Diamonds Are Forever (15 page)

“Yeah, you don’t come to
my
party and not dance with me,” he said, his lips parted with a mischievous smile.  She shrugged a shoulder, biting her lip as she turned away from him, walking back towards Sebastian.

Again, she felt Damian’s arms around her waist, dragging her back into his body.  His left arm wrapped across her waist, grabbing hold of her right hip.  Her entire backside was pressed firmly against his hard body.  “Not uh,” he whispered into her ear.  For a moment, Gemma felt her legs go weak beneath her, but she quickly regained her composure, determined to be the one in control this time.

Wearing a somewhat apologetic pout, Gemma waved a goodbye at Sebastian.  And with that, she reached up behind her, slipping a hand behind Damian’s neck.  She felt their bodies swaying in unison like she had done with Sebastian moments before, but the sensation was markedly different.  Gemma was thankful to be among a large group, or she was likely to make a move to embarrass herself again.  Damian slipped a hand over her ribs, letting his thumb graze the underside of her breast.  His lips brushed up against her temple, then along her ear before he pressed them against her earlobe.  Gemma squeezed her eyes shut, completely overwhelmed by everything she was feeling.  She was beginning to forget there were others around them.  She was dying to turn around and tear Damian’s clothes off. 
What is he doing to me?

Gemma opened her eyes to see that they had danced into a corner, up against a wall.  She leaned back against Damian, feeling every part of his body pressing into hers. 
Oh my God. 
Gemma felt almost dizzy as she let herself enjoy the sensation of his breath on her neck and his body against hers.  She put her hands over his, pushing them to more neutral parts of her body as she steadied her own breath, watching the party go on around them.  No one had spotted their foray into sexual territory, no one even knew what was going through the minds of the two people that had danced right through them.  Everyone was partying and going about their business, not realizing the ball of sexual tension that had cut right through the group and into a corner of their own.

Gemma turned herself slowly, allowing every part of her body to graze Damian’s tense muscles as she faced him.  He was breathing heavily, practically panting as he watched her.  He looked almost helpless, his lips parted as he kept his eyes on her.  It was the hold she had wanted to have on him, the definitive proof she needed.

Gemma smiled, exhaling as she pressed her hands against his chest, pushing her body away from his.

“I’m gonna head out,” she said casually.  It took everything in her to do so, to follow through with her own words.  Gemma leaned in, kissing him in the soft spot between his chin and his throat with parted lips.  “I’ll see you around.”

~

Zoe seemed thankful that Gemma had asked to leave early.  They said a quick goodbye to Azura, thanking her and exchanging numbers, before she flew out the front door.  Gavin stayed behind with some friends, leaving the two girls alone in a cab they had managed to hail.

“Christ, I had enough in there,” Zoe sighed.  “Jock boys are only really fun for the first hour.”

“Gavin doesn’t mind that I’m stealing you, does he?”

“Nah,” Zoe waved her hand.  “He could use a little down time with his guys, and I could use a little down time with my girl.  How’d it go with Damian?”

“Well,” Gemma laughed.  “I’m quitting while I’m ahead.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoe smirked.  “I saw him on our way out.  That boy looked
bothered.
  And it was all you, wasn’t it?” Gemma nodded, still laughing.  She rolled down the windows, feeling the breeze of the night air as they drove over the bridge.  “So you’re feeling a little better about everything, I’m guessing.”

“Definitely,” Gemma replied.  “This party did a good job killing off the remainder of the embarrassment shudders I had from that horrible night.”

“Yeah,” Zoe laughed.  “Damian’s the one doing the shuddering now.”

Gemma’s phone lit up.  It was a text from Damian.

Where are you heading?

She showed Zoe the text.

“Don’t answer,” Zoe said, firmly.  “I feel only sorta bad, because the poor boy looked like he was going to pass out from all that blood rushing from his brain.  But leave it at that for now.”

Her phone buzzed again.  Azura.

