Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series) (3 page)

He let go of Arianna and stood suddenly, his hands hurriedly
working to straighten the material of his suit.
 
Reaching down, he grasped her hand and
pulled her up beside him, chuckling when he noticed how her skirt had shifted
into an awkward position around her legs.
 
He reached over and took the material between his hands, quickly pulling
it back into place.
 
Arianna moved
away from him laughing, always amused by his need to take care of her in every
way.

“I have a business meeting I must attend.
 
You should run home and start getting
ready for the evening.
 
Which dress
were you planning to wear?”

“I don’t know…”
 
Her words sounded funny, her continued laughter preventing her lips from
functioning properly.
 
“I haven’t
thought about it.
 
Which one do you
prefer?”

She stepped behind the couch, a bright grin beaming from her
face and it appeared she was daring him to go after her.
 
Joseph straightened his spine, pulled
his shoulders back and imitated a man looking over his conquest.
 
Playing into her game, he motioned as if
he would respond, but stepped forward unexpectedly grasping her wrist and
pulling her from around the couch.
 
She let out a small cry when he picked her up and placed her back
against the wall.

When their combined laughter ceased, he answered, “Wear the
blue one, the one that matches your eyes.
 
I will not be the most powerful man in attendance tonight, but with you
in that dress, I will most assuredly be the luckiest bastard there.”
  
His tone grew serious and his eyes
burned into hers with sincerity.
 
“I
mean it, Arianna, I couldn’t be the man that I am without you.”

Looking in the full length mirror, Arianna, turned left and
then right in order to examine the sleek blue satin ball gown she wore for her
husband.
 
The material was simple
perfection in the way it flowed over her body like cascading rain.
 
Satisfied with the dress, she sat down
at her dressing table and styled her hair up into a simple twist, securing the
errant strands with diamond crusted pins.
 
Applying minimal makeup, she swept on a layer of gloss over her lips
just as Joseph stepped out of the bathroom dressed in his formal tuxedo.

The material clung to his body in all the right places,
moving with him gracefully as he sauntered across the room.
 
His hair was styled back and his golden
cufflinks reflected the light in the room when he moved.
 
He was the definition of debonair
– his proud posture and heightened stance giving him the appearance of a
powerful and brutal force.
 
Arianna’s eyes swept over the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders,
her heart beating faster as she followed his form down to gaze at his narrow
waist.
 
He was as beautiful as he
was intelligent and she was grateful to be his wife and to be allowed the gift
of his attention and love.

“If you will be the luckiest man because of this dress, than
the tuxedo you’re wearing will make me the envy of every woman who is there
tonight.
 
You look stunning, Joseph
– impressive as ever.”
 
She
stood up to take her husband’s outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her
from their bedroom, through the living room and out to the waiting limousine.
  
After the limo driver had opened
the door for her, she slid into the spacious backseat of the vehicle,
straightening her dress underneath her while she watched her husband crawl in
beside her.
 
Once the door was
closed, Joseph grabbed two crystal flutes and a bottle of chilled champagne
from a table to his side.
 
Handing
her a glass, he popped the cork from the bottle, allowing it to bounce off the
privacy screen between the driver and the backseat.

“Here’s a toast to a wonderful evening with the most beautiful
woman in the world.”
 
He lifted his
glass to her and she smiled while bouncing her glass lightly against his.

“And here’s to the most wonderful husband a woman could ever
ask for.”
 
She sipped from her glass
and admired Joseph from over the rim, watching as his neck moved from
swallowing the golden liquid.
 
Their
destination was not far and the drive only lasted thirty minutes.
 
Within that amount of time, Joseph had
ravished her as much as he could, causing her to need a moment to fix her hair
before stepping out of the car.

When she finally took Joseph’s hand, she was escorted from
the car out onto a luxurious red carpet bordered by red ropes, keeping
onlookers at a safe distance from the party attendees.
 
The flash of camera strobes blinded Arianna
while she allowed Joseph to lead her inside.
 
She noticed how Joseph’s name was called
out by the press who were crushed together along the sidelines; their
desperation for an interview apparent in their shouted requests.
 
Joseph ignored them, opting instead to
keep his eyes trained to Arianna at his side.
 
