“Savannah, you have to come. And that is just final.” Savannah’s mother barked in the phone and Savannah poked her tongue at it.
She was frustrated, irritated, humiliated enough and all she wanted to do was throw the phone out of the window.
“I told you that I cannot come. I have a job and I can’t just leave ..” Savannah was saying when her mother cut in.
“Oh, do not lie to me, young lady. I know you don’t have a job anymore. And this is a family event. You might hide the rest of the year but this one time I want you here.” Her mother said and for a minute hope hit her in the plexus. She almost went lax when her mother said that she wanted her there and she almost said yes.
She got a funny feeling in her stomach. It had happened all through her life. There were some moments when she would get this feeling that her mother loved her after all. That after her father’s death she would accept her but she didn’t know that she never wouldn’t.
“Our reputation is on line.” She said and Savannah groaned. Her mother was never gonna love her and she just had to accept that.
“Look mother, I can’t. I don’t have a date and then there’s ...” Her mother cut in again.
“Oh, don’t give me that! I know you have a... a... male friend. Olivia and Jack met him. He thought her to be you. I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell him that you had a sister, that is shameful and ...” This time Savannah’s wasn’t even listening.
“What did you say?! I do NOT have a boyfriend.” Savannah all but shouted at her mother, shocked and scared at hearing Jack’s name.
She always got scared when she heard Jack’s name. Jack who had ripped her world in two. Jack who had broken her heart to million pieces. Jack the bastard.
“Yes, you do. Tall, brown hair, lean, had grey eyes. Olivia called him sexy. Can you imagine? Your male friend is really rude, though. He even almost hit Jack.” Her mother was saying but Savannah wasn’t even listening. Damon. Her mother was talking about Damon, she knew at the grey eyes and hitting Jack. Damon knew some things about Jack, she had told him in a frenzy. And of course Olivia thought he was sexy and no wonder he thought she was sexy, too. That’s why she hadn’t seen him for a long time.
“I’ll be there.” She said and snapped her phone shut.
How dare he tell her sister that he was her boyfriend and then don’t even come to explain things to her. She felt so .. weird. She wanted to kill Damon. She wanted to go back some time and never let him see Olivia. She hated Olivia, she was the bitch mama personified, she took everything Savannah had, she was evil, she was a mean evil eyed, blonde ass!
“Oh my God, I’m jealous.” She shouted to herself and she was right. And that meant that she felt for him, something .. anything but she did. Enough to be jealous of her own sister for even looking at him. She was furious at him and she had to meet Damon, now. She deserved some explanations and she felt a little happy than her usual depressed self because she was going to see him, she finally had an excuse to see him. She was working her shift at Seth’s place when she saw Damon walk in and when he saw her he gave her a smirk and Savannah’s heart missed a beat.
“I hate that smirk, dammit!” She muttered and then she walked purposely in his direction and didn’t stop until she was almost nose to nose with him. She opened her mouth to shriek at him but suddenly he smiled at her and her mouth snapped shut.
Damon looked deep in her eyes and saw the anger there and he knew that she knew about what he had done but when she opened her mouth to probably shout at him he smiled at her and Savannah was so startled that her mouth snapped shut. He raised his hand and fist bumped her under her chin so that her face came at some level to his. He had missed her, he acknowledged and he smiled right into her eyes. He had missed her fire and her hell-cat behavior.
“Hey, Miss Savvy.” He whispered and then bent down and kissed her at the corner of her mouth.
Savannah was shell-shocked when she saw his face close the small inches that separated them and she held her breath. She wanted him to kiss her! But instead he brushed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth and his eyes twinkled in amusement and mischief. He was being naughty with her, eh. Savannah would show him.
Damon gave her a little chuckle when he saw her face tighten but he was shocked when he saw her give him a seductive little smile and then she raised her hand and placed her whole palm on his chest.
“Hi, Damon.” She whispered and then her hand stroked upwards. Damon was too shocked to be coherent when he felt her hand caress his jaw and move lightly to his nape and her smile deepened.
Savannah didn’t know what possessed her but when she felt his muscles tighten underneath her hand and the pure male heat of him she couldn’t resist but smile and stroke his jaw. He was shocked, she could see that but when she moved her hand to his neck and stroked his pulse point he groaned and she came out of her reverie.
Damon felt her fingers brush his pulse and he groaned and suddenly Savannah stroking him but caught hold of his collar in her hand, fisted it around his shirt and pulled him towards the store room.
“Whoa! Are you going to do what I am thinking you are?” He asked her back and Savannah glared at him.
“If you mean I’m going to punch the day lights out of you then damned right I am.” She said and Damon laughed. She looked adorable when she was angry and he’d be damned if she didn’t know it.
“Nope. I was thinking of the empty store room, you and me, no clothes, wild night, hot and chees …” Damon was saying but Savannah stopped and Damon walked right into her.
“Eww! You ass!” She shouted at him and then she let go off him quickly and started pushing him from behind instead.
“My bad. I’ll stick to the fantasy then.” He said and gave her a cute smile and Savannah pushed him harder. Once in the room she closed the door and crossed her arms.
“Okay, I’m in trouble now.” He said and Savannah nodded. She forgot all the silly jokes and hot stared and stared at him.
“Why did you tell my sister that you were my boyfriend?” She demanded and blushed a little when she said boyfriend.
“You look so cute when you blush.” Damon said and Savannah gave him a raised eye brow. He knew when he was beaten so he sighed.
