Their faces were just inches apart. Madison could feel the warmth of his breath on her nose and it made her conscious of how close their bodies were to one another, but at the same time rendered her incapable of breaking the intimacy even if she wanted to. It felt too good to sever.
“Thank you,” she said, all too aware of the erratic beat of her heart.
“No, thank you…for sparing a few moments of your precious time to dance with me,” Steve said, his voice tinged with mocking amusement.
“So, let me guess. You’re some sort of funny guy, huh?” Madison inquired. “Or so you think.”
“No, not at all. Actually, I’m usually quite serious. Some people might say that I’m extremely intense. It must be something about the romantic lighting and the festive mood in this room that has me reacting like this. Or it could just be the company I’m keeping.”
The seductive lilt to his voice was making her feel warm and causing her to be all too aware of the sensations his body against hers was creating.
“So, Mr. Elliott, when you aren’t acting out of character, what do you do?” Madison asked, attempting to steer the conversation to an area that would not cause her temperature to continue to climb.
“Well, I’m a citizen of Great Britain and back home I work with my father.”
“And what does your father do?”
“He is Chairman and CEO of the Elliott Corporation. Our business is manufacturing. But I don’t want to bore you with shop talk when I’d much rather talk about you and how striking you are.”
“I see. Well, Mr. Elliott, you’re a long ways away from Great Britain, in case you didn’t notice. I’m not sure how things are done there, but here in America, we don’t fixate on a person’s exterior because we are astute enough to realize that what lies beyond that shell, the interior, is where the treasure actually rests.”
Steve stepped away from Madison, extending his arm and spinning her around. His eyes remained trained on hers as he pulled her into his arms again.
“I noticed that I’m not in England.” He smiled. “But thank you for your tip. I’ll definitely take it to heart.”
The undertone of his comment was not lost on Madison and once again, her pulse raced.
“My parents and I are here on a vacation of sorts. We had some business in California and my mother has a dear friend who is a native New Yorker, so she convinced my father to spend a few days in the city after our business concluded. My mother’s friend, Mrs. Andrews, the widow of Congressman Andrews, invited us as her guests to tonight’s affair. We’re scheduled to return home in a few days.”
“Oh,” Madison said and was immediately embarrassed by the sound of disappointment in her tone.
“Now it’s your turn, Ms. Daniels. Your dad is a doctor, yes?”
“Yes, he is. He’s a cosmetic surgeon. My mom is a professional housewife and busybody. We’re from Charlotte, North Carolina. Ever been south?”
“Yes, I’ve been to Florida a couple of times.”
“Let me guess…West Palm Beach, right? I’m not talking about the touristy south. Have you ever been to the South? General stores, wraparound porches and sugarcane fields?”
Steve grew silent for a moment, a cloud passing over his face. Madison studied him, poising her lips to ask what was wrong. Just as quickly as it landed, however, the cloud was gone and his smile returned.
“Aah, the South. No, can’t say that I have had the pleasure. Maybe someday you will volunteer to be my tour guide to your South when you don’t have anything better to do with your time.”
“Your insolence continues to astound me, Mr. Elliott,” Madison laughed.
“I’m just a believer in the power of positive thinking, Ms. Daniels,” he said.
“Really? Well, unfortunately for you, I live here in Manhattan now.”
“That’s okay. I haven’t seen much of New York, either, since I’ve been here, so maybe you could show me around your new home.”
Steve’s last words were more of a statement than a request. He smiled that infectious smile again, warding off any attack that Madison might be inclined to make because of his presumptuous declaration. Her lips trembled as she smiled back at him, their eyes locked. It was a charged moment in which no words were necessary or available from either of them. The pounding of their heartbeats was noise enough.
In an attempt to quiet the fluttering sensation in her stomach and the throbbing in her temples, Madison rested her head against his shoulder and they silently continued to move across the floor. Several other couples had followed their lead, taking to the dance floor to move to the sound of the band. Yet, Steve and Madison failed to notice anyone else around them as they moved against one another, each getting to know and appreciate the feel and rhythm of the other. It was as if a spell had been cast over them, and quite like Cinderella and the prince at the royal ball, they were frozen in an enchanted spell. Those precious magic minutes were the stuff dreams were made of, and although neither one of them had been looking, the discovery was welcome just the same.
Chapter 2
The abrupt flash of a photographer’s camera snatched Madison and Steve from their private thoughts, bringing them back to the crowded roomful of people, music and laughter. Before either could react, they found themselves flanked on either side by reporters and cameras.
“Madison Daniels, rumor has it that now that Felicia Worthington has withdrawn the divorce papers, you and Edward Worthington have taken it as a license to resume your relationship. Care to comment?”
Madison’s eyes were trained on the smiling, fire-enginered lipsticked mouth of the reporter who was thrusting a black microphone into her face, almost touching her nose with it.
“Wha-what?” she stuttered, unable to compose herself.
“Hey, what’s going on here? Get that thing out of her face.”
“So, Madison, does Edward Worthington know that you’ve taken up with Stevenson Elliott, son of the billionaire Gregory Elliott? Isn’t he a little young for your tastes?” the reporter persisted, her mouth twisted into a nasty sneer.
The light from the camera pointed at her by the cameraman was bright, illuminating her and the bewildered Steve. The scene quickly drew the attention of the entire room of well-appointed people.
“What are you talking about? I’m not in contact with Edward Worthington and I don’t know anything about him and his wife,” Madison stammered.
The reporter was poised to ask another question when, with the same swiftness as the woman and her crew had descended, security approached what had now turned into a melee of sorts. The band had stopped playing and every eye in the room was trained on the center of the dance floor. Steve roughly shoved the microphone away from Madison, causing the reporter to stumble backward, nearly losing her balance. The cameraman moved in, lowering his camera to his side, and Steve challenged him to make a move. The reporter stayed her guy with a hand on his arm, while Steve’s fist remained tightly balled at his side. He draped an arm protectively around the speechless Madison, and as security harshly removed the reporter and the two cameramen, Steve began moving her away from the action.
Joseph Daniels approached, yelling at either the security guards or the reporters or both; it was unclear. He followed the group out into the lobby area, his outrage at the press’ insinuation into his daughter’s privacy apparent. Steve kept his arm around Madison and was steering her in the opposite direction of security, the press and her father when his own parents intercepted them.
“Stevenson, it’s time for us to leave,” Gregory Elliott said sternly, approaching from behind them.