VINCE
I couldn’t help but rewind all the memories I had of her in my mind. Joy had been the only woman I had regretted not getting to know properly. And that was all because of a stupid agreement.
I had always wondered if she had faked her name. Little had I known she was more similar to me than I had thought. When I had introduced myself as Vince, she had said her name was Joy, both being the shortened versions of our names.
"What's her full name?"
"Joyce Gale," Jordan quickly answered.
Joyce Gale. I exhaled and folded my arms over my chest. For a year since I had last seen her, I had thought only of her, had wished if I could reverse time and get to do things differently between us.
But that had been all a long time ago. Five years ago.
"Man, no.” Jordan’s voice pulled my attention back to him. “She’s not your type.”
Funny. I had said the same thing to myself when I had first touched her smooth skin.
“She doesn't even look at guys in that manner,” Jordan said. “She once admitted she'd rather sleep with a skunk than marry men like us."
"Men like us?" I knitted his brows together, disturbed. What the fuck did that mean? That did not sound like the girl I knew or had known.
Jordan shrugged, giving a sly smile. "Arrogant. Way too rich. Flirtatious. Promiscuous. Narcissistic."
"Funny. Seems like you’re describing yourself."
“As if you’re any better,” he scoffed, and I rolled my eyes.
I took a deep breath and went for it. "Do you remember the girl I told you about, the one I met in Paris?"
Jordan nodded, but then paused, his eyes narrowing at Joyce before forcing them back on me with shock. Jordan had known about the mysterious woman that had me, of all people, swooning over her.
"I think that's her."
“You think?” He chided, “You better hope she isn’t.”
I shook my head and corrected, "I am sure that's her. But why the hell are you so opposed to the idea of her being that woman?"
His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. And I understood why. Not that Jordan worried about Joyce being Joy. He was terrified at the thought of another woman like Olivia ruining me. But I was certain Joy was nothing like Liv.
I was about to speak, but my words were cut off as the music played louder, showing the bride’s arrival. I exchanged a small nod with my best friend before turning back to the event.
The moment Aubrey paced through the aisle, everyone stood up, while I looked at Jordan’s expression instead. His eyes were filled with affection and desire. Both the bride and groom refused to lose their eye contact, as if they were talking to each other via an invisible string.
That was the kind of love any of us would be lucky to have.
I tried to focus on the ceremony, but my attention kept drifting to where Joy was. All I could fucking think of was Joyce Gale: her emerald eyes and lavender scent. I had craved her scent. Neither a girl nor a perfume could ever match up to that extremely soothing odour that had melted me, had made me lose my control, had addicted me.
Does she remember me? I stared at her, unable to steer my gaze away.
With a sudden flick of her eyes, she met my gaze (surely to me gawking) and her eyes rounded in shock. She remembered me. But what I didn’t understand was the look of fear in them. Or maybe I was just misreading it.
She immediately averted her eyes, regaining her composure, as if she hadn’t seen me. Oh, man, I had screwed up pretty badly.
***
JOY
The sounds of the soft music, children giggling, people gossiping and everything around me were making me a little anxious. I had never been good at weddings, which was why I had had to convince Aubrey to not make me a bridesmaid. I knew it unsettled her, but she understood. She fucking understood me.
The moment Aubrey walked in with her hand around her father's arm, everyone stood up. He guided her down the aisle, just like I had imagined. Bill was a brilliant father once . . . but sometimes, realities change people. It wasn’t too late for him to mend things with his daughter.
He handed Aubrey over to the tall, muscular figure at the centre of the stage, nodding at her. Jordan had his dark hair gelled to perfection and a huge smile glued to his lips, while his eyes refused to move from Aubrey. He extended a hand, and she accepted.
The stage was enormous, and was decorated with wreaths of green foliages and white and pink flowers, white net curtains draped between the pillars of the stage.
Jordan and Aubrey held their hands and took their vows together, vows that would bond their souls for eternity, as many preferred to say.
Staring into each other's eyes and promising to stay by each other's side was a very intimate moment, an enormous commitment I would avoid for as long as I could. Knowing that from then on, everything you would do is for your other half was exquisite. But at the same time, nothing frightened me more than the vulnerability that came with it.
My entire attention was stuck on the lovely couple's holy matrimony until my gaze shifted to the man standing behind Jordan and my entire world crumbled. It was Vincent Brown, the man I hated the most. And I hated the fact that I didn’t truly hate him.
