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Once Upon a Lifetime – By Kazza Part
8
As the taxi drove along the path to the house, Liz wondered if she’d got the wrong place. It wasn’t a house, she corrected herself as the taxi got closer, it was a mansion, and even that didn’t seem to do it justice. It was the biggest, most grandest house she’d ever seen. The driveway seemed to go on forever, and when they eventually reached the front entrance, she gasped a breath in awe. There were tall, white marble pillars at the front, with large granite steps leading up to a huge oak door. A host opened the door to her taxi, offering his hand to help the pretty young lady get out of the car gracefully. Smoothing down her dress and clasping her bag tightly like it was her security blanket, Liz took a deep breath before ascending up the steps that seemed to go on forever. The door opened as she reached the top step and she was offered a glass of champagne as soon as she walked inside. Liz found her breath was taken away once again as her wide eyes gazed around the grand hall. There was a simply breathtaking marble spiral staircase in front of her, and the amazing paintings and décor of the hall were simply spectacular. “It’s nice isn’t it? Of course, when you’ve grown up here, it kinda looses its appeal a bit.” A familiar voice chirped behind her. “Alex!” She squealed. “I am so glad to see you. For a minute there I thought I’d got the wrong place!” “No, this is the right place. You look really beautiful Liz.” He replied, gently kissing her cheek. She couldn’t help but notice how great he looked in his tux, it really did make him look very handsome. His eyes glistened under the light of a huge chandelier, and his trademark cheeky grim was spread all over his face. “Thanks, I wasn’t sure what to wear. I couldn’t decide if you were joking about the party dress thing.” She said “Obviously I can now see that you weren’t!” She added turning and seeing an upper class woman gracefully float past her. She silently commended herself in her choice of attire and her decision to ‘go for broke’ and dress up fully. Her dress was elegant enough to make sure she fitted in well with others, and she knew the other outfit she’d considered wearing would have been way too underdressed. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the place.” Alex replied smiling warmly at her, realising she was slightly taken back by everything. In each room Alex took her, Liz found herself more and more in wonder of what she saw. Everything was bigger, brighter, better than she’d ever seen before. Paintings, huge vases and books, so many books. In each room, Alex could see Liz’s eyes light up even more, and he loved the way her eyes sparkled as she took in each new sight. “You know what?” He said as they headed back to the reception room. “What?” “I wish I could see this house the way you’re seeing it right now.” “What
do you mean?” “Alexander,
there you are. Hello my dear, Alex
who is this wonderful beauty with you?” A familiar person asked. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t realise ……….. that you and Alex …….” She said stumbling over her words. Liz couldn’t help but let her jaw drop open. Standing in front of her, shaking her hand, was the Oscar nominee Tom Whitman, the world famous actor. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Liz.” Tom replied, kissing the young girl’s hand. “And you sir. You have a truly amazing house.” Liz replied, trying to recoup her composure. “Thank you, I’m glad you like it. Feel free to look around.” Tom replied before heading off to greet some more guests. “Oh my god Alex!” Liz squealed. “Ok, I’m sorry Liz, I should have warned you.” Alex said putting his hands up defensively. “Sometimes it’s just nice to see people’s reaction when I introduce my father.” Alex grinned. “I bet he thought I was a gibbering idiot!” Liz retorted, swatting Alex’s arm. “I *know* that thought wouldn’t even have crossed his mind! He’s used to that sort of a reaction.” Alex replied. “But
why do you keep your father such a secret?”
She asked As they entered the large house, Max noted his sister slipping into her ‘evening’ personality. This included talking to everyone important, smiling constantly, and always excusing herself to go to the bathroom and check on her make up. Max wondered where she’d learned to have so many completely different personalities from. It certainly wasn’t from their mother; Diane Evans was the most down to earth person Max knew, but somehow Isabelle had perfected her different traits and Max had long since learned to accept them. Taking a glass of champagne, the party of three headed into the ballroom where most of the guests had congregated. Max watched somewhat in awe as Isabelle mingled with the aristocrats of the party, she just seemed to be able to know who to talk to. Max on the other hand stood to the side of the room, attempting to blend into the background, enjoying just surveying people and not interacting. “Excuse me? Hello my name is Sabrina Williams.” A young lady said, bringing Max back to earth. “Oh,
hi, I’m Max Evans.” He said,
shaking her hand. She was quite pretty Max thought, but definitely way too fake for him. Her jet-black hair pulled half up, her make up quite heavy, and her dress very provocative, leaving very little to the imagination. “So Max, how come you’re here?” “Oh
I’m just here with my sister, Isabelle.”