Don’t you text him back, girl!

Gemma laughed, leaning her head back against the headrest.  It was all so devious, and as bad as she felt about what she was doing, she also felt pretty damn good.

~

The next morning, Gemma got a text from Armand letting her know that the twenty-five pieces she had chosen for the runway were ready for her approval.  She jumped out of bed excitedly, throwing on an old t-shirt and sweatpants, leaving Zoe to continue sleeping peacefully.

Gemma opened the shop, her breath held as she walked into the backroom.  She had waited for this day for ages, and she couldn’t wait to get to the next step.  Before she even turned the corner into the backroom, she could see the reflections of color sprayed onto the normally plain, white walls.  Armand had lined up five rows of five mannequins, all wearing a piece from her very first, official collection.  She gasped, clasping her hands over hear heart as she wove around the plastic figures, admiring the freshly finished work.  The morning sunlight streamed through the skylight, casting a perfect spotlight onto the collection.

For three years, she had dreamed of her Fashion Week premiere.  Though she was eternally grateful for Armand’s mentorship and support, she was ready to step out on her own.  Ready to be taken seriously.  She wanted the public’s view of her to reflect all the incredibly hard work she had put into her new career.  It was the only way she got through the hurtful comments from not only the media, but the people she encountered who doubted her abilities.  After all, so many former pop stars and models and actresses had used the fashion industry as kind of a quick fix or a bandage for a failed or souring career.  Gemma knew that wasn’t what she was doing.  She wasn’t just slapping an old name on a line that someone else designed in hopes of resuscitating her fame.

After sitting on the floor for fifteen minutes and staring at the designs some more, Gemma decided it was that image that she wanted on the wall space behind her office.  And she wanted it now.

Eyeing her cans of paint, she pulled her hair back into a bun, wavy again from the humid walk between her apartment and the studio.  It was an impulsive decision but she figured she was already dressed to paint.  Plus, she wanted to begin the mural while the image and emotions were still freshly etched in her mind and heart.

So for an hour, she painted as she hummed to herself, her heart pounding happily over the recent events.  Her run-in with Tyler wasn’t particularly bad – in fact, Gemma was surprised she was able to stay as calm as she did.  It helped that everything that happened in the hours before was particularly enjoyable.  She laughed to herself, remembering the expression on Damian’s face. 
So evil.
  She did eventually feel bad, knowing she had more than sufficiently messed with his mind, but she reasoned that he had messed with hers just as badly in the weeks preceding.  Although it wasn’t quite as intentional on his end so she did resolve to make it up to him.

Between that and the sight of the completed collection, Gemma was pretty sure nothing could bring her down.  And to make things even better, Armand had texted that he was heading over soon with some brunch food.  Gemma’s stomach had been growling quite a bit.

When she heard the sound of the front door opening, Gemma dropped her brushes and skipped out to greet him.  She probably looked like a mess with her knotty hair and her paint-covered clothes.  Of all people though, Armand would understand.

But to her absolute dismay, it wasn’t Armand coming in through the corridor.

Damian peeked into the backroom, wearing the same navy cotton t-shirt and jeans he had worn at the party the night before.  He looked a little tired, but somehow it made him look all the more alluring.  Gemma sighed, feeling defeated. 
So much for Sexy Gemma.
  She hadn’t even bothered with makeup that morning and she had chosen the easiest thing to put on.  She plodded towards him in her flip-flops, arms crossed.

“Well, hey,” Damian laughed, reaching out to hug her.  She face-planted against his chest, arms still crossed.

“Hi,” she said into his t-shirt.  He took her by the shoulders, holding her out at an arm’s length to examine her.  Gemma frowned as she watched his eyes check out her pathetic outfit.

“I almost feel like I dreamed last night,” Damian said.

“What’s
that
supposed to mean?” Gemma scowled, smacking Damian hard on the chest.  He grabbed a hold of her hand, laughing as he winced at the impact.

