Sweet Possession (Carson-Fox Resorts #2)

Chapter 21

Cora

N ervous excitement coursed through me as I stared at my reflectionin the mirror. Tonight, I’d meet all of Fox’s friends and work colleagues.

I hoped like hell I didn’t embarrass myself.

Savannah had picked my dress out for me after I told her I didn’t havethe first clue what type of dress would suit me.

It was beautiful.

The dress was entirely white, with thick strapsthatrested on thecurve of my shoulders, and the material across my chest twisted into a large bow, covering my cleavage. It was tight around my waist, but the skirt, which stopped above my knees, flared out whenever I spun around.

She’d paired it with white high-heeled sandals which initially, I thoughtI’d never be able to walk in, but thanks to the chunky heel, I managed to cross the room without looking like a baby deer on ice.

I’d spent the last few hours curling my hair, a video on YouTube playing in the background showing me how to do it with a hairdryer and a brush. Once it was all curled, I piled half of it up on my head and left half down to trail around my shoulders.

I’djustfinished putting on the glossy red lipstickthatSavannah hadbrought over with the clothes when Fox emerged from the ensuite. The sight made my breath hitch and my core clench.

Gosh, he was handsome.

He was wearing a black tux, complete with a bowtie, the tight suitshowcasing every single one of his muscles. He’d had a haircut earlier, and now, he was freshly shaven, and for some reason,thatmade himseemall the more handsome.

I really was a lucky girl.

Fox’s eyes darkened as he took in my outfit, and a second later hewas storming across the bedroom to me. As he neared, the scent of his cologne wrapped around me, and it was as if my clit instantly developed a heartbeat.

“Baby girl, you look fucking gorgeous,”he said as he grabbed myhips, his voice deep.

Not caringthatI’d applied bright red lip gloss, Fox lowered hismouth to mine, kissing me fervently. I squeezed my thighs together, gratefulthatI had panties on; Fox didn’t want me going out of the house without any.

“Fuck tonight, let’s stay here,”he growled when we broke apart,his lips now glossy and red, and his hands roaming under my skirt.

I stifled a giggle.“You know we can’t dothat, we can’t let Nash andSav down. ”

“How about we show our faces for an hour, andthenwe come backhere.”He wiggled his eyebrows, his hands moving higher up the back of my legs until they cupped my ass.

“I thought we were staying at the hotel?”I said, trying to ignore theflash of disappointment.

I’d been looking forward to tonight, notjustfor the party, but after, Foxand I were staying in the penthouse suite. He’d claimedthatit was better than the suite we’d stayed at in New York and I was excited to see it.

He sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes as he finally released me fromhis grasp.“Fine, you win. We’ll go to the party for an hour, andthen we’ll go to the hotel room.”

This time I couldn’t help the giggle breaking free.“We’ll see. You maywant to wipe the lipstick off your mouth before we go,”I said, turning to fix my own smeared lipstick.

“Nah, I think I’ll leave it.Thatway everyone will know I belong to you.”

So much for only staying an hour, Fox was having way too much of agood time to leave.

But so was I.

My cheeks ached from smiling so much. Not only did Fox introduceme to everyone as his girlfriend, but he also bragged about how I was the one who’d made the cakes everyone was raving about.

They were a hit.

Within twenty minutes of them being put out along with the rest of thefood, they’d all gone, and Savannah had rushed up to me to tell methatpeople had been asking if there were any more.

Pride wasn’t a strong enough word for how I was feeling, especiallywhen a friend of Nash’s approached me and asked if she could hire me to make a cake for her son’s fifth birthday party.

I couldn’t believe it.

Savannah was right. Maybe thisreallywas the start to opening myown bakery.

It was a good job Fox held my hand the entire time, otherwise, I think Iwould have floated away on cloud nine with how happy I was.

“Here,”Fox said, handing me another glass of champagne.

It was only my second glass of the night but a pleasant buzz wasmaking its way around my body. NotthatI should have been drinking anyway, I was underage, but Fox assured me it was fine, so long as I didn’t drink too much.

“Monsieur Fox!”a bright voice called, catching both mine and Fox’sattention.

We both turned, and my heart plummeted when I realized the moststunning woman I’d ever seen was making a beeline for us. Fox’s hand tightened in mine, doing nothing to reassure me.

The woman, whoever she was, had legsthatwent on for miles, and Iwondered if she was a model. She certainly had the figure and confidence of one .

