My Summer in London (My Summer #1)(20)
Serena likes places like this? I marveled at the thought, pondering what had enticed her to such a scene. To each their own.
Parties such as these were not my cup of tea, and for good reason. Archer, on the other hand, lavished on such occasions because he had been brought up differently than I. At a very young age, I was already primed to carry on my father’s legacy, so I had instilled in my mind that partying would deviate me from my purpose. While he had the freedom to do as he pleased without familial obligation hanging over his head, I had carried on doing my commitment without a word of complaint. I had one it for the love I had for my parents and out of duty, and nothing could ever steer me away from my commitment, not even an enchanting American who stirred something deep within me.
After drawing out breath, I tried calling her phone a few times, but to no avail. It immediately diverted straight to her voicemail.
“Where the bloody hell is she?” I grumbled as I scanned the drunken folks through the glass of my window. After a minute or so without any sign of her, I decided it was best to park somewhere, get out of the car, and look for her. I wasn’t one to wait about until she was ready to end her partying for the night.
Once I was out of the vehicle, I was a little disappointed of what type of company Serena surrounded herself with from university. She seemed like a bright woman with splendid potential. It would be disheartening to see her deter from her promising future, wasting away precious time by meandering through parties and men instead of focusing on paving her way into a successful career. Was this the main reason she had come here in the first place, to party?
I balked at the thought as I broke into the throng of people, pushing my way into the house. The second I got through the door, I wasn’t surprised to see a full house.
Try as I might, I scoured the crowd for her familiar face and figure, but she was nowhere in sight. Deciding to follow the flow of the crowd, which led me towards the back end of the house that faced the beach, I found myself in a converted communal room turned into a dance floor. And that’s when I found her … atop a circular dining table, dancing in a form-fitting white dress that left little to a man’s imagination.
Each curve was on display as men surrounded her, glancing up in awe and with lust-filled eyes, admiring each curve was flaunted for their eyes’ pleasure.
I saw red. I saw white. I saw her.
All of her.
I had known she had a lovely figure. She was trim and had a well-toned body that garnered everyone’s attention. It also exposed how much time and effort she most likely invested in the gym or some sort of outdoor activities.
God help me, but this ought to be one hell of a long night.
My body went hot as my blood boiled with each second that passed watching her seductively swaying as she danced to the beat. She was hypnotizing to watch, but sense left me as I furiously streamed towards her, ready to bring hell on earth.
“Get your bloody arse down from that godforsaken table, or I’ll f*uking do it myself,” I threatened, almost screeching at the top of my lungs, past caring what others thought.
“Cruz!” Serena paused, momentarily shocked to see me. The second it registered how angry I was, her smile gradually turned to a frown. “Okay, gosh. There’s no need to cause a scene.”
I wasn’t the least bit amused. All I knew was how royally ticked off I was. I didn’t care if it made sense to me, to her, or for the people amongst us. All I knew was that I didn’t want men looking at her as if she was a dessert ready to be devoured. I wanted to shield her, protect her, and at the same time, strangle her for being so reckless. My emotions were getting the best of me, and I was having a perilous time harnessing them back in their cage.
The second she got down from the table, Serena wearily eyed me then leaned closer with a cute pout on her succulent lips. “I was just dancing. There’s no harm in that, is there?”
Yes, there was. She was harming my sanity, my entire existence, and I wasn’t sure how to address it.
“You were flaunting your body while men ogled and fantasized about f*uking you senseless.” That had not come out the way I had wanted it to, but bloody hell, the woman was driving me mental. Literally. Unequivocally.
“Exactly. What’s the harm in that? You act as if I committed a crime.” She was standing her ground, a trait I respected most especially since not a lot of people tried to argue with me. As much as I admired her vigor, however, I couldn’t shake off the potent jealousy that possessed me upon seeing her dancing for such a rabid, hungry audience.
“You were inviting trouble, Serena,” I replied. “What if one of those men had decided they had to have you to themselves, even though you protested? You could’ve been raped or something even more dreadful.”
All amusement vanished from her face. “Your imagination is colorful. No wonder you’re the way you are.”
I’d had high hopes she would see my point, but I was taken aback by her derogatory remark.
“And what is that exactly, Serena?”
It seemed she had already made up her mind about me, and I admitted it stung a little.
“You’re boring,” she said, obviously feeling justified. “You don’t know how to have fun. You’re always so serious about everything. You’re so wound up that you don’t ever let yourself loose.”
I gritted my teeth as I squashed down the urge to wrench her against my body and kiss her senselessly just to shut her up.