THE PROPOSAL (2)

A half hour later, they emerged from Drake ’s sedan in front of an unfamiliar building. Sarah gave a nervous smile to the doorman who held the way open for them, but she couldn’t avoid the sick feeling in her stomach. This was like high school all over again. No, worse. It was like those nightmares she had where she was pushed out onto stage and didn’t know her lines. A thousand worries flew through her mind. What if someone asked what she did for a living? Should she lie? Act coy? Would the truth embarrass Drake ? What if they had to eat something and she had no idea which fork to use? A small giggle escaped her at the thought of their horrified faces if she used a salad fork on her dessert.
“Are you all right?” Drake asked as they entered the elevator and waited for their floor. He was dressed in a gorgeous suit with nearly invisible pinstripes that had been tailored to fit his handsome form. He wore an equally dark gray shirt underneath it, with the collar slightly open and no tie. It wasn’t a super formal event by his standards.
“I’m okay,” Sarah told him. “Just nervous.”
“I know.”
She looked at him. “How do you know?”
“You have this strange giggle that you do when you’re nervous.” His eyes glinted down at her in amusement. “That, and you’ve got a death grip on my sleeve.”
She released his arm with a flush. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. His mouth began to move over her neck and jaw, pressing whispering little kisses over her skin. “You look utterly delectable. If we weren’t heading to this party, I might be convinced to stop this elevator and see what you’re wearing under that dress.”
“I’ll spoil the suspense for you,” she said flirtatiously. “Nothing.”
He groaned, pulling her hips against his own. “No tan lines, either?”
“Nope. I spent my day at the beach totally nude.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. “I had good company, if I recall.”
“The best.” He leaned in and lightly kissed her lips.
The elevator chimed, and the doors opened. A sea of people stood before them, and a wave of laughter and light applause erupted at the sight of Drake Holt and his date wrapped around each other. Drake simply smiled, releasing Sarah and extending a hand to hold the elevator open for her. “Very funny,” he said to the few people clapping nearby.
Mortified, Sarah stepped out of the elevator, her hand automatically going to touch the expensive necklace at her throat. Not the entrance she’d wanted to make. She wanted to look good, but she also wouldn’t have minded blending in with the scenery despite her backless gown. That hope had flown out the window, though. She’d shown up kissing a billionaire, and judging by the looks some of the women were casting in her direction, that was an unforgiveable offense.
It was going to be a long night.
A hand went to the small of her back, and Sarah jumped, relieved and surprised that it was Enny. “Come on what are you doing here, you said you had a busy schedule .”
“ not for this important night Sarah.”
“ shall we.” Drake asked leading her after a brief hug with Enny
She nodded, allowing him to steer her through the party, mentally noting everyone. The room was glitzy, strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and chic decor. There was an ice sculpture in the center of the room that looked like a skyscraper of some kind, and soft music played from a band in the corner of the room. No one was dancing. Instead, everyone was dressed in suits or cocktail dresses, clutching glasses of wine and chatting in small, close-knit groups. Small party indeed.
Making conversation and drinking. Okay. She could do that. “Not even the gods fight against necessity.”
They approached a gray-haired man and his silver-haired wife. Both were kitted out in black, the woman’s neck sparkling with a thick choker of diamonds. Both lit up at the sight of Drake and turned toward him.
“Sarah,”Drake said. “I want you to meet my newest business partner, Doyle Bullet, and his wife, Rita.”
Her eyes widened at the name. The only Doyle Bullet she knew of was an oil tycoon who was sometimes mentioned in the news. She thrust her hand out. “Pleased to meet you both. I’m Sarah Rosewood .”
Rita took her hand, smiling. “How lovely to meet you. Such an unusual name, too.”
“Thank you,” she said, noticing how Rita’s fingertips had barely grazed her hand. “It’s not after any Sarah in particular. Or rather, any or all of them. Pick a Sarah, any Sarah.” A high-pitched giggle escaped her.
Drake cast her a knowing look.
Oh, hell. She’d just done her nervous laugh again. She quickly shook Doyle’s hand, humiliated.
“Thank you for inviting us tonight,”Doyle said smoothly. “And for letting me meet this beautiful lady.”
“But of course,” Rita said generously, smiling at Sarah and then at Drake . “Would you excuse me? I just want to make sure that the caterers have everything under control.”
She slipped away, leaving Sarah and Drake with Doyle.
Drake turned to Sarah . “I have a surprise for you.”
