Page 123 of Dear Grumpy Boss

I spread my hand over the tops of my breasts. “At my necklace,Luca. Which I think is perfect, by the way. If he had given me something bigger, I don’t think I would have been able to wear it in public. I’m not used to jewelry this extravagant.”

Weston’s arm circled my waist, and he lightly kissed my temple, his whiskey in his other hand. “Get used to it.”

Luca grinned at both of us. “I like this. Too bad Elliot isn’t here tonight to see you two looking like you stepped out of a fairy tale. He sends his regards, by the way.”

“More importantly, he sent his check,” Weston added.

“My brother, the philanthropist.”

The three of us chatted for a while until Luca saw someone he knew. When I checked where he was headed, I laughed. Of course his trajectory was the gorgeous blonde in red. His very own Bond girl.

Weston and I found our table. I set my bag on the chair, but I wasn’t ready to sit down yet. He grabbed another glass of champagne for me when my first one was empty. A band was playing surprisingly recognizable rock music from a couple decades ago.

“There’s something I don’t know about you.”

Weston skimmed his knuckles along my bare shoulder. “Is there? Let’s rectify that. What would you like to know?”

“Do you dance?”

His mouth tipped. “Not often. You?”

“Not often enough. This band is good.”

“They are.” He pulled me close, his hand splaying low on my back. “Will you dance with me tonight?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” I leaned into him, hoping he’d kiss me, despite my lipstick, but Weston stiffened, his attention on something in the distance. I turned in his arms, trying to see what he was looking at. A sultry woman in black strutted toward us, her dark eyes gleaming and laser-focused on Weston.

Marisol.

Weston had prepared me for her presence here tonight, but my stomach still soured when she joined our group and pressed her cheek to Weston’s in greeting. She shook my hand as though we were meeting for the first time.

“Lovely dress.”

“Thank you. Yours too.” That wasn’t a lie. I didn’t think I liked this woman, but I couldn’t deny she was nothing short of stunning.

Her smile was tight and went no further than the barest tilt of her lips.

“Weston, Dominic Peters and his COO, Charlie Platt, are here and ready to have a chat now. Do you think I could steal you away for a bit?”

“Give us a moment, please,” he answered, pulling me a few feet away from Marisol.

Weston’s hand skated down my arm, and his eyes bored into mine. “Will you be all right if I step away and take care of this?”

“Of course.” He’d warned me he’d have to be the boss tonight. “Go, have at it. I’ll drink champagne and mingle.”

He stared at me for another moment then shook his head. “You are truly the best, Elise. I’ll try not to let this take long, but Peters likes to hear himself speak, so—”

“It’s fine. If I get bored, I’ll hunt down Luca. But I doubt I’ll get bored.”

“Okay.” He kissed my forehead then dipped his head to take a deep inhale of my hair. “Be good, beauty.”

Watching him walk away with Marisol twisted my stomach into knots even though I didn’t doubt for one second he was fully mine and she had no hold over him. They met up with two other men near a set of doors then all four exited the ballroom entirely.

Exhaling, I raised my drink to my lips. He’d be back as soon as he could. Until then, I’d make the most of my evening.

It was more than half an hour before Weston returned. Over that time, I had gone from happily watching the glamorous people milling around to being miffed to feeling slightly abandoned. When he took the seat beside me and kissed my cheek, I frowned at him.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured. “That took longer than I expected.”

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