Rainer was stopped by some friends of their parents who had seen his last segment on another uprising somewhere in the world, but Lizzy was not listening because she was too busy trying not to run from the room.

"There you two are." Lizzy turned to see Grace and Brian standing next to them.

After her stomach fell all the way to her feet then rose to her mouth, the first thing that entered her head was that he was so close she could touch him. After all this time he was just an arm's length away, and he was still gut wrenchingly handsome. Then as if her life depended on it she plastered a polite smile on her face hoping that it wasn't too fake looking.

Grace had been distracted by a passing friend leaving her, Brian, and Rainer to talk among themselves. "You must be Brian." Rainer extended his hand and Brian took it, his face was expressionless.

Lizzy was doing her best to covertly study Brian. He was tall and broad just as she remembered. His hair had been salt and pepper when she had known him, but now it was silver and a perfect foil for his tanned skin and midnight blue almost violet eyes. He was wearing a tux just like all of the other men, and he wore it well. When she had known him he had only worn clothes fit for a construction site not tailor fitted tuxes.

He oozed wealth and power. He had always had the power but not the wealth.

Lizzy shifted her weight from one foot to the other drawing Brian's notice. She checked her polite smile, making sure it was still in place, and nodded at him, but his expression didn't change. He barely glanced at her, one could almost say he looked through her.

It cut her to the quick. She was at least trying to be nice and offer a smile or two, but he was just being unbearably rude. Did he think she was going to jump him or make a scene? Maybe he treated all of his discarded lovers this way.

Just then Bryce and Grace rejoined their little group. "Brian, I see you finally met Rainer," Bryce said.

"Rainer?" Brian asked.

"Oops, I didn't realize that you didn't know Lizzy and Rainer," Grace said looking chagrined.

"Rainer is the only sibling of mine that he hasn't met. You remember Brian don't you Lizzy?" Bryce asked, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes scanning the room. Bryce would have made an excellent spy because he noticed little details that most people missed. Lizzy had hated it growing-up but now she supposed it stood him in good stead as one of the top contract lawyers in the U.S.

Lizzy's gaze swung up to Bryce's face as she did her best to play it cool. "Of course I remember Brian. He's your best friend, and he gave me my first job." And a lot of other firsts she thought privately while trying to keep her voice as steady as she could.

"I didn't realize the two of you had that much history?" Grace looked from one to the other.

"A job is hardly a lot of history, is it Elizabeth?" Brian finally spoke to her.

She knew what he was doing. He was assuring her and wanted assurance in return that as far as anyone else was concerned it was only a job he gave her that summer and nothing more.

Lizzy couldn't help it, her toes curled at the sound of her name in his deep resonant voice. She briefly let her eyes travel his face taking in the differences that nine years had made, letting her gaze linger on those lips for just a second before she agreed.

Only it wasn't true her heart yelled at her. It wasn't just a job, and there was a lot of very personal history. She had thought about him every day for the last eight years. She thought about him at night as she lay in bed remembering how it felt to be in his arms, aching for his touch. Then she would fall asleep and dream about him and the memories of the past.

Hoping none of these thoughts showed on her face, she did her best to look bored.

"Would you care for some champagne Elizabeth?" he asked as he took a glass from the waiter.

How could his simple use of her proper name make her heart do flip flops in her chest. She knew why, it was because it reminded her of how he had said her name when they were making love.

"Thank you." She smiled politely again, shifting her weight and reaching for the glass. Her fingers brushed his and it was electric. It was all she could do to not jerk away as if she had just been shocked.

Lizzy took a sudden step back as if she could separate her feelings from herself but it caused someone passing behind them to bump Lizzy into Brian and his arm automatically went around her waist to steady her. She felt the muscles in his arm contract when he took her weight as if it was nothing.

She quickly stepped back, making a show of checking to make sure that he didn't spill any of his wine on him or her. Her knees were wobbly at the brief contact, her thigh was tingling where it had brushed up against his, and her back where has hand had touched her as he righted her had melted, she was sure it. If anyone looked, his hand print had to be burned into her flesh.

There was actually a little bit of wine on her dress, and normally she would have brushed it off and gone on with the night, but she needed an escape and it provided one, so she took it.

"Would you all excuse me please?" With a smile to the group she turned and headed for the direction of her room. When she reached it, she sat heavily on the bed and allowed herself to feel the stab of pain that had shot through her chest and stomach at her realization that he was nowhere near as affected as she was. There had been nothing in his eyes or face to say that he was meeting anyone other than an old acquaintance. Maybe she had expected and extra squeeze in his handshake to say he remembered her especially, but he hadn't even attempted to shake her hand.

Had it really been almost nine years since she had last seen him? The pain was as fresh as if it had just happened. Brian had been her first love, her first and only love. After their brief summer romance she had gone back to school, but she was never the same. How could the feelings still be so strong? She had hoped that time would mute most of her desire or at least show her that even crushes grew old. She had met him when she was fifteen and had an affair with him at 21,  still only a girl in both instances, and girls grew out of their crushes.

But she never had. She cursed herself and Brian for everything they were worth.

Taking a calming breath and pushing harder at the memories, she stood up and looked at herself in the full length mirror while she adjusted her dress. She could do this. She was older and wiser even though she didn't feel it. She still felt like she was a young inexperienced twenty one year old.

She checked that her earrings were in place with trembling hands, and then with one last glance over her shoulder, she quickly left the room before she could change her mind.