The Game - Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The black limo parked out front of the house later on that night was well furnished, the seats a soft leather and the paneling a deep, cherry wood. It was equipped with a small refrigerator, complete with a bottle of champagne and a few wine glasses. There was also a television mounted on the back of the front seat, the remote stashed away in a secret compartment. All in all, it was a beautiful vehicle. Too bad the mood inside didn't match the gleaming exterior.

Leon sat far on the other side of the car, seemingly pressing himself against the door, his hand resting on the panel and his gaze fixed on the scenery. I perched anxiously beside him, on what I supposed grimly to be "my side" of the car, my hands fidgeting in my lap, my fingers smoothing over the silky fabric of my gown. It was silent, and as the limo driver started the car and pulled away from the curb, it stayed silent, Leon completely ignoring me. I decided that then was the perfect time to go over the little bit of information he had given me in the hours before our departure.

We were going to what he deemed to be a dinner party that he had been invited to. I knew that it was being held in the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Polstice, two very well-off business people whom Marcus had worked with for years. To my understanding, this little get together was very important, and my presence would spark an interest in the Polstice's guests. (Though I wasn't sure why.) This would, in turn, spark interest from a man named Kelvin Harcourt, who was apparently the son of the man that Marcus was going to... get rid of. I cringed as I thought about it, but then cleared my mind, watching as the landscape passed by.

Some time later, I was brought out of a daydream about nothing in particular by Leon's gruff 'come on' and the grasping of my hand as he pulled me across the seat of the limo just as his door opened. He stepped out, then reached back in and took my hand, helping me out before tucking my hand into the crook of his arm. "Just remember everything we talked about and you should be fine," he said, his cool voice floating down to me over the gentle sound of music emanating from the large manor we were walking to. I nodded, chewing lightly on the inside of my cheek and hoping that I didn't make a fool of myself.

We ascended the front steps and stepped through the open double doors, into a glittering foyer. The music was louder now, coming from our right, which was the way Leon turned and pulled me with him. I swallowed, feeling butterflies start to flutter in my stomach, and I attempted to calm myself by taking a deep breath, plastering a smile on my face as we stepped into a large ballroom filled with perhaps a hundred people. We had barely started to navigate through the crowd when someone called Leon's name followed by a hearty laugh. I turned my head and caught sight of a portly man pushing through a group, a wide smile on his pudgy face. His cheeks were bright red, shining underneath the chandeliers of the room. I wondered if he was drunk, but the thought was chased away from my mind as soon as he spoke.

"Leon, old boy, how have you been?" Leon grasped the chubby hand held out to him, shaking once before pulling away. I glanced up at his face, finding the polite look to be plastered there, and I bit the inside of my lip to keep from laughing.

"Fine, Mr. Polstice, and you?" The beaming man managed to smile wider.

"I'm wonderful, old boy, just wonderful," he answered. Suddenly, his dark eyes landed on me, ad I smiled shyly. Mr. Polstice, our host, wiggled his eyebrows, and I forced myself to hold in the giggle that threatened to escape, finding it highly hilarious that he resembled a fat caterpillar with a tendency to smile. "And who is this lovely young lady?" My smile didn't waver, but I kept silent, per Leon's rule of not speaking unless I was spoken to directly, and let him answer for me.

"This is Brooke, my girlfriend." The lie fell easily from his lips, and he moved the arm I was holding on to as an indication for me to speak. I took a small step forward and took the pudgy hand that Mr. Polstice offered, wondering in the back of my mind at his obvious surprise.

"Nice to meet you," I said, then, remembering what Leon had told me about shaking hands, I pulled mine free from his grasp and returned it to my side. Mr. Polstice, previous shock having worn off, smiled broadly again.

"Likewise, my dear," he said jovially, his dark eyes, which seemed to disappear in the folds of his face, darting back to Leon and staying there. "Well it was good seeing you again, old boy, but I have to make my rounds before the Mrs. finds me." Leon smiled and nodded, watching as the little fat man continued on his way. A passing waitress swept by with a tray, and Leon grabbed a flute of champagne, handing it to me.

"To keep your hands occupied," he murmured as we began to walk again, "so you won't fidget. You don't have to drink it, but don't put it down." I nodded, putting the dark liquid up to my lips and sipping. Finding it to be slightly tart and dry on my tongue, I resolved that I more than likely wouldn't drink it, and I contented myself with holding it.

