You Distract Me - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Olivia
I'd always thought balls were magical and exciting.
Unfortunately for me, I wanted to be anywhere but at this one. When Vogue hosts this kind of party, it's the epitome of elegance.
But there was nothing elegant about being grabbed left and right. As soon as I'd stepped into the gold themed ballroom, a dance had been requested from me, and then another, and another.
A headache was already forming.
At the moment, a man—whose head reached right below my chin—crushed my toes with every misstep.
"Sorry," he said, his porky double chin jiggling with his nervous laugh.
"That's fine. But I have to go now." I didn't wait for a reply, just pulled away and didn't look back.
As I made my way to find some fresh air, I ignored any and everyone in my way; consequences be damned.
"Olivia." My mother's disapproving tone made me stop in my tracks. I turned around and found her with a pissed off look.
In a simple and long ball gown that resembled my own, my mother looked every bit of the elegance needed for such a gathering. Even though she'd been my plus one, she looked like she'd been personally invited.
"Yes, mom?"
"I'm going to ignore how rude you're being." She gave me that wait-till-we-get-home mom look before smiling sweetly. "I want you to meet someone. James, this is my daughter Olivia."
Just then, I noticed the tall and impeccably dressed man beside her. His startling blue eyes swept over my peach colored dress.
"Eva, when you said your daughter was a beauty, I didn't realize the accuracy of your words."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes, and instead offered a smile and a handshake. "Thanks, and you are?"
"James McKinnon, CEO of Dricon Shipping."
The company sounded vaguely familiar, but I was sure I heard of its high level of success from somewhere.
"Wow."
He grinned, showing off his pearly whites. He was very attractive; he also looked twice my age.
"Well, I'd like to 'wow' you further with a drink sometime."
I glanced at my mother and found her giving me a look that I knew all too well.
Realization dawned on me. "Did my mother promise me to you?" I joked.
A deep laugh rumbled out of him. "She only mentioned how beautiful and brilliant you are. I must say, I'm not disappointed."
He accentuated his words with another sweep down my body.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not sure I'm the girl for you."
I turned away, walking fast enough to make sure I wasn't being followed. I spotted one of the vacant balconies and escaped into the fresh air.
Taking in a deep breath, I smiled as the night breeze caressed my cheeks, the lights of Los Angeles staring back at me.
I let my thoughts wonder.
I hadn't seen Shayne for two weeks straight. The last was when we'd wordlessly separated at work. The romantic in me had hoped she'd come running to me, but the pessimist in me knew the definition of realism.
I didn't blame Shayne for ghosting out on me. There probably were plenty other women who didn't expect too much from her.
Maybe I should have accepted that drink from James Mckinnon.
"We should stop meeting like this."
I instantly froze when I heard that tantalizing raspy voice, a shudder of excitement coursing through me.
I turned to her. "Shay . . . "
The air in my lungs rushed out before I could finish. She looked so good.
Instead of the usual laid back outfits, Shayne was actually sporting a tux, a freaking tux! Its close fit looked so amazing on her athletic body.
God, she was beautiful.
"You look amazing," she said, her gorgeous hazel eyes darkening as they latched onto my body.
"Why are you here?" I probably sounded a little too accusatory, but it wasn't fair that after avoiding me like the plague for two weeks, she shows up looking like sex on a stick.
"My empire is right next door, was I supposed to refuse the invitation?" A sexy smirk came my way.
"Seeing as you clearly don't want me around, I'd think exactly that."
She shoved her hands into her pockets and sighed. "I had to travel, Olivia. I was hoping that by the time I'd get back, you would have calmed down."
Stake through the heart.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't tell me you're still mad." She looked genuinely surprised.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and gave a sigh of exasperation. "This isn't about me staying mad at you. And you know that!"
I was yelling again, and I hated it.
Having both the urge to jump her and slap her at the same time, I turned away. How could such a beautiful person be so frustrating?
I gripped the balcony railing and took in a deep breath. I was suddenly exhausted, and I realized the last two weeks hadn't been easy. Gideon Pierce wasn't just a flirt, but he was also extremely dedicated to his profession. And that meant putting in several hours at work. While he took countless shots, he also wanted to make sure we all knew what we were doing by training each of us on what worked and what didn't.
Well, I'd already signed the modeling contract, better just get it ov—
Warm hands suddenly gripped my shoulders.
"What—"
"Shhh. You look stressed, is everything okay at work?" Shayne purred.
Her skilled long fingers were working their way into my shoulders. My body felt like jelly, not even my brain could form any coherent thoughts. Especially when that delicious woodsy scent surrounded me.
