Soft jazz tunes were playing in the background while I was getting ready for the launch party. Lucas Chase was a personal limo driver. He worked odd hours which meant that he made a decent amount of money. I doubted that his closet was as impressive as Mr. Blackwood's though so I decided to keep my dress simple. Something which would match his tuxedo he'd probably wear. The dress I picked was long and black. The sleeves were see-through with a floral pattern on it. The top was see-through with a floral pattern too. I wore a basic black bra underneath it which pushed my boobs up. The skirt was the dress was flowy, a split to the side which reached my right thigh. I curled the ends of my hair and kept my makeup neutral. I viewed my reflection in the tall mirror, shifting from side to side to observe the dress. It showed off my curves not to mention my boobs. It was a formal dress yet quite seductive. I didn't often wear dresses like these and I knew very well why I decided to wear this dress tonight. It wasn't to impress my date, Lucas Chase. It was all for the man who I barely had a conversation with, ever.

A girl obsessed.

I didn't want to see myself like that, but maybe I was her. I had a date yet I wanted to impress another man. I wasn't even sure if Mr. Blackwood would show up and if he did show up surely he'd also bring a date. Things might have ended with Miss Hairdresser recently but Mr. Blackwood was never single for long. He moved on quickly, everyone knew that.

I lost my damn mind.

Shaking my head at how silly I was being, I stepped away from the mirror and collected my clutch. I pocketed my lipstick, mirror, keys and credit card. The essentials. I eyed my bedside table. I had a few condoms left, they weren't expired either but I doubted anything would happen between Lucas and I. If by some miracle he could pique my interest I had to keep it in my pants. I decided not to take one with me and left the bedroom. I glanced at the clock in the living room, Lucas would be here in fifteen minutes. I nearly dropped my clutch when my phone rang. Taking my phone out I quickly answered it when I noticed who the caller was.

"Mom?"

"Hello, hon, I just wanted to make sure if you're ready for tonight."

"I'm ready." I confirmed, "Just waiting for my date." I sat down on the armrest of my couch, "Are you at the party?" I asked her.

"Of course, your father had to do the opening speech." It confused me not hearing any background noise despite my mom being at the party, "I needed to make a call to the office."

So she found a more secluded place to make a call. I shouldn't hold her up much longer, tonight we had obligations. We all needed to put on a smile and be cheerful. Being perfect for photo ops and showing the guests that we were the perfect family.

"I won't hold you up much longer. My date will be here soon. I'll see you at the party."

I ended the call and pocketed my phone. I wasn't very patient so I started to sort the magazines on my coffee table. I made a pile of old magazines I needed to recycle, taking them with me to the kitchen where I had stored a box with old paper. It was getting a large of pile for me to take away along with the box containing plastic bottles and what not. By the time my coffee table was organized and clean my phone beeped. Probably a message from my date. I took my phone out and read the simple text.

I'm here.

- Lucas

The simple text made me smile. I had to admit that I liked people who were straight to the point. The whole dance around a subject was too tiring for me.

I'm on my way.

- Nina

I pocketed my phone, took a deep breath and left the apartment. I made sure to lock it up and headed downstairs. It surprised me to see a limousine waiting for me. A tall man stood before me, dark brown hair and deep green eyes. Mom said he was average looking but he took my breath away. He was rough kind of looking. Like a football player. Broad shoulders, square jaw a straight nose. He smiled at me, revealing two dimples. He took my breath away with that subtle smile.

"Wow." His eyes glittered as he took me in from head to toe, "You look amazing."

I wanted to say same to him, but that would probably be too straightforward. Instead, I approached him and held my hand out to him.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lucas."

He chuckled, "Very polite." He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my cheek which heated up my face, "Nice to meet you too, Nina."

It had been three months or so since I last flirted with the opposite sex, I was a little out of it. This moment made me feel awkward. What was I thinking? I couldn't seduce Mr. Blackwood. It made me feel really silly wearing this dress and dolling myself up.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner. I had to drive Miss Walker to the airport."