He replied, pointing to where Isabelle was. “So
Max Evans, where’s your lady tonight?” As she turned round, Isabelle caught a glance of her brother, the pained expression on his face telling her all, pleading with her to rescue him. Deciding that a bit of female attention would do him good, Isabelle turned back to the group she was with, and laughed loudly at someone’s lame joke. A little while later, Max still hadn’t managed to shake off Sabrina, no matter where he went she seemed to be glued to his arm. In the end he decided to take desperate measures. “Would you excuse me Sabrina.” He said, gently taking her arm out of his. “Oh Max, you’re not leaving me are you? I can come with you.” She insisted. “I really don’t think you want to join me. I need to erm ….. use the bathroom.” He replied blushing slightly. “Oh, I see, well I’ll just wait here for you then.” She replied, before pulling him towards her by the lapel of his jacket and crushing his lips hard with hers. Max was rocked off his feet by her forwardness, he hardly knew the woman, and here she was practically throwing herself at him. Making a mental note to stay away from her for the rest of the evening, Max headed out of the ballroom and into the hall. A painting in the adjourning room caught his eye, and Max found himself gravitating towards it. It was a simple, but extremely stunning painting, and Max was totally oblivious to anyone else in the room. As he headed towards the sitting room with Liz’s drink, Alex stopped in his tracks. He saw a familiar gentleman walk past him, obviously mesmerised by something. As he peered into the room, Alex also saw another set of eyes locked firmly on the painting. Realising that maybe now wasn’t a good time to interrupt Liz with a drink, Alex put the extra glass down on a table in the hall and headed off to find somewhere slightly more tranquil. “Max ………?” A voice called out. In the back of his mind he tried to fathom out the voice, it was a familiar voice and he tried desperately to put a face to it as he turned round in the direction of the sound. “Liz!” He exclaimed totally surprised to see her sitting in a nearby chair admiring the same painting as he. Her face was certainly the last he’d expected to see at the party. “Hi, it’s erm ……… an amazing painting isn’t it.” She replied smiling. “Erm yes, it most certainly is.” He said still obviously stunned to see her. For a moment he turned back to the painting, pretending to study it some more as he tried to calm his breathing and regain his wits. “You ok Max?” She asked, getting up and standing beside him. “Yeah
………. I mean yes I’m fine thanks Liz, and you?”
He said trying to sound calm “Alex?”
He said slightly confused. “Thanks,
I’m aware who Alex is. What’s he got to do with this party?” “Know what?” “Alex’s
father is Tom Whitman, you know, Oscar nominee and all that.” “I guess it’s a closely guarded secret.” She replied staring back at him. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get her eyes to look away from him. He looked so gorgeous in his black tux, it accentuated all his ripping muscles just the right way. Liz found herself wishing she could run her fingers through his hair, her hands all over those tort muscles that were covered by the flimsy white shirt ……….. “Liz …….?” “What? Oh sorry, I was miles away.” She said blushing at her thoughts. “I could see that, you ok?” “Yeah …… I’m fine.” She replied trying to cover up the embarrassment of where her mind had been wandering to. Unbeknown to her, Max was having just as much of a hard time as she was. Her hair had been pinned up away from her face, the bruise wasn’t noticeable under the foundation, and Max guessed it was now starting to dull and fade. Her dress was simply mind-blowing, she oozed sex appeal without even trying. The split up one leg showed much of her silky cream flesh, and Max found his mind wondering what she was wearing under the tight fitting material. Shifting slightly he tried to regain his composure and get his mind back on a more safer track. “Would you like to go for a walk in the gardens?” He asked, realising the cool night air would be the only thing that could calm his body, that or perhaps a very long, very cold shower, which was obviously totally out of the question. As she scanned the room, Isabelle couldn’t find Max. She could see the young lady standing where he had been, but it had been nearly fifteen minutes since he’d disappeared, and Isabelle decided it was time to go look for him. Excusing herself from the group, Isabelle headed out to look for Max. There were so many faces, so many people, Isabelle was afraid it was going to be a fruitless search for her brother. Her last resort would certainly be calling his mobile, he always carried it, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. Continuing to walk through the rooms, Isabelle stumbled upon the library, and couldn’t help but be take aback by the amount of books that lined the walls of the room. There were thousands, she estimated, all leather bound with guilt gold edging. Walking over to the nearest bookcase, Isabelle pulled out one of the books and turned it over in her hands. ‘Mopey Dick’, she noted, a book she’d loved as a child. Isabelle was so entranced by the wonder of the room, she was totally unaware that she wasn’t alone. “Isabelle?” A voice called. “Alex? What are you doing here?” She said spinning around and very surprised to see him. “Well
I could ask you the same thing.” He
chirped back, standing up. ”Your
father is Tom Whitman?” She said, her eyes opening wide in amazement. “My
gosh I didn’t even make the connection between your same surnames.