She smiled up at him, proud of the man
she called her husband.

Once inside, Arianna’s eyes widened to see the sheer
decadence of the ballroom where the party was being held.
 
The room was not yet crowded when they
arrived and she was able to look across the room at the tables elegantly set
with crystal and china table settings sitting atop stark white table
clothes.
 
The interior of the
ballroom was much larger than any room she’d seen and a stage was set at the
front of the room.
 
A crystal
chandelier hung gloriously at the center of the room and her eyes could not
look away from the iridescent light it cast along the ceiling and walls of the
room.
 
Joseph noticed her amazement
and pulled her closer to him so that he could whisper in her ear.

“Do you like the chandelier?
 
One day I will buy you a beautiful home,
Arianna, and in that home will hang a chandelier just as grand, if not more so,
than the one that hangs in this room.
 
This is just the beginning my love, soon your home will be the most
beautiful in existence.”
 
His voice
was like smooth silk against her skin and she blushed knowing her husband would
follow through with his promises to lavish her in luxury and wealth.
 
Whereas her heart sang with pride at his
accomplishments and drive, her stomach twisted at the thought that Joseph would
never understand that it wasn’t wealth that she wanted.

Arianna had grown up in a simple family.
 
Although, they were not as wealthy as
the old money society in which Joseph had been raised, they were comfortable
living with her father’s income and she was taught that love should be held
more valuable than any object or fanciful desire.
 
Her parents had died before she’d even
met Joseph, but their lessons still resonated in her head in the years since
they’d passed.

Joseph led her to their table that sat front and center of
the large room.
 
Taking his seat at
the table, Joseph appeared like a king, dignity oozing from every pore.
 
Couples passed by, making sure to stop
and make small talk with the guest of honor.
 
Arianna was having a splendid time
sipping champagne and observing her husband while he shone in his element.
 
She would never get used to the
attention they received due to his growing notoriety, but she wouldn’t openly
voice her concerns, not wanting to chance upsetting Joseph.

Once dinner had been finished and the attendees at the event
were sipping coffee and eating dessert, Joseph was requested to give his speech
at the podium on stage.
 
When he
stood, Arianna’s eyes took in her proud husband, a smile lighting her face to
see him become the center of attention.
 
She expected him to walk instantly to the stage, but he surprised her
when his eyes met hers and he made it a point to walk to her side of the table,
offer his hand and pull her up from her chair into an embrace and kiss straight
out of a romance novel.
 
Dipping her
backwards, he kissed her with such passion that Arianna could hear the audible
gasps, giggles and sighs sounding from the women throughout the room.
 
Her husband was a true romantic and she
adored every second of her time with him.
 
Lifting her back into an upright position, he smiled brightly at her
before assisting her back into her seat and turning to make his way up the
stage and to the podium positioned in the center.

The room quieted down once Joseph was in his position to
speak.
 
Except for the occasional
clink of a glass against a dish, a cough or the discreet clearing of a throat,
no sound emanated throughout the room as Joseph prepared to discuss his
acquisition of the company.

His grey eyes looked around the room, his posture was strong
and assured.
 
When he began his
speech, the silence in the room somehow grew even more silent as his words
reverberated off the walls and ceiling.
 
He didn’t need the podium at which he stood, because he didn’t need his
speech to be written out; his mind was the type that could memorize anything,
no matter the length.

“I’d like to start off this evening by thanking each and
every person in this room for being here tonight to congratulate me on an
accomplishment not normally known by a man my age.
 
Although, I do not view this achievement
as anything that deserves recognition, I know that it is unusual for not only a
single man, but one as young as me, to take over a company as large as Estate
Acquisitions.
 
I also know that many
of you have questions regarding my methodology for success and the type of
drive it takes for a man such as me to prevail in a business typically reserved
for far more established and experienced men…”
 
He paused, his eyes shifting down to
lock with the crystal blue orbs of Arianna’s.
 
He smiled and looked away to continue
his speech. “…But before I get into the intricate details of mergers and
acquisitions, I must be honest in telling all of you, that without my lovely
wife, Arianna, by my side, I would not have the drive to achieve my
success.
 
