Getting ready in her bedroom for their outing with their mother that afternoon, Annie knew was running behind schedule. She spent too long working out in their in-home gym and lost track of time. She took a quick shower and practically ran to her dressing room sporting a slim tight light blue jeans, a loose silk peach colored blouse, and Tory Burch flats that were great for walking for their shopping adventure.    

As she was putting the finishing touches to her make-up, her sister Cici, strode in wearing a white short skirt, and a 3/4 long sleeve black shirt with high heeled Valentino shoes. Her step-sister had beautiful shoulder length, straight blonde hair, porcelain skin looking like a human version of a Barbie with a lean fit body and sky blue eyes lined with thick long lashes.

Cici was the more eccentric one with a care free attitude and bubbling personality.

"I'm ready!" She declared, seating herself on the lounge chair across the room and started going through the magazines on the table. "You better hurry up. Mom doesn't like to wait."

"I'm almost done just me give me a minute." Annie told her as she applied a light peachy colored lipstick.

"I'm dying to tell you something huge!"  Cici said out of nowhere, replacing the magazine and spreading her hands up in the air. "I'm going to be engaged!"  She squealed, barely able to sit still as she hopped on her bottom in excitement.

Annie's gaze shifted slightly from the mirror to catch her older sisters grin in the reflection. She continued explaining she and Anthony were in love and was he planning to ask their parents for her hand in marriage. Annie's eyes widened and she couldn't help but stand there speechless. Suddenly, Cici sprang from the chair and jumped in excitement like a little child.

The envy she felt could not be ignored.   When was my Prince Charming coming? She pondered silently in her head. She couldn't help but wonder.  Ready to take the next step in her life and share it with another–finding the one was harder than what was portrayed in fairytales.  It was more than showing up on her doorstep and sweeping her off her feet. 

Annie, Cici and their brother Michael all worked with their father in his shipping/building business for the last several years. After a while, working full time just wasn't enough. Making millions felt meaningless. Her outlook on life changed. The loneliness began to form and take shape in the empty hole inside her.

She was missing more.

She, like everybody else in the world, hoped to find her soul mate someday. Someone to share her life with. Someone she could look forward to waking up next to. A man who was strong and confident-a leader, an alpha. A man who didn't want her for just her looks. She wanted someone who respected her and treated her like a human being and not some doll waiting to be complimented or some prize to be won.

The Taverron's were very traditional family that valued a woman's reputation, forbidding intimacy before marriage.  Abstinence was not commonly followed in modern days as it was but the Taverron women were brought up to follow this one very important rule. It was a family custom that dated back generations. It made them rare in the eyes of the beholder and the most sought after women amongst the elite families.

Even her brother Michael had someone to love him despite how obnoxious and tedious he acted. Now, it looks like Cici did too.

Shaking herself awake from her trance and composing herself, she glanced back at her sister. Thankfully, Cici was still daydreaming in her little world.

"Let's hope dad doesn't kill him first!" She teased and laughed at the horrified expression skidding across Cici's face.

"Oh God, you don't think he'll do anything to him, do you? It's not like he would say no, right?" She asked worriedly. "Dad can be dramatic."

Cici can be so gullible sometimes, thought Annie, shaking her head.

"No, I don't think he'll say 'no' to his face but he's going to be so pissed. You know how dad is, he's dad–way too over protective and he doesn't like to share. Letting go of one of his girls is going to be hard.  I mean, his glare alone makes any man run the other direction before they even look our way."

"Oh, Annie I'm so scared...what if...."

"I'm sure mom will probably try to reason with him and make him see the light, she always does."  She reasoned. 

Cici didn't look any more relieved at her words and Annie instantly felt guilty that she'd said too much. 

"The thing is, I never mentioned they were coming. Mom and Dad don't know." She admitted.

Annie stiffened, albeit alarmed by the news.  But they didn't have time to discuss the details.  Their mother would be upset if they held her up any longer. 

"Cici, let talk about this when we get back.  We need some therapy shopping.  It seems like forever since we've gone and it'll help you forget your worries a bit. You know what they say, 'shopping is the best medicine'. Besides mom's waiting and we're already late, so let's go." 

Annie grabbed her Chanel handbag and Range Rover keys and headed toward her bedroom door. She glanced back over her shoulder and noticed Cici hadn't followed her but was in deep in thought.

"Cici!"  Shouted Annie.

She looked at Annie with dread filled eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong, is it what I said?"

Cici shook her head, No.

"Anthony and his parents will be here later this afternoon probably around the time we get back. Mom and dad don't know about it, it's a surprise visit." Replied Cici with a tremble in her voice.

Annie was shocked into a standstill and gasped in surprise. They weren't even warned that they were coming. 

"Lets deal with it when it happens, for now, lets go."

With fingers crossed, hopefully her mother and father take the news well, for Cici's sake. Annie bit down on the inside of her lip to keep from saying more and went back towards Cici. Taking her hands she pulls her forward and starts moving out the door, keeping her thoughts to herself.

