Stolen: Meant To Be (Contemporary Billionaire Romance) by Holly Rayner Page A
Authors: Holly Rayner
Ads: Link
said, “I’ll put on my suit soon too. I have one more thing to see to.”
On my way upstairs the doorbell rang and I stopped to let in the bartender and two waiters he’d brought with him who would circulate, taking orders and serving drinks. I went up to mine and Seth’s bedroom. It still felt strange to call it that. I hadn’t brought anything over yet besides my clothing, shoes and basics so it still looked like a man’s room as well. It was nicely decorated, but it was sparse. Only one photograph hung on the wall and it was an ocean scene with a sailboat in the background. We made plans to pack up my things and have the movers pick them up several times, but with the plans for the party and our new project at work, things had been a little hectic.
I’d chosen a whimsical crewneck dress by Ralph Lauren for the party. It was a dark green and it had a full, flirty skirt and a pointelle-knit mesh yoke and sleeves. It was very nice without being overly formal for a back yard party. My shoes were a pair of strappy suede 4” heel sandals with dark green and navy blue beads across the straps. I put on the dress and shoes and then slipped on my gold bracelet and necklace that Seth had bought me. I’d done my hair earlier, leaving most of it down, but just braiding the top like a crown around my head. My make-up was done and I was ready. I heard the doorbell and wondered if Seth had put on his suit. When I got downstairs I saw him greeting the early arrivers and he was indeed in his suit.
He glanced at me as I came down the stairs and his eyes got wide. I smiled at him and I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest at the sight of him in a charcoal gray Hugo Boss Jacket and pants and a navy blue tie and pocket square. He looked good enough to eat. I stood next to him and we greeted our guests one by one as they arrived. At six o’clock, dinner was announced and we went outside to eat. Harlan and Russell and their wives sat at the table with Seth and I and the conversation was lively and, thank goodness, had nothing to do with work. We had sent out almost two hundred invitations. As I looked around now, I could see that most of those people had already arrived. The one person that was conspicuously absent was James.
Seth didn’t mention it, but when he went up to the bandstand to make the announcements, I could see him glancing around again. If James wasn’t fully on board with Seth and I being together, I was glad he didn’t come. But I was still upset for Seth. I knew that he had held out hope his father was changing his views on life and that having a real relationship with him was a possibility. The more time clicked by tonight without James showing up, the sadder Seth’s eyes looked.
“Hello everyone,” Seth said over the microphone. “I’m Seth Hunter for those of you I haven’t yet met and I’d like to welcome you to my backyard.” There were rumbles and laughs throughout the crowd and Seth went on to say, “Tonight is a celebration. It’s about two unions. The first one most of you may have been present for. It was the union of Hunter Corp. and Morgan Corp. We are now, Morgan & Hunter Inc. as you all know. Tonight is the first chance that we’ve had to put the work aside and celebrate that union. I can assure you that great things will come of it and it’s likely the most exciting thing to happen to Manhattan in decades.” There was more laughter and applause. When that died down Seth said, “And now the announcement that I am most happy about. Last week I asked Miss Adele Morgan to marry me. She accepted. Adele, stand up, honey.” Against my will, I got to my feet. The crowd clapped and cheered and when they finished and I sat down, Seth said, “I’d like to make a toast.”
People either grabbed a new drink or held theirs up. Seth waited for them to settle down and then he said, “I’d like for us to all raise our glasses in honor of two great businesses,
On my way upstairs the doorbell rang and I stopped to let in the bartender and two waiters he’d brought with him who would circulate, taking orders and serving drinks. I went up to mine and Seth’s bedroom. It still felt strange to call it that. I hadn’t brought anything over yet besides my clothing, shoes and basics so it still looked like a man’s room as well. It was nicely decorated, but it was sparse. Only one photograph hung on the wall and it was an ocean scene with a sailboat in the background. We made plans to pack up my things and have the movers pick them up several times, but with the plans for the party and our new project at work, things had been a little hectic.
I’d chosen a whimsical crewneck dress by Ralph Lauren for the party. It was a dark green and it had a full, flirty skirt and a pointelle-knit mesh yoke and sleeves. It was very nice without being overly formal for a back yard party. My shoes were a pair of strappy suede 4” heel sandals with dark green and navy blue beads across the straps. I put on the dress and shoes and then slipped on my gold bracelet and necklace that Seth had bought me. I’d done my hair earlier, leaving most of it down, but just braiding the top like a crown around my head. My make-up was done and I was ready. I heard the doorbell and wondered if Seth had put on his suit. When I got downstairs I saw him greeting the early arrivers and he was indeed in his suit.
He glanced at me as I came down the stairs and his eyes got wide. I smiled at him and I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest at the sight of him in a charcoal gray Hugo Boss Jacket and pants and a navy blue tie and pocket square. He looked good enough to eat. I stood next to him and we greeted our guests one by one as they arrived. At six o’clock, dinner was announced and we went outside to eat. Harlan and Russell and their wives sat at the table with Seth and I and the conversation was lively and, thank goodness, had nothing to do with work. We had sent out almost two hundred invitations. As I looked around now, I could see that most of those people had already arrived. The one person that was conspicuously absent was James.
Seth didn’t mention it, but when he went up to the bandstand to make the announcements, I could see him glancing around again. If James wasn’t fully on board with Seth and I being together, I was glad he didn’t come. But I was still upset for Seth. I knew that he had held out hope his father was changing his views on life and that having a real relationship with him was a possibility. The more time clicked by tonight without James showing up, the sadder Seth’s eyes looked.
“Hello everyone,” Seth said over the microphone. “I’m Seth Hunter for those of you I haven’t yet met and I’d like to welcome you to my backyard.” There were rumbles and laughs throughout the crowd and Seth went on to say, “Tonight is a celebration. It’s about two unions. The first one most of you may have been present for. It was the union of Hunter Corp. and Morgan Corp. We are now, Morgan & Hunter Inc. as you all know. Tonight is the first chance that we’ve had to put the work aside and celebrate that union. I can assure you that great things will come of it and it’s likely the most exciting thing to happen to Manhattan in decades.” There was more laughter and applause. When that died down Seth said, “And now the announcement that I am most happy about. Last week I asked Miss Adele Morgan to marry me. She accepted. Adele, stand up, honey.” Against my will, I got to my feet. The crowd clapped and cheered and when they finished and I sat down, Seth said, “I’d like to make a toast.”
People either grabbed a new drink or held theirs up. Seth waited for them to settle down and then he said, “I’d like for us to all raise our glasses in honor of two great businesses,
Similar Books