She is a fire that burns
within my body, my heart and my soul, and, for her, I can accomplish anything…”
Joseph laughed to himself at some inner thought, before once again donning the
expression of a serious businessman and looking up into the expectant faces of
the crowd. “…And to the gentlemen sitting here tonight – my associates,
my peers, and my competitors – I’ll have you know that because there is
only one woman on this Earth as amazing as my wife, I have a secret weapon that
you cannot acquire for yourselves, and as such, I will become a force to be
reckoned with.”
 
He smiled a cruel
smile, one that no person could mistake as anything but the expression of a man
who knew he had everyone beat.
 

“Gentlemen – consider yourselves warned.”

. . .

The booming sound of applause coupled with the entire room
standing in ovation of her husband left Arianna breathless in her surprise at the
admiration of the audience.
 
When
Joseph had stopped gushing about her, he’d immediately launched into a
discussion of the myriad of tasks he had to daily accomplish in his position,
his future goals for the company, and he even touched on the tenets of a
business that required a ruthless skill by which any man must operate in order
to compete in the industry.
  
For the most part, Joseph’s speech was the typical oration of a
professional, dull in nature but expected to be said.
 
However, there were certain parts, small
phrases used and minute changes to Joseph’s expression that concerned
Arianna.
 
She’d never really
observed Joseph when he worked and she’d never seen him don the mask of a
merciless entrepreneur, one who was intent on gaining not only money, but power
in his position at the top.
 
She
tried to shake the concern, attempted to convince herself that it was standard
for a person in his career, but the nagging warning of a hidden side to her
husband would not stop brushing across her thoughts.

Her eyes followed Joseph as he descended the stairs.
 
She watched his powerful swagger, a
stride that not only attracted, but warned any person whose path he
crossed.
 
She scrutinized every
motion of his body until he returned to their table, sitting down and once
again seeming to transform back into the man she knew and loved.
 
The abrupt change in his demeanor was
staggering and when Arianna accepted his outstretched hand from across the
surface of the table, she did so with the newly discovered knowledge that there
were two sides to Joseph Carmichael.

An hour passed and in that time Joseph led Arianna around
the large room, mingling with the guests.
  
Maintaining a bright smile on her
face, Arianna tried desperately to be the epitome of a perfect wife, laughing
with the women when they joked and cautiously tolerating the compliments of
their over-attentive husbands.
 
Having been raised in a modest family, she was unsure of the behaviors
expected of her in this environment.
  
She was surprised when she was approached by an older gentlemen who
requested a dance and she looked to Joseph for instruction on her
response.
 
Joseph was buried deep in
an animated conversation with a business associate so Arianna politely excused
herself, remembering that Joseph had wanted her to be the most desired at the
ball.
 
She allowed the man to lead
her onto the dance floor, holding her body apart from him while they danced so
as not to appear improper.
 
The man
was a delightful dancer as he spun her regally throughout the room.
 
When the lighthearted song ended, he
stepped away, bowing before escorting her back to her husband.
 
But while making their way back to where
Joseph stood, Arianna noticed a darkness in Joseph’s gaze.
 
It was fleeting in its duration but it
was enough to tell her that her husband was upset.

In an attempt to the shake the unease in her head, and while
Arianna continued following her husband around the large room, she had allowed
herself to drink one too many glasses of champagne.
 
She was feeling slightly dizzy and was
ready to call it a night and return home to bed.
 
Joseph also seemed tired, but he was
fastidious in his obligation to speak with each and every man and woman in the
room before he excused himself to leave.

When, at last, it was time for the two of them to return
home, Arianna was distracted by a group of ladies who wished to speak with her,
while Joseph was approached by two men who Arianna did not recognize.
 
Politely looking between the ladies and
her husband, Arianna took secretive glances at the men, noticing a darker edge
to their body language and expressions.
 
At first, Joseph didn’t appear to want much to do with the men, but then
the taller man said something that grabbed Joseph’s attention.
 
Arianna watched as her husband pulled a
business card from his wallet and handed it to the men within five minutes of
their approach.
 
After handing them
the card, Joseph excused himself and made his way over to Arianna, stealing her
away from the women so that he could escort her home.