Leon and I walked leisurely through the crowd, and I realized that everyone in the room knew Leon in some way or the other. No matter which way we turned, there was someone calling his name and smiling so brightly that you'd think he had saved their lives. We had been there for about three and a half hours when, for the first time, Leon's face showed something besides polite interest after hearing his name called. Together, we turned toward the sound of the throaty voice, and my eyes landed on an Amazonian beauty with dark hair and green eyes. There was a smile on her face that rivaled everyone else's, and I believed that she might've smiled just to show off her perfect white teeth.

Her green eyes matched the color of her elegant emerald gown, which dipped low enough in the front to be considered indecent, and was bunched up around her hips. There was also a slit in the front that bordered on being insane, and if anyone looked hard enough, they could see from her ankles up to just above her knee. When she was within touching distance, she pulled Leon into a fierce hug, and, when he didn't return the embrace, she pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders and pouting. "Aren't you going to greet me properly?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of the pout on her face. Leon's eyes roamed in the space around her head before he finally looked at her. His face was a mask of complete and utter boredom.

"Hello Anya," was his response.  Anya didn't seem to like this, and she detached herself, blinking rapidly. I realized that they were face to face, and I felt a like a dwarf standing next to them, intimidated slightly by Anya's obvious beauty. After a moment of shocked silence, something changed in her eyes, and she murmured something to herself.

"That's all the greeting I get? You'd think that you'd be a little more civil to me." Leon scoffed.

"Civil? I am being civil." Suddenly, a giggle bubbled up in my throat, and I made a noise, attempting to hide my face. They both jumped, as though they had forgotten I was there, and Leon looked down at me with amusement glinting in his eyes. "I think you've had too much to drink," he said, reaching for my champagne. Nowhere near intoxicated, I pulled it out of his reach and glared up at him.

"I have not; you know this is still my first glass, and it's not even half empty yet, so hush." Leon grunted, staring down at me with an unreadable expression on his face. For a moment, I feared that I'd gone too far, then he suddenly grinned and bent, swiftly kissing my mouth before straightening and looking back to Anya. A blush began to creep up my neck, but I suppressed it, reminding myself that it was all a show. After all, he had kissed me numerous times throughout the night in order to keep the façade in place, and he'd told me beforehand that he would do so. I had no reason to be embarrassed.

There was a moment of intense silence, then a song started up, and Leon tugged lightly on my hand, the fingers of which were laced with his. "Dance with me," he said. I smiled and nodded, placing my champagne on a passing tray and following him without another word to the Amazonian beauty.

We swept onto the dance floor, and he placed one hand on the small of my back, pulling me a little closer. I forced away another blush, following as he led me into some elegant dance that I didn't know the name of. "You're doing good," he murmured after a moment. "We're leaving after this; I don't want to be in the same room as that woman any longer than completely necessary."

"Me either," I answered truthfully. "Who is she?" He grunted, twirling me out away from his body before pulling me back.

"An old flame." I couldn't help but grin.

"You say that like you regret it." He, to my surprise, grinned back.

"I do. It was a big mistake on my part." I giggled a little as we twirled past an elderly couple, tucking my face into his neck as the medium paced song we had been dancing to morphed into a slower one. His arm wrapped itself more resolutely around my waist, and I felt his chin resting on the top of my head. I registered that he smelled nice, but pushed the thought to the back of my mind as we swayed to the sound of a violin.

I wasn't aware that the music and the movement had lulled me into a drowsy state until both of them stopped. Leon began to pull away, but my body leaned into him, and he chuckled a bit before holding me tighter. "Come on, Brookie. We're going home." I mumbled something that even I didn't understand, and he chuckled again, reaching up and cupping my cheek. Somewhere in the back of my tired mind, I registered that he was looking at me with a softness in his eyes that warmed me to my toes, but he spoke, and the thought was pushed away. "Wake up. You can go to sleep once we get in the car." The cold tone of his voice effectively cut through the drowsiness clouding my mind, and I nodded, standing straight up. He moved his hands from my hips, allowing one arm to wrap around my waist as he walked me through the dwindling crowd and out of the manor.

We stood in the chilly air for only a moment before the limo pulled up. I climbed inside without any help from Leon, and slid over to the opposite of the car, buckling my seatbelt and leaning against the window. Leon sat silently, and we remained silent even as the limo pulled up in front of Marcus's home, and after we climbed out and walked together into the house. We went our separate ways, silently, and I slipped out of the dress once I was in my room, walking to the closet and hanging it back up, running my fingers over the silky fabric.

I climbed into bed after brushing my teeth and washing the make-up from my face, falling asleep quickly.