“Look, I didn’t do it intentionally, swear. I was just walking down the street when I bumped into your sister and all I could see was the blonde head and I called her by your name and became furious because I thought it was you and you got your hair dyed and I .. um, I kind of insulted her and she shouted at me in turn and then I saw her baby bump and she started asking me all these questions about you and mocking you and it just slipped.” Damon said and Savannah looked at him in awe. He didn’t like Olivia!
“And what about .. what about her husband?” She asked. Damon noticed that she couldn’t even say the word Jack and when he looked at her he saw the sadness in her eyes, Damon didn’t like it. He didn’t even like to think about the fact that she might still have feelings for him.
“He’s an idiot. He went all authoritative on me and I just pushed him away.” Damon said and shrugged.
“Damon, dammit, couldn’t you just walk away?! Because of you I have to go to that stupid ball and have to meet all those pompous people and dress up and be all Barbie-ish and be a doormat to my mother again and I don’t even have a gown or a date and it’s almost in three hours!” Savannah almost shouted at him and Damon smiled.
“I know. Olivia said that there was a ball she will meet you at but don’t worry. I’m going with you.” Damon said and Savannah looked at him funny.
“You will?” She asked again, hopeful. She didn’t care about anything else but she didn’t want to face her warped family alone. She knew she had to ask him and that was one of the reasons she had wanted to meet him but Damon didn’t even let her ask.
“Milady, will you do me the honor of escorting me to an otherwise horrid affair?” He asked in a fake English accent and Savannah’s heart went crazy. Damon didn’t know how much of a sucker for romance she actually was and though she wanted to be angry at him but she couldn’t when she saw him on one knee and a hand raised for her.
“I do believe I have no other choice, milord.” She replied back in a fake accent as well and placed her hand in Damon’s hand. She shivered when he wrapped his hand around hers and raised it to his lips.
“Damon.” She whispered anticipating what was to come but Damon turned her hand and very provocatively licked the end of her palm and winked. Savannah lost all her breath and all she felt was the tingling sensation all over.
“And now it’s time for Cinderella to go shopping!” Damon said happily and Savannah was really on the incoherent train now.
“You want to take me shopping?!” She asked, incredulous and Damon laughed at her expression.
“Yes, milady.” He said and Savannah winced.
“Wow. You want to take me shopping.” She said again, trying to wrap her head around that fact and Damon laughed again.
“You have less than three hours, Savannah. It’s now or never.” He said and Savannah nodded. If she didn’t show up her mother would cheerfully strangle her but she was embarrassed by the mere thought of Damon accompanying her to chose a dress. She had never done that before and it seemed so intimate. Damon didn’t seem bothered at all. He seemed like he had done this before and by the time Savannah was in the store she knew that he positively had. Everyone greeted and meeted him, he received smiles and cute little looks from sales girls all around and Savannah felt furious by the minute.
“How many women have you taken shopping before?” She demanded before she could even think and Damon gave her a cheeky smile.
“You’re my first.” He said and Savannah stiffened.
“Liar.” She snapped and Damon leaned in really close to her. He was so close that she was almost inhaling his cologne and her heart trembled at his proximity.
“Swear.” He whispered against her ear and then just as quickly he leaned back and shoved a dress in Savannah’s hand.
Savannah looked at herself in the mirror after she had put the gown on and she almost didn’t recognize herself. The gown was perfect, she even felt that it was made just for her. It was a deep violet in color and complimented her titian hair perfectly. The little rounded neck with extensive stone work and the tiny waist line made her breasts strain against the soft material but the most perfect thing about the dress was its puffy and slightly pleated skirt. It hugged Savannah in the best places and for the first time she actually felt beautiful.
“Savannah, come out!” She heard Damon shout and suddenly she was very nervous and she was blushing. She felt like a bride and to conceal the blush she pulled the pins out of her hair and let them fall around her shoulders. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the changing room.
Damon was impatient. Savannah had been in the changing room for the last fifteen minutes and it was driving him insane! He had a gut feeling about the dress he had given her and he wanted to see how she looked in it. He turned to bang on her door once again but suddenly Savannah stepped out and Damon went immobile. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Savannah looked like a goddess in that gown, it flowed around her, hugged her, it made her look like a new woman.
“Oh, my God.” He whispered in awe and Savannah blushed harder.
“I know it sucks! I donno why I even thought that this would look good on me. See, I told you! I don’t look good in any dress, God, I’m not going to this stupid lam..” Savannah started bickering but Damon placed a finger on her lips.
“You look beautiful, Savannah. Absolutely breathtaking.” He whispered and Savannah’s heart jerked.
“Serious?” She asked lightly and Damon raised her chin again to meet his gaze.
“Yes, you do.” He said and then he kissed her. Savannah felt like she had waited for years to feel his lips move against her and this time she didn’t even hesitate but wound her arms around her neck.
Damon felt like little shocks were running through him, Savannah was amazing, he moved his lips against her and she groaned in his mouth, her arms tightened and Damon crusher her to him, deepening the kiss.
The sales lady saw the young couple make out and she giggled. Today’s young guns, they had no manners at all! She coughed and they jumped apart.
“I take it you will take the dress?” She asked to her surprise she saw both of them blush and nod.
Damon was shocked. He was losing control around her. Hell, he was losing his freaking mind around her and he didn’t even care! He looked at Savannah and she looked positively scandalized and Damon had the most unusual urge to haul her in his arms. She gave him a side-ways look and Damon sighed. She wasn’t gonna let him do it so he left her to change into her clothes. It was the damned gown, he told himself. It made her look like a wanton manor lady! And him the shirtless stable man. He certainly acted like one and when he thought of her expression, he laughed aloud.
He was looking forward to the ball. He very much was, indeed.