This was the exact nightmare I had hoped to never live through. Aubrey had told me he wouldn’t be at the wedding. She had said he had some business in Sydney, which was why I was here.
Vince wore a blue tuxedo. His undercut hair was flipped back, and he looked devilishly attractive, no doubt. He pressed his brows together while he stared at me. Oh god, he knew it was me.
I forcefully shifted my attention back to the major attraction of the event, trying my best to control the shivers working up and down my body.
After the bride and groom's passionate kiss, they headed for the reception table. During the different ceremonies, I knew deep down that Vincent was watching me, his gaze nerve-wracking, penetrating.
The staring part was okay, because I thought I could handle it, until it wasn't. It was vexing me.
Later, after the dinner and the speeches, I felt relieved, not finding Vincent anywhere around. He had probably left for work. I had successfully avoided him. For years, I had tried my best to not blow the fact that I was Aubrey’s best friend. The rehearsal dinner, the family gatherings—I had avoided all the events that he had attended.
I stood by the altar beside Jordan’s sister, Joanne, with her twins running around the altar, racing after one another, while Jordan and Aubrey sneaked off to get ready to leave. The dance floor was occupied and so was the dining room.
"Sometimes, I dread the thought of bringing another child into my life when there are already two monsters eating my head," Joanne said, sipping from her glass of orange juice.
"Seeing you dread it, I dread it.” I shrugged my head.
"It's not like I hate it.” She went on, “Sometimes I wish I could have some time for myself, which seems like a dream now. The times I'm not taking care of them, I'm either freelancing or searching for the next thing to clean up after my kids. I can't even talk to Harper about this. He’s a great dad, and he works his ass off to keep up with the business."
"All this sounds suffocating." I looked at Joanne from my peripheral vision, my brows pressed together.
"It is.” She sighed. “But on the plus side, I love them. The moment these kids hug me or call me Mom, it feels . . . I don't know how to explain it. It's one of those things in the world that has no rational explanation."
I wished if all mothers thought the same. My mother didn’t, which was why she had run off with some random college guy.
"You do an exceptional job at handling things. Harper and your kids are lucky to have you." I smiled at her before looking back at her kids, who were now running toward the tables with the food set up. “Oh, shoot!”
"Oh, no . . . No!" Joanne ran after them, yelling.
I burst into a fit of laughter, watching her pull one twin by the ears while the other scampered off into the house. God, I couldn’t even imagine the things those devils put her through.
"It's been a long time . . ."
A hoarse voice reached my ears, and I whirled around on my heels to glance. My breath hitched in my throat. My eyes landed on his silvery ones and my breathing quickened. I had hoped to never see him again.
"Joy,” he said in a soft voice.
Oh, fuck!
[FIVE YEARS AGO] VINCE I was eager to get out of the office doors—the white walls and the cream marble floors. So, when my childhood friend offered to take me up for some drinks, I couldn’t say no. "You have no idea what you’ve saved me from," I said as we walked past the massive line outside the club. "Humour me." Cole ran a hand through his coffee-coloured hair. "On second thoughts, please don't. Your job is the very reason I ran from home." "Not everyone's as lucky as you. I had no option," I huffed. Cole shook his head and raised a brow at me. "That's where you're wrong, man. You had a choice. It's your fault you didn't take it. You were too busy mending what your mother left behind." I knew damn well Cole was right. There was always an option. But I was the practical one. No matter which option I would’ve chosen, someone would’ve got hurt. The streets of Paris had something about them I could never understand. I wanted to know why this place was called the city of love, no
JOY By the aura Vince carried, I wasn’t surprised to see how quickly he had booked a VIP area for us. The area was larger than the lounges—a semi-round couch around a round table that had a champagne bottle dipped in a bucket of ice. "Deux verres, s'il vous plaît," said Vince, turning to the waiter. The waiter handed him the glasses and walked past me with an odd grin glued to his lips, making me scrunch my face. "They are not used to seeing such an entrancing woman like you," Vince said. “Entrancing?” I asked, sitting on the couch with a leg over the other. He only nodded. "So, do you come here often?" I tried not to ogle at him and pulled out my phone. I caught glimpse of a few messages from Aubrey, and I laughed. Aubrey worried more than my mother ever had whenever I went off to a club or a party. I quickly replied to Aubrey with a few heart emojis and strode the phone back inside my purse.
