Chapter 40: A Different Night

It never crossed Gwen’s mind that she would bump into Finn in this event. He hadn’t mentioned anything to her, but giving it a second thought, he didn’t have to. They were not a couple, and Cody was staying with her that night, so he could do whatever he wanted.
But seeing him there, extremely handsome and sexy, drinking from his glass of whisky, was not the distraction that Gwen had in mind for the evening.
She wanted to forget about all the things that happened in the last few days, and not have to stare to one of the main reasons she was trying to have a night off.
Looking at Finn, it was evident that he wasn’t comfortable with her there either. In fact, his body radiated anger and annoyance ever since their eyes met. Gwen was trying very hard to avoid him, pretending he wasn’t even there, but it was like their eyes were magnets that were attracted to each other.
Clyde was being very friendly with everyone around him, so she wasn’t sure if he had noticed Finn’s presence or not. As far as she was concerned, he could be pretending the same way as her.
The place was crowded, and Gwen felt the need to drink a bit more, and faster. She was not going to enjoy the party if she gave it too much thought.
After a few hours, the alcohol started to have effect on everyone, and suddenly, they were all dancing and speaking loudly, like they were in a club. At that moment, Gwen felt more at ease. Now, it didn’t even seem like they belonged to different worlds. They were all simply enjoying life.
She accepted another glass of champagne that was being offered by Clyde and let herself get involved in the music.
“You know, I think I did an absolutely phenomenal job choosing this dress for you,” Clyde whispered in her ear, sending chills all over her body. She didn’t know he would get so close.
Immediately, her mind got into an alert state since she didn’t know how Finn would react by seeing both of them being so intimate with each other. She could almost feel his stare burning her back.
But then she thought, why couldn’t she do whatever she wanted to? Maybe it was the alcohol in her system talking, but she didn’t want to think about Finn now. She just wanted to enjoy the evening. For once, she decided to choose herself instead of anyone else.
Could it be that Finn was jealous of her and Clyde? Finn never really made clear his true feelings about them being together, except for the fact that he hated the man. But that could be some egotistical bickering between two CEOs. She did not want to be a part of that, but she also didn’t mind if Finn felt a bit jealous.
Clyde took one more step forward, putting his hand around her waist and pulling her body closer to his. She could feel her heart beating fast inside her chest, but she couldn’t back down now.
Their bodies were moving in the rhythm of the music, their breaths uneven. Clyde’s nose was now touching hers; at any minute now they would be kissing. And when Gwen was closing her eyes to surrender to that moment, something pressed into her arm, and she felt her body being pulled away from Clyde.
It took a few seconds for her to understand what was happening. She was passing by everyone, or better yet, being dragged by someone through the hall, but the movement was too fast for her drunken mind to make sense of it.
The place was getting quieter as the person pulling her turned down a darker and more isolated hallway. She blinked, trying to focus on whoever was by her side. And when she finally saw his silhouette against the moon light coming from the window, she gasped.
“Finn, what do you think you’re doing?” she yelled, trying to get rid of his hand.
But instead, he stopped and pressed her against the cold wall. Gwen swallowed as she realized that Finn’s face was just a few inches away from hers.
She was about to kiss Clyde a few minutes before, so how come she was now looking into those green eyes and staring at his lips, desiring him more than ever?
She shook her head, but that only made the situation worse. She had drunk a lot; she realized that now.
“What do you think I’m doing? Do you really think I was going to watch you kiss Clyde in front of me?” his sexy voice asked her, and Gwen felt her stomach clinch with lust.
She also noticed that Finn was a bit drunk as well. She could smell the presence of whisky and cigarettes all over him, but for the first time, she didn’t care.
“I don’t think that’s your business,” she provoked. “Don’t touch me this way ever again. You don’t have the right.”
Finn narrowed his eyes.
“It is my business. And I will do this as many times as necessary if you ever try to kiss him in front of me again,” Finn clenched his teeth, his eyes now on her lips.
“Who I kiss or not kiss is my concern only. I don’t-”
Finn leaned towards her, touching their foreheads and interrupting her reflection. Gwen was stuck against the wall, being blocked by his tall and well-built body. One hand was holding hers beside her head and the other was squeezing her waist with anger and desire.
She couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying anymore. He was too close, and she could not think properly. 
Her whole body was begging so much for him that it actually hurt.
“I can’t stand seeing you kiss anyone else but me,” he stated, releasing her hand and cupping her head. He pulled her face towards him, as his body pressed her against the wall even more, in a way that there was no space left between them. “You're mine, Gwen. I can’t have it any other way.”
With that, he claimed her lips, kissing her with desperate urgency.