Page 46 of Consequence of One Reckless Night

Then, suddenly, he pulled away, leaving her feeling cold and deprived. She looked up at him, confused—her eyes still hazy with lust.

“Get dressed. We’re going out.”

Chapter Nineteen

Raquel was surprisedwhen Alexandre informed her that they would be attending a party aboard his newly acquired super yacht,The Nymph. Arriving in a chopper, they were received on the upper deck with cheerful applause.

Having never met any friends of Alexandre before, Raquel didn’t know what to expect. But she was amazed to see an eclectic group of people, from businessmen to their socialite wives, lawyers, Bollywood movie stars, models, and even two doctors.

Among the successful and ambitious, she felt gauche and uncomfortable, like a fake who had no right to brush shoulders with the rich and the famous while she was nothing more than an unemployed violin teacher. She shriveled under the curious gaze of the guests—all openly intrigued by the woman who had come out of nowhere and bagged one of the most notorious bachelors in town.

While she shied away from the crowd and hid behind Alexandre, he loved being the center of attention. The men all wanted a word with him, while the women fawned shamelessly over him.

While Alexandre held court with his admirers, Raquel began to feel uncomfortably inconspicuous. Eager to step away from the spotlight and certain that her husband wouldn’t notice her absence, she slinked away from the upper deck. Finding a bathroom, she dabbed her face with a wet towel, the cool water lovely against her heated skin. In the mirror above the basin, she stared back at her reflection.

She could hardly recognize herself. The old Raquel would never have applied eyeshadow or used such a bold peach color on her lips. And she certainly wouldn’t have worn a slip of a dress in bright purple which exposed too much skin.

The thick straps held the dress up, while the hem skimmed the top of her thighs. The back was cut so low that she had tried to talk her way out of this dress, but Alexandre had been adamant. He’d wanted her to wear this sexy thing which exposed her arms, her legs, most of her back, and clung to every curve on her body. He’d hummed his approval when she donned the dress, albeit grudgingly, and the glow in his eyes told her that he loved seeing her in the sexy creation.

But Alexandre was curiously quiet this evening. She sensed his indifference and wondered what had precipitated the sudden change in his behavior.

The man who had kissed her possessively in the chapel, and later whispered filthy things into her ear and had almost made love to her against a glass wall, was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a cold, indifferent man who merely held her hand because it was the need of the hour. The smiles directed at her felt fake, and his embrace lacked warmth.

Had she done something to upset him?

She’d begun the day wishing she didn’t have to marry Alexandre and yet, here she was, longing to see a genuine smile on his face, feel the heat of his touch. Why was she wishing for more from a man she hadn’t wanted to marry at all?

Puzzled, more than ever before, by her contradictory thoughts, Raquel made her way back to the upper deck when she found a clutch of women standing to a side, talking openly about her.

“I can’t believe Alexandre married that ugly cow!”

Raquel choked a gasp at the vituperative comment that stabbed her heart, tearing her eyes instantly.

“Come now,” a second woman said. “She isn’t much to look at, but I thought she was pleasant enough.”

“Timid, too,” a tall woman dressed in a silver sheath said haughtily, flicking her gorgeous mane of hair away from her shoulders. “What the hell was he thinking, marrying a nobody like her!”

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