Running From Destiny (22 page)

H - Have fun!
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. ;-)

Crazy Heather with her damn emoticons. A winky face? Are you kidding me?

I head down to the lobby and walk, very carefully I might add, toward the doors. The lobby floor is slick and these are new shoes, about two in
ches higher than I am used do. All I need is to slip and bust my ass. Jackson is standing by the window on his cell. As if he feels my presence, he turns to me and stops what he is saying mid-sentence. “Gotta run. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He says into the phone as he hangs it up. But he doesn’t say anything to me right away, nor does he move. He just stands there staring. I don’t move either, because I am drinking in his hard body, stretching the jacket to his tux. He looks amazing and I can’t take my eyes off of him. Damn, I’m in trouble.

After what feels like hours, he prowls t
oward me, reaching for my hand. “Alexandra, you look amazing.” He says as he kisses my hand like the gentleman that he is, but perusing my body like a tiger stalking its prey.

“Thank you, you look pretty spiffy yourself.” I respond, mentally chastising my choice of words.

“Spiffy?” He asks as he cocks his head sideways, his lip curl up slightly.

“Umm, sorry.
I’m a bit nervous and that was the first word that came to my mind.”

He throws his head back in laughter before placing my h
and in the crook of his elbow. “Are you ready, Ms. Sanders?” He whispers in my ear.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Chapter 18

The ballroom/bar place where the gala is being held is jus
t a short walk from the lobby. I don’t know what to call it, so I settle with that. The room is large and very modern. Tables covered in subtle linens with Victorian looking chairs. A large buffet is set up against one wall, so people can come and go as they please throughout the evening. There is a makeshift stage set up with a microphone and a string quartet placed in the far corner. It’s dripping with class and I can’t help but think about how much people paid to attend this function. It’s something I will probably never see again.

I stay quiet as Jackson and I move about th
e room. I watch him shake hands with distinguished men and beautiful women. He introduces me as his friend, but nothing else. No one asks questions or tries to make conversation with me, and this I am glad for. Money fills this room and I suddenly feel like a fly on the wall. I don’t belong here and I start to panic, feeling like I am here only to grace Jackson’s arm. Then I snicker at that thought, because he’s gracing my arm, not the other way around. My heart starts racing and I feel like I am going to pass out. Jackson seems to notice this and he turns to me, “Alexandra would you like to sit down?”

Not being able to speak for f
ear of throwing up, I just nod. He guides me to a table near the front and pulls the chair out for me to sit. “I’ll get you some water.” He whispers in my ear as he walks away.

Suddenly I am sitting alone in a large
room full of wealth and power. The room starts spinning and I start breathing heavy. I really am going to be sick. But before I get up, I search the room and locate the restrooms. Once I’ve spotted them, I stand up and make a beeline for the door. I don’t see Jackson anywhere and no one seems to notice me. My face is hot and I feel flush and light headed. I contemplate removing my shoes so I can run, but I try to retain some sort of composure.

Finally, I ram the door of the restroom open and fly into a stall, where I proceed to lose everything in
my stomach, which isn’t much. Thankfully I avoid getting any on my dress, or my shoes for that matter. I realize that I have not had anything to eat since lunch and I figure that is part of my problem. Once I feel like I am done puking my guts out, I exit the stall and wash up at the sink. I really wish I had a tooth brush, but I don’t so I settle for a mint in my clutch.

Before I can leave, the doors open and in walks a woman that appears to be on a mission.
“Alexandra?” She asks me.

“Yes?”

“I am Doctor Dani Lombardi, Jackson’s sister. Are you okay? He said you weren’t feeling well and asked that I check on you.” She says as she looks me over.

“I’m fine,
thank you.” I hold out my hand. “Ally Sanders, very nice to meet you. I’m sorry Jackson sent you looking for me during such an important night. I’m fine, really.”

“You look a
little flushed, were you sick?” She asks.

“Yes, but I’m okay now.
I haven’t eaten since lunch and with my nerves on edge, I guess it was too much.” I tell her. She nods, but I can see the concern in her face, and I know what she’s thinking, so I answer her unasked question. “No, I’m not pregnant, if that’s what you’re thinking.” I tell her as I turn toward the mirror. I look a mess now. My eyes are bloodshot and watering and my nose is red.

