted ham slice and cup of juice, we had to check back in and get right back to work. This is so much better.”

As he led her through the labyrinth to the part of the Conservatory where the main party was taking place, they chatted politely.
When they entered a partial clearing she came to a complete stop. Frowning, he looked down at her and saw the sheer amazement on her face, making her practically glow. For the first time in his life, he was jealous of James. “Well?”

Victoria
was stunned speechless; before her was the most beautiful man-made waterfall, designed to look like pure fantasy. The water sparkled as it danced and gurgled over the rocks; green leafs embraced the fixture and birds – actual birds – were flying through the air. It was like something out of a dream; it was magical. “Wow.”

Phil chuckled, “Jimmy will be pleased to hear that you find his work so breathtaking.”

“James designed this?” Victoria asked, seeing Phil nod in confirmation. “That is… wow; it’s amazing. He must hate not being able to see his work.”

“He has a photographic memory,” Phil
said wryly. Once more they were walking through the forest. “It was awful being in the same class as him; I would study my ass off while he was drawing in his book and he always scored better than me.”

“Wow,”
Victoria sighed, awfully impressed and feeling a bit out of place. “Where did you go to school?”

“
Mises Prep Academy,” he said, rattling off the name of a very expensive, very elite private school in England. The only reason she even knew about it was because one of her friends in high school had tried to get in but he hadn’t been smart enough and he hadn’t had enough of the right connections to finagle his way in. The people who went to the exclusive all boys’ school became leaders of nations.

“You know, my friend is really much better suited for this kind of thing
,” Victoria muttered, feeling wholly and completely out of place. “Maybe I should just introduce the two of them and bow out gracefully before anything gets damaged.”

“I doubt that would work,” Phil informed her. “Jimmy hasn’t stopped talking about you for three days.”

“Really?” Victoria was unable to prevent the squeak from raising the pitch of her voice or the grin that ridiculously spread across her face.

“Really,” Phil chuckled. Coming to a room
that had fewer plants and more tables of food, he pointed across the way and murmured, “He’s over there waiting for you.”

Turning her head,
Victoria instantly spotted James across the room looking resplendent in tan slacks and a dress shirt that was opened at his throat. His face was turned towards her and if she didn’t know better, she would have sworn that he was looking right at her. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest, making her accept the fact that her imagination was not working overtime in an effort to make her think the
zing
was fake. Right now,
zings
were flying through her body just looking at him; some were even pooling low in her belly making her horny and a little uncomfortable.

*****

As Tony was talking, James could have sworn he smelled the subtle fragrance of Victoria. Turning his head slightly, he tried to figure out if he could discover where the smell was coming from, if he was just imagining it. Suddenly, Tony became very quiet and the air became charged. Frustrated with his inability to see, James asked, “What is it?”

Tony whistled, “Phil just walked in with this stunning creature…. Wait a moment, she just spotted you and seems to have forgotten who she came with; she’s walking this way. That’s just not right, man; Phil’s
gonna be pissed….”

*****

“James,” Victoria smiled, oblivious of anyone other than the man she was now standing in front of. She automatically reached for him, taking his hand in hers to let him know where she was.

“
Victoria,” James smiled, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles, making her breath hitch in her throat. “I’m glad you made it. You smell wonderful.”

Smiling s
lightly, she lowered her head and looked up at him through her lashes, “You smell wonderful, too; you also look very handsome.”

Tony cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him, “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Victoria, the annoying man to the right of me is my business partner and friend, Tony Reynolds,” James said, not-so-subtly pulling Victoria closer, staking his claim. “Tony, this is Victoria Davis;
my
date, not Phil’s.”

Victoria
heard the possessiveness in James’s voice and was exhilarated. As he pulled her closer and closer, his fingers entwining with hers, she felt the warmth from his body flow along her entire side until she was pressed up against him. If she were to die at that moment, she would have died happy. She held out her hand for Tony, “It’s nice to meet you.”

With an almost suggestive smile, he took her hand and brought it up to his lips, placing a kiss on her fingers. Looking at her beneath hooded eyes, he murmured, “The pleasure is all mine,
Victoria. May I say that you are breath-taking?”

She bit her lips to prevent the smile from forming. Stifling her giggle at his outrageous behavior, she dropped her hand back to her side, “Thank you, Mr. Reynolds.”

Looking up at James, she saw the tightening of his facial muscles, the possessive undertones in his expression as he glared in Tony’s direction. With her heels, her lips were even with his jaw so she pressed a tender kiss against the bone. Softly, almost as if the conversation had been solely between her and James, she added, “You have interesting friends.”

The corners of James’s sensuous lips tilted upwards as he turned his face towards her, until their mouths were a breath apart. “That’s one way of putting it. If I weren’t blind I’m sure they’d be even more impertinent.”

She smiled even as a tremor of unease slid through her belly. Squeezing his arm, she asked, “Has there been any progress in your vision?”

He grinned, “No, but I’m hopeful.”

