Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (10 page)

“Jeni, you’re beautiful. Even without all this,” she says as she gestures to my makeup and hairdo. I roll my eyes at her and put on some strappy shoes.

We both walk out to the living room where Chris is watching
football on TV. I put my handbag on the dining room table so I won’t forget it when I leave.

“What do you think of my masterpiece, Chris?” Sarah says, pointing at me. He looks up from the TV at me and then looks back to the TV.
Suddenly his head whips back to me again.

“Wow! I wasn’t expecting that. You look great!” he says with enthusiasm.

I laugh as Sarah claps.

“I’m too good,” she says, doing a little dance.

“What time is he picking you up?” Chris asks casually, half paying attention, half watching the football game. Looking up at the clock, I see the time is now five twenty eight.

“He said at five thirty. Any time now I guess.” As Chris goes to answer, the doorbell rings.

“Have fun, be safe,” Chris says to me as I walk toward the kitchen.

“Thanks, Dad,” I say as I head down the hallway to answer
the door.

“Hi, Mike,” I say happily.

“Good evening, Jeni,” he says, dipping his hat. I turn to face Sarah and give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for your help; I’ll let you know how it goes.”

She gives me a hug, I grab my purse and pushes me out of the house. “I won’t wait up,” she says, smirking as she closes the door. I shake my head and walk with Mike to the car. He opens the back passenger door for me.

“Um, if you don’t mind, Mike, I’d rather sit in the front with you.”

He looks shocked. “Sure thing,” he says, closing the back door and opening the front.

“Mike, I’m so sorry about last night. I honestly had no intention of falling asleep and leaving you in the car like that.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ve slept in far worse places than the back of a car,” he says, smiling.

I look at him inquisitively. “Is this while you’ve been working for Aiden?”

“No, when I was a teenager, I used to sleep anywhere. It wasn’t until Patty, Aiden’s grandfather, took me in and made me see there was
more to life than partying.”

“Do you know how many people are going to this function tonight?”

“Yes, quite a few by the sounds of it.”

“Will all his family be there?”

He smiles, noticing my nervousness. “Yes, ma’am, they will all be there. Don’t be nervous. They are mostly all nice people,” he says reassuringly.

“Will you be going, Mike?”

He chuckles again. “Yes, but not for the function. I’ll be
there to drive.”

“Oh, that sucks,” I say without thinking.

“It’s the way it is; it’s my job. I’m not much of a party person anyway, not anymore,” he says, reassuring me once again.

We haven’t been driving for long when we pull up to the underground parking area of an apartment building. A large electric sliding gate opens. We pull into a reserved parking spot, right by the elevators. I
open my door to see the Aston Martin parked next to us. Mike rushes over to my door to help me out.

“Oh, Mike, you really don’t need to do that,” I say.

“It’s okay. It’s my pleasure, and it’s also part of my job.”

“But I don’t expect it.”

“I know, thank you. You’re very kind,” he says, taking my arm in his and escorting me to the elevator. We get in, and Mike swipes his card and pushes the button for the top floor.

“Wow, that’s high tech,” I say in awe.

“Got to keep safe these days, miss ... Jeni.”

I laugh. “You’re really struggling with calling me by my first name, aren’t you?”

He winces. “Yes, I’m used to calling people by their surnames. Again, all part of my job with Aiden, which I’ve been doing for nearly twenty-three years.”

I look at him in surprise. “Wow, you’ve been driving Aiden
for twenty-three years?”

He nods. “Yes, since he was five.” I smile at the thought of a five-year-old Aiden and quickly do the math in my head.

“He’s twenty-eight now?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I laugh at his answer. “Mike, if it’s more comfortable for you to call me Miss Taylor or ma’am, then I’m happy for you to do so.”

He sighs with relief. “Thank you, Miss Taylor.”

I laugh and tighten my grip on his arm.

We
reach the top floor, and as the elevator doors open, I see a large all-white living room. Mike leads me out into the room.

“Mr. O’Connell will be with you shortly.”