Her sleek black hair had been straightened to within an inch of its lifeand swayed with the motion of her determined strides. The tight red dress she wore clung to her slim figure, revealing enough cleavage for it not to be indecent but enough to tempt someone into wanting her to reveal more.

But the way she was beaming at Fox was what made my insecuritiessit up and take notice. She was the complete opposite to me, but I could imagine she was the type of woman Fox was normally attracted to.

“Bonjour!”she said when she reached us, animatedly kissing each ofFox’s cheeks.

Her red lipstick rivaled mine, and when she stepped back, she’d leftan imprint of her lips on his cheek. Jealousy coursed through me, but before I could tell Fox he had her lipstick on his cheek, she used her thumb to wipe it off.“Pardon, I appear to have marked you.”

She had an accent to her voice, I didn’t know what kind. Europeanperhaps?

“Dominique, good to see you,”Fox said, dropping my hand to wrap itaround my waist and pull me closer to his side.“Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Cora.”

The woman turned her focus on me. I’d been prepared for them to becold and calculating, but there was nothing but warmth in her hazel eyes. She reached for my hand, grabbing it, and cupping it in both of hers.

“Ms Cora, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you. I have ‘eard somuch about you from Nash and Savannah.”

Before I could brace myself, she lunged forward, kissing both mycheeks.“Oh, it’s nice to meet you too,”I replied politely, feeling like a tiny ant under her scrutinizing gaze.

“Baby girl, Dominique is a friend of Nash and Savannah’s. Shehelped Sav launch her fashion brand,”Fox said.

Relief washed through me. Savannah had told me lots aboutDominique over the past few days. She’d said she owed Dominique everything for giving her an opportunity to showcase her designs at a show in Paris.

“Tut tut,”Dominique said.“I did not help Savannah launch her brand,she didthatall by herself.Thatwoman has a talent for design,justlike you ‘ave a talent for baking. Your cakes were,”she paused as if she was trying to find the right word before she kissed the tips of her fingers.“Magnifique!”

“Thank you,”I replied, my cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson ather exuberant flattery.

“And girlfriend, Monsieur Fox?”she said, turning her attention back toFox, her eyes glittering with affection.“I am so pleased for you, it is about time you found a woman who makes you ‘appy.”

“Thanks, Dom,”Fox replied, grinning down at me.

I smiled back at him, but when I returned my gaze to Dominique, Ithought I saw a hint of a scowl on her lips before they pulled into a smile.

Or maybe I imagined it.

“Cora!”Savannah called, appearing out of nowhere.“Can I borrowyou for a second? There’s another guest who wants to talk to you. She wants to hire you to bake a cake for an engagement party!”

Fox squeezed my side.“That’s amazing news, baby girl.”

Excitement rushed through me. How was this my life right now? Afew months ago, I had no friends, no prospects, and a father who made it clear no one loved me, including him.

Now I was here, partying with friends, the man I loved by my side,and people I’d never met before wanting to hire me to bake cakes for them.

Savannah grabbed my hand.“I’ll bring her straight back,”she said toFox before gently tugging me out of his grasp.

“Make sure you do,”Fox replied, reluctantly releasing me .

Savannah led me through the crowd, never letting go of my hand.“Are you enjoying yourself, Cora?”she shouted over the din of the music which had grown louder as we neared the band.

“I really am,” I replied, beaming at her.

I’d never been to a party before, notevena kid’s party when I wasyounger. But I listened with envy when the kids at school would talk about the parties they went to, wishingthatI would be invited tojustone.

Of course, it never happened. Who’d want the girl who barely spokeand wore dirty clothes at their party?

Savannah opened her mouth to reply but someone cut her off byhollering her name. She paused to look through the crowd, before waving maniacally at a short, balding man wearing glasses.

“I need to say hello to Bill real quick, he’s a designer fromEngland, and I’m showing a new collection at his event in a couple of months.”

“Oh sure,”I replied.“Actually, I could do with going to thebathroom,thatchampagne has gone straight through me.”

I glanced around looking for the toilet, only for my heart to leap into mythroat when my gaze landed back on Fox and Dominique. The two of them were laughing, with her hand resting on his arm. But it was the way she was looking up at himthathad jealousy igniting under my skin.

She was looking at him the way I did. Like I wanted to feel his hands,mouth, and tongue all over my body.

