9- Dancing at the ball

Naomi's POV

I hear a light knock on the door and turn to see Sam walking into the room. "Hello there beautiful," he says with a smile. He leans against the doorway as he stares at me, his arms folded across his chest. He looked handsome, dressed in a stylish suit. I stand up straight as Milo enters and stares directly at me; he was wearing a tuxedo that complimented him well. They both looked so handsome and were dressed well.

Milo smiles as he takes a step closer to me. "Wow, Naomi... you look so beautiful! I'm excited to have the prettiest date tonight."

"Thank you, both of you," I told them.

"Shall we?" he asked me through a cheesy smile, extending his arm. I connected mine to his and let him lead me out through the house and into the Limo. He opens the back door for me. He waits patiently for me to slide in, climbs in behind me, and then Sam sits on the seat across from me and Milo.

"So Milo, should we let her know what happens at the ball?" Sam asks me, glancing in my direction with a smirk on his face like he's planning something big.

I look at him cautiously. "Let me know about what?" I ask.

Milo spoke up. "Now we're heading into enemy territory. This is my biggest rival's home, and they invited me to a friendly meeting. I am not sure why they have called this meeting with me, but I know that they have been wanting my territory for a while. I decided to attend so that I could figure out why they wanted to meet with me." he says grabbing my hand in his.

I stare deep into his eyes. "Should I be scared or worried?"

"Not at all cupcake, I will be right there to ensure that nothing happens to you or to Milo," he says with a smile when I turn to face him.

Milo gave Sam an odd look, then he tried to cover it up. "What's with the nickname Sam?" he growled at him. I sensed that he was angry, so I kept my mouth shut.

"What is with the nickname?" he asked innocently. "Oh Milo, don't be silly! It's just a little bit of flirting with a cute girl!" He shook his head knowingly.

I see Milo clenching his jaw together. "Well, stop it! Didn't I already tell you that she was off-limits to you?" he growls, shooting a look at Sam.

Sam lets out a small chuckle at Milo, and I turn my attention back to him to hear, "You did tell me that, yes, but you also made it clear to me that you were not staking a claim on her. So she's still fair game, isn't she?" I stare at him in disbelief, wondering what was going on between him and Milo.

Milo lets out a loud fit of laughter, and I turn my attention back to him. "She is not fair game Sam, I own her! She is mine and as long as she is mine, you will not touch her." He raises his voice at Sam. Trying to ignore their argument, I turn my head to see a gigantic home appear outside the window. I saw a lot of limos and high-end cars parked near it, and I could clearly see people walking to and from the mansion. I hold my breath as we get closer to the house.

The house was huge, probably three stories with white stucco. There are two huge garages and a large fountain in front of the large home. The car stops near the door and I wait for the two guys to exit before I slip out myself. Milo grabs my hand and leads me inside the home, with Sam close behind us. As we entered the room with the ball, Milo stiffened as someone stepped in front of him.

"Hello Milo, it is really a pleasure to see you here. I'm glad you accepted the invitation, and who is this lovely lady?" He asks, kissing my hand with a smile on his face.

Milo carefully pulls me behind him, "She's none of your concern." I glance up at him, shocked as to why he shoved me behind him like he was trying to protect me now.

The guy clears his throat and glares straight at me as he says, "Oh, but I am determined to find out her name. She is very beautiful!" He smiles at me, causing me to glance at Sam as he steps up beside me.

"Her name is Naomi and she is Milo's!" he says in a low growl, tugging at my wrist. Then he adds himself in front of me. What the hell is going on here? Some movement to the side of us caught my attention. I turned my head to see a handsome guy stepping up to us with a friendly smile on his face.

"Milo... it's a pleasure!" He offered his hand for a handshake. This guy looked dangerous but was also very handsome. I couldn't help but feel the sharp tug in my heart saying that this guy was dangerous. He had white hair that he brushed over, deep blue eyes, and a square jaw. His black eyebrows gave his face a mysterious look. "And who is this lovely lady?" he asks, pulling me out from behind Sam and Milo. I dare to glance into his face as he smiles down at mine. It was as if he had some information about me that I did not have.

"They're not planning to tell me!" The first guy says to the one who is clutching my wrist tightly.

I feel Milo pull my hand away from the guy's grip before again stepping between us, announcing out loud, "This is Naomi and she's my girlfriend!" he says as he speaks.

I turn to look at Milo as he just claimed me in front of these men. With a friendly smile on my face, I extend my hand in front of me. "It's nice to meet you!" I say sweetly.

The second guy reaches out and shakes my hand. "Naomi, it's a pleasure to meet you!" he says softly, before turning his attention back to Milo. What happened to wanting to be alone? What happened to not wanting to involve someone in your life because it was dangerous? Plus, my dad has an offer for you," he tells us.

The guy he just refers to as Dad. "Shall we sit down and talk in the office?" he asked us.

"Of course. Naomi came. "Milos orders me. The white-haired man seems irritated that he would speak to me in such a manner.

"Why are you talking to her like she's a dog?" he snapped at him. I looked up at him and he looked angry. He was upset that Milo would order me around like that. Maybe this guy wasn't so terrible after all. I guess time will tell. I followed closely behind Milo as we walked to a room just off the ball's venue. Stepping inside I noticed that it was a cozy and spacious office space. The guy with white hair pulled out a chair and offered it to me.