Lucas snapped me out of my thoughts. I had a feeling he noticed me drifting away in my thoughts. He turned and opened the door to the limo. His charming smile never faded from his handsome face.

"After you, Miss Merigold."

The deep voice caused shivers to run down my spine. He patiently waited for me to move. Not wanting to stand on the sidewalk forever I carefully climbed into the limo. I scooted up making some room for Luas. He climbed in after me, closing the door.

"Good evening, Miss Merigold."

I was surprised to hear the driver speaking to me, usually, they just ignored me despite me being overly friendly.

"Good evening," I said in a small voice.

Lucas chuckled, "Could you focus on your driving, Owen." He glanced at me, "Don't mind him. My friend is doing me a favor tonight and that makes him think he can be overly charming to my date."

"I haven't even said anything yet." I could hear the smile in Owen's voice.

"You were about to." Lucas pointed out.

These guys bickering like an old married couple made me feel more at ease. A smile spread across my face and Lucas spotted it immediately.

"Ah, now you've completely dazzled me."

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my big smile. Lucas chuckled, he reached for a button on his right and pushed it. The privacy screen started to slide up.

"Bye Owen." The teasing tone made me think they were old friends, maybe even childhood friends considering how comfortable they were around each other.

"Bye Owen." I said right before the screen separated Lucas and me from the driver, "Your friend seemed like a nice guy."

"Yeah?" He settled in his seat, looking comfortable around me and with himself. It dawned on me that this was the type of guy who made my panties drop. Damn it. "What's your opinion about me so far?" He asked curiously.

I let my eyes wander over his face. The man looked kind, confident but the kind of confidence I liked in a man. He had a great smile. It appeared that he was a good friend too. Dedicated to his job but still being able to keep his word. So far everything about him made my heart race.

"So far I think you're a nice guy." I took in his tuxedo. It was a standard black tux but it fitted his tall, muscular body quite well. The crisp white shirt underneath it a nice stark contrast to it. The silver watch which occasionally caught the lighting suiting it well too. Not to mention his nice dress shoes, "Who knows how to dress well." My lips tugged to a smirk, "Quite handsome too." I added in a whisper.

He threw his head back and laughed. It was unrestraint, he definitely felt comfortable around me. The deep manly laugh making me tingle between my thighs. I needed to keep it together. There was nothing wrong with feeling attracted to someone. I just had to press my thighs together and remind myself that throwing yourself on someone on your first date was not appropriate. Not something a Merigold would do. If they did do it, it had to be done discreetly. Riding this handsome man in a limo while we were on our way to my dad's party wasn't discreet at all.

"I think you're a nice girl too."

Our conversation sounded so awkward to me, it made me laugh. It wasn't the quiet laugh which I tried to hide to keep my composure. It was me letting go and showing Lucas my true self. He grinned at me, looking relieved to hear me laugh like that.

"I have a good feeling about tonight." He admitted to me.

I quieted down and met his gaze, "Me too."

Arriving at the hotel which was the Merigolds' favorite place to hang out, Lucas' friend opened the door for us. Lucas climbed out first and then helped me out of the limo. The minute I was out of the limo camera flashes blinded me. I tried to keep my smile serene, giving the press the pictures they wanted. Lucas and I posed for a few seconds and then headed inside. When we escaped the media circus outside I noticed how tightly I held onto Lucas' arm. The guy didn't seem to mind though. He was definitely a good guy.

"We should head inside." I told Lucas, "Ready to meet my family?"

He didn't look taken back by that at all, "Yeah, you ready to meet my mother?"

"What is your mom like?" I asked, "She is friends with my mom." I trailed off.

Lucas pouted his lips, thinking about it before he answered me in an amused tone, "A curious lady. Sometimes a bit too nosy. But she means well."

"Ah, then yeah, let's do this."