“Well, it would be okay if you are.” She says as she p
resses her hand on my forehead. “When was your last period?” Are you kidding me? I realize she is a doctor, but she doesn’t know me and shouldn’t be asking me such personal questions. But I can tell she wants an answer. “Last month, and I’ve not been with anyone since then.” I hesitantly tell her. “You aren’t going to be an aunt.” I say, trying to add a little humor into a stressful situation.

She stands close to me like she is watchi
ng me, making me feel nervous. Her reaction is almost suspicious. I know this is a fundraiser for women with eating disorders, surely she doesn’t think....Maybe she was hoping I was pregnant cause that beats the alternative.

“Well, let’s get you some food and see if you feel better after that.” She opens the door and I follow her out.

“There you are.” Jackson says as we turn the corner back into the ballroom, concern filling his eyes and his brow raised.

“Yes, I’m right here.
Just wasn’t feeling well, but I’m okay now.” I tell him. He hugs Dani and thanks her for checking on me.

“Not a problem.
Ally, you come find me if you don’t feel better soon. We’ll be around and will come sit at your table while Jackson speaks. See you in a bit.” She says as she squeezes my shoulder.

“Let’s get you some food.
We’ll walk by the buffet table and you choose what you want and I will go back and get it for you while you sit. You still look a little pale.” Jackson says as we walk together back to our table. I peruse the table and tell him what I like and he sits me down. “Be right back.” And he kisses my forehead. A tingle travels down my spine at the intimate gesture. He sure seems different now than he did a few months ago. He’s still demanding and overpowering, but he’s letting me see his sensitive side. I didn’t even know he had one, but he does.

He comes back with two plat
es, one for me and one for him. He brought us back the same thing and we dig in. As I finish up, I realize I feel a whole lot better. “No more skipping meals, Alexandra.” He tells me as he lays his napkin across his plate. Okay, so Mister Demanding is back. I know he’s right, but it’s not like I had a lot of time today.

“Yes sir.” I grin as I say it, but I see a flash of he
at cross his eyes as I say it. It takes me aback a little, but I shrug it off.

A few minutes later someone at the front of the room taps a spoon against a glass, getting everyone’s attention.
I look up and see it is Dani.

“Ladies and Gentleman, I am Doctor Danielle Bentley Lombardi and I want to thank you all for your attendance and for your support of the Set in Stone Foundation. As you know, recently my brother’s former fiancée, Madison Stone, passed away from a drug overdose that was a direct result of the eating disorder Bulimia
.
Her death has brought forward a worldwide concern for the health and wellbeing of the young women in our world. As you lay on your sofa at night, reading Vogue, Cosmo and the other major beauty magazines in publication you are looking at just a fraction of the troubled young women suffering in silence.

Public perception makes young women in this world believe that skinny is best and the skinnier they are, the mo
re successful they will become. This is a dangerous way of thinking, as was proven by Madison Stone. The Set in Stone Foundation will put all raised funds toward education and medical assistance to help these young women overcome their eating disorders and to raise awareness that it’s okay to be curvy. Now, we don’t want to praise obesity, which is another epidemic all together. What we want is to educate girls and women and support them through counseling and medical treatment for them and their families as they work toward recovery. Now, without further ado, I introduce to you my favorite brother, the Chairman and Philanthropist for Set in Stone, Jackson Bentley.”

The crowd stands and applauds Jackson as he rises. He kisses me on the top of my head again as he makes his way to the front. I’m nervous for him, but excited to hear him speak at the same time. I don’t know, nor have I ever known, anyone with an eating disorder. Hell, look at me. I don’t have a problem in that area.

“
Thank you everyone for coming tonight. I really appreciate all of the support and donations. My name is Jackson Bentley and I am the founder of the Set in Stone Foundation, named for my former fiancée and good friend, Madison Stone. As you know, she recently passed away due to an overdose of methamphetamine that was provided to her while she was in a rehabilitation facility.

