Chapter 31
Show time I thought as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was dressed in my black suit with my white shirt and black tie all dress-up in the finest for tonight.
I had to think how I was going to work things with Lea, what I was going to say and how I was going to say it? But all that was spinning in my mind was how amazing she looked in that green dress today and I couldn't wait to see her again.
I thought I was early when I was walking down the stairs where the hundreds of people were dressed in ball groans and men in their tucks. The party was in full swing. I saw Jay, Karl and Connor waiting at the bottom of the stairs most likely waiting for the girls.
“Hey don't we all look pretty” I joked at them as I reached the bottom of the steps in front of them.
“Well I know I do don't know about any of you guys” Connor said to only get hit on the head by Jay. I laughed and turned to Karl I was a little worried about him and what happened with Gemma earlier. I know they always had fights but Karl was never really that down but everything worked out I guess, they looked happy at lunch.
“Hey, everything cool with you and Gemma now?” I asked him moving to the side so that the others couldn't hear.
“Yer everything's back to normal now. I'm telling ya the mood swings” he said rolling his eyes 'oh but don't tell her I said that or I'll be back to square one' he said making us both laugh.
“So you guys waiting for the girls?” I asked. I saw Connor and Karl looking behind me in a haze dream.
“Yer he they come now” Jay said but the others stayed speechless. I turned around to see Lilly, Gemma and Kate walking down the stairs. They all looked beautiful in their long dresses. I turned back to the guys who looked like they were drawling at those girls. Not really Jay he just had a warm smile at Kate who looked amazing in a red dress. I looked at Karl who had a grin on his face and he looked at Gemma proud that she was all his and I suddenly became jealous at that. Not over my sister because that's wrong but over the fact that he has nothing to hide in the way he feels for Gemma. They both love each other. Connor just had a serious face on as he took in Lilly's beauty, he would have to stop hiding it soon and admit it too himself and her that he loved her. Hey I couldn't talk.
I turned back to the girls and my heart stopped. Standing behind Kate, was an angel. My face was now the same as my friends before. Shock and lust was running through my body with other emotions I couldn't even think of the name for. My jaw had dropped when I saw her and I was just standing there looking at her as she walked down the rest of the stairs. She raised her head and her gorgeous eyes were now burning into my own and she stopped on the steps and looked at me. We started there just looking at each other for a little longer before she started laughing and pulled her arms out to give me the view of the dress. She turned around to let me she the back and my mouth went dry.
She looked... Incredible, amazing, wonderful, miraculous, gorgeous, stunning I could go on forever. Her hair was up with little curls coming down at the sides and she had more make-up on then what she would normally ware. And that dress... was better than I remembered.
This was the girl... no woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
This was the woman, the game changer us guys call, the one that is above all women.
This woman is all mine.
She was my Lea. And no one was ever going to take her away from me.
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All the girls and I got ready together for the ball and I felt like I was back at school. It was so much fun and we helped each other do each other’s hair and make-up but always had help from Lilly assistant who was trained in all of that kind of thing.
I loved my hair it was all pinned back in a loss fitted way, with some light curls coming down. I felt like a princess going to the ball. The others looked amazing as well, we were all excited and couldn't go to go down.
As we walked down the stairs I saw the guys at the bottom looking all handsome and I could see the look on Karl and Connors faces that showed how much they were in love.
Jay was there too smiling warmly at Kate as she walked down the stairs. I could see another guy with them but he had his back to me but somehow I knew it was Chris and even from behind he looks incredible.
I started to walk down the rest of the stairs when I looked up to see Chris looking at me. I almost fell down the stairs as I looked up at him but as soon as our eyes met I couldn't move my feet if I tried. He looked wonderful in his black suit and tie, he looked strong and powerful. All I wanted to do was jump in his arms and never leave.
We were just looking at each other for a long time before I thought I should do something. I laughed and showed him the dress that he got me. I turned round to give him the full view and what he spent his money on; I just hope that he thought it was worth it, if I was worth it.