We were both confident enough to meet each other's families. I held onto Lucas' arm as he guided me through the crowd. I noticed the looks we received. I suppose these people did care about my life. I wasn't as interesting as Nick or my dad but they still cared enough to stare. My parents were talking to someone, a woman. The way her eyes lit up when she spotted us made me assume she was Lucas' mom.

"You made it." Mom stepped to me and kissed my cheek, "Like the dress."

I glanced down on it, "It was a bold choice."

She shrugged, "It looks good on you."

Lucas leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I agree, you look amazing in that dress."

I looked up at him, smiling at his teasing tone. We were staring at each other, forgetting about our curious looking parents. It wasn't until his mother cleared her throat that we looked away. My cheeks were burning while Lucas merely chuckled. There was close to nothing this night which caught him off guard. I, however, had one too many moments where I felt really awkward. I needed to get over it. These social events were a regular thing, I had experience. I needed to stop behaving like a rookie.

"Hello, Nina." His mother greeted me, "I'm Sylvia Chase."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Chase."

She brushed that off immediately, "Oh, hon. Just call me Sylvia."

I couldn't hide my giggle. The way she talked reminded me so much of mom. It was like these women were like twins. Not in appearances but in personalities. I wondered if she was a lawyer too. She must have realized what I was thinking and brushed that off too.

"I'm actually your mom's assistant."

My eyes widened, "Oh, really?"

I never would have guessed that. Mom referred to herself as a cold-hearted bitch at the office, but that couldn't be true if she was such close friends with her assistant. Wouldn't people hate her guts if she behaved like an uncaring person?

"Five years now." Sylvia let me know.

"And do you like it?" I asked.

She shared a look with my mother. They shared a smile, these two were definitely close friends. It did make me feel a bit uncomfortable being here together with Sylvia's son. If things didn't work out between us their friendship might get ruined. I didn't want that. I wanted mom to have someone on her side at the office. It was a harsh world after all.

"It's enjoyable work." She told me, "But don't waste time talking to us." Sylvia gestured to the tables which were set up with tons of snacks, "Go help yourself. The food is so good."

I glanced at Lucas, "Should we get a drink first?"

He nodded to the bar, "After you."

I glanced at mom and dad, they were both smiling while their eyes glittered. They seemed to enjoy seeing me together with a date. Someone, I felt comfortable around. I didn't want to think about them approving of this. Lucas took charge, heading to the bar and I followed after him. He ordered a bourbon while I longed for a glass of champagne.

"Want to check out the food?" I asked him, sipping my drink.

His eyes flickered to the tables, "I could go for something savory."

We checked out the table. Lucas let me hold his drink while he took a plate to grab us some snacks. I wanted a vegetable ball which looked pretty good. He took one for himself as well. Some cheese straws which would probably leave crumbs everywhere. A potato rosti and double chocolate brownie. No doubt made with Merigold dark chocolate. It looked amazing. There were some things we could share. We found a table which we could use and sat down.

"Everything looked really good."

I agreed with him, "I know right. It makes you want to pile it up but that's bad party etiquette. Well, as a Merigold anyway."

"With all these people watching you."

I laughed, "Exactly."

He grabbed his fork, broke a piece of the potato rosti and held his fork out to me. Smiling I leaned forward and took a bite. It was so good, especially with the mayonnaise and thin slices of lettuce.

"It's good."

He smirked, "I could tell from the look on your face."

We ate our snacks together, focusing on each other. That way those around us faded into the background. For a few minutes, I totally forgot about people watching us. Curious about what we were doing. I had a great time with my date, it felt like hanging out with a long lost friend. Lucas was really a good guy. When we finished our snacks and drinks we met up with our parents again. Nick joined them too, he didn't bring a date with him. We shared a hug and were then ushered to a plain backdrop to have our pictures taken as the Merigold family. It was a little too much all the cameras flashing all the time and people telling us where to look. When I was excused I told my date and family I needed a minute, just to catch my breath and compose myself. They understood.