With a smile on my face, I look at him and whisper, "Thank you." as I sit down in the chair. Milo sits beside me, placing one hand on my lap. It was a visual claim, and I could tell it made Sam uncomfortable as he stood against the wall within my sight. I thought it was weird to be in this position because it felt like so many guys were interested in me. I wondered why that was because I never thought of myself as beautiful or special in the least.

"You are very welcome," the guy with white hair said, sending me another friendly smile. I noticed that he didn't move to step away from me despite the dirty glares he was getting from Milo. He purposely remained standing next to my chair, which I felt was to keep Milo on edge.

I hear Milo clear his throat next to me. He tightens his grip on my thigh, causing me to focus my eyes back on him instead of the other guy. He smiles at the white-haired guy: "So what is this proposition you've come up with for me?" he asks through gritted teeth.

"Bring her in Leo," I heard the older man say loudly and furrow my brows waiting for someone to come through the door when I noticed Sam tensing up. I glanced over in time to see a gorgeous girl being led inside by another terrifying man with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Here she is boss..." he says shoving the girl toward the older man. I wondered why Sam tensed up with this new guy being in the room or maybe it was the girl who had him on edge.

"Thanks, Leo," he says, and I watch as he returns through the door he came in. "Milo, this is Suzie. She is my only daughter and my last bargaining chip here. I am, I was hoping to offer her hand to you in marriage. Through a deep breath, he says, "so that we can combine our gangs and territories.".

As he tightened his grip, I could almost feel his fingernails digging into my leg through the fabric of my dress. "What?" I jumped when his deep voice abruptly snapped. "How dare you invite me here for that?" he bellowed at them.

"Well, yeah, that is what we are all here for and I concur with my Dad that she is the right choice. She is trained very well and can handle life with you, so she would be a much better choice than this pretty girl here Milo. Think about it. You would have a wife who would leave you an heir. Plus you would have the support of our gang whenever you needed it. I heard the guy next to me speaking, and I had to admit that he had a point here. I didn't want to be put in this situation. There was no possible way in hell that I was ever willing to marry this man. He should marry that girl. I do not want him that way.

I hear Milo laugh before he stands up and pulls me up with him. "I don't need her, I have a perfectly acceptable girlfriend right here!" he says as he wraps his big arms around my body and holds it against his. He sounded offended that they would suggest this to him, which made me wonder why she was so beautiful. "Come, Naomi, let's go," he says as he starts walking toward the door, but the other guy clears his throat stopping him before he could get there.

"Milo, If you're worried about your girl here, I'd be happy to claim her as mine. I'd treat her well," he said with a smile and wink in my direction. I swallowed some air. This guy didn't seem scared of Milo at all. Because he was playing with him.

"I don't think so Finn, just no..." he growls.

"If anyone besides my boss gets this one, it's gonna be me!" Sam announces gliding up to my side.

I heard a sweet voice interrupt all the deep ones, "I will do anything for you to accept me as yours!" Her voice was velvet, so soft and sweet. As she smiled at Milo, I wanted to smile back at her.

"No, I don't think so, that won't happen... now if you'll excuse me... I promised my girl a dance before the night was over." Milo says, pulling me out of the room toward the crowd. He marched us to the middle of the dance floor, where he grabbed me roughly and began to sway his hips to the music. The song switched to a slower one and he kept me close to the dance floor. I decided to enjoy it because he was doing it, and I leaned into him as he rocked me back and forth around the floor.

I glanced to the side of the room and noticed Sam and Leo engaged in a serious discussion. On the other side of the room were the Greys, who all seemed to be in conversation and they were all staring at us. I wondered why everyone seemed to be on edge due to Milo's refusal of Suzie; everyone knew it was because of me.

I wondered what they were trying to plan now. I looked up at Milo's face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replies with a smile on his face.

"Why are they even offering her up like she's some sort of prize?" I couldn't stand how things were turning out. It didn't feel right to me.

He lets out a long sigh before saying "Well, because to them she is a prize. She has been trained by them to be the most faithful, most dutiful wife, but really, she has been trained to work for her father and betray her husband. All they want is my territory and they think the only way to get it is by marrying their daughter to me, so I'd be family. I refuse to let them have it that easy. I'm not just about to marry the girl simply because they want me to," he explains to me as he spins me around.

"Okay, then why are they mad at you for being with me?" I asked him.

He chuckles as if I should already know the answer to that question. "Because you are not her... they want me with her, plus you are a very beautiful woman and a newcomer to the scene. They want to control the situation, and you being here stops them, so that pisses them off."

When the song ended and we stopped dancing, I looked up into his eyes and smiled. I was shocked when he leaned down and kissed me. I was aware of all the stares. When he broke the kiss and stared at me, I just stared blankly back, unsure of what to do or say. "All right, let's go home," he insisted, having grown tired of all the stares in my direction.

"Yeah, I am tired," I say as he tugs me along behind him. We walk slowly to the car, his arm wrapped around my shoulder. I knew we looked very much like an everyday couple to everyone else, but inside I knew it was different. This man owned me. That was the only thing between us. Once we got to the car, he waited until Sam appeared next to us before he opened the door for me to slide in. We all slid into the back, where we sat on our way to the ball. I sat in the seat and let the driver drive me back home to Milo's house.