“It
means
,” he said, pulling her back in for a hug.  “I’m not sure who I was dealing with last night, but this is more the Gemma I know.”

“So you’re saying you’re relieved to see me in my natural, unsexy state,” Gemma smirked.

“Unsexy?” he said, crossing his arms as he studied her.  Gemma felt her smirk drop into a genuine smile.  Damian lowered his voice as he reached for her face.  “I don’t think there’s anything sexier than a girl with three different colors of paint caked in her hair.”

“Seriously?” Gemma sighed, rushing to a nearby mirror.  Damian wasn’t exaggerating.  She had a giant multi-color clump in her hair.  She groaned.  “Oh my God.”

“I don’t think shampoo’s going to do the job,” Damian said, pulling up her painted hair.  “You’re going to need paint thinner.  Or a weed whacker.”

“Shut up,” Gemma laughed, turning to return to her nook.  “I was having such a good day and you came and ruined everything.”

“It’s only noon.  It can still turn around.”

“Why are you being so mean?” she frowned, leaning back against her desk.  Damian ducked under the stairwell, sitting himself beside her.

“Why were
you
being so mean?” he asked, looking hard at her.

“What are you talking about?” Gemma asked, knowing full well what he was referring to.

“I could barely function for like, six hours after you left last night,” Damian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.  “It was kind of rough.”

“What? Why?” Gemma asked, blinking her eyes with continued mock innocence.  Damian paused for a moment, biting his lips before laughing.

“Don’t make me recall that now,” he groaned.  “I’m about to get on a plane in a couple of hours and I only just got myself feeling sort of normal again.”

“Where are you going?” Gemma asked with knit eyebrows.  She had hoped to see him again sooner rather than later, but she hadn’t expected the surprise visit nor had she expected the idea of him leaving the city anytime soon.

“Just back to my old place to pack up some of my stuff.  And so I have a bed at my new place to sleep in.  I’ll be back soon.”  He tucked a hand under Gemma’s chin, brushing a thumb over her lip to stop her pouting.

And without warning, he leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to hers.  He held still for a moment, waiting for her to kiss him back.  She laughed softly before slipping her hands behind his neck, encouraging him to continue.

Gemma thought about the last time they had kissed – that quick goodbye before his drive across the country, five years ago.  So much had changed since, in both their lives, in ways that she could have never predicted when she watched his car disappear down the road.  She had held back then, not wanting to get attached when he was about to be so far away.  Gemma sighed, happy.  She let herself be engulfed by the moment.  She delighted in the touch of his fingers, savored the taste of his lips.  Here she was, saying goodbye again.  Thankfully, this time it was temporary.

WHAT THE HELL KINDA PARTIES IS THAT MAN THROWING?

Celeb-O-Matic

July 22
^nd
 

Damian Evans was photographed in JFK today sporting a well worn-in outfit that was streaked in multi-colored paint.

Crowd-sourced reports say that Evans threw his first party since moving into the city and that things got rather wild, perhaps explaining why he arrived at the airport looking as if he had been rolling around on the floors of some avant-garde art studio.

“Thank you, Mr. Evans – party of the century,” tweeted Yankees star, Aaron Brewer, who attached a selfie at Evans’ party sitting among some of New York’s most sought-after models.  Other athletes who were reportedly in attendance took to social media to express similar sentiments about their excitement for Evans’ arrival to the city.  One unnamed source was quoted as saying, “If this party is any indication of what it’ll be like to have Damian in New York, we should probably clear all our calendars and pray to God for an invite.”

SPECIAL EVENT AZURA CONCERT FEATURING TYLER CHASE

The Pop Source

July 29
^th

Years ago, up-and-comer, Azura, was the opening act for Tyler Chase at a special event concert gone wrong.  After a horde of teenage fans stormed the stage, the infamous Connecticut show was promptly put to a halt and canceled, causing chaos resulting in multiple injuries.