“I will like to make a toast tonight .” Drake casually snagged two glasses from a passing waiter and handed one to Sarah. “Drake what are you doing ?”she said as Drake wen off towards the stage quickly
“ so I figured that this is a good place and time to ask Sarah Rosewood this question, Mainly because I don’t want to be apart from you anymore, not even a second. You are my favorite person in the whole world and I can not wait to spend the rest of my life with you. And we are a big deal. I know we have had lots of ups and down these past years but I wouldn’t want to have them with someone else. I know I must have said so many negative things but I want you to know that this is the most positive and original I will ever say to you .So I am going to ask you Sarah .” He got on his kneel while Sarah’s brother came out bearing the ring
“ Sarah will you marry me?.”
tears flowed from her eyes as she walked up to him
“ yes I will marry you Drake.”
He slipped the ring in her finger and hugged her passionately
“ I love you Drake.” She finally whispered in his ear
“ I love you Sarah.” He replied
She turned, and to her surprise, she saw Brown clapping hands and a slapping backs with a large blond woman.
“Beatrice ” he said in the same easy voice, “I’d like you to meet my date. Sarah, this is Beatrice .”
“Pleased to meet you,” she said in a small voice.
“Beatrice is also a business partner of mine,” Drake said smoothly.
“I prefer the term ‘friend,’” Brown own said with a grin. “You know, like regular people.”
She laughed, feeling instantly more comfortable at Brown ’s words.
“As I was saying, congratulations Sarah . . .” Brown ’s reedy voice rose a bit. “I wanted to talk to you a bit more about your job this afternoon, but I got an invite here instead ”
“Of course,”Drake said, and glanced at Brown . “Would you mind introducing Sarah to a few people? I’m sure this won’t be interesting for her.”
“I would be delighted,” Brown own said, offering her his arm. “Shall we?”
“Sure,” she said, placing her hand in his arm and letting him lead. She gave Drake a reluctant wave good-bye and allowed Brown to pull her away and into the mix of the party. She looked up at her escort. He seemed friendly enough, and the expression on his face was kind. Handsome, she supposed, if she were looking, but everyone paled in comparison to Drake ’s cool, austere good looks. “How do you know Beatrice ?”
“We go way back,” Brown own said easily. “College. Dartmouth. We studied business there together. Same frat and everything.”
She smiled at the thought. “Same frat? Beatrice doesn’t strike me as the party girl type.”
“She’s not. Even back then, she’d glare at us over our drinks and remind us that we had a test in the morning. She’s always been excessively responsible, I’m afraid. She tries to keep everyone in line.”
She laughed. “That sounds like Drake .”
“So how did you manage to convince Drake into marriage ?” he asked her. “It’s been a long time since he’s been a bad boy, I do miss my friend’s days of play .”
“Well I had to put a gun in his head , there is so much I need to tell you Brown , but where is Beatrice?.”
“ she went to the restroom , we agreed to meet at the bar in five minutes.”
“ okay , Did you hear about his trip to Seaturtle Cay resort?” At his interested glance, she filled him in on the details—their meeting in the elevator and how they’d been stuck there for nearly a day, their nights spent curled up in the stairwell as they did their thing, their day spent on the beach, the rain and how they had made up despite the difficulties.She omitted her own subsequent return home due to hurt feelings. That seemed a bit too personal to share.
“I suppose we can credit me for for bringing you both together, then. Drake seems happy enough.”
Sarah took a sip of her drink, smiling politely. “Does he?”
“Indeed.” Brown own seemed amused. “From what I’ve heard, he hasn’t been at work nearly as much since returning, and we were speculating as to why. It seems I’ve found out the answer.”
“We?” she couldn’t help but ask. “Who is we?”
“ Drake ’s closest friends. Would you like to meet a few?”
“Please.” She was intrigued.
“ Reese is not here tonight. He never attends these sorts of functions. But he and Drake are very close. I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point. Griffin’s over there, by the ice sculpture. The one with the glasses.”
She turned, studying the crowd until she located a man with glasses. He was tall and lean, almost lanky. His face was handsome, his style and poise suggesting he was at ease in these surroundings. The expression on his face betrayed sheer aristocratic boredom.
“He seems . . . nice,” she lied.
“Oh, Griffin? He’s a snob,”Brown said easily. “His family’s British aristocracy. Very old money. Grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and a polo pony at the ready. He’s extremely intelligent. Good guy, once you get to know him, though.”