“Should I sit here?” I point to the suede sofa behind me.

“If you wish, Miss Taylor. Mr. O’Connell would want you to make yourself at home.”

I chuckle. “Thanks, Mike,” I say as he gets back into the elevator. The doors close, and I’m alone in this oversized, pristine room. I
run my hand along the suede sofa, walking over to the shelves that separate the living room from the dining area and kitchen. I look at the pictures in the photo frames. There is a picture of Aiden in snow gear surrounded by
snow-capped mountains. Another one of two women, who I assume are his mother and sister. One of him and another man who looks very similar to him, maybe his brother. I don’t see any photographs of his father. I ponder why he wouldn’t
have any photos of his father when he has pictures of the rest of his family. I put my handbag down on the sofa and pick up the picture of him, his sister, and mother. Suddenly I hear someone clearing his throat to get my attention. I turn around and see Aiden in black suit pants and a white shirt that’s open, showing
his muscular chest and that glorious V shape that girls love. He’s doing up the button on his sleeve. He looks
so
good. The muscles deep in my core awaken at the sight, stabbing and clenching and making me catch my breath. The
ache is intense. I want him, and I want him now.

He smiles at me knowingly.

“What do you have there?” he asks, gesturing toward the photo frame.

“Oh, sorry. I was just looking. I didn’t mean anything by
it. Sorry for being nosy. I—”

“Is it the one of my mother, sister, and me?” he interjects.

“You love watching my awkwardness, don’t you?” I ask him.

He walks over to me. “Yes, I do. You’re very entertaining,” he says with a smirk.

I turn around and put the photo frame back onto the shelf.

He turns me around to face him. “Hi,” he says as he pulls me
closer. He uses my finger down the pants tactic. I look up at him.

“Hi,” I say back to him, biting my bottom lip.

He leans in and our lips meet, together again as though they had never parted. My arms wrap around his neck as his wrap around my waist. He
pushes me back up against the shelf with such force that one of the frames falls off onto the soft carpet. Neither of us stops to look. We are completely lost in each other’s steamy embrace. He leans against me so I’m completely
pinned to the shelves. Our breathing becomes rapid and so intense that I start to feel lightheaded. I run my hand down his naked chest, and I feel his every muscle clench. I slowly pull his shirt down over his shoulders as we feverishly
remain locked in an endless kiss. The shirt catches at his wrists by the buttons and hangs lifelessly from the ends of his hands. My hands tighten on his biceps as the muscles in my core react accordingly. His breath catches as his soft lips move from my mouth to my neck, and his hips thrust against mine. My head falls back, and I moan as desire sweeps over my entire body, making me flush red-hot. His kisses start to soften as his breathing slows and the tension eases. He returns his lips to mine, this time kissing me softly and
slowly bringing the fever down a notch. He pulls his hips away from mine and takes a small step back so our bodies aren’t touching anymore. I mourn the loss of contact. He gives me one last quick kiss before pulling his shirt back up
over his shoulders and taking a deep breath in before exhaling.

“You. Are. Trouble.”

I pout my bottom lip and bat my eyelashes at him. He bites his bottom lip and moves in to kiss me once more, slowly caressing my cheek
with his hand. He pulls back, and I laugh at him. He looks puzzled.

“What?” he asks curiously.

“Nice lip-gloss,” I say to him as I wipe it off with my thumb.

“Pink is my color,” he says. I shake my head, and we both
laugh.

“See? You said before that you couldn’t stop yourself, and you just did,” I say with a half-grin, staring up into his eyes.

“Hmm. With great difficulty,” he says, taking my hand and
pulling me away from the shelves.

“Where’s this dress you bought me for tonight?” I ask curiously.

He gestures, tilting his head toward another room, still
holding my hand. He walks with me toward a room off the main living area.

“It’s in here. I hope you like it.”

