Chapter Twenty-Two: In Which He Admits Defeat

Arden sat at the bar nursing his whiskey, thinking back to the woman that he had been forced to take out because she had been one of Gloriana's matches. One she had chosen for him, Monica. She had been beautiful, intelligent and independent. She was working for a fortune five hundred company. Honestly, she had been the perfect woman for Arden. She would have understood all of this responsibilities. She would have required much of his attention and she would have look great on his arm at parties. She could have entertained his business partners.

Monica. The woman in black cocktail dress with legs up to her neck.

Monica. The woman with the full red lips.

Moncia. The perfect woman.

Perfect or not though, she wasn't the woman for him. She wasn't the woman that had him twisted up and confused. She wasn't the one that left him frustrated beyond rational thought. She wasn't the one that he wanted in his bed. She wasn't the one that he thought about at random points of the day, wondering what she was doing.

Gloriana. The woman with curves that he could hold onto.

Gloriana. The woman with a tongue that pleased and teased him.

Gloriana. The beautiful disaster.

Arden knew for certain now that he didn't want the perfect woman. He didn't need the Monica and Isobel's of the world. No, he wanted his beautiful disaster. As much as he wanted to tie her up to his bed and turn her ass pink for everything she had been putting him through...He wanted to see her smiling again. He wanted to see that sly look in her eyes when she was up to know good.

Begrudgingly, Arden finished off the last of his drink, glancing down at his cellphone that sat next to him on the counter. He had tried to call Glory after he left the perfect Monica twenty minutes into there date. He couldn't go through with another date. He had been through several of them over the past couple of weeks. He had gone through with them in the beginning hoping that Glory was simply upset with him for whatever reason she was upset with him.

He had expected her to get over her anger, but she hadn't. She had only seemed to become more serious about finding him his match. The woman she had thrown at him had been beautiful, temptresses. They turned heads but sadly as much as he wished it, they didn't turn his. No. Arden's head seemed to turn toward the petite woman with a cold shoulder that left him frostbitten.

"I thought I might find you here." Frankie remarked as he pulled out the chair on the other side of Arden, easing himself out of his blazer. Arden gave him a bitter chuckle, before taking a big sip from the amber liquid in his short glass. It burned as it hit his tongue, the burn drifting down his throat and settling in his stomach.

"That bad, huh?" His friend questioned as he motioned to the bartender to get whatever Arden was drinking.

"No, Monica was perfect. She had legs that could have easily wrapped around me. Lips that would have had the pope thinking dirty thoughts..." Arden replied, honestly. There was no reason to not say what he had been thinking when he'd seen the woman. Of course, his next thoughts had been how the perfect woman didn't stack up next to the beautiful disaster that was, Gloriana Novacek.

That woman had completely bewitched him. And then turned around Hexed him, leaving him unable to do anything with anyone.

"That's not what I was talking about." Frankie mumbled under his breath as the bartender handed over a drink. She gave him a slow smile, a seductive one that spoke of the things she was considering letting him do to her later. Arden almost laughed out loud at how his friend seemed completely unfazed by the beautiful woman, throwing herself at him.

Frankie turned his gaze toward Arden, "You really need to get yourself together. You've been completely distracted over the past couple of weeks and that is not helping you or the business. As you're friend and business partner it's my job to tell you when you are fucking up. So listen carefully, You. Are. Fucking. Up." He said pointedly before raising his glass and taking a sip from the stiff drink. Arden sagged forward a bit, feeling the effects of his two drinks or was it three now? He couldn't remember clearly.

"Don't worry I'll get myself together. I'll call Monica, and ask for another date..." Before he could finish whatever bullshit he was spewing out of his mouth Frankie slapped him in the back of his head. He jolted forward in surprise before swinging his gaze toward his friend with narrowed eyes, "What the hell was that for, Franklin?" He clenched his hand into a fist.

Frankie shook his head, "You clearly weren't listening to me. Arden, I know you aren't here drinking over the beautiful woman you could have taken home tonight if you had wanted. You're here drinking about the beautiful woman would you couldn't. A particular female who came into your life with all the graces of a blind elephant." Arden couldn't help the snort of laughter at the comparison because it was damn accurate.

"She wants nothing to do with me, and to be honest it's probably better that way. She and I fight more than we get along. She has no self control. She does and says whatever she wants, when she wants without consideration to the audience. She is a menace to society, honestly." Arden grumbled as he took another drink, the world spinning slightly.

"Yes and despite all those things... you're still in love with her." Frankie finished.

Arden snorted at his friends ridiculous comment, "In love?" He let out another bitter laugh, shaking his head as he sipped down more of the whiskey.

"Hardly." He commented to himself with another disgruntled sound. Frankie simply sat beside him quietly, watching him with a smug expression on his face. He was not backing down from the thought, turning the situation into a silent battle of wills.

"No." Arden narrowed his eyes, losing a bit of the humor that he had. There was no way that he was in love with Gloriana. Sure, he wanted her underneath him, in his bed. It had been a hard couple of weeks, just him and his hand and memories of the things that had transpired between the two of them. He groaned internally as he felt himself growing hard, thanks to the images now circulating around in his mind.

"No." He repeated again but it felt less sincere. He had enjoyed her smiles even if they had been at his expense. He had liked the way she had cut him down, something no one else had the balls to do before her. She hadn't cared that he was Arden Fox. She had treated him as if he was anyone else. She didn't care about his money, it hadn't impressed her. She had seemed completely content in her dinky apartment with that hellish feline.

He closed his eyes as the room swam, even still he could feel Frankie's eyes burning into him. He was not in love. He wasn't.

He wasn't.

No way.

Not with Gloriana.

"You love her, Arden. Anyone with a brain could have figured that out. You've turned down every woman that Glory as set you up with. I've seen them. They are beautiful, smart, clever...she has been giving you exactly the type of women you've always gone for..." Frankie pressed as He tapped his finger against the glass in his hand. Slowly Arden opened his eyes to look at his friend, feeling a tight feeling in his chest. A feeling he'd found himself feeling a lot over the past couple of weeks.

Frankie gave him a small pitying smile, "But here you are drinking, alone. Thinking about Glory...Sorry to break it to you, but you are in love with her. Even if you can't admit it, it doesn't change the fact that you are." He sucked in a breathe, like the truth had punched him straight through his chest.

He was.

Madly ( He'd have to be mad.)

In love with Gloriana.

Frankie leaned over and patted Arden on the shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze, "It's alright. It's a lot to take in. Arden Fox has fallen in love."

"I need to call her. I--" Frankie snatched his friends phone before he grab it and do something stupid.

"Let's not jump the gun. You've lost a lot of ground over the past couple of weeks...you're going to have to do something more than make a couple of phone calls to fix this one." Frankie commented as he put the phone into his pocket, "But don't worry I'm sure you'll think of something. You are Arden Fox after all."