Page 30 of Strictly Business

“Thanks,” I say, glad that at least my dress wasn’t that bad. I now understand her horror though. It isn’t even close to appropriate for the sort of event Samantha described, especially not for the guest of honor.

After Samantha leaves the break room, I sit sipping my coffee and thinking. What if for once, Ruth is telling the truth and Samantha just wants to show me up. Maybe it’s like an initiation thing. That wouldn’t be so bad; if it happened to everyone, I could laugh along with them all. The problem was, if it wasn’t an initiation, one of those women wanted me to look ridiculous. And for all I was sure it was Ruth; I didn’t know Samantha well and I had to at least consider the fact it could be her. She had been the one to make sure the conversation got onto the party and then my outfit. But that was normal small talk.

Sick of going around in circles, I text Brook. I explain the situation and ask her who she thinks is setting me up. Within seconds, her answer pings back in.

“Ruth,” her incoming text message says. Well, that’s straight to the point and leaves me no room for doubt about Brook’s opinion.

I think that’s it, but a moment later and there’s another message pinging in from Brook:

“Take a stunning dress to work. Put it on when the working day ends. If Samantha is telling the truth, disaster averted. If it’s Ruth (it’s not but I know you’ll be over thinking again) then you wear the stunning dress, go to the break room, have one drink and say you’re sorry, you know this is your party rah, rah, rah, but you have a date, and leave,” the second message says.

I smile to myself as I read it. I like that plan and I text Brook back telling her so. She always gives me the best advice. And this particular bit of advice might even have another advantage to it. I mean it probably won’t, but it might. It might just make Wyatt jealous to think that I’m out with another man. And even if he isn’t jealous, at least he will get to see what he is missing out on and he will know that I’m not sitting around waiting for him to change his mind about me, about us.

CHAPTER22

Wyatt

I’m on my way back from the bar at the venue Ruth has chosen for Serena’s party when the door opens and Serena herself walks in. I know it’s not possible and that it sounds like a total cliché, but in the moment when Serena steps into the room, I feel as though time stops still for a minute or two.

I have never seen Serena look so beautiful. She absolutely takes my breath away. She is wearing a long, cream colored dress that looks like it would feel smooth to the touch. Satin maybe. It’s a great color that really suits her and it’s cut high enough to be classy but low enough to make me want more, and it’s backless. The material starts at the top of Serena’s ass, and the skirt part flows right to the ground.

Half of her hair is pinned up in a small messy bun and the other half hangs down her back in perfect curls with a few tendrils of curly hair framing her face and stopping the look from being too severe. I don’t know if it’s her makeup or if she is just happy, but her skin looks radiant, like she is lit up from the inside. God, I want this woman. I want her more than I have ever wanted anyone or anything. I have to have her, but I know I can’t have her. I will have to be content just to look at her and drink her in. Fuck I want her. I need her. I have to have her, and I don’t think I will be able to stop myself. Why does she have to look that damned good?

She takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and thanks him and then she stands and looks around. She looks a little bit lost, like she isn’t sure who to go to first. She must feel my eyes on her because she looks in my direction and for a second, our eyes lock and God it doesn’t matter what I tell myself, I still want this woman so badly. She smiles and gives me a little wave. I smile back and nod to her. She heads towards me, and I am both eternally grateful that this vision wants to talk to me, and terrified that I can’t control myself and I just grab her and kiss her like I want to.

“Wow,” I say as she joins me. “You look incredible.”

“Thank you,” she says, her cheeks flushing. “I was about to say the same about this place. Nice venue choice.”

“I wish I could take the credit for it, but it’s all Ruth,” I say.

“Ah I’ll have to remember to thank her,” Serena says.

Something in Serena’s tone of voice tells me she’s not mad about this idea. There is definitely no love lost between the two of them, but I can’t for the life of me work out what’s wrong there and to be honest, I have decided it’s much better for everyone concerned if I keep out of it and just pretend that I don’t notice that Ruth and Serena really don’t like each other.

Serena and I chat for a bit longer and I introduce her to some of the higher ups in the company as they arrive. She greets them all politely and makes small talk with them, but I think she is relieved when Samantha waves her over. There’s a fine line between schmoozing effectively, which I feel like Serena has done, and ass licking, and no one wants to cross that line. Serena waves back at Samantha and then she turns to me with a smile.

“I’ll catch up with you later Wyatt,” she says. “Thank you again for the party.”

She flits away before I can remind her the party is all to Ruth’s credit not mine. My eyes follow her automatically as she reaches Samantha, and they kiss each other on one cheek and then the other. I have to force my eyes away. Aside from the fact I’m starting to worry it’s creepy if I’m looking at Serena every time she looks up, I’m also worried someone else will notice, and I can really do without that added complication.

Despite myself, I keep looking back at her and as she works the room and chats to the people around her, I can’t help but notice that she is still clutching the same glass of champagne she had when she first came in and then came over to me. I like that. It shows she is taking this seriously and wants to be sober when she has to make her speech. I also feel kind of bad for Serena that she’s not letting her hair down a bit more. I mean I don’t want her to be a drunken mess for her speech, but slightly tipsy is fine and I do want her to enjoy tonight.

I debate going over to her and subtly telling her that she’s not at work, she is allowed a good drink. I might even take her a drink over. I stop myself though when I see Serena laughing and joking with the group she’s talking to. Maybe she is one of those rare breeds of people who can have a good time at a party without needing to drink alcohol to do so. I admire that.

I’m not one of those people apparently because even as I’m thinking about Serena not drinking, I’m reaching for a glass of champagne. It’s not like I’m a raging alcoholic, I just like a drink on social occasions that’s all. I spot Ruth coming towards me and I smile and pull her into a hug.

“You sure out did yourself this time,” I say, gesturing around the room. “This is awesome.”

The venue she has chosen is in a nice hotel. We have the private use of a big ballroom which is all decorated in baby pink and silver, admittedly not the color scheme I would have gone with, but I have to admit that it looks good. There is a disco playing although the dancing most likely won’t happen until later. The food is buffet style, and it looks really good. The tables are placed around the edges of the huge dance floor, each one with a crisp white tablecloth and a crisp white cover on the chair, and then alternating between baby pink and silver for the sashes on the chairs and the runners on the tables. It isn’t far off being nice enough to be mistaken for a wedding reception.

“Thank you,” Ruth says with a smile. “It’s a nice place. I think I might use them more often.” I nod. “You haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. Wait until you try the food. It’s absolutely amazing.”

“I’m sure it is. I had a little look earlier and I was tempted to peel back the covers and have a nibble,” I say with a smile.

“You dare,” Ruth laughs, shaking her head. “So, where’s the lady of the hour then?”

I pretend to look around, although I know exactly where Serena is. I don’t want Ruth to think I’m some weirdo who is watching his staff that closely. She knows me too well as it is and if she thinks I have my eye on Serena like that, she will soon work out that I want to be more than just colleagues with her.

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