"ARABELLA!!"

I roll my eyes. I couldn't escape my mother for a moment without her freaking out. She was worried that I would do something to embarrass the family. I had two glasses of wine, I didn't drink the whole damn bottle. I wanted to leave this damn engagement party. I didn't want to be here. Sad thing was this was my engagement party. I was the one supposed to be happily engaged. I was no way near happy. If I had enough nerve I would walk away from everything. I would walk away from this bloodline and never look back.

I should be happy. I had graduated from Medical School. The grueling rotations at the hospital have started but it was part of the job. Patients are something I have deal with, not something I want to deal with. I didn't have that doctor gene that they all seemed to have. I haven't found the ‘love' for this job as I thought I would. Who wouldn't want to be a doctor? Isn't that the American dream? I didn't have a worry about anything. I walked out of Med School with not a single student loan to pay back, life was going to be easy. I had the brains and the knowledge of a doctor, it just wasn't the things I thought I was supposed to do for the next forty years or my life. The few things I did want in life, were out of the question.

My mother appears from crowd again. "Arabella, it's rude to keep your guests waiting. Get out there and mingle with them. Show some respect."

Respect. I shake my head. Not one person in this room shows respect for anyone.

Thirty one days earlier....

My father was being honored at this Medical Conference in Los Angeles, CA and he asked me to join him to ‘test the waters' as he says. Get my name out there and get in good with these people. It could make me a very wealthy woman in the future. Instead of arguing with my father I agreed to go.

We stepped off the private jet on the runway at LAX and the warm air that hits my face is something I haven't felt in quite some time. Spring in NY is nothing like the spring time in California. I think I belonged in the warm weather. Without my parent's permission I had actually had interests in doing my residency in California. But they must have had some word in it because not one single hospital called. I was far from a bad student, I was the typical A student who would be embarrassed by anything by an A. It would be against everything right in the world if I had actually got a job offer to some place other than that throne of a hospital my father is the chief of surgery at, I didn't want to follow the exact path that everyone else has already done.

"Good morning, Dr. Kinsey. It's nice to see you again." The gentleman standing next to the limo dressed in a dark navy blue suit says.

"Not a good morning, Mr. Harrington. Not a good morning." My father snapped at the limo driver.

My face turns red from embarrassment as my father waits for his door to be opened for him. He climbs in the limo and I look at the driver and whisper, "I'm sorry." He smiles at me and I climbed in the back seat with my father.

One thing that really bothered me about my father was his arrogance. He was the most conceded person I had ever known. Everything revolves around him and his life. If he doesn't want to do something, no one gets to do it. I dreaded the idea of family vacations. Who wants to be in an unknown place and be stuck in a house with those people? At least at home I had the option to make an excuse that I needed to study, or work to get away from my family. My oldest sibling, Charlotte was just like him. And when you put the two of them in a room together, it's a nightmare waiting to happen. I was happy when she took the job in Miami and has been there for the last three years.  I get to see her on holidays and that was it. My older brother, Lamar is more like my mother. He liked to nag but he knew that there was a time and place for it. Lamar is in his last year of year of residency and is most likely going to take a job in Massachusetts at the end of the summer.

Like me, they both had arranged marriages. It had nothing to do with religion why they chose this for their children. It was all about the Bloodline. As children of doctors, you are supposed to marry doctors but not just any doctors. They had to have the right Bloodline as well. One month before graduation you are to be engaged to someone of your respective parents choice and one month after you're officially a doctor you are to be married.

I knew that this part of my life was coming up faster than I ever wanted it to. I contemplated actually failing a class this semester to prevent a wedding from happening, but I couldn't handle the pressure of failing a test let alone an entire semester of a class. I recently found out who I was going to marry. I had grown up with him around all the time. Our families had always done things together. Never did I think that would be the person I would end up marring one day. I couldn't stand him was putting it mildly. He was a twin of my father. The idea of that makes my skin crawl. I threw a tantrum the night I found out. I didn't want to marry someone I didn't love. I didn't want to marry someone at all. I didn't have a normal upbringing. I never got to spend time with too many people to really get to know them.