Madison and I met when we were children and our parents always planned for us
to be married once we grew up. We started out as good friends, then it grew to more. When I went to law school at Yale University, Madison entered the strange and exciting world of modeling. She was a beautiful girl and had so much potential. Her first magazine shoot was with Elle Magazine back in 2007 where she graced the cover.

She was so proud and excit
ed over her unexpected success. But quickly, she became obsessed with staying thin. Madison had always been naturally thin, but as she grew older, her body changed and she was not happy with the extra pounds and curves. I personally thought she was beautiful. I struggled to make her understand that she was beautiful the way she was.”

He paused and took a deep breath, scanning the room. His eyes stopped on me and he winked. A small curl gracing his lips.

“
Once I graduated from Yale, I went back to be with her in New York. We were at dinner one night and she excused herself for the ladies room. When she didn’t return, I went in search of her. I found her in the ladies room vomiting the meal she had just finished. I knew then she had a problem. We sat back down at our table and had a discussion. She was defensive and told me that she wasn’t feeling well, but I knew something else was wrong.

This happened several more times and I finally approached her mother about the issue as well as her agent, and we a
ll agreed that she needed help. After we intervened and had a counselor talk to her, she voluntarily agreed to enter a rehab facility. Her treatment was successful, at the beginning. But instead of a full recovery, she started taking drugs to mimic the binging and purging that these women practice. It took us a while to figure out what was going on. The drugs starting taking a toll on her face and body, but before we could intervene again, she was arrested at that party in Brooklyn. The rest is recent history.

As a Magazine Publisher myself, I
thrive on the female physique. What some women believe to be imperfections in their bodies, I believe are very close to perfection. These young women need to be educated on the side effects and health issues they will have if they do not get help. Set in Stone will help these women by means of education, counseling and medical treatment. But the foundation cannot do it without your help. 100% of tonight's donations, and every donation from this night forward, will go toward hiring counselors and medical professionals to assist girls and women with getting healthy, mentally and physically, as well as counseling for their parents and siblings, spouses, and anyone who is affected by this disease, to educate them on how to best help their loved one.

Thank for you attending this evening a
nd for your generous donations. Tonight’s event has raised $87,000 with 100% of those donations going straight to Set in Stone. Thank you so very much.”

I sit in my seat, stunned. He shakes a few hands and comes back to the table, kissing me on the lips this time. His lips are soft and there is a hint of something I can’t quite put my finger on. I look back at him and the crowd is still clapping and I was so enthralled in his speech, I hadn’t even realized Dani and a man that must be her husband are sitting at our table, watching our interaction. I look at Dani and she smiles, squeezing her husband’s hand.

Jackson scoots his chair closer to me and drapes his arm over the back of my chair, his finger
s tickling the back of my neck. We sit in silence, listening to the other speakers, a counselor and one of the young girls suffering from this horrible disorder. I try to pay attention, but Jackson’s fingers on my neck and his warm breath in my ear are very distracting. Dani also keeps staring at us, so I start to feel uncomfortable, but I dare not move because I need his hands on me.

Desert is served and the string quartet has
been replaced with a DJ booth. The dance floor has opened up and people are dancing and mingling, but we are still sitting at the table. Dani then asks Jackson about the investigation, which I have no clue about. In fact, I had no idea there was an investigation going on.

“They have a few suspects, one of them being a counse
lor at the facility she was in. The others are two guys who she had been seen with prior to her arrest. No one has come forward and confessed, so the NYPD is still investigating.” Jackson explains. “One of the guys is attached to a large Mexican drug cartel that has been flying under the NYPD radar for years. Madison’s death cracked that open and they believe the person that provided her with the meth is connected to that cartel. The press has been kept in the dark on this, in hopes they can sneak up on the king pin.” Jackson continues.

“That is where I have been for the last three months.” He
tells me, sympathy in his eyes. I look down at my hands in my lap.

“I
had no idea, I’m sorry Jackson. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt.” I tell him.

“No, Alexandra.
You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t know. I should have called you and explained instead of showing up on your doorstep the other day. I am the one that is sorry.”

Dani just looks back and forth between me and Jackson, smiling at our interaction.
She acts like she’s never seen her brother on a date with a woman other than Madison. Hell, maybe she hasn’t, I don’t know.