Page 8 of The Blowout

The CEO of the company.

And I’ve just been caught making out with him.

This is bad, very bad. Panic grows in my chest. I’ve deceived this man from the moment we met. And if that’s not bad enough, he must really have feelings for Gillian to risk being found out like this.

My heart plummets. I thought this was something special. I thought, stupidly, that maybe he sawmeand wanted to be with me. But it was all a lie.

I need to get out of here.

“I need to go in and give a speech to close out the event. Come with me?”

This is my chance. He would be distracted and unable to keep tabs on me.

“Yes, let’s head in. I’m going to head to the ladies’. Meet you by the stage again?” I try to keep my voice light and cheery. Not giving away that the moment he turns his back I’m going to bolt for the door.

He eyes me carefully, nodding when I begin to fidget. Not waiting for him, I speed walk to the doors and get lost in the crowd. Charlie is instantly by my side, pulling me close into his body and protecting me from the crowd. I hear the chatter of people around us, but I don’t stop walking until we reach the stage. Taking a quick breath to steel myself, I tip my head up and smile.

“Meet you right back here. Good luck with your speech.”

Then I’m in motion again. Heading in the direction of the bathrooms but eyeing the exit. When the crowd swallows me up, with everyone moving closer to the stage and the lights flickering, I make my move. I’m out the door and sprinting as fast as I can in these stupid heels to the line of taxis down the street.

Tears prick at the backs of my eyes. I already miss Charlie and his strong presence. The way his hands held me and constantly pulled me close—like he couldn’t get enough of me. And the way he kissed. I press a hand to my lips, recalling the way our tongues had danced. Like we had been doing it for a lifetime. It’s silly, I know, but there had been magic in the air tonight that had put me under Charlie’s spell.

Too bad all magic has a curfew and my time was up.

Chapter Five

Kimberley

“So,are you ready for Bridezilla today?” Shelly asks as she takes a sip of water. The smirk on her face is one of delight. If I didn’t love her so much, I’d smack it right off her.

I stick my tongue out at her, trying to hide my grin. If anyone knows how much I’m dreading this afternoon, it’s Shelly. She’s dealt with her fair share of picky clients and knows that doing the hair of wedding parties is either outrageously fun or the absolute worst. And shocker: I was in for a horrific afternoon.

The bride and her four bridesmaids had changed their hairstyles three times now. Updo then full beach waves, then back to updo. My arms ached at the thought of doing back-to-back updos in a short amount of time. Today would be their fourth trial run. I feared that by the time the “big day” came in a couple months, the bride would still be undecided.

“Bet you a hundred dollars she’ll have changed her mind again.”

Slapping her with the towel I’m holding, I curse. She laugh-screams when the towel hits skin. “Don’t you dare say that. I will lose my ever-loving mind.”

My so-called friend snorts, knowing that she’s just won easy money. I rub a hand down my face, not wanting to think about that just yet. I had a couple morning clients coming in and I wanted to enjoy at least a part of today. Plus, I needed to stay busy or I would think about last night. About Charlie.

A shiver dances down my spine. I swear I can still feel the gentle caress of his fingers as they glide across my body. The memory of our night together will haunt me for months to come. Maybe even years. After a night of dreaming about him, I’ve realized that I don’t regret a moment of our time together. It will be a wonderful memory for me to look back on but I know nothing will come from it.

I deceived him. Told him at least a dozen white lies as I tried to cover for my sister. I don’t regret helping my sister either, but I can’t help thinking of the what-ifs. The connection I felt with Charlie was…I don’t even have the words. I’d never had such an instant reaction to a man. I zoomed past crush and went right into intense emotions. If only I could get in touch with Gill and explain what happened. She wasn’t picking up her phone though or returning any of my messages.

Fluffing my bangs with one hand, I shake myself, needing to stop thinking of Charlie. It doesn’t matter. I have to move on. I’m sure he has.

Following Shelly to the back room to grab a clean dye bowl, I hear the faint jingle of the front door. My head is down as I walk back to my station with the intention of cleaning up a bit before my next appointment. A flash of light catches my attention and I casually look over.

My world minimizes, focusing in on the one person I didn’t think I’d ever see again. He’s just walked through the door and is talking to one of the other stylists. Quick as lightning, I crouch down behind a workstation cart, peeking through the bottles of hairspray, watching as Charlie’s gaze roams the salon.

He looks good. Really good. Is it possible he got even hotter over the last day?

No, I can’t think about that. I need to get out of here. Hide. I didn’t want a confrontation in my place of work. In my squatting position, I grab the ends of the cart and slowly roll it with me as I waddle backward. My thighs burn at the awkward movement, but I can’t focus on that. I dare only to turn my head to look where I’m going once, and still, it’s enough to cause me to lose my footing and trip. The cart rattles as I try to stay upright.

“Sunshine.”

The voice stops me in my tracks. My hands fumble with a dye bowl, losing their grip on the object. The loud clatter on the tile floor seems to have everyone in the salon freezing. The room goes quiet.

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