chapter 5

Gabriel closed his eyes and leaned into the cream leather seat of the chauffeur-driven Bentley Continental which was taking them to their Christmas Party. It had been a great day spending time with Nicks mum Claire and his fifteen-year-old sister Lucy, but he had been delightfully happy after lunch that for once their house was empty of guests and relatives, and they had spent the afternoon in bed. Gabriel was still feeling the effects of their lovemaking. He’d felt so bloody horny all day and had practically dragged Nick up the stairs once Claire and Lucy had gone to do some last-minute shopping for their outfits.

Gabriel loved them both dearly, but this afternoon he couldn’t wait for them to go. All he could think about was ‘The Girl’, he’d woken up from a dream of him and Nick loving her.  He wanted to hear Nick tell him about her again, and he so wished he’d seen her too that morning in July.

The warehouse was buzzing, and the four members of the band had separated to circle around their guests. All their friends were here, and every employee was here too.  Some of them never really saw the men they worked for except for the Christmas party and the one they held in the summer.  Gabriel was proud of the fact that their entire enterprise was a family, they wouldn’t be as successful as they were without the loyalty of each of these people. They kept an eye on each of them. Every birthday and celebration was noted, and presents sent.

Gabriel and Nick went separate ways when they got inside enabling them to greet and chat to as many people as possible, and catching sight of his great friend Richie Howlett, he walked along a quieter path that was lined with seats and tables. Ones that hadn’t been filled yet. He was just about to call Richie’s name when Gabriel caught sight of someone sitting alone on a sofa. She looked like she was concentrating on something, and she was so absorbed that she didn’t hear him approach her. 

Standing behind her for a moment, he admired her creamy bare shoulders and elegant neck, and imagined kissing her soft warm skin. She was definitely kissable.  He moved sideways to look at her profile, and he didn’t recognise her at all. She must be a plus one. Maybe she was waiting for someone, her boyfriend? Had he gone to get some drinks?  Maybe not, as she reached out to take a sip from the glass of champagne sitting on the table next to her.

There was no one else around her, and it didn’t look like she was enjoying the party very much, in fact it looked as if she was more involved in reading what was on her phone.  What exactly was she reading, her phone was half concealed inside her evening bag, so she obviously felt that she shouldn’t be so involved in what she was reading?

Looking over her shoulder, he read with her, and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a chuckle.

It looks like his mystery guest enjoyed naughty reading and immediately wondered if reading this subject was all she enjoyed.

“Wow, it looks like Lois is in real trouble,” he said over her shoulder.

She jumped up with a gasp, dropping her phone and bag and spilling the rest of her champagne. Gabriel held his hands up in submission as he moved around the sofa to pick her belongings up.

She looked furious, though whether that was because shed been found out what she was reading or whether it was because she was feeling guilty about being antisocial at the party.

“That’s really rude!” She gasped. “Reading over my shoulder! How dare you. I could have been reading something private.”

Gabriel raised his brow, “I’m rude?”  he bent down to pick her phone and bag up. How did she work that out?  “Is my Christmas party so boring that you had to bring your own entertainment?” He asked, forcing his face into a frown.  Christ she was beautiful, the dress she was almost wearing - no that wasn’t right, the dress was longer than most of the dresses that the other girls were wearing, but, it looked so seductive and seemed to hide and reveal everything about her, she might have been standing there in lingerie.

He could only see just above her beautiful ankles, her slim and narrow feet encased in blue sparkling heels caused his groin to twitch.  The gathered blue skirt encased her hips and emphasised her waist, and then glory of glories her magnificent breasts.  Nick would immediately call them epic!  

God what the hell was he thinking, he was staring at her like a complete lunatic. She must think he was crackers. He grinned, and afterwards he had no idea what he’d said to her, and even worse, he had no idea what she had replied to him. Where the hell was Nick when he needed him, he had to find him; he had to see this girl; she was exactly like he had described. It couldn’t possibly be her though, that would be too much of a coincidence.

****

Well, thought Millie, that was embarrassing.  She shoved her phone into her bag and glanced over to where Gabriel had disappeared.  She could just the top of his head bending to listen to a man with dark hair. She stood on tiptoe, trying to see.  When he’d said partner, she was thinking female, and he was hardly gay judging by the look he was giving her.  The dark head did look sort of familiar, but the person vanished into the crowd.

Now what?  She could hardly sit and read again after that, she wondered if she could find the bar and get a coke or something; she wasn’t used to drinking alcohol and the last thing she wanted to do was to make a complete fool of herself - again.

Eventually Millie found her sisters.

“Where’ve you been?” Pearl asked, “We were taking bets on whether you had gone home.”

Millie bristled inside, she wasn’t going to put up with these two showing her up. She could put up with it at home, but being ridiculed in public was another matter.

“Oh, just chatting to a few people,” she would not divulge that all of them bar one had been waiters and bar staff.

“Who? Who’s going to talk to you, you don’t know anybody.” Ruby sneered.

Millie shrugged, “Some tall guy with a bun, what was his name?” She muttered, “Oh what was it?”  She frowned and bit her lip, “I know Gabriel something or other. Swann, that was it, Gabriel Swann.”

Ruby squealed and danced on her toes like a five-year-old at a birthday party. 

“What did he say to you, did you mention me, what did you tell him about me?”

Millie shook her head, “Nothing, I never mentioned you.”