I couldn't stop the moan that escaped through my mouth, the sound making me snap out of the bliss her hands were providing, but not before hearing the sharp breath she took in.
Swiftly turning around, I pushed against her chest, my sudden action causing her to stumble a couple steps back.
I met her heated eyes. "You're doing it again, you're diverting. Only this time, you're not snapping at me. Listen, I know we don't know much about each other, but I need to know if it'll happen eventually. Despite the obvious attraction we have for each other, I am not going to be one of those girls who just waltzes in and out of your bed, I'd actually like to get to know you."
She simply glared at me, jaw clenched.
"That's what I thought," I said, nodding.
I attempted to walk right past her, but she moved and blocked my path, resulting in me almost colliding into her. Stepping back until my back hit the railing, I folded my arms and looked up at her. Jeez, she was tall.
"May I please pass, Shayne? We are obviously wasting both of our time right now."
Her hazel eyes dropped to my lips and I fought the urge to squirm under that cold calculating glare.
"Why do you insist on angering me?"
I chose not to give a reply, just tightened the fold of my arms.
She brushed a hand through her hair. "Fine, the thing is—"
"I thought when you invited me as your plus one, I'd spend the night with you, Shayne. I can see that I was mistaken."
The disembodied sultry voice came from the balcony doors, and I had to crane my neck to see behind Shayne.
Standing at the doors was a tall and stunning brown-haired woman in a red dress that practically showed ninety percent of her flawless skin.
I was confused at first, but when I looked at Shayne and saw the unspoken apology in her eyes, the truth hit me, hard.
She'd already moved onto the next piece of meat.
A bitter laugh left my mouth. "Of course."
When I walked away for the second time, she didn't stop me. We probably both knew I'd have snapped if she'd touched me. Thank the heavens she hadn't.
The willowy woman quickly moved out of my way, resultantly stumbling in her skyscraping heels.
As I stepped back into the warm air of the ballroom, a wave of fatigue and nausea hit me. That headache came back with a vengeance that had me clutching my head.
When I saw Gideon Pierce coming towards me, hard determination in his blue eyes, I forced my legs to guide me away from all the madness.
Successfully avoiding anyone, I made it out of the ballroom and into the hallway. I got into one of the elevators, and just as they closed, Gideon stepped out of the ballroom. And to my shock, so did Shayne.
"Olivia!" they both shouted.
Nope. Not today.
The nausea didn't subside, and neither did the headache. I'd probably have to go to the hospital for a checkup, but that's an issue for another day. Nothing that a little aspirin couldn't fix at the moment.
The elevator opened and I slowly made my way through the lobby, the reflective surfaces making my discomfort unbearable.
There were a few people in the lobby, and I tried my best not to embarrass myself by hurling all over the marble floor. The reception area caught my eye, and I made my way towards it.
Just as I sat down, I spotted Shayne coming out of the elevator next to the one I'd gotten out of.
My headache suddenly intensified a couple of notches and I almost lost my sight. I let out a yelp and before I knew it, Shayne was crouching in front of my sitting form.
"Jesus Christ, Olivia! You're so pale. Are you okay? The hospital is a five minute drive from here, will you let me drive you there?"
I felt so sick, I didn't even have the strength to fight her. I just nodded and hoped I wasn't going to die.
"Okay, let me quickly bring the car around. Don't move," she said before leaving through the front doors.
A minute hardly went by when Gideon Pierce burst through the emergency stairway door, sweat running down his face.
Please, I can't take this anymore.
He came to me panting. "Olivia." He paused to take in a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to . . . holy crap, you look horrible! What's happening to you?"
The harshness of his words had me wincing. Did I look that bad?
I looked away from his disturbed expression and buried my face into my hands, ignoring the bile burning the back of my throat. What was happening to me?
"Should I call someone?" I heard him say with slight hesitation.
When I heard the doors open, I pulled my hands away and saw Shayne approaching, a death glare directed towards Gideon who was also returning the hostility.
Afraid they would go head to head again, I tried to get up, but the world spun alarmingly around me as my knees buckled.
Shayne saw me first, and before I could fall face flat to the floor, she swiftly reached me and effortlessly lifted me off the ground like a bride.
"What do you think you're doing, West?" Gideon challenged.
"Now's not the time, idiot. So if you know what's good for you, you'll move out of my fucking way." The venom in her voice managed to frighten me to the core, and probably did the same to Gideon because in the next second he was reluctantly stepping aside to let Shayne pass with me in her arms.
Finding solace in her warmth and her scent, I let the darkness swallow me whole.
Truth be told, I didn't want to be anywhere else but in Shayne's arms at the moment. I knew that even when I felt like I was dying.
I was falling so hard.