I wasn't allowed to date as a teenager or a young adult and I was surely not allowed to date throughout college. My father said I needed to focus on the important things in life while my mother said it was because I would fall in love with someone and ruin the plans that are already set for my life. She was right, I did fall in love with someone while in med school but he broke my heart and no one ever needed to know about that relationship. Too many secrets to keep track of will catch up with you. I learned that the hard way with that relationship.

"Dr. Kinsey, your suites are ready for you. Please follow me this way." I walked behind my father as we are taken up to our rooms.  "The luncheon is at noon and they are expecting you to be there for a small rehearsal. Is that time ok for you?"

He looks down at his watch, which probably cost twice the salary than that man makes in a year shuttling arrogant people like my father around. "Noon is fine."

Noon, I thought. Damn it. It's already after eleven. I was going to have to hurry and change my clothes. I wouldn't want to look like... this around a ton of people.  "Twenty minutes Arabella. Not a minute more. We have to be prompt and on time."

"Yes, father. I will be ready to go." I said as I ran down the hall to my room. I slide the little plastic card through the swipey thing and push the door open. My room didn't look anything like my fathers. Simple. I liked it. I saw no purpose in spending two thousand dollars a night to stay in a hotel room that was big enough for thirty people to stay in. Seriously it was a waste of money.

I flipped my head over the bathroom floor, using the blow dryer to give it a small amount of volume. There wasn't much I could do in such a short time but this was going to make me at least look presentable. I slipped on ruffled pencil skirt and a simple tank top and walked back to my father's room. I was ready.

He gives me one look and says, "You're not wearing that to lunch. Go change."

"Dad, I have the blazer that goes over it right here. It's just warm up here. It will be fine. Let's go."

Rolling his eyes at me he realizes he doesn't really have a lot of time to argue with me we take the elevator down to the lobby and our limo awaits us again. Climbing in I think, this is such a waist of an automobile. Who really needs this much room when it's the two of us?

The room the dinner and event was taking place is was still being set up as we walk in and take our seats. I'm stuck at a table by myself. Not even with my father. THANK YOU GOD. I thought to myself, waiting to throw my hands up in the air to praise him.

"This is where everyone will be seating for tomorrows event. If there are any major issues, please let me know." The speaker at the podium starts.

My father clears his throat to speak. "I would like my daughter at my table."

NO NO NO! I wanted to scream. He looked back at me... "Dad, I'm fine right here. That table is full. Seriously this is fine."

The table I was at is empty. I was really okay with that. The speaker continues to talk about what is going to happen when four people slide into the luncheon late. My father was annoyed by them, it was written all over his body language. I glace over to see that it is a man, an older woman, an older man, and a larger man. I turned back to the stage to pay attention to what the speaker was saying but he was finished. He was saying that lunch was going to be served.

The gentleman sitting next to me smells pretty damn good. I wanted to tell him but I wasn't going to. He was pretty damn hot. I have always been a fan of facial hair. I think it's sexy as hell. I turn back to look down at the table quickly. I didn't want him to think I was checking him out, even though I was. Screw it I was going to introduce myself. What's the worst that can happen?

I turn to him and say, "Arabella Kinsey... It's nice to meet you."

"How do you pronounce that correctly...?" He laughed.

"Like the Air you breath then an a with the Bella!"

"Can I just call you Bella?"

"It doesn't bother me. Just don't say that around my father. He thinks when someone shortens their name it is disgrace against their bloodline."

"Ohh." He says.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Justin." He says sarcastically.

"Why do you say it like that? Like I should have none the answer without asking?" I had no clue who he was, how would I know who he was?

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. I'm the guest speaker today and well I just thought with my job you would have known." He smiles showing off his beautiful smile, "Justin Timberlake, the pleasures all mine." He winks at me.

He was flirting with me... "Timberlake... like tree falling in the lake is much better than my name. Can I call you Lake?" I laughed.

"You can call me whatever you want!"

                He was flirting with me.

                I got the look from my father that I needed to not be so social, so I sat there for a couple moments before Justin stands and address that he is leaving. "I guess I will see you tomorrow at the dinner then, Air-a bella!" he says making light of my name again.

"I will be here with bells on!"

He laughs as he walks away with the same three people that were at the table with him. "I expect those bells, Bella."