Rivals in Business, Allies in Love

Chapter 22

~Zavier~

"You said you wanted to talk to me?" I turn to look at Isabel the moment we enter the room. I was a little surprised earlier by her text to meet. A million thoughts had gone through my head since then. What could she want to talk about? Why did she insist that the guys didn't need to be included? I'm still not acquainted with the fact that she's back.

"I'll be coming back to Kersher." I don't know what she expects me to say. I don't see why she had to tell me this personally either. This isn't some big secret that the guys couldn't hear.

"Okay." My response is nonchalant with a bit of hesitancy.

"People are going to talk and I just want to make sure we're cool." She shrugs. Isabel looks lovely like always. Her navy blue alter dress hugs her figure well. Her dark eyes do not contribute much appeal to the dress, however. A familiar pair of grey eyes dot my vision before disappearing upon the appearance of Isabel now in my direct line of view.

"We're cool." We are. Things get a little awkward but I'm over it. I can't force her to tell me what went wrong with us. It happened two years ago and honestly I'm still curious but I can live without knowing.

Isabel closes the space between us. Her fingers go up to the buttons near my chest. I take a deep breath, suddenly feeling cornered. Isabel always had a way for cornering me. She carefully and seductively buttons one of the buttons, her feathery touch lingering on my exposed chest for a second or two.

"Are we really?" The way she's looking at me reminds me of our days. It's that exact look that reeled me in years ago.

"I've moved on." Her face falls a little but a smile replaces it. It doesn't reach her eyes.

"With that girl you fought over at the bar?" Ivy? No. Ivy and I are not like that.

"Yes." The lie came out before I can stop it. I don't want Isabel to think I'm still hung up on her after all this time. I don't want her to know that I haven't had a stable relationship ever since us. I'm over her but I still have a soft spot for her. I can't just erase the bond we had back then. I need her to think I'm doing well because I am.

"Is she prettier than me?" Her fingertips slide over my throat delicately. What is Isabel playing at? She's playing at something. I just don't know what it is exactly.

"Yes. She's really gorgeous." My voice is a little above a whisper. At least I'm not lying this time. Ivy is pretty.

Isabel tugs on my collar, ruining it a little. "You're no fun." She moves away from me with her lower lip beneath her teeth. There's a glint in her eyes. A glint of mischief. "Are you trying to pull my legs or what?" Only Isabel wouldn't believe that there is someone else I can find prettier than her. She must've had me wrapped around her pinky finger years ago.

I shake my head at her, a small smile gracing my lips. "You asked and I answered." I shrug before walking off into the hallway then pushing open a side door. I fix my collar as I make my way into the large gala venue. The room is more crowdy than it was a few minutes ago.

Isabel joins my side before I can search for a particular dark haired girl. She's awfully close, making sure I can smell the familiarity of her scented perfume. Ensuring I can recall the possessiveness in her touch and the seductiveness in the way she calls my name.

Or is it all in my head? If I tell the boys this they'll say it's a me thing and I haven't gotten over her.

I am over her. Maybe she's not over me. I don't know.

After 15 minutes of searching the crowd, I finally found her. She's all alone but doesn't look one bit out of place. If anything she's a goddess, assessing her loyal subjects. That's the kind of image Ivy projects. There's an ethereal aura that radiates around her. She's damn shining and I can only conclude that she does it to blind me. To obscure the fact that deep down we're always going to compete with each other. We'll always be rivals in business and never allies.