“Well,” Tony said, clearing his throat. “It’s obvious that I’m no longer wanted here. Is there anything I can get you, Jimmy? Victoria?”

“I’m good,” James said.
Victoria simply shook her head no and watched as Tony walked away, his brow slightly furrowed. Turning towards Victoria, James took her other hand in his, “I’m so glad you came.”

Victoria
smiled, “I am, too. Mr. Knowles told me that you designed the gardens.”

“Not all of the gardens,” he corrected. “Just the waterfalls area; did you like it?”

“I love it,” she gushed, her face radiating her admiration. His green eyes looked at her but they didn’t see anything and she felt overwhelming sadness for his loss. Stepping closer, she pulled her hand out of his and gently ran her fingers over his brow, lightly over his closed eyes. With her body lightly pressed against his, she stood up on tip toe and kissed the lids over his unseeing eyes.

“What’s that for?” he asked softly, huskily, his free hand curving around her elbow
, holding her steady on her suddenly weak knees.

“Just because,” she murmured, unable to understand it herself why she felt the need to soothe him. He was simply incredible; and contrary to all logic or reason, she adored him. Maybe she was simply lonely and he was the first interesting person to come along. Whatever; they had that
zing
and it was time for her to jump, to take a risk. “I’m not over-stepping the line, am I?”

“No,” he grinned. His full, sensual mouth curved into a deeper smile, giving the hint of a dimple in his left cheek, “It was very… nice.”

Victoria cringed, laughing quietly at his choice of words. Taking his hands in hers, she shook her head, “I know, nice is so inadequate; but you fluster me.”

“I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or insulted,” he teased, his eyes crinkling as his fingers entwined with hers and he gently pulled her closer to him; until the softness of her breasts was pressed against the muscles of his chest.

“Very few people fluster me, James,” she informed him, her skin burning where it pressed up against the hard wall of James’s flesh and sinew. “You should feel honored.”

“Indeed, I do,” he said, so formally she had to laugh
out loud. Shifting slightly, he turned just a bit until they were more closely pressed together. “Tell me something, Victoria, what else can fluster you?”

“That’s hardly a fair question to be asking,” she murmured, her body
flaring to life under his touch. Lowering her chin to hide her blush, forgetting the fact that she really didn’t need to, she smiled, “If I tell you too many secrets, you’ll lose interest.”

“I doubt that would ever happen,” he told her,
earnestly, making her heart dance merrily in her chest. “I find myself very curious to know everything there is to know about you.”

“I’m sure that you would find it all very dull compared to your own life,” she murmured, not trying to prevaricate, just trying to be honest. She had a very boring life up to that point. “I’m an only child, I went to school, I went to college, and I owe the bank a great deal of money before I will own my own business. What about you?”

“Surprisingly, there’s really very little difference between you and I,” he told her. “Only I have an older brother and the bank doesn’t own my business, I do.”

“Yes, we’re practically the same person,”
Victoria grinned. From out of nowhere, she thought about Milan and asked, “Do you like to travel?”

“I do; I even have
stamps in my passport,” he nodded, smiling at her. “What about you?”

“I have a passport,” she said slowly, watching his face as she spoke. It was ama
zing how expressive his face was despite his lack of sight. Watching him as he listened to her she felt that he was truly interested in what she had to say and not just pretending to pay attention until something better came along. He was fascinated by her just as he was fascinated by all things James. “However, I’ve yet to get a single stamp. I haven’t even been to Canada.”

“That’s not very far away,” he commiserated with her briefly before grinning. “So, if there was any place in the world that you could go….”

“Scotland,” she said earnestly before he could even finish asking the question. “Have you ever been there?”

“I have,” he admitted, almost reluctantly.

“Was it incredibly beautiful? Did you drink the whiskey?” she asked enthusiastically, desperate to hear all of the details of his trip, to see the world through him. “You must show me your pictures. Oh! I’m sorry; I don’t mean to presume….”

“You’re not,” he said tenderly, admirably. Clearing his throat, he added, “Not at all.”  .

“Where else have you been?” she asked, sensing some strange undertones; the current had somehow deepened between them. With a smile, “Or should I be asking, where haven’t you been?”

He tilted his head to the side, a half-smile on his full lips, “It might be
an easier question to answer.”

“Do you have thousands of photos?” she asked, eager to see his journeys, to get a glimpse of the man, his view of the world, through his pictures.

“I have a few,” he said. “Actually, I prefer to capture the moment in sketches.”

Victoria
’s eyes widened with appropriate awe; knowing what little she did know about him, she was sure his sketches were phenomenal. “Would you… show me some time?”

“Of course
,” he said with a slight smile.

“Mr. Knowles mentioned that you have a photographic memory; can you remember everything you’ve seen?”
Victoria asked, even more thunderstruck by the man in front of her. It was bad enough to lose one’s sight, but to be so incredibly, artistically visual…. Her heart pounded with sympathy and pride inside her chest.