Chapter 3 Poolside Party

Evelyn. Leaning against the balcony railing, I took a sip of my coffee, its bittersweet flavour providing a much-needed respite from the stress that threatened to consume me. By conveniently feigning a headache, I managed to escape the formalities of greeting the arriving guests one by one, effectively dodging any encounter with Jacob. Damn, that man seemed to defy logic with his ever-growing handsomeness. From my vantage point, I could see the gathering around the poolside. It was like a scene straight out of a poolside party movie. Handsome men were aplenty, some being Dad's business partners' sons, while others represented their fathers' interests. But amidst this sea of attractive individuals, my eyes only craved stolen glances at the green-eyed Italian male perched on a chaise lounge. Unlike the others, he maintained a certain air of casual elegance, leaving only a few buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of the gold chain around his neck. Every now and then, I caught a tantalising peek at his tattoo—a masterpiece that seemed to originate from the left side of his chest and undoubtedly extended down his arm. What was God thinking while creating this masterpiece? He is too good to be true. I tore my gaze away from him and looked at the sky. The weather was nice today enough to make me want to go for a walk, which was pretty rare for me to do. "Evelyn...what on earth are you doing out here?" Clara's sudden loud voice jolted me, causing me to gasp and spin around. My hands instinctively tightened around the coffee mug, preventing it from slipping through my fingers. "Clara...you scared me half to death!" I placed a hand over my chest as my heart continued to pound erratically. "For heaven's sake, everyone's by the pool having a good time, and here you are, acting like a lone ghost," she rolled her eyes and strolled towards me, clad in a swimsuit with a poolside robe draped over her, "Go on, change!" "I didn't bring any swimwear," I shrugged, hoping my little white lie would hold some weight. "Oh, you little liar. I packed your suitcase with you so don't like your flimsy excuse will work on me," Of course, she saw through my ruse. What was I even expecting? "B-but..." "No buts," she cut me off, "Go and get ready, otherwise I might, unfortunately, have to drag your ass there." Realising that further resistance would be futile, I finally exhaled a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll get ready." A victorious smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she nodded. "Good. Be downstairs in a few minutes, or else I'll have to come back up here to check on you." "Alright," I rolled my eyes and made my way into the closet. Thankfully, I had unpacked my luggage the previous night before going to sleep, so locating my swimwear proved to be a relatively hassle-free task. I opted for a black triangle bikini, pairing it with a flowing white chiffon sheer robe. Pulling my hair back into a loose bun, I intentionally left a few strands framing my face. After slipping into the swimwear, I draped the robe over it, stealing one last glance in the mirror to ensure I looked presentable. Satisfied with my appearance, I made my way toward the poolside. I wished my perverted mind would stop making me look at Jacob again and again. It had only been a day since his arrival, yet he had already managed to send my sanity teetering on the brink. Amidst the cacophony of guests' conversations, the sound of their laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air. The waiters were serving everyone drinks and other delicacies. Familiar faces started to emerge from the crowd, including some individuals I despised from the depths of my being. One of them happened to be associated with my dad's company—a woman who stirred an intense irritation within me: Gloria Henderson-- A fucking wicked bitch. She embodied everything despicable, a cunning and promiscuous woman who shamelessly pursued any man within her reach, regardless of her marriage to a military husband who likely believed her deceptive facade of unwavering love. The mere sight of Gloria's conniving ways triggered a surge of irritation within me. How could she brazenly manipulate and betray her husband, all the while pretending to be a faithful and loving wife? It disgusted me to witness her deceitful actions, and my disdain for her reached its peak. My jaw clenched in anger. Fucking bitch! "Don't give her that death stare, Evie. People will start thinking you've got some personal vendetta against her," Clara whispered into my ear, breaking my intense gaze. I had been absorbed in glaring at that woman, who was shamelessly flirting with an unknown guy. "I hate her, Clara!" I groaned under my breath. "Me too but you know where your dad had to invite all of his colleagues, so he couldn't just exclude this one bitch from the list." She sighed, "Anyways, ignore her and enjoy the party. There are plenty of attractive boys around here." Her voice took on a mischievous tone. "I don't need just any boy, Clara," I chuckled. "I need a real man." Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Thank goodness you didn't say that in front of your dad. He'd probably ground you for days, forgetting all about the wedding plans and whatnot." "Yeah, yeah, as if I care," I rolled my eyes and made my way towards the bar set up in the corner. "One cocktail, please," The bartender began preparing my drink with a friendly smile. Well...he was cute. However, my eyes wandered around the party, and as expected, they settled on Jacob. But, this time, the sight that unfolded before me, made my skin crawl in a whole new way—Gloria, that fucking bitch, was now making blatant advances towards Jacob, trying to get into his pants, of course. My jaw clenched involuntarily, and my teeth ground together as I observed her witch-like nails trailing up and down Jacob's arms. His sleeves rolled up to his elbows giving her easy access, and she was clearly trying too hard to appear seductive or maybe to convey just how easily she could be taken to bed. Jacob, on the other hand, looked anything but pleased. I could see his uncomfortable laughter and his body language inching away from her touch, yet she persisted, reaching out again and again. Why was I even paying attention to this? He was a grown man perfectly capable of handling himself and dealing with women like her. I tried to keep my focus on the drink but one sip and everything felt tasteless. God, Evelyn! He's not your husband, nor your boyfriend! Calm the fuck down! Taking another sip, I continued to send daggers with my eyes in Gloria's direction, her shameless flirting still in full swing. Jacob appeared visibly irritated, though he maintained his composure, politely responding to her seemingly pointless questions. "One Negroni, please," I found myself requesting the bartender, ordering the very drink that happened to be Jacob's favourite. As the bartender prepared it, I untied my robe, leaving it open but still draped over me, and held my half-finished cocktail in one hand and the Negroni in the other. Before I even realised it, I was walking towards Jacob, propelled by an inexplicable force. His eyes fell on me sooner than I had expected, and they lingered, taking in my figure. Gloria, sensing Jacob's attention shift away from her, followed his gaze and noticed me walking over to them. Completely ignoring her, I smiled at Jacob and positioned myself next to him, leaning against the bar. "Here's your favourite," I said, gesturing towards the drink in my hand. His brows rose ever so slightly in surprise as he accepted the drink from my hand. Our fingers brushed against each other, sending an electric shiver down my body. "Oh, Gloria," I turned my attention to her, noting the strange expression on her face. "It's so nice to meet you. How's your husband? Is everything alright?" My carefully aimed words hit their mark, causing embarrassment to flood her features. She fumbled with her words, glancing at Jacob, who appeared shocked by this newfound discovery. "Yeah, he's fine," she hesitantly let out, "Excuse me, I'll get a drink for myself and be back." With a flimsy excuse to mask her embarrassment, she hurriedly made her way towards the bar I had previously occupied, despite another bar being conveniently nearby. As Gloria disappeared, I saw Jacob visibly relax, relief washing over him... and me. He turned to look at me, his green eyes now filled with a different intensity, stirring up a jumble of thoughts and emotions within me. At that moment, a surge of courage washed over me, empowering me to take a daring step. Just when he was about to say, I found myself leaning closer to his ear and whispering the next words, "Thank me later, Jacob." With those words hanging in the air, I walked away, advancing towards Clara, dropping my open robe onto the chaise lounge where Jacob had been seated moments ago. I could feel his intense gaze on me the whole time, so intense that the hair on my neck stood up but I didn't let it affect me much for him to notice. I joined Clara in the pool and a few other women who were now talking about the wedding plans. Though the conversation was uninteresting, I couldn't help but be drawn back to Jacob Adriano's piercing green eyes that never seemed to divert their gaze. My own eyes trailed to look at him, I saw him slowly raising the drink to his mouth and taking a sip as he stared only at me as if the sight of me was more savouring the drink itself. Well damn...it was not going to be easy to stop me from getting hauled towards him.