But just for the look on his face it was worth it. I walked down the rest of the stairs to where he stood.
“So, what you think?” I asked nervously. But he just smiled and chuckled. He leant into me to whisper into my ear.
“You don't what to know the thoughts going around in my head right now, princess” he said smirking at me. I turned bright red and looked away smiling. He pulled out a hand for me and I took it in mine as he led me into the ballroom.
The room looked amazing yet again. I think Nan got someone in this time because this was far too much work gone into tonight. The room had the same jazz band in from the night before. The room looked like one of the rooms from a Las Vegas casino, with different gambling tables around the room. I have to be honest when I say I've never gambled before and I don't really know how to play but I think I'll enjoy just watching. I looked around the room and I can see Granddad and Nan surrounded with their friends at one of the tables and they look like their having a great time. I wave a hand over at them and they wave back smiling. 'Happy Birthday' I mouthed over at him and he blows me a kiss.
“Want to gamble?” Chris asked giving me a warm smile, making me hot all over. He didn't even need to try! So annoying.
“Nah I'm not the gambling kind” I said as his head turned to the side giving a questionable face. “I'm not really lucky” I said looking down at my hands. It was true I was never lucky, in life as well as gambling. I never won anything, ever. I wasn't just bad luck on myself. I was mad luck on others too. Like a jinks.
“I can help that, come”' he said standing up and pulling his hand out of me to take it but I just sat there and stared at him.
“No, honesty if you want to keep your money your best off without me near you” I half laughed at him but still being serious but he didn't seem to change his mind as he stepped closer to me again.
“Well as you can tell I like a gamble, I'll take my chances” I couldn't help smiling at him he was so amazing and charming. I looked back at his hand waiting for mine, I looked back at him smiling at me and I felt like I was on cloud nine. I took his large strong and felt the electric current that was shooting through my fingers.
He pulled me over to a large table with many other people in full swing of the game but I had no idea what I was doing. I looked at Chris who had given his name and in exchange to some chips. I looked back at me and then started to laugh.
“You have no idea how to play do you?” he asked, I could feel my cheeks going red.
“No but I like the chips there pretty” I said picking one of them up playing with it. It looked like everyone at the table had a different colour his were light blue.
“Ok, well this game is called Roulette. On the table is number from zero too thirty-six and they are either red or black but zero is green. You can either do a Fifty-Fifty bet on either black or red, or odd or even then you get double whatever you put on. Each chip one of these chips in worth the same but you can get different ones” He explained and I tried my hardest to pay attention. I didn't want him thinking I was stupid but I think he saw the over concentrated look on my face because he laughed at me again. “I tell you want just say what numbers you want and I'll do it for you”
“…but I told you I'm unlucky” I said and he pulled his arm around my waist and pulled me into the side of his body knocking the air out of me. I was so close to him I swear I was on fire with the heat coming off his body.
“Well it's lucky for you that I'm a very lucky guy. Us move together we will make a good pair” he said looking into my eyes. Are faces were so close together I forgot that we were in a large ball room with hundreds of other people.
I really wanted to kiss him and couldn't stop my eyes looking at his lips. My heart was racing and my breathing wasn't even, I could see him moving in closer to me and my throat closed up.
“Place your bets” the man behind the table said bringing us both out of the trance you were in.
“Ok where you want to go?” He asked “Just say a number zero too thirty-six”
I thought of all the different numbers that meant something to me, like birthdays that kind of thing but couldn't really think of anything that would be better than what today was all about, Granddad. The twenty-third was his birthday which was today.
“Twenty-three” I said and Chris put some chips on that number. Some meaning a lot there were about ten maybe more chips there how much money was that. I was about to ask when the dealer called no more bets and the wheel started turning.
We both looked over at the wheel and I didn't notice until now how close we had been standing together has his back was pressed hot up on mine and one of his hands was gladly around my waist. It felt hot over my silk dress but I felt like he was marking me with his touch. I was hot and my breathing was coming heave and I could see him from the corner of my eye looking at me.
