"You know Mr Lawson?" Gianna asked curiously, unaware of the tension around her.

"What is he doing here?" Knox's acidic voice came, fists clenched.

"Wh- what's going on here?" Gianna asked, looking at everyone for answers.

Gina glanced at Knox, then Fred. "May we have a word?" She said, stepping towards him.

"No you may not," Knox answered for her, grabbing her arm.

"Hey man, back off," Fred inserted firmly.

Gianna was a confused specimen. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded in what almost sounded like a shriek.

No one answered her question. Instead, Gina shrugged herself out of Knox's grip and went with Fred to a far corner, looking over her shoulder while Knox stood gritting his teeth.

"What the hell are you doing here Fred?" Gina demanded in a harsh whisper.

"Well hello to you too. You look beautiful."

Rolling her eyes, Gina continued. "I'm serious, what are you doing here?"

He sighed. "Your mom invited me. I wanted to surprise you that's why I didn't tell you," hr smiled.

Gina scoffed. "How do you even know my mom?"

"We dealt business once for a brief period but we're still acquaintances," he informed while his eyes roamed over her.

Gina rubbed her temple. "This is not the place for surprises Fred. Everyone thinks I'm a happily married woman," she exclaimed, shying away from his touch.

"You and I know the truth."

Gina sighed. "It doesn't matter."

Fred reached out and interlaced his fingers with hers. "It does to me."

"We better get back out there. After tonight you can see me all you want," she said with a reassuring squeeze to his hand before she stepped away from him.

Gina took another glass of champagne, smiled at the mouthed 'congratulations' before she sighed, wondering where Knox was. She longed to go home and get the night over with but saw where that was almost impossible seeing that the time was almost dormant. Gina sighed, attempting to go in search of Stella when she heard a voice behind her.

"May I have a dance," Fred asked, Gina briefly closed her eyes, wondering what he was up to.

"There's only piano music Fred and no," she whispered.

"It can be arranged. Why not?"

Gina spun toward him. "What has gotten into you?" she demanded sternly, clearing her throat when she saw a blonde walking towards them. She had no idea of whom the woman was but she figured it was another of her parents' acquaintances.

She smiled as she approached. "Hello."

Gina noticed the way Fred's eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Alexia. What are you doing here?"

"Sergei invited me. We met at a business retreat some weeks ago. He always bragged about his beautiful daughter and I, of course was always a fan of your amazing fashion sense," she smiled, trailing a gaze down Gina's body.

Gina gave a forceful smile and muttered a, "thanks," while her mind raced with possibilities of who the woman was. She had a feeling she would figure it out soon.

Fred swallowed. "I didn't know you were in LA," he said tightly.

"I came back a week ago. I have some business I'm taking care of. I mean, the divorce gave me more time to travel."

The sip of wine Gina took, settled at her throat causing her to cough. "You OK?" Fred asked.

"Fine," she bit out a bit harsher than she'd wanted to. "So you guys were married?"

Fred glanced at the floor, while Alexia answered. "We were for ten years until things started to change. Fred still hasn't told me who the woman is," she said with a pleasant smile on her face.

     "Al-"

      "It's Ok, I'm over it," she interrupted firmly.

An awkward silence then followed. Gina just couldn't believe she was standing in front Fred's ex-wife. A woman that looked absolutely stunning in her tightly fitted peach dress, shiny blonde hair and award-winning smile.

"How do you two know each other?" The woman now asked curiously, scraping through the silence while Gina quickly thought of a reply.

Gina swallowed, briefly glancing at Fred. "We're meeting for the first time. My mom introduced us," she rose a brow.

"Oh, well congratulations on your wedding dear," she said then cleared her throat. "I think I see curried shrimp, please excuse me," she grinned before dashing off.

Knox came after Alexia's retreat, sending Fred a steely glare as he stood beside Gina, his stance steady.

     "I don't know who the hell you are but you need to stay away from my wife," he gritted out between tightly clenched teeth.

     "Frederick Lawson. And I don't think you have a say in that matter so why don't you pick yourself up and run back to the pits you came from," Fred replied surprisingly calm.

Knox was furious, he took a step towards Fred, knowing he shouldn't make a scene but every fibre in his body tempted him to do so. And of course Fred was ready for the challenge; he stood ground, eyes leveled on Knox's.

     "Stop it," Gina stepped in the midst saying. "God, are you both insane?" she rasped, looking at them both before she hissed  and walk away.

Fred made an attempt to go after her, before Knox intervened. "Go an inch near her and I will floor you," he snarled, before dashing after Gina.

He found her alone by the poolside, hugging her shoulders from the chill of the night. Knox walked hesitantly towards her,

     "Gina," he softly said.

She turned to him with glossy eyes, "what do you want Knox?"

He was momentarily silent before he spoke. "Look, I – I fúcked up, OK. Coming back I just didn't know how to say it – how to explain myself. I just didn't know how to make things right so I decided on the marriage and still continued to fúck up," he sighed. "Gina, I'm not a  man who says sorry often - if any at all- but I am."

Gina's throat burned with the effect of impending tears but she didn't cry. She held on to her composure and awaited a full explanation. "Why did you leave? What happened between us?"

