Page 57 of More Than Nothing
Idiot.
She crouched to scoop up the pieces, only remembering as she did so that her dress could not be relied upon to stay in place. Elenie dropped the broken glass, her hand flying to the lace neckline to make sure she hadn’t just flashed the entire bar. Her cheeks blazed.
“For fuck’s sake, Elenie, leave it for someone else.” Craig dragged her upright. “Great to finally meet you properly, Chief Martinez. I’ve heard so much about you from Ellie. I’m Craig Perry.”
The Englishman offered his hand to Roman, who looked pointedly at the drinks he was holding and shrugged a dismissive shoulder. His face was cold. Such a different Roman to the one who teased his sisters and held her hand in the dark.
“Excuse my girlfriend—she’s extremely clumsy. Easy on the eye though, aren’t you, babe?” Craig’s shit-eating smile was calculated to cause maximum offence as he smirked at Roman. Elenie burned with mortification. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, and Craig’s fingers clamped painfully on her hip. “A powerful man needs a way to let off steam at home. Am I right, Chief?”
Made brave by the throng of people surrounding them, he was baiting Roman and humiliating Elenie at the same time. It was Craig at his obnoxious worst; she could tell he was loving it.
“In my experience, the most powerful men usually downplay the self-promotion.” Roman’s voice dripped with boredom, his eyes shuttered. “If you’ll excuse us.” He made to move around them, giving a clipped nod to Nathan Reyes from the liquor store who was on his way to the bar.
“I know your date went sour the other night. I was there. It was quite the spectacle.” Craig wasn’t done. “Hopefully no hard feelings, though? Easier for me to have lower standards than you, I guess. People might expect you to keep better company but I prefer something sparkly and simple. Makes me look smarter.” Typically, Craig seemed to have mistaken his own misogynistic shit for cocky banter. Elenie wanted to be sick.
Roman’s eyes were chilled with disgust. “I’m happy for you both, Perry. But now I’d like to get back to my date.”
She recoiled but refused to show her shock on her face.Oh God, he’s brought someone with him!
Craig just grinned and grabbed Elenie’s wrist, fingers closing tightly enough to bruise her bones. Roman’s nostrils flared imperceptibly at her wince.
“I believe we’re sharing a table tonight, so we’ll come too and you can introduce us.” Craig looked delighted to deliver the news. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s find our places and get the booze flowing!”
Tugging her along behind him, he strode away, pausing to slap a couple of men on the back and greet others with a gleaming smile as he crossed the room. Elenie concentrated on walking steadily in her heels. She could feel Roman’s eyes burning a hole between her shoulder blades and it was all she could do not to turn.
His group had yet to take their seats. Every face was familiar to her, bar one. Elenie flicked a polite smile at Thea and Luke, avoiding eye contact with Caitlyn until she was sure she could keep her face blank. Her friend glowed with health, rounded stomach encased comfortably inside a stunning satin wrap dress in olive green.
Craig waved a general greeting but zeroed in on the woman who stepped forward to link her arm through Roman’s.
“You must be here with the chief,” he said, extending his hand. “He was just telling us about his date but he forgot to say how beautiful you are. I’m Craig. This is Elenie.”
“Fiancée.” The blonde extended her hand and the engagement ring on her finger burned Elenie’s retinas like a thousand suns. “I’m Zena and I’m Roman’s fiancée, not just his date.”
Craig’s reply was lost to Elenie as she gave thanks for a lifetime of disguising her feelings. That Zena was there with Roman hurt her heart in ways she didn’t have time to examine. Hearing thewoman introduce herself as his fiancée was a spear straight to the abdomen.
It was little comfort that Caitlyn, Thea, Milo, and Luke appeared just as blindsided.
Side by side, Zena and Roman made the perfect couple, her pale hair and skin a glorious contrast to his tanned darkness. She matched his easy grace in spades, her poise and self-confidence as instinctive as his air of authority. Just being near her made Elenie feel so much less in so many ways.
Her eyes locked on Roman’s. His lips were clamped. A muscle jumped in his cheek. Did she imagine that tiny shake of his head because she wanted so much to see it?
Elenie turned away.
The group drifted over in ones and twos to take their seats. And the evening began in earnest.
Picking at the unimaginative melon and prosciutto appetizer, she wrapped the remains of her dignity around her like a shawl and ran her eyes around the table of ten. It was possibly the most awkward scenario Elenie could have pictured.
Howard, a baby-faced but belligerent colleague of Craig’s, sat on Elenie’s left with his wife, Ruby, on his other side. Ruby was both shrill and dull; Howard possessed a habitual sniff which started to grate within the first five minutes. She hadn’t met either of them before and was in no hurry to ever see them again. The conversation was forced and sticky around the table.
What a farcical situation. Torn between despair and hysteria, Elenie had no idea which, if either, would win out. And all the time, her skin bristled with awareness of the tall man with a face like stone who sat three seats away on her right-hand side. She could swear she felt the rumble of his low voice in her breastbone every time Roman spoke. So damn gorgeous in the navy suit that fitted his lean, muscular frame to perfection, he’d already shedhis jacket, too warm in the overfilled room. He wore no tie, his midnight blue shirt unbuttoned at the neck.
She wanted to stare and stare; she was so thirsty for the sight of him. Even the presence of his fiancée couldn’t keep her thoughts in line. Elenie’s eyes flicked to the bare skin under his collar once, then twice. She imagined running her tongue along the groove at the base of his neck and had to stifle a moan. His skin would be warm against her mouth. Their fake date in the Barrel had taught her how hot Roman’s body temperature ran. She could almost feel the burn on her lips.
Thank God that Zena was mainly blocked from her sight, sitting as she was on the other side of Craig. Her flawless appearance wasn’t something Elenie needed in her eyeline. The glossy hair, immaculate makeup and elegant dress screamed high-class. Elenie knew what her own look screamed and it had nothing to do with good breeding. Used to being judged and found wanting, she was well aware that Zena had taken one look and found nothing to concern her at all.
Craig’s bark of laughter rang in her ears and Elenie pulled herself together enough to smile. At what, she didn’t know. The background noise made it hard to hear conversations around the table. She could only focus on the nearest ones. The ones she was least interested in. Being lonely in a crowd was so much worse than being lonely on her own. She wished for just one person to talk to. Or failing that, a book.
“There’s no point in remodeling and renovating crappy buildings like this one. It’s throwing good money after bad. My plans for the new business center will blow this kind of venue out of the water.” Luke looked less than thrilled to be at the end of Craig’s cocky boasts or his jabbing finger. “Small outfits like yours are better off sticking with home renos and decking. Leave the bigger jobs to those with a larger workforce and the experience toproject-manage a proper commercial site. It’s all about the contacts, mate. You might have a copper in the family but when I choose to mingle, I make a point of rubbing shoulders with the guys who dish out the money that matters. Businessmen, local councilors who have the casting votes, and people with influence, like the mayor.”
