Every End Is A New Beginning (BWWM) (BWAM)

Chapter 13

Irritatingly enough, Xavier was dead serious about not letting me explore Venice, even with a bodyguard. After a two hour nap I awoke to Xavier harshly shaking my body.

"Don't touch me!" I swung my arm in his direction with the intention of smacking him away. "What is it that you want!"

Xavier grunted as my fist flew into his abdomen, "You will be attending a meeting and a dinner with me."

Not in the mood to deal with him I pulled the covers over my head only for Xavier to rip them off. I couldn't even react before he tugged me off the bed by my ankles.

"Xavier no!" I tried my best to wriggle out of his death grip. "Stop it!"

I wasn't able to stop the hearty laugh that escaped.

"What was that?" Xavier froze with his eyebrow raised. "Did you laugh? Did I just make you laugh?"

Killing the mood with his dramatics I used the opportunity to escape from his grasp, "No. Fuck off Xavier."

I headed over to my suitcase that luckily had an appropriate pant suit in it. I held it up against my body in the full length mirror as he rambled on, "No wait. You definitely said-"

I turned towards him the suit draped over my arm, "What do you not understand about fuck off , Xavier?"

That typical stormy aura returned to his eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek before his eyes fell on the clothing in my hands, "You're not wearing that." 

"Why?" I whined. "What's wrong with it?"

He dug through my suitcase to pull out a mid-thigh length dress that was fitting and long sleeved, "It's not...good enough. We're going to be dining with highly influential people from Italy. They are very traditional and a pant suit just won't do."

Knowing better than to argue against him I snatched the dress from him. I hurried into the bathroom to avoid hearing Xavier complain even more. In record time I had pinned up my hair and applied formal makeup to my face. I rushed back into the sitting room, feeling Xavier's gaze follow me. With the final touch of glittery strappy heels and a heavy shawl, we were finally able to rush out the door.

Xavier had said that we were to meet in a conference room in the hotel and then travel as a group to a restaurant for dinner. We took the elevator to a floor right below the main lobby. It was awfully quiet compared to the busy hum of the main floor. Giant doors were labeled with letters and Xavier walked head on towards Conference Room B. 

As he opened the huge french doors dozens of pairs of eyes turned towards us. A long conference table sat in the middle of the room, half of the chairs facing a panel of glass windows that overlooked the canal. Men whose ages ranged from thirty to late sixties sat with their wives by their sides.

Xavier confidently walked to the head of the table while I stumbled after him. I had never been in a situation where there was a crowd focusing their attention on me since graduation and somehow this was more terrifying.

He sat in a black leather chair and motioned for me to sit in the one next to him. As much as I hated to admit, it would stand out if I came in the pant suit. All of the wives there were wearing dresses that pertained to their age, more conservative dresses were seen on the older women.

I twisted the engagement ring on my finger, debating the role I was playing at the meeting today.

"Sorry for the wait," Xavier interrupted my train of thought. "My fiancee wasn't too keen on getting out of bed."