Page 106 of Kiss Me Forever

After hanging up, I asked the host next to the entrance where the celebration was. He pointed me toward the elevator, instructing me to go to the second floor. I was surprised the building even had an elevator, but it was clear it was a later addition.

Once I reached the second floor, I immediately found the group. They’d reserved a whole room. Jenkins, Black, and Redford had invited the whole top ten, and we were all at one huge table. Carson was three seats to my right. I was determined to avoid him.

The committee chatted with all of us while servers kept bringing food from a preselected menu.

"This is all delicious. Thank you so much," I said, "and for the invitation. It's our honor to be surrounded by so many brilliant minds."

"We have to say, Megan, that your project was a favorite from the start. The attention to detail, that extra effort you put in, it all counted," Valerie said in an elegant English accent.

"We've come to expect excellence from anyone coming to us from Mr. Maxwell's office. Then again, he also picks the top candidates," Jenkins added.

"And he is a great teacher," I said. "He's very involved, and he gave me plenty of opportunities to learn. I'm happy indeed that I was part of his program."

Someone cleared their throat nearby. I knew it was Carson.

I cocked my head in his direction, tilting forward to make eye contact, jutting my chin out before focusing again on Jenkins. Carson didn’t intimidate me.

For the rest of the dinner, I made small talk with my neighbors and tried hard not to think about what Luke said. It wasn’t easy.

The evening went by fast. When we left the room, there was quite a crowd in front of the elevator. We waited in line, chatting among ourselves while the group in front of us left.

When the elevator came back, Jenkins said, "Megan, send your paperwork in fast, because they need someone in Shanghai as soon as possible."

I carefully considered my words before speaking. "What happens if I can't go right away?"

"I'm sure Luke Maxwell can be convinced to release you sooner from your contract."

I laughed. "Have you met him? It's not easy to convince him."

"True, true. I've had some professional interactions with Luke over the years. The man definitely doesn't do something he isn't 100 percent on board with. And I can believe that he’s going to have a hard time letting go of a brilliant employee like you."

He stepped inside the elevator, along with Valerie and Elsa. Five contestants stepped in as well.

“Can we crowd in?” Jenkins asked.

“We’ll wait for it to come back up. Or we’ll take the stairs,” I managed to say as the doors closed.

It was just me, Carson, and three others now.

“You know what? I’ll take the stairs. It was great meeting you all,” one of them said. I hadn’t caught her name.

The other two took the stairs as well, leaving Carson and me alone.

He was smirking.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering what everyone would say if they knew you're sleeping with Maxwell."

I straightened up instantly as if a zip of current went through me. "That's no one's business."

"Maybe not, but still... you seemed too cozy with him. And he's taught you a lot, hasn't he?" He mimicked my earlier sentence. "What else did he teach you?"

I held my head high, walking up to him defiantly. "That is none of your business either."

"I wonder what the committee would say if they knew."

"I think they’re more mature than you are, but by all means, go ahead and test it."

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