We walk into the main bedroom. The walls are white with a focus wall behind the bed in a burgundy color. The bed is a king size filled
with black and burgundy cushions. The quilt is soft black silk, cascading over the bed like a waterfall. I fight the urge to jump on the bed and smother myself in the silk. The room is large with a walk-in closet and an en-suite the
size of my bedroom. The room is very romantic. I’m gazing around this beautiful room in awe when I notice a gorgeous full-length black gown on a hanger encased in a clear protective cover. I look up at Aiden.

“This is it?” I ask, holding up the dress.

He nods at me. “Can’t wait to see you in it,” he says with a very cheeky smile. “I’ll leave you to get changed.” He heads out and slides the frosted glass doors shut.

I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning opening her
presents. I take off the cover to reveal my dress. It’s black silk, fitted around the bust but flowing down around my hips. It has a single shoulder strap, which is encrusted with sparkling diamantes and flows down the top of the
dress. It’s beyond elegant, beyond beautiful, beyond anything I ever thought I could wear.

“Thank God I wore my strapless bra,” I mumble to myself.

In the bottom of the clear plastic cover are some high
heels. I pull them out. They are black with a small diamante bow that’s delicate yet so beautiful. I take my dress and shoes to the en-suite, where there is a full-length mirror. I slide into my black dress, trying not to get any makeup on it or mess my hair. I straighten my dress out before looking in
the mirror. I inhale at the sight. I look elegant. I’d even go as far as to say I look pretty, which is something I never give myself credit for. I sit on the edge of the bath and put on my shoes, which finish off the outfit perfectly.

I gather my clothes together, fold them, and place them on the end of the bed. I realize that the shoes are about the same height as the ones I wore yesterday. I instantly feel a wave of panic as I relive falling
onto the deck. I gather my nerves quickly and try to walk steadily out to the living room, where Aiden is standing watching the TV. This time his shirt is buttoned and tucked into his suit pants. He looks amazing as he tightens a
black tie around his neck.

“What do you think?” I ask, attracting his attention. He looks up at me, and it’s like time stands still. He pauses and looks at me with such lust that I start to blush. I walk over to him slowly, concentrating on
each step I take, looking straight into his eyes. Those smoldering, bright blue eyes stare back into mine seductively. When I reach him, he holds his hand out for me to take, and suddenly, he pulls me toward him, catching me. He holds me in a tight embrace.

“You are intoxicating, Jenifer Taylor,” he says softly, nuzzling against my ear.

I smile as he moves the hair from my bare shoulder and gives it a tender kiss.

“So I look okay then?” I ask jokingly.

“Smokin’, baby,” he says with a grin and leads me to the sofa.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” I say to him, punching him on the arm. He smirks at me and shakes his head.

“You’re one of a kind, aren’t you, Jeni?”

“Yep, pretty much.”

We laugh as we sit down.

“Should I leave my bag and clothes here?”

“You can either bring them or leave them here.” I think for
a second or two. If I leave them here, it means we will have to come back before he takes me home. I might get to spend more time with him.

“I’ll leave them here,” I say. I grin at my mischievous
plan. He moves closer to me on the sofa.

“You’ll be meeting my family and co-workers tonight.”

“I know. I’ll be on my best behavior,” I say genuinely.

“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried that this might be
too soon for you.”

He’s watching my every move.

“Like I said yesterday, I think there is something here. If I wasn’t interested in meeting your family and friends, I would’ve said no to
coming with you.”

He manages a half smile. “I think there is something here as well. I rarely introduce my family to the women I’m dating. This is a really big thing for me too.”

I look at him, surprised, suddenly feeling overwhelming
sadness. “Are you sure you want me to come? Are you having second thoughts?”

He looks at me with a furrowed brow. “No, not at all.
Trust
me. I really want to show you off to everyone.”

I swallow a lump in my throat at the use of the word
trust
. I try to lighten the mood. “Hang on, you said the
women
you’re dating. How many of your
women
are coming tonight?”

He looks at me and shakes his head. “You know there’s only
you.”

I bite my bottom lip as he kisses my cheek. I turn my head to kiss his lips gently.

I pull out my lip-gloss and apply some to my lips. I place the small tube down my bra. He looks at me and laughs.