Why didn’t you tell me?” “Alex!” “Gosh,
I can’t believe this. I didn’t think these sort of parties were your scene, but
you’ve grown up with them all.” She
replied still shocked by how little she knew about Alex. His words swam around her head, he was right, keeping up the pretence of being someone you weren’t was hard work, and invariably wore you down. But for Isabelle she knew no different, she had been doing it for so long it was a way of life for her now. “Erm, I need to find Max.” She said stumbling over her words, as Alex saw her perfect front slip for a couple of seconds. As she hurried out of the room, Alex slumped back down in a nearby chair and pushed out a large breath. In his head he realised he had probably just blown any chance he’d had with Isabelle. His ramblings about people putting on a face, hiding the true them ………. god could he have been more blatantly talking about her? Rubbing his fingers over his face, he took in a deep breath before getting up and heading back out to the party, all the time wishing he could just sneak upstairs and hibernate in his room until everyone had vacated his house. Part 9 As they stepped outside the huge French doors, Liz was taken aback by the sight of the garden. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Stepping down two steps, they walked out onto the gravel path that ran along the side of the freshly mowed lawn, towards a huge fountain that was positioned in the middle. As they moved away from the house, the sound of the music dulled slightly to be replaced by the trickling sound of the water. “Wow, this is so beautiful.” Liz said, admiring the huge stone dolphin in the centre of the fountain. “You’re right, it’s exquisite craftsmanship.” Max replied smiling softly at her. The moonlight danced upon the cool clear water of the fountain, flooding the reflection of Liz with a silver glow. The two of them became silent for a while, drinking in the quiet atmosphere of the garden, enjoying being together but neither allowing the other to know. Allowing herself a quick glance away from the fountain, Liz tilted her head and brought her eyes up to look at her boss. She was startled to find him staring back down at her, his eyes boring holes in her body. She felt shy for a moment, under his intense stare, and dipped her head once again to hide her blushing cheeks. Max, on the other hand, didn’t waver in his gaze on the beauty in front of him. He noted that for the first time in over a week, Liz had the sparkle back in her eyes, along with an almost impish look mixed with the sparkle. He couldn’t help but allow a smile to creep over his face, she was happy again, and that in turn made him feel very happy too. The intense stare by her boss was beginning to get to Liz, making her feel very uncomfortable, and she attempted to break the silence to make him break his eye contact with her. “So ……… erm.” She stumbled, trying to think of something to say. “Yeah.” He breathed back sensing her uncomfortableness. He was suddenly very aware of his breathing, it was very shallow and there seemed to be very little oxygen in the atmosphere at that moment. Turning away from Liz for a second, Max took several deep breaths, attempting to regain control of himself, before turning back. The look she gave him when he turned around was an inquisitive one, mixed with a playful and somewhat seductive smile. She wasn’t aware she was doing it, or how the smile was playing havoc with Max’s self control. The last thing he had expected was to see Liz at the party, and here he was in a pretty much deserted garden, with only the soft sound of music and water to break the tranquillity. Loosing his wits once more, Max gave in to temptation. Holding his hand out he spoke quietly to her. “Dance with me?” He whispered, not wanting to break the atmosphere of the near quietness. She dipped her head, before lifting it almost as quickly as a bashful smile beamed over her face. “I’d be honoured.” She replied quietly, taking hold of his extended hand. Putting one arm around her lower back, he took her hand in his and pulled it to his chest. It was a romantic stance, but also had an air of professionalism and distance. He knew he wouldn’t be able to trust himself if he swept her into his arms like he really wanted to do. The soft sound of Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ drifted out into the garden almost on queue, making the romantic atmosphere complete. As they danced together, Max closed his eyes, drinking in the breathtakingness of that very moment. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to dance with Liz on their own in the garden that night. Reopening his eyes, he tried to control his rapid breathing once again, like he had done so many times that night since he had seen her. Liz on the other hand was hardly breathing at all. She seemed to be afraid to even take the smallest breath, not wanting to break the moment at all. Her head was gently resting on his shoulder, his hand in hers clasped against their chests, his other free arm wrapped around her waist with her arm around his neck. At that moment she felt like she was in heaven, floating around on a fluffy white cloud without a single care in the world, it was perfection itself. