Page 25 of Power Games

Charles insisted on paying, and left a generous tip that almost made up for the fact that they'd forced the employees to stay past closing time.

The air was a little chilly when they walked out; the ocean breeze often took Vanessa by surprise. Charles shrugged off his blue blazer and placed it over her shoulders. "We wouldn't want you to catch a cold. Your voice is more important than mine."

She looked up and smiled at him, feeling so fucking awkward, frustrated, and maybe a little pissed, too.

Today had felt like a date. A first date. A very good first date. In other circumstances, she would have gotten to her tiptoes, placed her hands on his chest, and kissed his lips. She would have told him that she’d had a wonderful time and didn't want it to end yet. They would have found a restaurant and spent the rest of the evening together.

But this was Charles Grant, Isabella Grant's husband. A man who could never be hers. So instead, she thanked him for the blazer, called her driver, and told him, "We should totally do that again, Charles. Who would have known you were friend material, when you walked in my room so a married woman could give you a blowjob?"

He laughed. "We definitely should do that again when our schedules match."

Her driver had been waiting at the closest parking lot, so he got there in under five minutes.

She moved to remove the blazer regretfully.

"Keep it. Give it back to me next time."

She beamed. "Until next time, then."

10

Perspective

"You're not friends," Kaia stated, all the while practicing the steps they’d been shown moments ago.

Kaia's next music video included about ten seconds of salsa, and their teacher had decided that they both should reach a semi-professional level in all ballroom dancing techniques to be prepared for it.

Vanessa had pointed out, "I don't have any salsa in my video," protesting somewhat weakly.

She knew how futile complaining against Andrei's decision was.

"Yet. And besides, you've decided to train together, so you're learning the same thing. Back to it."

Ballroom dancing was seriously intense.

"We totally are friends," she told Vanessa, mirroring her box steps. "We're so friendly we should have a friendship bracelet."

"You're dating the guy. The married guy."

She huffed, careful not to miss a step. Right forward, left to the side, close with the right, then left backwards, right to the side, close with the left. It had taken a while but she was getting the hang of it.

"I'm not kissing him. I'm not touching him. And I'm most definitely not fucking him."

Kaia wasn't letting it go.

"No, you're just meeting him every three weeks or so, even if you, or he, have to travel to the other side of the country under some lame excuse just to see each other. Then you go out, watch plays, movies, concerts, and have dinner, coffee, breakfasts..."

"And I totally do the same thing with you and Rob!" Vanessa pointed out.

"Except you're not in love with me or Rob."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to her friend, hands on her hips, glaring.

"I'm not in love with anyone. I had a crush on him. Now I don't."

Well, at least she'd gotten much better at hiding the weak knees and her irregular heartbeat around him. That was surely the same thing.

"Please." Kaia snorted.

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