“Okay, I’ll meet you out here when you’re done,”Sav said, drawingmy attention back to her.

She turned and headed over to the man who’d called for her. When Ilooked back at Fox, Dominique had taken her hand off his arm, but they’d moved closer together and Fox was leaning down, whispering in her ear with his hand on her waist .

Jealousy thrummed through my veins. If I didn’t know better, youwould’ve assumed the two of them were a couple. They certainly looked better together than what me and Fox did.

They were a power couple.

I was a nobody.

Tearing my gaze away before jealousy ate me alive, I headed to thebathroom, reminding myselfthatI trusted Fox. He’d never given me any reason to doubt his feelings for me. I wasjustbeing insecure because Dominique was so damn intimidating.

Once I’d used the toilet and talked some sense into myself to not beso insecure, I went to wash my hands, only to find a woman leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest.

She watched me intently as I stepped up to the sink. I racked mybrains trying to remember if Fox had introduced me to her earlier. Sheseemedlike someone I would have remembered, with her long blonde hair falling almost to her waist, and the way her curvy figure was crammed into a skin-tight black dress, her ample cleavage almost spilling out.

But I was coming up blank. With the way she was glaring at methough, I could have been mistaken in thinking I’d somehow offended her.

“Hi,”I said awkwardly, turning on the tap and ignoring the way shewas casting her eyes up and down my dress, a sneer on her face.

“Cora, right?”

“Erm, yeah,”I replied, grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands. “Havewe met?

A knot formed in my stomach as the woman’s hateful stare burnedinto me. She unfolded her arms and took a step forward. My brain told me to step back, but my feet were rooted to the spot, frozen in fear.

“Personally, I can’t see why Fox is attracted to you,”she said, her softtones betraying the vitriol coming from her mouth.“Maybe he felt sorry for you, he always had a soft spot for strays, and you, well, I can practically smell the desperation oozing from you.”

A response lodged in my throat, the knot pulling impossibly tight andmaking it difficult to breathe. It was like this woman, whoever she was, had burrowed under my skin and knew every single one of my fears and insecurities.

She reached out, picking a strand of hair from where it rested on myshoulder, and rubbed it between her thumb and fingers. I wanted to knock her hand away and tell her not to touch me, but I was immobile, lost to the pain beginning to build deep within me.

“He’ll get bored of you, you know that, right?”she said, dropping my hair andstepping back. Her eyes, filled with disgust, raked up and down my body again.“He might like the innocent, little girl act for a while but he’ll get fed up with it. It won’t be long until he remembers what it’s like to be with a woman who knows exactly how to please him.”

I gaped at her, her words like an arrow piercing my heart. From theday things developed between me and Fox, I’d done my best to ignore the little voice telling methatwe’d never last,thathe’d soon realize I was everything my dad had always accused me of being; weak, pathetic.

A burden no one wanted.

But now,thatvoice was blaring like a foghorn in my head, echoingeverything the woman hadjustsaid. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, becoming difficult to ignore.

“Why are you doing this?”I whispered as unimaginable pain torethrough me. This hurt more than learning my dad had sold me.

“Because you should know the type of man you’re involved with,Cora. Someone like you isn’t strong enough to deal with a man like Fox. He gets off on playing games, and only a certain type of woman can handle the games he plays. Women like Dominique. ”

“Dominique?” I managed to choke out past the vice that was squeezing my throat painfully.

The woman smirked.“Oh, you didn’t know he fucked her? Oh,princess, youreallyare naive. Don’t tell me you didn’t see the way those two were eye fucking each other a few moments ago? Lord, I’m surprised they didn’t tear each other’s clothes off in the middle of the party and fuck right there.”

I clutched the counter to stop from falling on the floor as my kneesbegan to buckle. The first tear slid down my cheek, but the woman wasn’t done with her sledgehammer to my fragile heart.

“And of course, there’s Lily.Thatman can’t stay away from her. Youknow he was emailing her in the middle of the night while you two were in New York?”She paused, a wicked smile playing on her lips.“I hate to tell you this, princess, but Fox and Lily, they’re made for each other, and it’ll only be a matter of time before Fox realizesthatand crawls back to her.”

She stepped closer again, her floral perfume assaulting my nostrils.

“Do yourself a favor, Cora. Walk away from him now before it’s toolate because I warn you, nothing good will come of this thing you have with Fox. It’ll only end in heartache for you.”