JOY I heard a loud slam of the door and turned to look. It was Vince. His jaw tightened and his eyes focused on mine as he made his way around the car and toward me. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, his hands slipped to the back of my neck and he pulled me toward him, connecting his lips to mine. With his other hand, he gripped my waist to keep our bodies pressed tightly together. I stood still for a fraction of seconds, my mind processing what was happening, but soon after, I complied, allowing our lips to dance in a perfect rhythm. His towering height was making me bend back a little. The kiss was demanding and sensual, enough to ignite a searing feeling down the pit of my stomach. I’d never been kissed this way before—a kiss filled with so much need. So much desire. My entire body hummed with pleasure and my nipples peaked, painfully straining against the fabric of my strapless bra, underneat
VINCE The unexpected for me was to wake up beside Sonia, our legs tangled and bodies naked and sticky. Well, not entirely unexpected. I’d hoped to see Sonia gone by now, but she was sleeping soundly, with her chest pressed on the soft mattress of the bed. I sighed, got up, and made my way to the bathroom. I double-checked the door to make sure it was locked, as I was in no mood for repeating last night's innuendos. My muscles relaxed as the warm water glided down my skin. The decision I’d made last night—leaving Joy alone when she was drunk and clearly scared for reasons I was clueless about—was bugging me. No matter what I did, I couldn't push past that one moment that had ruined it all. Joy pulled the shirt off of my body and tossed it on the floor before pushing her red dress down her legs. She pulled me back to her, her lips demanding. I could've kissed those plump lips and devoured them all day if I could.
JOY I wanted to ask Vince many questions, but yet again, my fear of ruining the moment took the chance away. I gulped, gripped the coffee cup and kept walking through the long pathway that led into the park of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. The place was enormous and crowded with people, clicking pictures of each other and the trees that were aligned by the sidewalk, their long branches providing a perfect shade for the pathway. The sounds of children laughing, birds chirping and people talking were mixing into a rhythmic symphony. I noticed Vince twisting and turning in hesitation, as if he was battling with his own mind. Stop fidgeting and start talking—I felt the inner Aubrey in me scolding me. She was the only one who could push me to do things, no matter how stupid, and sometimes it was definitely worth it. "You eat a lot of sugar," I blurted out in a breath and looked away, cursing myself. I was meaning to say something el
JOY The next spot on our list was the Eiffel Tower. We were having a great time. I missed being this childish since Mason started working and travelling. And with Vince, I just didn't care what others thought. I was sure Vince wasn’t judging me. What was surprising was the way Vince was behaving. I hadn't expected him to be this fun. As promised, I treated us both with hotdogs. It was quite clear that I was the losing party, so I’d stopped running midway. We made our way to the venue when it was around the afternoon. This city was something. No matter what Vince believed—even though he had his reasons—I was willing to fight.Paris is the city of love. Period. The first thing that we did after nearing our destination was getting pictures of me taken, pretending to hold the tower in my hands. And Vince was kind enough to take them for me. The pictures came out spectacular. He surprised me with his knowledg
VINCE I didn't want to feel this way. I hated to be so weak. I’d been claustrophobic since childhood. Whenever the fear haunted me, I was alone. Without Mum and Dad to comfort me. My pride hadn't allowed me to seek help from my caretakers, either. I used to cower down and rub my hands on my chest until my breathing returned to normal and the fear faded. I had no idea what caused this fear. Whether it was really a closed room, I feared or the thoughts and nightmares about being alone and left in a room with no escape, I couldn’t understand. When Joy had pressed her delicate hands on my chest, fear was the last thing on my mind. No one had ever made me feel this way. I couldn't push past the reverie of emotions I was feeling after that, so much that I ended up acting upon them. I’d kissed her. And before I knew it, I had unintentionally pulled back, reminding myself that I didn't deserve her. I couldn't even accept the fact th
VINCE My phone was constantly buzzing in my pants. And that entire time I was busy scolding myself, persuading my mind and heart to get Joy out of my thoughts, to think straight. Nothing was ever going to happen between the two of us. Joy had made it very clear last night when she’d pushed me away, not once, but twice. I finally glanced at the humming device, striding it out of my pocket. It was Jordan. Taking a deep breath, I met Joy’s stare and said, "I have to get this." "Sure." I quickly headed out of the restaurant and picked up the call. "You fucking asshole, what took you so long? I’ve been calling you all day,"Jordan growled from the other side. He sounded devastated, which only made me believe that whatever the matter, it had to be a huge matter or he wouldn't be so freaked out. "I was busy with business.” Lies! “Why? What happened?" I asked, peaking at Joy through the glass windows o