What Nobody Knew

Part 23

It took a while for my eyes to get used to the flashing of the cameras. As soon as I could process what was going on around us, I became acutely aware of the questions that were being shouted in our direction by all of the reporters. I stood frozen, my hand tightening around Mr Knight's, unable to move or speak.

"William! Over here!"

"Who are you wearing tonight?"

"Who is your date?"

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Everything was completely overwhelming. I didn't know where to look or where to go. 

These people were insane, jumping from questions to ridiculous conclusions. 

Mr Knight placed his hand on the small of my back, warmth flowing through the fabric of my dress.

I diverted my eyes away from the reporters and looked up towards Mr Knight's eyes with my own questioning ones.

He leaned down until his lips were right next to my ear. His breath brushed the nape of my neck and caused an involuntary shiver to run down my spine.

"Are you alright?" His eyes were searching mine.

Did he seem almost... concerned?

I could only manage a nod.

"Stay close to me." He ordered, his lips brushing by my ear.

He was gentler than his normal gruff and demanding self. This is probably why I allowed him to guide me through the flashing cameras, his hand never leaving my back. We were impossibly close, closer than we'd ever been before. I tried my best to focus on walking without tripping. I was certainly not noting how amazing he smelled or how oddly comforting it was to have him walking with me through this chaos.

Once we reached the inside of the hotel and were no longer in the obtrusive reach of reporters, Mr Knight's hand left my back. He immediately started walking off to a group that gathered a few feet away from the entrance. As if nothing happened.

It took only a few minutes for us to walk from the car to the hotel entrance. His hand was only on my back for a few minutes. Why was it then that the spot where his hand had just been all of a sudden felt so cold as if something was missing.

Oh, get a grip Elizabeth! It was probably just the adrenaline of it all that made you feel so weird. Don't read something into the whole situation that isn't there.

I straightened myself up again and followed in the direction that Mr Knight had gone. He said I was supposed to stay close to him throughout the evening, so if that's all that was expected of me, I'd do it. I took my place next to him and looked at the group as they continued their conversation. 

I wasn't paying much attention to what was being said. When I first neared the group, I thought they might be talking about something remotely interesting. But, by the second sentence, I realized it was all shop talking i.e. boring as hell. Don't get me wrong, I can do business talk, it just seemed odd to talk about other business deals and legal contracts that needed to be sorted out which had nothing to do with the current event we were at. Weren't they all here for the product launch? Shouldn't that be what they should be talking about?

Or maybe I was bored out of my mind because I had no idea who they were talking about. I knew none of the people around me and they could literally be any of the hundreds of people I have been corresponding with as Mr Knight.

I stood on my tiptoes, my heels not being sufficient for me to reach Mr Knight's ear. I made sure not to come as close as he had been before. We don't need any of those weird tingly feelings to emerge.