They both spotted their mother down in the foyer already waiting for them.

"What took you both so long? I've been waiting for over ten minutes! We need to leave now in order to be back for when your father comes home from work, we haven't sat together and shared a family meal in far too long!"

"Sorry mom!" Both said in unison.

They climbed into Annie's car, Charlotte sat in the passenger side with Cici in the back.

It was a beautiful temperate day in January as they drove into the city with the windows down and not too much later they parallel parked on Rodeo Drive.

"Lets start down towards the Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel and work our way up," Cici suggested, looking like she'd put her worries behind her for the meantime. Both Annie and Charlotte agreed to the suggestion.

As they moved from boutique to boutique, Annie couldn't help but notice the stares people were giving them, especially her. It always managed to make her feel so uncomfortable. Sometimes she wanted to hide her features with a pair of big sunglasses or a hat.

"Got a staring problem?" Cici shouted at two men.

Cici rattled them awake with her outbursts and all three giggled at the reactions, most of them nearly jumping out of their skin in shock. She wasn't kind but it did the trick, people looked embarrassed for getting caught starring, some even said sorry. They just wouldn't look away even when all three women gave them dirty looks.

"Thanks for doing that Cici." Annie said, reaching for the sunglasses in her bag and slipping them on quickly.

"One guy's eyes were nearly popping out of his face! But Angie," Cici says calling Annie by her nickname,  "You can't blame them, you're too damn beautiful for your own good."

"My 'beauty' is more of a curse than anything else. It was either your outbursts or kicking their ass's, that's why I kept my mouth shut. Actions speak louder than words."  Annie supplied, "I cant help it."

"Oh honey, why is violence the first thing that comes to your mind? This is all your father's fault, I know it is. And don't even start, your beauty is not a curse, it's power, embrace it and be proud, don't cower and push people away because of it," their mother argued.

Annie shook her head slightly knowing better then to disagree with her mother about the subject.

All three carried bags and bags of clothing, shoes, and designer handbags. They visited Burberry, Chanel, Versace, Christian Dior, Prada, and other numerous designer boutiques. They continued shopping down both sides of the strip as well as making multiple stops to the car to put bags away.

At one point as Annie left them to put away some more bags alone, when she felt the most unusual sensation brush passed her...It was warm and welcoming and odd, it felt right...
*********
Rodeo Drive Mid-Afternoon

A sense of wonder crossed his features. Who is that girl?

Seeing her for the first time left him captivated, mesmerized, transfixed. His heart thudded in his chest, clenching tightly as the chambers released the rush of oxygen rich blood throughout his body.  He could feel the euphoria humming through his veins.

Beautiful beyond words, a face of an angel, the figure of a goddess. Hair so thick it looked like it was spun out of gold—long and lustrous. Her eyes were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses and he could very well imagine her eyes were just as beautiful as the rest of her. 

Julien sat back and stroked his chin thoughtfully enjoying his espresso and most particularly the view.  

He caught sight of her down the street when her laughter and that of her friend's alongside her made its way to his ears, causing them to perk up.  He did a double take upon seeing her and couldn't take his eyes off of her since.

For the past hour he sat and watched her exit and re-enter boutique after designer boutique. She and her friends had various bags from their shopping adventure from what he's witnessed so far. 

Suddenly, she walks away from the small group holding many bags in her arms. Alone.  To his utter delight she saunters towards where he lounged casually—greedily watching like a stalker in the shadows.

Julien's hawk like eyes traveled along with her as she gracefully walks around the sidewalk. She eventually stops behind a large black Range Rover, parallel parked on Rodeo Drive, directly in front of the café he visited. 

Placing the bags down, she reached under the back window, making the trunk automatically lift open. She discarded all the bags and stepped back before pressing the automatic button allowing the trunk to close on it's own.

The girl wiped her hands down the sides of her jeans while Julien watched every movement. Her thighs were well toned against skin tight jeans. A breeze passed by making the delicate shirt she wore press up against her body. Her waist slender— accentuated her large and generous breasts. The shape of her body was perfectly proportional with all her assets.

The fragrance she preferred was deliciously alluring and he inhaled deeply when it passed him like a whisper in the air.  It pulled him like a fish on a hook—wheeling him in, trapping him.  It was undeniably sweet and addicting.  Closing his eyes, Julien memorizes the scent.

It smelled like Jasmine.  The flower.

His mouth opened unconsciously as he savored it, almost tasting it. Attracting him like a moth to a flame–beckoning him to come closer and kiss the sweet intoxicating-mouthwatering perfume alongside her neck. He was completely mesmerized by the creation before him.  He rendered him speechless.

She began to walk away but stopped.

Julien held his breath.

Reaching for her handbag it appeared she was searching for something. The sound of music was coming from the inside. Julien kept his gaze steady and sat straighter in his seat in curiosity. A cellular phone was clutched in her hands as she answers it. The enchanting beauty greets the other person on the line with a smile. Julien quirks an eyebrow trying to make out what she was saying.

