Chapter 3

They had been at the party for only an hour and already David had splintered off from her a few times. She wasn't surprised that he jumped at the chance to talk about business with Dominic Winslow and some of the other men. In an effort to show support she kept following him around but was quickly tiring of their discussion. Across the room she saw a few people she recognized and left her fiancé and the businessmen. The people that she worked her way toward could loosely be termed friends since many were David's clients but had warmed up to Belle more than her fiancé. She remembered how much she truly enjoyed their company the last time they had gotten together. Because of that, she was relieved when she spotted them among the stuffy people that filled the elegant room.

The home was a large mansion full of elegant furniture with large beautiful Oriental rugs covering the floors. The walls were painted a warm ivory with rich reds and golds in the upholstery as well as the lush draperies. Expensive artwork was hung on the walls, highlighted by strategically placed recessed lights. She got her eyeful of her surroundings and knew that a home like this had to have been decorated by a professional. The people she had spotted saw her and smiled back as she made her way through the mingling crowd of well-dressed people to where they stood. They had formed a small circular grouping as they stood alongside a grouping of furniture directly across from a large, carved, marble fireplace. On the mantel stood two very tall vases holding vibrant flower arrangements flanking a seascape painting.

Once she found her present company she knew the evening would be a pleasant one. After a few glasses of Chardonnay she felt her cheeks flush. The wine was having an affect on her. She felt warm and pleasant with only a slight buzz. While talking with them she found that her smile came easily, as did her laughter.

Suddenly she had the sensation that eyes were on her, watching her. She turned her head searching for the source of the sensation and found him standing in front of the fireplace. There stood an extremely handsome man engaged in a conversation with a tall, blonde woman. The blonde was plain and older than the man she was chatting with. She wore a teal blue-green dress. The woman seemed to be enjoying the conversation but the man was looking at Belle. When their eyes met, Belle's heart began to leap in her chest. His cheeks reddened slightly, apparently from being caught looking at her; it seemed that he was embarrassed.

With her heart pounding she managed to flash a quick smile and turn back to the conversation with her friends. Her glass was empty so she summoned a waiter who carried a silver tray full of drinks. When she turned toward the waiter she, once again, caught the man gazing at her with an appreciative, almost admiring smile on his gorgeous face. It seemed surreal for her that such a man should be looking at her but she didn't dare look behind her to check if there was someone else who was the object of his attention. She'd rather be mistaken than appear unconfident.

He seemed to be transfixed by her and it caused her heart to accelerate its rhythmic pounding in her chest. Her smile widened, with her full lips revealing her rows of perfect teeth. She held his gaze a second or two longer before turning away once more with her bubbling glass of champagne in hand. Normally she didn't drink champagne because it would go straight to her head but due to the exchange of glances with the stranger she failed to notice exactly what the drink was that she held in her hand. Nervously she kept bringing the flute up to her soft lips that were lightly covered in a rich, taupe lipstick.

As the people around her kept up their happy chatter she stood quietly for the first time, simply observing. The handsome stranger had sidetracked her and her thought process was foggy from the excitement. Adding to her pounding heart was the alcohol from the champagne that was coursing through her veins.

She could feel his eyes on her once again so she turned her head and their eyes met. It was like magic: the room seemed to fall away from her and all she saw was the handsome stranger and his smile, a short distance across the room. Their eyes were locked on each other's for what seemed like an eternity until she mouthed the word, "Hi."

He shook his head and his smile deepened. A warm blush appeared on his cheeks once more, which surprised her. A handsome man like him blushing because of her? He silently mouthed, "Hello," and appeared to be captivated by her. She knew that she looked good but felt like the most beautiful woman there, with his attention washing over her. The fact that he blushed gave him a boyish quality that she found cute and appealing. She raised her glass as if to toast him and slowly tore her attention away from him and back to the crowd in front of her. It was amazing how their delightfully fun conversation seemed so unappealing to her now.

She wanted to approach the stranger and initiate a conversation but chose not to and prayed that he would talk to her before the night was over. Behind her she felt the warmth of someone standing in close proximity and her nose caught the essence of sandalwood. It was something masculine and more intoxicating than the potent champagne that she kept methodically sipping. Still, she lacked the nerve to turn and acknowledge his presence but felt as though he were surveying her. Trying to pretend she didn't notice him behind her, she jumped enthusiastically into the conversation with her friends. The waiting proved to be torture. Finally she got up the nerve to turn around and face him and was taken aback by how splendid he looked. He was an exquisite mixture, ruggedly handsome yet polished and dapper.

His hair was a caramelized-sugar brown, short around the back but slightly longer on top and combed to perfection. He had a Grecian face with a strong angular jaw that framed it. His brow-line was strong but not overbearing. He was a beautiful specimen but it was his light eyes, framed by the brown lashes that had her transfixed. His body appeared firm, even beneath the formal clothing and she began to imagine a rippling body beneath it all. Imagining a firm muscular chest and a rippled abdomen beneath her small wandering hands got her pulse-rate racing again. She had seen many men in tuxes in her life but he was, by far, the most amazing man adorned by the formal attire that her eyes had ever fallen upon.