“You never mentioned me, why not?”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Ruby.” Pearl chipped in. “What did he say Millie?”

Millie straightened her shoulders and pulled her tummy in. If she was going to lie, she would do it to the best of her ability. “He said how beautiful I looked and said he would look out for me when he was on stage later.” She would probably never see him again and it would teach Ruby a lesson.

Georgie, who had her back turned to them, and still clinging to a man said, “Well he was right, you do look beautiful Cinders, and we shall make sure you are right at the front of the stage when they play. We’ll give him something to look at.”

Georgie was not to be trusted, and Millie felt a knot tightening in her stomach. She knew Georgie was up to something. She watched as the man slid his arms around Georgie’s waist, his lips murmuring something in her ear and then kissing her neck.  Poor Jasper, fancy being stuck with her, Georgie obviously didn’t care about him at all.

Millie turned away, she didn’t want to see anymore of that charade, and just then the lights dimmed, and people went to the stage. Georgie grabbed her arm and led her to stand i front of the stage. 

“He’s going to get a wonderful view of you Cindy,” said Georgie who stood just behind her. 

Millie was about to answer her but the room was suddenly in pitch darkness and the crowd cheered and whistled. Someone began playing the first notes of Jingle Bells with just one finger.  There was heckling from the back of the room as someone  shouted, “Sack the piano player, he’s rubbish!”

The crowd laughed and suddenly the lights shone out and the band burst into playing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. For a moment the light blinded Millie and she put her head down and closed her eyes. Blinking In the light she looked up, at the back of the stage Gabriel sat behind his drums, he had changed out of his dinner suit and was now wearing a red and green elf suit, complete with jingling hat.  He wasn’t the only one. Both guitarists wore feathered robin suits with glittery red breasts, and the singer was dressed as Santa.

He had the complete disguise on, long curly wig, big beard, he even had the little round glasses balanced on the end of his suntanned nose which he quickly threw into the crowd. 

Millie couldn’t take her eyes off Santa, especially when he turned his back to the audience, and she caught something familiar in his posture, she couldn’t believe it was the person she thought it was. That would be so unbelievable for that dancing, singing, sexy Santa to be Nick, the man she had met, albeit briefly, on the beach; but who was constantly in her mind? No it couldn’t be, he was a nanny, he couldn’t possibly be singing in this band, this was a chart topping band, he couldn’t possibly need a second job. Could he? 

“I bet you think he’s amazing, don’t you?”  Georgie said in her ear.

Millie nodded her head. She was moving around to the music, just the same as everyone else was. Everyone was singing along, and for once Millie had lost her inhibitions and was completely enjoying herself.  As the song ended,  Santa pulled his hat and wig off to reveal the short dark hair that she had been dreaming of running her fingers through, and she had a massive burst of butterflies in her tummy. Her entire body was pulsing in anticipation as he peeled the beard off.

“Oh, oh my god, it is you!” Millie’s eyes were out on stalks. She put her hand over her mouth and gazed wide eyed at him.  He began the next song, one of their hits, and the crowd cheered.

“So who do you think is better looking, Jasper or Nick?” Georgie asked in her ear.

Remembering who was asking and not wanting to offend her Millie tore her eyes away from Nick and half turned to Georgie. “Well, they are both gorgeous, but Jasper is incredible, he’s so kind, and his family history is so interesting, he said we could go down to Shettleham and he’d show me around.”   She turned back, wanting to look at Nick.

“Are you okay, Georgie?” Ruby asked, noticing the thunderous look on her face. “What’s up?”

“I’m going to teach Cinders a lesson, she thinks she has a chance Jasper, with my man. How dare she think he’d be interested in her!”  Georgie growled, making a decent impression of Jaspers Jack Russell dog when she tried to get it off the sofa.

The next song ended and Nick, feeling very warm, was unbuttoning the bright red Santa jacket, “Thank you for coming to Hero’s Christmas party everyone, if some of you guys want to come up and sing or play feel free.” He took a quick drink from his glass and then, “Thank you ladies for all looking so beautiful tonight, and the girls too.” He said drawing a laugh from his guests.

Nick took another drink, and glanced at the front row, His mum Claire was at the end, along with Lucy, who was chatting to Olly Murs, and a girl he didn’t recognise, Marcia the dragon lady from the office who seemed to be letting her scales down tonight, her husband Eric who looked like he wanted to sneak off for a pint. Then there were a couple of girls he didn’t recognise, twins by the look of them, oh no, hang on, they were friends with Georgie.. thinking of Georgie he would ring Jasper tomorrow, or maybe drive down and see him. It was pretty obvious that she wouldn’t.

Next to the twins was… His mouth fell open, his eyes wide. He blinked and blinked again. It was her! The girl who rescued Lucy in the summer. He was sure it was. Her hair was up, but it was her eyes, and lo-and-behold she was staring at him as much as he was staring at her.

The silence seemed like it lasted an eternity, and Gabriel only broke it by crashing his cymbal who realised Nick seemed to be in a world of his own. 

It’s getting hot in here. He said as he took the red Santa jacket off. His eyes never leaving the astonished face in front of him.

“Hot?” yelled Georgie, “This one thinks she’s so hot, she thinks she can take my boyfriend off me!”  She yelled again as she yanked the zip  on Millies dress and pulled it down exposing her bare breasts to the band.