“I’m sure,” she said in a noncommittal voice.
“He doesn’t take kindly to strangers, though, which is why we’re standing over here talking about him instead of introducing you. If you were on a committee or wanted to discuss funding for a university project, I imagine he’d talk your ear off. Most of us run in fairly exclusive circles, you understand.”
She was beginning to understand, all right, she thought with a sinking feeling. Did all of Drake ’s friends have money and success? How on earth would she fit into his world?
“Reese is also here tonight. See the man to Griffin’s left with the women hanging off of him?” Sarah scanned the room and spotted a well-built, dark-haired man with a rakish look. Two gorgeous women were laughing at something he said, and as Sarah watched, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair off of one of his companion’s shoulders in a very intimate move.
He glanced up, as if noticing Sarah’s stare, and winked at her.
She blushed in response, turning back to Brown . “I think I found him.”
“Reese is a bit of a ladies’ man, which is why we’re standing way over here. If I take you over to Reese, Drake rake will probably charge over to protect his territory.”
That wouldn’t be such a bad thing,Sarah thought with another sip of her wine. “And you? Where do you fit into the picture? You’ve shown me the professor and the playboy. Where do you fit into all these neat little categories?”
He grinned at her, flashing white teeth. “I am a Saint t at heart, I’m afraid. I like nothing more than to be of service. You’re looking at the world’s largest Boy Scout. Show me an old lady who needs to cross the street, and I’ll show you a man who will trip over his own two feet to assist her.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “That’s a rather interesting picture you paint of yourself.”
Brown shrugged. “I find that most people fit into basic archetypes if you think about it.”
“Oh? Where do you see me?”
“I don’t know enough about you yet.” He studied her for a moment. “What do you plan to do after quitting on me?”
Sarah figured that he’d ask that. She bit back her grimace and kept her face deadpan. “ I will worry about that after I put to bed,Drake doesn’t want me stressing myself right now Does that change things?”
His eyebrows rose, but he nodded. “I’m still forming my opinion. You’re definitely more of a Mary Ann than a Ginger, though.”
“Can’t argue with that. Unfortunately, it feels like this party is full of Gingers.”
“These sorts of shindigs always draw a lot of Gingers,” he said sympathetically. “Luckily for me, I’ve claimed the one Mary Ann in the bunch. Much better conversation.”
He was such a sweetheart. She couldn’t help but smile at him. She took another sip of her wine and then pointed at Drake ’s broad back as he stood commanding a small group that was hanging on his every word. “And Drake ? What is he?”
Brown grinned. “He’s the boss, of course. Just like everyone wishes they could be.”
“Mmm. ‘He who owns a hundred sheep must fight with fifty wolves.’”
He gave her an impressed look. “Who said that?”
Another man moved to her side, and to her surprise, she found it was her friend . The snob. “Plutarch,” she told Brown with an arch smile. “And you’re keeping Drake ’s new friend all to yourself tonight. I’m wounded, especially when I come and find that she’s quoting Greek philosophy to you.”
She put her hand out in greeting. “I’m Enny, Sarah’s best friend before your friend took over .”
“Of course you are,” Brown murmured, his voice cultured and smooth. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Enny, Eni, or Ene?”
“Take your pick,” she said lightly, feeling a bit more comfortable. Ige called everything.”
“I’m chaperoning while Drake has to do the rounds,” Brown said. “Sarah didn’t look as if she was enjoying the stock market conversation, so I was put in charge of her rescue.”
“Wise choice,” Enny agreed. “So you quoted Plutarch. Are you a big fan of his work?”
“Actually, I don’t know that I am. While I enjoyed his Parallel Lives,” she said, tilting her head to study Brown ’s expression, “I find them rather biased toward his own particular philosophy, which is ironic considering that he castigated Herodotus for doing the same in his works.”
Brown chuckled. “And this is the part where both of you lose me. I think I’m off to get a refill while you two discuss dead Greek guys. Would you like more wine, Sarah?”
“Please,” she told him with a smile. “That would be lovely.”
Enny stepped closer to her as Brown moved away. “So how did Drake end up with a woman who quotes philosophy? You’ll forgive me if I say that most women he dates don’t seem the type to be able to read anything beyond a fashion magazine, much less ancient history.”
“Well,” she began, smiling at Enny. “It is what it is. So where is Ben.”
“ You should say hello to your dad too .I had him come too .”
“ wow how come I missed him .” Sarah asked with excitement as she hurried after Enny.