FIXED ON YOU TRILOGY: Jayoncé ❤️ 18+🥵🔥

CHAPTER 12: LET GO

Lunch passed quickly. Sophia was too busy greeting high-paying donors and socializing to eat with us, thank god. Lebron, Kelly ’s husband, joined us after our salads had been served. He was a surgeon and had an emergency case that morning. He looked good with her despite their differences in height—Lebron tall and lanky, Kelly  petite and small. For half a second I tried to picture them having sex before I realized that once I thought it, I wouldn’t be able to unthink it.

Though nothing eventful happened during the course of the meal, I enjoyed myself. I watched the friendly banter between the siblings, joining in the laughter when one had a particular good burn on another. The conversation directed toward me was easy and unencumbered. I often feared it wouldn’t be with new people who wanted to know all about me and my family. When something got too private, I noticed that Shawn deflected for me. Was it because he knew the sadness of my past? Or was he politely keeping my job light and carefree? Either way, the luncheon was more intimate than anything I had experienced in a long time.

When I sent a casual look toward him midway through the meal, his smile made my chest tighten. It may have been for show, but my reaction was genuine. I realized that no amount of elastic band snapping would stop whatever I was beginning to feel for him.

After dessert and coffee, the ballroom became a bustle again with people visiting with other tables and more guests arriving who’d only purchased tickets to the fashion show. Chandler found a group of younger girls to hit on, and Kelly  roped Lebron into assisting with her backstage where she was managing the models and designers.

Though I’d liked getting to know Kelly  and Lebron, and while Chandler never failed to entertain, I was glad to have a minute alone with my date. I trailed my hand across his shoulders and down his back, drawing his gaze to me. I saw longing. He grabbed my thigh and leaned in, but the anticipated kiss never came.

“Oh, you don’t need to be all PDA on my account,” a silky voice purred behind us. “Remember, I know.”

Shawn stiffened under my hand and my eyes followed his, landing on the leggy blonde taking a seat next to me. She was intimidating, not because of her attitude, but because she was drop-dead gorgeous. I tucked my hands into my lap, though Shawn’s hand remained secure on my leg under the table.

“I’m Mariah .” She smiled, showing white perfect teeth. “I thought we should probably meet. Though, it doesn’t look like Shawn’s too keen on it.”

I glanced at Shawn who indeed appeared uncomfortable.

“No, you’re right. You should meet,” he said, his hand stroking my thigh. I felt purpose behind his touching me, but wasn’t sure if he meant it to claim me, calm me, or calm himself. “Now you’ve met.”

“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, you oaf.” She smirked at Shawn then delivered another smile to me. “Believe it or not, we’re actually friends.”

I believed it. She felt comfortable around him, and he didn’t even flinch when she’d called him an oaf. It made my stomach wrench unexplainably. Then, when I wondered if they’d had sex, a sharp stabbing began in my chest. I didn’t need to flick the elastic band, already associating the thought with pain, but I did anyway since my hands were finally free under the table to do so.

Shawn sighed. “What do you want, Mimi?”

Someone Shawn actually called by a nickname? The stabbing deepened.

“I wanted to personally thank Beyoncé for this whole charade.”

So, she really did know. Which really put me at a disadvantage since I knew almost nothing about her.