“Handy.”

“Yep, sure is!”

He looks down at his watch. “We better get going. You sure that you’re ready for this?” he asks, holding my hands in his, looking as
though he thinks I’m going to change my mind.

I take in a deep breath. “I’m sure, Aiden.”

His whole body relaxes as he exhales in relief. We both stand up from the sofa, and he takes my arm in his. He picks up his suit jacket
from the edge of the sofa, and we walk to the elevator. He glances down at me.

“You look breathtakingly beautiful.”

I gasp and look down at the floor, surely blushing yet
again. “Thanks,” I say coyly.

The elevator doors open, and we walk in. I tighten my grip on his arm. He turns to look at me and kisses me softly on the forehead. The doors open, and he leads me out to the underground parking garage. We make our
way over to Mike, who is standing in front of his car. He looks me up and down.

“You look lovely, Miss Taylor,” he says with a beaming smile.

“Now, now, Mike, she’s a bit young for you, don’t you
think?” Aiden says jokingly to Mike. I gently slap him on the chest.

“Hey, don’t be rude,” I say, defending Mike.

“Sorry, Mike.”

Mike smiles and opens the car door for us to slide in. I
slide into the car awkwardly, trying not to crinkle my dress. Aiden glides into the seat next to me. He grabs my hand as I sit silently next to him.

“Should be a good night, sir,” Mike calls out from the front.

“Yes, hopefully,” Aiden says back to him.

“Hopefully?” I question. Aiden runs his fingers through his hair.

“Yeah, my father and I, we don’t always see eye-to-eye,” he says sullenly.

That explains why there are no pictures of his father in the
living room.

“I see...”

“Mmm,” he replies, deep in thought. He looks out the window. I see Mike peering at Aiden through the rearview mirror. He’s worried about
him. Mike’s eyes shift to me, and when he sees me looking at him, he quickly looks away. I sense that there is bad blood between Aiden and his father, enough for Mike to be worried, which is unsettling. I tighten my hand around Aiden’s and lean my head against his shoulder. He nuzzles into my hair, calming
me instantly.

We spend the rest of the trip to the function in silence, with my head on Aiden’s shoulder and his head nuzzled into mine. I’m so relaxed I almost fall asleep.

“We’re here,” Mike announces as he pulls the car up at the front of the Intercontinental Hotel. There are a few people dressed elegantly, and next to them, I see a sign.
O’Connell Finance Inc. farewells to Donald
Parker, Ballroom 1.
I look at the sign wondering its meaning.
Farewells, as in he’s leaving, or farewells as in he died?
I look at Aiden, and he can see my confusion.

“You okay?” he asks as Mike opens the door.

“Did Donald Parker die?” I whisper to him.

He laughs at my foolish thought. “No, he’s retiring.”

Relief floods over me. “Oh thank God,” I say as Aiden gets out of the car.

He holds his hand out for me. I take it, exiting the car as
gracefully as I can manage. I step out onto the curb and straighten out my dress. Then I realize everyone is looking at me. I look around at all these faces staring at mine, and Aiden places his arm around my back and ushers me
inside.

“What was that about?” I whisper to him as he pulls me close.

“I usually come to these things solo. They’re not used to witnessing such a beautiful girl on my arm.”

“Ha!” is all I can manage. We walk through the reception area. A large water fountain occupies the center. To the left is the ballroom, and we head in. Aiden greets people as we walk. Once inside the ballroom, I look around and see that it’s lit by numerous chandeliers. The tables are round
and set with pristine white tablecloths with crystal candelabras as centerpieces. The seats are covered with white chair covers and tied with burgundy bows. The room looks immaculate. There is a small center dance floor,
a microphone stands near the front, and soft melodic music fills the air.

Aiden leads me to a table where some people are already seated. Some of them I recognize straight away from the photos in his living
room. This is it. Meeting the family is about to happen. I brace myself on his arm, making sure I don’t fall. He looks down at me.

“You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

We reach the table, and they stand up.