Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
She turned her back on me while she made a call to her sister, and when she turned back around, she looked surprised to see me waiting. “You don’t need to walk me there. I’m not going to run away,” she said scathingly.
I doubted that she could run anywhere. She was wearing three-inch heels that still only put the top of her head at my shoulder. As we walked out of the building and across the street together, I could feel her simmering hostility. If she’d been a cartoon, flames would have been shooting out of her ears. For some reason, it gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction. Something that went beyond misery loves company. Something I didn’t want to explore too closely right now.
First, I needed a drink.
10
SELENA
I was churning with almost every emotion in the book. Helpless fury at being backed into a corner. Guilt for missing the tasting. Reluctant pleasure at being able to grab a drink and relax with the work friends I was starting to make. And, most disturbingly, a dark thrill of curiosity. Dominic had practically ordered me there, and I didn’t believe for a minute that it was because it was really a mandatory company event.
I ordered a red wine from the open bar and joined a few of the other junior associates I’d gotten to know. They were already a drink or two ahead of me and laughing at a story I hadn’t caught, but one of the girls threw her arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the circle, so I didn’t feel left out. I caught the next story, and it was funny. The guy telling them, Evan, was gregarious, good looking in a quirky, nerdy way. He kept catching my eye. Eventually, after he stopped being the center of attention, he found his way to my side. He made it look casual, incidental, but I knew better. I’d done this dance before.
“You made it!” he called over the music. “I thought you were helping Mrs. Kloss.”
“I decided I had time for a drink first,” I called back. Without meaning to, my eyes strayed to Dominic. Even when I’d been absorbed into the group, half of my attention had stayed on him. He’d mostly kept to the other side of the bar where he stood with a tall, golden-skinned man with piercing blue eyes that I recognized even though I’d never met him. He was Julian Lewis, big shot movie producer. I knew through Jake that they were friends, but seeing them together, I had to wonder why. They were complete opposites. Julian exuded warmth and charm that I could feel across the room. Dominic was a polar blast.
As though he felt my eyes on him, Dominic turned and looked directly at me. I immediately shifted my gaze to Evan, who was smiling expectantly. I’d missed something he said—something he expected an answer to.
“I’m sorry,” I said, cupping my hand around my ear. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I said, do you want to play?” He nodded toward the dartboards in the back of the room. We’d have to walk past Dominic to get to them. It was quieter at that end of the bar. Dimmer, too, and there was a suspicious bit of greenery hanging from the ceiling.
I hesitated. If I agreed, I would be giving Evan the wrong idea. Worse, I would be doing it for the express purpose of giving Dominic the wrong idea. I should hold up my empty wine glass and say apologetically, “Sorry, I only had time for this one drink.” I didn’t do that though. Instead, through the haze of my first glass of wine in weeks, I felt a surge of recklessness. I’d tried to be good, to keep my head down and focus on work, but Dominic had gotten in the way of that. Now I could feel the chill of his gaze resting on me, as if he were waiting for my answer as much as Evan was. I was looking at the nice, nerdy, good-looking guy when I smiled and nodded, but it was directed at Dominic. You wanted me to network? Watch this, the smile said.
Evan didn’t see the subtext. He just smiled back and inclined his head again. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t look at Dominic when we passed him and Julian, but I’d have gambled Mrs. Kloss’s entire Christmas ball budget that he was looking at me. I could always tell, somehow. The air grew colder even as my skin heated up.
I hadn’t planned to have a second glass of wine, but the cocktail waitress brought it by when she saw my glass was empty, and I ended up sipping from it. Playing darts with Evan was more fun than I expected. Initially, he tested the waters to see if I was interested in more than just the game, but like anyone who could hold a crowd’s attention with a funny story, he was good at reading the room. He backed off with a rueful smile when he saw his feelings were unrequited and started making outrageous bets on our games.