"The hallway leading to the bathrooms, keep walking to the end of the hallway." Mom let me know.

It's where she found her private moment to make some calls. I was grateful she shared that with me. I escaped the crowded room and trailed down the hallway, feeling a lot better already when there was barely anyone around. I reached the end of the hallway, leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. I just needed some time to recharge my energy, my emotional batteries were running low at the moment. I stared at my strappy black heels, I was glad I went for a pedicure. I looked a lot more put together. I looked up when I heard footsteps approach me and stared at the sexiest man I had ever seen. Sexy in a dark seductive kind of way. Definitely the type of man you should stay away from because everything about him screamed heartbreak. He was tall, maybe a few inches taller than Lucas. Thick, long lashes which would make a lot of women envy him. His dark hair gelled back in a fashionable kind of way. His black suit was very family to me. It had a slight sheen to it. The white shirt underneath it definitely familiar to me. My eyes widened as I realized who I was gawking at as if I wanted to devour him.

"Mr. Blackwood," I whispered.

His grey eyes glittered, "Miss Merigold." He greeted, his voice smooth and rich. He spoke barely above a whisper but he didn't need to speak louder to radiate dominance. My breathing hitched in my throat when his eyes took me in from head to toe. The little smirk which tugged on his lips made me press my thighs together, "That dress suits you well."

"I like the shirt."

He chuckled, the sound resonating through my body. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants. He closed in on me which made me hold my breath. He stood beside me, leaning against the wall as well.

"I guess you need some space more than I do." I was about to give him some room when he grabbed my wrist and kept me in place.

"That's okay, you don't have to leave."

I turned around and faced him, he didn't let go of my wrist though. It was like electric shocks ran down my spine. This man looked like a dark vampire. Not the Twilight kind of vampire, he reminded me more of the vampires in that teen drama which I only watched one or two seasons of. I should have finished it. The papers nor the pictures online did this man any justice. They didn't convey that intimidating energy which radiated off him. It made you want to nod at everything he said and sell your soul to him. Maybe he was more like Lucifer.

"It's silly that I feel so out of place tonight. I've done this so many times before."

He gave my wrist a squeeze, "It's been a while, hasn't it? You just need some time to get used to it again. I do get that the attention is quite overwhelming."

He never let go of my wrist but I didn't want him to.

"It must be worse for you."

He finally let go of my wrist, playing with the platinum cufflinks I picked out for him. It definitely suited him. It gave a more powerful feel to his look. I stood beside him again, leaning against the wall while staring ahead.

"It's a bit too much tonight since I arrived without a date." He chuckled, "It's weird how obsessed everyone is about my personal life. There are far more interesting things to get involved with."

I couldn't tell him that I was one of those people who found his personal life quite interesting, entertaining even. He wouldn't appreciate it. He was the complete opposite of Lucas. Lucas was the boy next door, the captain of the football team kind of guy. The fruity type of chocolate in a Merigold box while Mr. Blackwood was a sexy vampire kind of guy. The dark chocolate type of chocolate in a Merigold box. The first kind of chocolate you could eat a piece of almost every day as to the dark chocolate was intense and you couldn't quite handle on an everyday basis. Yet I wanted it.

"It might be because of your ex-girlfriend. She didn't leave things as they are."

"She ruined my shirts and now ruined my Friday night."

I glanced at him, "The shirts can be replaced." I shrugged. I then pushed away from the wall, stood before him and grabbed onto his black tie. He looked surprised his eyes widened as I pulled him down and stood on my toes. I pressed a kiss to his lips, it was quick and barely there but I still kissed him. I let go of him and smirked, "Now it's a bit more entertaining I hope." I turned on my heels and quickly walked away.

I didn't know what came over me, but I didn't regret it. Kissing Mr. Blackwood was like a fantasy coming true. It's not like it would happen again. A secret between us which he probably wouldn't remember either.