Free The Billionaire's Vegas Bride: A BWWM Alpha Male Romance by Cj Howard Page A

flawless French.
    Chantelle was also relieved that Aunt Janine had insisted on teaching every child who crossed her threshold how to eat properly. Etiquette was not always imposed in her house, but Aunt Janine made sure that they learned it and could feel comfortable at any event. There were still a few things she wasn’t used to, and she watched Justin and copied what he did. Justin noticed that she was observing and then following his lead. Rather than being disappointed that she hadn’t participated in society before, he was impressed with her ability to pick up on things and learn so quickly.
    Throughout dinner, they continued to find things in common. They loved the same artists, musicians, and movies. Justin seemed to know more about the civil rights movement than she did in terms of history. Of course, she had more family and neighborhood stories, but it was a comfort to know that he had educated on a topic so close to her heart.
    “I don’t feel that it’s a black issue,” Justin said with feeling. “Civil rights for every human being is the responsibility of each individual, and those with power and influence need to make themselves aware of real-life issues.”
    Chantelle put down her fork and looked at him across the table. He said this so adamantly that she knew it was heartfelt. When he went on to talk about other areas of civil rights, she knew that he hadn’t rehearsed this information for her benefit. Her heart swelled. This man was everything she had ever hoped for. He was a good man who cared about others and worked hard.
    He paused and looked up to see her gaze. The softness around her eyes and lips nearly took his breath away. He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said gently, “I didn’t mean to talk about such an important subject as if it were mere dinner conversation.” He had misread her look. He wanted to assure her that his concerns for civil rights weren’t merely academic.
    She smiled at him. “No, it’s wonderful. Just wonderful.” Normally she was outspoken on such topics, but a sudden rush of emotion took away her ability to speak well and all she wanted was to feel the caress of his thumb as they held hands across the table.
    At that moment, a quiet, and yet shrill voice above them shocked them. “Oh, hello, Justin, dear.” Candice bent down and kissed his cheek with an attitude of possession. She turned toward Chantelle. “And who is your… ah… friend?” She lifted one pale eyebrow and put a hand on Justin’s shoulder.
    Chantelle had never seen this woman before, but every fiber in her body immediately despised her. Candice was carefully dressed, as always. She wore a silver-tone dress with tall strappy heels. Her makeup worked with her light complexion.
    Her appearance was flawless, but she still made a bad first impression on anyone with intuition, and she did take on cat-like qualities when she was around Justin. Their break-up had not gone over well with her father and she was feeling pressure to use whatever she had at her disposal to mark her territory and get him back.
    Justin tried to stand to follow the social norms of his set, but he fumbled it badly, spilling a glass of water. He was out of sorts because he had been staring so longingly at Chantelle, and even though the sight of Candice was enough to snap him out of any lovely trance, his body had yet to relinquish the erection that made this show of etiquette an ordeal for Justin. Candice merely tinkled her little fake laugh and brushed an invisible crumb from Justin’s chest. “Oh dear. He is such a clumsy oaf, isn’t he… what was your name?”
    Chantelle fought down her annoyance. “My name is Chantelle.”
    “Oh, Jarnel” Candice purposefully mispronounced the name in a drawn out fashion. “How cute. What in the world were you named after?” Before Chantelle had a chance to respond, Candice whirled around on Justin. “Sweetie, I need you Thursday night for a