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath of his cologne, a smell she was more than familiar with now. It made her feel relaxed, and helped to ease her body into his embrace. As the song slow came to an end, Max reluctantly released his grip on Liz, allowing her to step away from his body. He instantly felt the loss, his body suddenly becoming cold as it attempted to adjust from the lack of her body heat. She had only stepped a couple of inches away, but it seemed like miles to him. In the embrace a few strands of her silky hair had fallen by her cheek. Unable to resist temptation, Max stretched out his hand and lifted the offending strands, pushing them back behind her ear. The touch of skin on skin felt like an electric current being shot threw both bodies. Liz felt like her cheek was on fire and as Max gently stroked her soft skin, she closed her eyes to enjoy the intense feeling even more. He was aware what he was doing was way out of order, Liz may be happy again but she was nowhere near over the attack, and he certainly couldn’t forget that he was still her boss. But the urge to touch her skin was too much for him to resist, he had magnitudes of self control, but that evening he felt like she was the only woman in the world. And he was drawn to her like a magnet to metal. She mesmerised his senses, made him forget everything else existed or even mattered. No one had ever had such a profound effect on him before. Moving his fingers from her cheek, he slowly skimmed them around her jaw line to rest underneath her chin. Moving his body so that they stood square on, Max gently pushed up her chin so that their faces were level, passionate eyes meeting passionate eyes. They locked there for a moment, both savouring the new feelings that were flooding their bodies. Staring into her eyes once again, he noticed her timidness drain away; she was comfortable with him and not the least bit afraid. He was the one to allow a shy smile to cover his face this time, as he tried to gauge her feelings towards him, would she run a mile if he tried to kiss her? Her eyes poured out her feelings of love towards him, drawing him closer, making him need to kiss her. Taking her hand in his, he quashed the few inches that were between them, bringing their bodies flush together. Bringing his hand up to her neck, stroking it gently for a moment, he gently bent his head down towards her. Looking up into his dark brown smoky eyes, Liz’s stomach did a huge flip in anticipation. “This is it, he’s gonna kiss me!” A voice inside her head squealed, and Liz found herself subconsciously holding her breath waiting for the perfect moment when their lips would touch. Just as she could feel his hot breath against her lips, knowing his mouth was very close to hers, a shrill ringing suddenly broke the silence, making them spring apart. It took a few seconds for Max to come back to reality and realise it was he who was ringing, or more to the point, his mobile phone. “Hello?” He croaked, his voice full of emotion at what he had nearly done. “Max? Are you ok?” She asked, noticing his strained voice “Isabelle?” He croaked back, before clearing his throat and continuing. “I’m fine, why?” “I was just worried that’s all, I didn’t know where you were and I got worried you’d gone home and not told me or something. Where are you?” “I was just admiring the garden, why is there a problem?” “No, no problem, although the young lady you left is still waiting patiently for you to return, I think she really likes you!” “Oh, erm, right.” Max replied, not really sure what to say. “Ok, so maybe I’ll bring her out to the garden to find you?” Isabelle offered. “No!” He snapped. “No, I’ll come back in.” He replied hastily trying to cover up his voice. “Ok then, see you in a mo.” Isabelle replied before severing the connection. Gingerly putting his mobile back in his pocket, Max turned back to Liz, who was scuffing her feet on the gravel in a child like fashion, in an attempt to look busy. “Erm, that was Isabelle.” Max informed. “Right.” Liz replied still looking at the floor. She was still reeling from the near kiss she’d experienced with her boss. “I guess ……… I should erm, go back in and erm ……… check she’s ok.” He replied shyly. “What the hell is going on with me? I’m acting like a high school kid, get a grip!” He scolded inwardly to himself. “Yeah, I guess you erm ………. should.” She replied “Can I walk you back inside?” He offered, holding out his hand towards her. “Sure.” She replied taking it as they began the walk back to the house. Once inside, Liz excused herself to go to the bathroom to freshen up, and try to sort her head out. As she stepped inside the bathroom she locked the door and sat down on the edge of the bath. Her head was spinning, her breathing fast, her skin still felt like it was red hot and prickly. “He was going to kiss me, I know he was.” She said to herself, as she splashed some cold water on her face. “My boss was gonna kiss me!” She squealed quietly, patting her face dry with a towel. The realisation of her words made her start to shake slightly. The night had been so totally unexpected, and the results had been so surprising. She has expected to be going to a small gathering or similar at a large house. But in reality there were about 150 guests and the house was more like a whole estate rather than one place. With Max being there also, and their moonlight dance, wow the events of that night were definitely overwhelming! “Are you ok in there dear?” A lady outside the bathroom called. She’d heard the young girl’s squeals and was concerned for her. “Oh ……… erm, yes I’m fine thank you.” Liz called back, totally embarrassed that someone had heard her squeals of excitement. Composing her emotions, Liz headed back out to the mass of people and headed downstairs to the ballroom. “Max, there you are!” Isabelle screeched. “Yeah Is, I’m
here, what’s wrong?” “Neglecting?” Max answered, slightly confused. “Yes Max, Sabrina
has been waiting patiently for you for ages.”