In an effort to quash her rattled nerves she smiled sweetly and attempted to talk. All she could muster was a "Hi," that was almost a half-whisper. Even his eyes appeared to smile at her when he gazed upon her. With them locked on her, she was frozen, unable to look away from their marbled blue-green pools. He was straight out of a fantasy or a magazine and she longed to hear his voice.

Her only reward was a throaty, "Hello." Who was he? What was he doing here? She wanted -- no, needed -- to know more about him.

"My name is Annabelle Daescher," she replied, trying to steady her voice. She was shaky because his quiet presence unnerved her. She fought tooth-and-nail to regain more of her composure. Her hand was held out with the back of her hand upward offering a feminine handshake.

He didn't appear nervous when he accepted her hand. He raised it up to his soft-looking, full lips. Softly he pressed them to her hand where they felt like butterfly wings tickling her skin. Then he increased their pressure with the heat of his lips radiating up her arm and through her body. She was instantly aroused and just as quickly as it all had happened his lips were gone. Still he held her hand within his.

He replied, "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Jeffrey... Jeffrey Winslow."

A quick intake of breath revealed her surprise at hearing his name. David had instructed her to woo him and she found herself wanting to do exactly what he had said to do: woo the hell out of him. They were still holding each others hand while they talked and she enjoyed his warmth, even though the room was getting stuffy. His thumb was lightly caressing the top of her hand causing her flesh to tingle. She realized that it was fine with her if their handshake lingered on all night.

"You seem surprised by my name. Have we met before?"

"No, no. I've heard your name before but didn't expect you to be so... so..."

"So what?"

After a smile to keep from blurting out words like sexy, intoxicating and/or gorgeous, she settled on, "So approachable."

"Apparently I'm not, since I approached you." A wry, crooked smile lit up his face

His quick correction unnerved her but she didn't let her outward appearance seem ruffled. "Ah, so it seems. Perhaps you aren't so approachable after all. Besides, I'm sure I would have remembered meeting such a handsome and successful man."

"I know for sure that if we met I would have remembered an exquisite creature like you." His light eyes bored into her, stirring her soul and causing her heart to flutter in her chest.

"Me? Why thank you. I have to say that I have never seen a man make a tux look quite as good as you do this evening, Jeffrey." The words sounded better in her head than they did when she said them. As soon as they were out she wished she could stuff them back into her mouth. Oh God! What did I just say? How corny!

"Thank you," he replied. He laughed and flashed an amused smile which stirred her whirling emotions. She felt heady, and not just from the alcohol. "I believe you are quite possibly the most beautiful woman here this evening."

Their hands had finally separated and feeling even more flushed she said, "Thank you, kind sir." Nervously her arm, almost of its own accord, brought her glass to her lips. He too raised his glass and took a swig of his drink. It was an amber liquid swirling in a highball glass with a half-melted ice cube. Trying to look at him without really looking, her thoughts raced, searching to continue their conversation. "Are you here with that lovely blonde you were chatting with? I'd hate to tear you away from her."

"Cybil? Oh, no, you aren't. She's an old family friend. I actually came with someone else, who seems to have found more pleasing company than I could supply." He looked away from her and looked blindly into the crowd. He added, while looking into the throngs of people, "I hate these functions and Cybil was kind enough to occupy my time until you captured me with your smile." He took a deep breath as if smelling something sweet and finally exhaled.

Was he breathing in her perfume? She turned more directly toward him and took a step away from the safety of her friends. Boldly she placed her hand on his arm and asked, "I captured you with my smile? I'm glad that I did because you're very intriguing, Jeffrey." After her words she lightly squeezed his arm before she even realized what she was doing.

Their eyes met and he raised an eyebrow. With a chuckle he replied, "Intriguing? I've been called many things but that's a first." His eyes moved down and lingered over her lips, as if he was contemplating kissing her. She had never felt every nerve-ending tingle, as they did when he stood so close.

"Please, you look so dapper in your tux and you're the strong silent type. How can you not be intriguing?" She looked deeply into his eyes forgetting that they were in a crowd. Finally tearing her eyes away she, once again, raised her glass ceremoniously to her lips for a sip.

His hand reached up, brushed back a wisp of hair that had fallen across her face and his fingertips lightly grazed her cheek. Immediately after, he looked away from her. He seemed shocked that he had initiated such an intimate gesture with a woman he had just met but she wondered if he too felt the electricity created when their skins briefly touched. He gulped down the rest of his drink while staring into the seascape, seemingly lost in thought.

With only one swallow left in her glass she emptied it and placed it on a passing tray. Once again feeling bold she asked, "Would you like to get some fresh air with me? It's getting stuffy in here and maybe it will be quieter outside so we can continue our conversation." Either way she planned to leave the room to cool off but desperately hoped that he would agree. She wasn't ready to lose his delightful company just yet and perhaps she could get to know him better. Besides the fact that it was good for David's business, she quickly realized that she wanted to get to know Jeffrey for personal reasons.