Knox pulled in a breath. "I, I –"

     "There you guys are," Gianna interrupted once more, walking towards them, oblivious of the tension. "Everyone's waiting..."

     "On what mom?" Gina asked in frustration.

      "You guys to have your first dance, of course. Come on."

Gina glanced at Knox. "I'm not doing a stupid dance," she argued.

Gianna sighed resignedly. "Gina sweetheart, you agreed to this party. This isn't the time to display rebellion."

Gina hesitated, pondering on her hesitance before she glanced at Knox and her mother and walked off, grumbling, "fine."

As they reentered the room, glasses clinked, drawing Gina's attention to her father who stood on a small platform beside the pianist with a glass of champagne in hand. His little display had heads turned, curious to find out what was happening.
     Gianna Gray went to stand by her husband as they both smiled at each other before they smiled at the gathering.

     "Everyone, I'd like to thank you all for coming to help us celebrate the beautiful union between my beautiful daughter, Gina and her husband, Knox. I can testify that marriage is one of the most beautiful things that one could ever have and that is why my wife and I are ecstatic that our own daughter was given the opportunity," he raised his glass before continuing. "So we'd just like to make a toast to Gina and Knox. We wish you both long lives filled with an abundance of happiness!"

Everyone raised their glasses. "To Gina and Knox!" they all said, their gazes shifting to them both.

Gina gave a shaky smile, her throat too constricted to do a steady one.

     "Now for their first dance..."

The instrumental for a classical piece began playing. The crowd parted, leaving a space in the middle for the newly weds to have their go. Knox turned to Gina and she was amused at his softened features. No longer was it stern but now it seemed subtle, as if he was well rested.

She glanced down at his opened palm, she swallowed, slowly placing her own into his. His touch did what it always did to her, it gently paralyzed her, sending sinful waves through her line of thinking. Ushering her to the dancefloor, they paused in the center. Gina placed one hand on his shoulder, the other up and entwined with his while Knox's hand sought her waist.
     Gina gave a small sigh, already feeling her head begin to swirl as his warm fingers made contact with the bare skin of her back. His fingers felt like fire on her but somehow she couldn't help in thinking it felt right.

    They began with slow movements, being swayed by the rhythm of the music they were both familiar with. Knox looked down into her beautiful bronzed eyes, accentuated by the makeup that made them pop a little more. Her skin seemed kissed with gold, flawless, smooth to press his lips against. And as his eyes wandered to her mouth, the need to hold her a bit closer intensified. He felt her softness, saw her astonishing beauty, causing Knox to subconsciously curse himself for depriving himself of her for five years.
    He wanted to make it up to her, he wanted to make things right after years of thinking of her – years of weighing his options. But Knox realised, choice wasn't much of what he had back then.
     They both gazed into each other's eyes, a thousand words subconsciously said, but none uttered. Attraction intensified more with each lingering touch, holding gazes and soon it seemed like no one else was in the room but them.

Knox's head slowly dipped to meet her slightly parted lips and while it descended, forever seemed like now before his lips finally found hers- tasted her with a soft brush - swept sweetly across the folds of her feather soft mouth. It was all they both needed to rile the passion that had been impatiently waiting to explode within them.

     "Let's get out of here," he whispered against her ear, purposely allowing his lips to brush across the sensitive lobe of her ear while the heat from his mouth slivered a line down her body.

~***~

They stumbled through the door of their house, liplocked. Gina kicked off her heels while while Knox shrugged off his jacket, briefly steadying Gina against the wall while he savored in the intimacy of the kiss. They were both breathing rapidly, hands eagerly searching, touching- wanting.

       "I want you so much," Knox rasped, slightly pulling away from her while he looked down to her lustfilled eyes, her agape mouth that was an open invitation to his heart stopping attentions.

Gina could not think clearly. Her mind was boggled by him and what his closeness was doing to her. She wanted this no matter how hard she had earlier tried to deny it. She wanted this man to kiss her and make love to her like no one else had and each time she looked at him and felt his heat burning on her body, the want changed to overwhelming need.

     Reaching for his neck, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, wanting to taste him again- his mouth for now if not his whole body. She slightly gasped against his mouth when his hand found the small straps of her gown and slowly, Knox pulled it down, his manhood protesting even more when the soft mounds of her breasts were revealed aswell as her slightly freckled pristine skin.

The wall was cool against her back, yet her body burned with an undeniable heat, charged by the electric waves that he triggered. Gina's head swirled causing her knees to weaken when Knox took each beautiful and fitting mound into his mouth, greedily suckling- tasting.
     She hadn't realised her dress was on the ground until she felt Knox's hand on her thigh. She looked up at him with questions in her eyes, one he answered immediately.

        "I don't think I can make it to the bedroom just yet," he exclaimed almost breathlessly while his fingers skillfully parted her panties, his gaze holding hers. "Can you?"

He got his answer when his fingers slipped into her and her gasp filtered through the room.

Author's note:

Hey guys! I know you must have a lot to say so drop those thoughts in the comments! 😉
I was planning on extending the mature piece but the book isn't marked as mature just as yet and I'd like it to stay that way...for now. Maybe after I'll tweek and add the rest.

What do you guys think will happen next? 😏
Please consider leaving a vote and a comment! Thank you so much for the support so far!

Until next time...
Laters baby,
Xoxo
- Juju