His Every Desire

"My father died of cancer ten years ago. A self-made millionaire, he invested in my company early on, and I wouldn't be the man I am today if not for him. I owe it to his legacy to try and donate more and more of the fortune we accumulated together to try and beat his killer.

"I owe even more of my success to our biggest investor, and he's here tonight. When my father died, he took over, becoming like a father to me. John Tice, where are you? Let's give him a round of applause!"

He scanned the audience, looking for John Tice. His eyes briefly passed over Tracy, then snapped back to her. As he confirmed it was her, a brief scowl passed across his face, then a big smile. He thinks I'm here to apologize, she thought.

His eyes moved on, and finally found John Tice. He was standing with his daughter, Jenna, and accepting his round of applause. When Tracy laid eyes on Jenna, she knew that her dream had been true. She was in the same dress as she had been in the dream. The dress, the hair, even the sparkle of jewelry was all exactly the way Tracy had seen it in the dream. There was no way she'd imagined it, not at this detail.

Tracy couldn't see her shoes with all the people between them, but she didn't need to. While everyone was clapping and smiling, Jenna was staring up at Mr. Hayes, a cold determination in her eyes. It was the look of a woman about to commit murder.

Mr. Hayes continued with his speech. "That's all I've got for you tonight, so give what you can, and drink enough to make my dad proud!" A cheer rose up from the crowd, and Mr. Hayes walked off the stage.

Most people expected him to walk to John Tice, but instead, he made a beeline to Tracy. Just watching him stride toward her made her stomach tighten. She wasn't sure how he was going to respond to her being there.

"Tracy. Since you're already in, I won't have security escort you out." It was a serious thing to say, but Mr. Hayes said it like it was a joke, so Tracy let it slide. "Truthfully, I'm glad to see you. I'm sorry we fought."

It wasn't quite an apology, but it would do for now. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes."

He moved his hands to her shoulders. "I know we were both hungover, and I understand your jealousy. I totally get it. But you're the only woman for me. You have nothing to worry about," he said, looking into her eyes.

Tracy melted at his words, his voice, his look. She didn't mean to, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. She hadn't realized just how heavy the weight of their fight had been on her until that moment.

"Oh, Paul," she whispered, calling him by his first name for the very first time.

He looked as if he might melt too. His smile softened into something far more romantic and kind, making Tracy forget for a moment everything that was going on. For a moment, with him looking at her like that, everything was how it should be.

Tracy's mood, however, quickly hardened as she saw Jenna walking up with two wine glasses. The moment shattered.

"Oh. Hi, Tracy!" Jenna said, as bubbly as she was the night before. "That dress looks great on you!"

Tracy stared at the wine glasses, sure that the poison was lurking inside one of them. Jenna had no way of knowing that Tracy knew her plans as she handed Mr. Hayes a glass of champagne. Tracy didn't think, she just moved.

"Don't drink that!" Tracy cried out, pushing the glass away from him before he could take it and nearly spilling it down Jenna's dress.

Shock and disappointment filled Mr. Hayes' eyes. "I thought we were past this, Tracy."

"What's the matter?" Jenna asked, confusion painting her pretty face. Tracy wanted to smack the look right off her.

Mr. Hayes turned to Jenna. "Tracy thinks you're going to try to poison me tonight."

A momentary flash of anger and then horror that Tracy knew and that she would suggest something that was going to ruin her plans. Jenna quickly recovered before anyone but Tracy could notice.

"That's ridiculous! Here." Jenna took his glass of champagne and took a sip of it, then took a sip of her own champagne. She shrugged as nothing happened, looking rather pleased with herself.

Mr. Hayes turned back to Tracy, his arms crossed. "Are you satisfied?"

Tracy frowned at the glass and the smug look on Jenna's face. The poison wasn't in that glass. But, Jenna would be plying Mr. Hayes with drinks all night long. Thinking about it, It would be less suspicious if he didn't fall over dead right after his speech. But, falling over dead after drinking far too much... there would be no blame laid on anyone and it would simply be labeled a tragic death.

Tracy couldn't watch Mr. Hayes' drinks all night long. All it would take was one moment, one turned head or a trip to the bathroom for Jenna to slip her poison into his drink. The dark gleam in Jenna's eyes told Tracy the dream was real. Tracy wasn't

crazy. There was only one way for her to prove it, though.

"Please, Mr. Hayes, just look in her shoe,” Tracy begged. “Check to see if there's anything in the compartment."

The color drained from Jenna's face, but again she recovered quickly. "Look, Tracy, I'm sorry that you're jealous. I should have known that the other night was a mistake, but I can promise you that Paul's place is by your side. I'm not here to replace you."

Mr. Hayes' jaw tightened. Jenna's words were exactly what Mr. Hayes needed to hear to turn against Tracy. "Tracy, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Jenna has done absolutely nothing wrong and your jealousy is out of control."

Tracy felt sick to her stomach. She could feel him slipping away, as much from distrust as the threat of poison. "Mr. Hayes, please! If you check her shoes, I promise I'll leave and give you as much space as you need. I can go quietly or I can make a scene."