The only sounds that he heard was her sweet laughter reaching his ears. He focuses on her soft lips, completely awakened and alert. She smiles and nods to the caller.

Did she have a lover, perhaps? A boyfriend...Husband?

A surprising jolt of anger and jealousy twisted his insides. He was never one to feel jealousy. It was a emotion he's never experienced until now—wondering who she was speaking to on the other end and who was making her laugh so.

His strong jaw and firm mouth were clenched together as a muscle twitched in his cheek while he kept his steady sharp gaze focused on her. The dark thoughts swirled inside his head,  conjuring images of her with another making the anger inside of him intensify to dangerous levels.

Right before his eyes she sauntered away and crossed the street before Julien could collect himself. Although he tried to fight that instinctual pull not recognizing himself to fall for a girl so easily. He couldn't help but feel the hollowness inside him begin to fill and become whole. He was almost absolutely certain he could not deny himself the need to know her–there was a unbelievable connection he sensed as if her aura was calling out to him.

It was a burning need within him that needed to know who the mysterious beauty is. It made no sense to feel this intense of a connection with someone he'd never seen before. He'd never imagined he would ever feel like this about anyone. The strong emotion building inside of him was one he did not recognize. 

But he must acknowledge it.

This girl affected him in such a different way, a way no other woman has ever before.

He took down her license plate number. Julien could have, should have, approached her but he didn't want to alarm her or cause her discomfort for being so bold. Perhaps it was best to learn more about her before he sought her out. For all he knew she could be involved with someone and he would never want to impose upon anyone's comfort.

Sending a quick email to one of his contacts from his phone, Julien stood, a small dark smirk adorning his handsome face...

He finally found someone who made him feel, and he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers. For most of his life he's always taken whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Nothing was going to deter him from his mission now.

No matter what.
*****

The unidentifiable sensation stayed with Annie even after walking away from her car...glancing over her shoulder she became paranoid, scanning her surroundings with a frown etched on her face.  She could have sworn she was being watched.  But she shook it off and continued on her way regardless...

During their shopping extravaganza they spotted a frozen yogurt shop. They went in and splurged, filling their bowls with frozen yogurt while adding delicious fruits and sugary toppings. They were laughing and really having a wonderful time, forgetting all their worries and concerns from earlier.

After five hours and tons of bags loaded in the back of the trunk and the back seat they decided to head back home. Charlotte resumed her position in the passenger seat and Cici took her position in the back as Annie drove them home.

Now that the fun was over, the reality of what was waiting for Cici set in. Her stomach started to tense up as they inched closer and closer home.   Annie checked her rear view mirror as if sensing Cici's distress. They both made eye contact briefly. 

A disquiet understanding passed between their gazes.

"I had a wonderful time girls, thank you for today. I know I can be a little too clingy sometimes but I have really missed you both. You're always working with your father and away from home, I just missed the house being full while your sisters are away at school." Charlotte said sincerely as she looked out the window at the passing cars.

Since the younger siblings were away at boarding school the house felt too big and empty most days. Charlotte has been too hands on with her older children and they were feeling the pain and torment of it regularly. They've been accused of working too much with their father and that he sees them more than she does. So this shopping trip was for their mother who was in need of some bonding.

Annie spoke up since Cici was rather occupied, deep in her thoughts, "Mom you know we love you and we miss you too. And we know it's been hard with the girls not around, the house feels empty and hollow without their bickering. And I don't know about Cici but I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much, so thank you for coming up with the idea. Besides it's been far too long since I've shopped!"

Cici answered saying, "I agree, it's one of the best times I've ever had shopping. My feet are killing me, I wish I had worn flats, but it was so worth it. It wasn't too crowded and they had everything in my size and color." She said with a small lift of her lips despite her uneasiness.

"I'm glad," their mother said. A far away look crossed her face, "Oh and how I hope to see the day when the both of you finally happily marry men that will love and cherish you always. You both deserve the best." Charlottte said sincerely to her eldest daughters. "Speaking of men...Cici, I've been meaning to ask you about Anthony, how are things moving along?"

Annie and Cici both made eye contact through the rear view mirror again, this time Annie smirking and Cici gulping down her nerves.

Hold on Cici where almost home, a few more blocks.

"Oh, you know, it's going good. They finalized moving their things just this weekend and he's excited that he's closer, so no more long distance relationship." She replied vaguely.

"Oh, pooh hoo, that's not what I mean! Are you both in love yet? What progress have you made trying to get know each other?"

Cici moaned to herself in the back and started biting down on her lower lip.

All hell is going to break lose, Annie thought silently, her gaze directed on the road.

A sense of foreboding passed through her body.

Something was going to happen. 

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Thanks for reading! Things start looking up in the next chapters, don't give up!
Thanks Shaz.