“Twenty-Three, black odd” the dealer called. We were so in our little world that we didn't even notice the wheel stop spinning or that we won. I turned to the table and saw the guy handling us over a big pile of chips.
“Chris! We won!!” I shouted out of excitement. I never won anything before that was amazing. I jumped up and down, I could see Chris smiling too but not at the table but at my face. He didn't seem to care atoll that we just won. I felt like a child all excited at Christmas. Thinking about it I still got excited at Christmas being a twenty-two year old.
“This is fun can we play again?” I asked turning round to him.
“Sure, don't you won't to know how much you've just won?” he asked moving all our chips to the side.
“No I don't really care about winning and anyway it's your money I'm just helping you spend it. Like what I did with this dress. It I can make you the money that paid for this dress tonight then we're even” I said laughing and then looking back over at the table.
“You already have and more” he said
“WHAT? How much did you gamble”
“Well each chip is worth ten pounds and I put fifteen of them on twenty-three and got five thousand four hundred back. Not bad” he said calmly.
“DON'T BAD? Your crazy what if it didn't come up you would have lost all that money”
“That gambling I guess” he said “…but I had faith in you”. He turned to the dealer and asked him to change something I didn't really understand. “Ok, next number?”
“Twenty-three” I said again. Well if it was lucky the first time then why not. Chris looked at me shocked but I just smiled at him reminding him about that faith he was just talking about. I knew it wouldn't come up again but I was hoping that If I made him lose he wouldn't ask again and I wouldn't feel guilty. He shocks his head with a large grin and put even more chips on this time. Twenty maybe twenty five.
I couldn't look as the wheel turned around so I turned around and looked at Chris's chest; he laughed and pulled me into a hug. I could hear the little ball going round and round when I heard it stop Chris said 'I don't believe it' I turned around and saw that the little white ball was sitting on number... twenty-three again.
“Yes!” I jumped up and down. This was so much fun. I turned to Chris and jumped on him giving him a hug. With his hands went around my waist and kept me close to his body as I bounced out of excitement.
“I can't believe it another five thousand” I said grinning at Chris but he shocks his head. “What?”
“Ninety thousand near about” he said
“WHAT?”I don't think I heard him right.
“I changed our chips from ten too hundred but this time put twenty-five chips” he said smiling again collecting our chips and moving them to the side. He didn't even seem that bothered that we just won NINTY THOUSDAND POUNDS! That suit of money doesn't just grow on trees.
“Wanna play again?”' he asks, handing me the chips smiling at me. I take the chips not taking my eyes of his and put them on twenty three again. He hasn't even looked where I've put them but is still looking at me. I can feel this pull towards him and I can't seem to stop it.
His face hovering only inches away from mine, my body and mind put up a good fight to stop me from leaning into him. But just standing there looking into his eyes I just didn't care anymore.
Why not? Why can't I kiss Chris? Why can't I be happy and just think about myself?
That little voice in my mind still told me to leave him alone, know was just at a whisper but still there.
Chris pulled his hand up to my cheek and I nearly burst to life at the touch of his skin on mine.
I lifted my hand to his chest which made his breathing hard. I moved my hands around the muscles of his chest... shoulders... around his neck.
Just one... just one kiss that's all I ever want.
“Black odd, twenty three” the dealer said. I turned my head out of shock and then looked back at Chris.
“Must be mine lucky night” I said
“No. It must be mine” he said as his lips touched mine softly and I felt a light current shot through my whole body. It was only a quick slow kiss but it felt like everything. My breathing was off balance and I completely forgot that we were in a room full of people.
“Could you cash in all that? Please” Chris said taking my hand and leading me away from the table.
“Of course sir and to which name?” the dealer said taking the chips away.
“Leah Anderson” he said and then pulled me away out of the room. Before I could argue to him giving me all the winnings I felt his lips back onto mine, all my thoughts flying away.