Isabelle stressed “Of course you do Max, go on.” Isabelle encouraged. “Is!” Max snapped throwing an icy stare towards his sister “Come on Max, don’t be bashful.” Sabrina replied, taking his arm and dragging the reluctant guy on to the dance floor. As if she’d planned it, the fast song quickly changed tempo to a slow ballad perfect for romantic dancing. Throwing her arms around his neck, Sabrina pulled him close to her body and swayed in time with the music. Reluctantly, Max placed his hands on her hips, not knowing what else to do. He tried to discreetly pull her body away from his, feeling she was way too close, invading his personal space, and needing to put some distance between them. But it was a fruitless task as Sabrina was determined to get close and rub her body against his. By this time, Isabelle had dragged Brad up with her, and was dancing close to where Max was entangled with Sabrina. Winking at her brother, she threw him a huge smile, hoping he was enjoying himself. Inside, she thought that maybe if he let Sabrina in and enjoyed himself, it might encourage him to date again. It wasn’t that she necessarily minded the fact that Max was single. She just didn’t think that the amount of hours he worked was healthy for him. In her mind she decided that if he had a girl to distract him from work he would be much more happier. Walking back into the ballroom, Liz stood near the doorway and scanned the room for Max. He’d said to meet him back inside when she returned from the bathroom, but the room was so big and full of so many people she wasn’t sure where to start looking for him. To an onlooker, Liz looked like a scared rabbit in front of car headlights as she surveyed the room. It was true, she did feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the party, and she knew that Max’s familiar face would calm her rising fears. As she scanned over the dance floor, she spotted Isabelle being spun round by a tall, handsome guy who Liz assumed was her boyfriend. Liz couldn’t help thinking how stunning Isabelle looked, not a hair out of place, her make up completely flawless, and a body Liz could only die for. It wasn’t that she was jealous of her boss, it was just to Liz Isabelle signified everything she wasn’t, had everything she didn’t. Isabelle’s huge smile was infectious, lighting up the whole dance floor and she giggled loudly. It was then that the couple beside Isabelle turned so Liz could see the gentleman’s face. Max. “Oh my god, he’s dancing with someone else.” She exclaimed to herself as she put her hand over her mouth. The picture Liz saw in front of her didn’t look good. The woman’s hands were all over Max, like she couldn’t get enough of him or pull him closer to her body. Tears pricked Liz’s eyes as she saw Max stare down at the lady and whisper something in her ear. They were way too friendly to have only just met, Liz thought to herself. “How could he do that to me.” A voice screamed inside her head, “He’s just like all men, screw with your head and then dump you like yesterday’s rubbish.” Another voice added. Realising she’d seen more than enough, Liz wiped the tear that had escaped down her face, and turned and ran. Disappearing into the hall, Liz bumped into Alex standing near the front door. “Liz, you ok?” Alex asked, looking at his friend. “Yeah I’m fine, erm, could I get a taxi please, I need to go home now.” Liz replied trying not to make eye contact with her friend trying to keep her voice even so he wouldn’t suspect anything was wrong. “Sure, I think there’s one waiting outside. You sure you have to leave now?” “Yeah, I’m just tired, need some sleep. Thank you so much for inviting me though, I had a really good time” She replied. “I’m glad, thanks for coming.” He added, hugging her. As he had lifted his eyes, Max looked up in time to see Liz turning on her heals and dashing out into the hall. He had only caught a glimpse of her face, but he could tell she was upset, her body language was just screaming it. Knowing he had to go after her, Max tried to excuse himself. “You can’t go yet, the song isn’t over.” Sabrina complained, not wanting to relinquish her grip on him. “I’m sorry I have to, I need to see someone.” He insisted “Can’t it wait a minute or two, at least until after the song is finished?” “No, I really must go. Thank you for the dance it was very nice, but I have to see someone.” He replied, finally breaking free of her grasp. “Isabelle, I’ll see you at home later.” He called to his sister before attempting to fight his way through the crowd to the hall way. Just as he reached the hall, he saw the young brunette disappear through the large wooden front door and slip silently out in to the dark, cool night.
TBC ........................!
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