Page 64 of Not the Plan

“What can I say? I’ve always been very picky.” He maintained eye contact with Julian.

“Quality over quantity, is it?”

Karim shrugged.

“Dunno. Variety is the spice of life,” said Peter, laughing. Julian joined in, and Karim followed suit. But Julian was still sizing him up. If Karim wanted to make sure that Julian didn’t blackball him in the entire California legislature before he’d had a chance to find a permanent position, Karim would have to make Julian comfortable by reflecting an image of himself.

All right. If that’s the game tonight. Another unanticipated part of starting over—put boss at ease by hitting on women.He cast a gaze around the room, taking his time checking the bar. There were two unfamiliar faces. Both brunettes—one adorable and petite, the other pretty and curvaceous. They were sipping glasses of wine, people-watching, and giggling. After watching them a few moments, the shorter one met his gaze. He smiled, looked away, then looked back at her again. She flushed and elbowed her friend. Julian and Peter were talking, but Julian was watching, so Karim went in for the kill. The curvaceous one darted a glance at him and he smiled again. Her cheeks got blotchy, and she raised her eyebrows at her friend. Karim stood, picking up his glass.

“Peter,” he said. “Can I ask a favor?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Order me the chicken quesadilla if the waitress gets back before I do?”

Peter followed Karim’s gaze, focused on the two women.

“Heh, heh. Not a problem, Karim,” he laughed.

Okay, ladies,he thought as he strode across the room toward them.Help me out here.

—

Twenty minutes later, Karim returned to the table, conspicuously sliding his phone back into his pocket as though he’d gotten some new numbers.

“Ah, there he is,” said Julian. Two women had joined him and Peter. Their faces were familiar. One snuggled between Julian and Peter, the other between Peter and Karim’s empty seat.

“Karim allow me to introduce you to Daria and Sarah. Daria is a lobbyist for the chamber of commerce, and Sarah is with Darwin and Coates.”

“Ah, yes,” Karim said, sitting next to Sarah. “You came by about the gaming bill last week, right?”

“I did, in fact. Sweet of you to remember.”

Pretty amazed I did.The intensity of her makeup was much stronger and the plunge of her neckline much, much deeper than when she’d visited the office. She shifted away from Peter and closer to Karim. Peter started to protest, but Daria drew his attention. Karim had to respect her ability to entertain both Julian and Peter while Sarah turned the heat up on him.

“So,” she said, leaning closer. “Tell me all about yourself. We didn’t get to chat much the other day.” She crossed her leg toward him and let it rest against his. His instinct was to move away, but Julian was watching. So Karim rested his arm behind Sarah on the back of the seat.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked.

“Not one bit,” she said, getting even closer.

Other senators and young women joined them. Appetizers came and went. Along with more drinks. Karim was careful. He’d had one cocktail and hard liquor was not his friend. He maintained his flirtation with Sarah, joked with Peter, and threw the occasional line at Daria. Julian’s wariness had gone; he was happy in his element surrounded by bootlickers and scantily clad women.The group was boisterous, and Karim played his part. He was confident he’d accomplished his goal for the evening.

Another thirty to forty-five minutes and you can go home. You’ve done your job. Make something up; pretend you have someone to meet and get out of here.

He excused himself to the men’s room to avoid another round of shots. Sarah made a joke of not letting him leave, catching his hand to pull him back. Playing along, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back, placing his other hand on his heart, promising to return. As he straightened, laughing, his body temperature plunged. His eyes locked with Isadora’s across the room. He staggered as he stepped away from the booth; a chorus of laughter bubbled from the group around him, drawing his attention to the role he had to play. He laughed too, pretending his misstep had been from too much to drink. He kept his gaze on the floor until he’d passed Julian, then tried to make eye contact with Isadora again. She was deep in conversation with RJ and didn’t look up.

His phone was in his hand before he’d locked the door of the stall.

Karim:Isadora, please. It’s not what it looks like.

He waited, tapping his toes as he leaned against the wall.

Karim:Isadora?

Isadora:?

He paused. She’d made eye contact, so she’d seen him flirting. Why reply with a question mark? He’d expected anger; he wasn’t sure how to answer.

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