LOGINShare
A New Assignment
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Evie
I loved P*******t. It was such an amazing website. I could literally spend the entire day staring at the endless pictures and ideas. I didn’t like to steal anyone’s great ideas, but I liked to take what I saw and add my own special spin. It was what made me good at my job.
I loved themed parties. They were so much fun. It gave me an opportunity to fill every fantasy. I could be under the sea, in Paris, or on the moon. I was known for planning parties that were ridiculously over the top. No detail was missed. When someone told me they had this idea, I took it and ran. One day, I would own my own business. For now, I worked for one of the top party planning agencies in the country. At least, that was what we advertised.
I took a quick screenshot and saved it to my file of ideas that I didn’t need right away but was hoping to use eventually. I clicked off the site. I had to. It was too tempting to keep open. I pulled out the file for the party I was preparing a proposal for. It was a sweet-sixteen party for a very wealthy young girl, but it wasn’t happening for another year. The family was very serious about the party being the best of the best.
“Evie,” my boss, Clara, said as she walked into my small office.
I greeted her with a smile. “What’s up?”
She sat down in the soft chair across from my desk. “I have a bit of an issue. I am hoping you can help me.”
“What do you need?”
“We have a last-minute party request,” she said with a grimace. “Like this weekend. Saturday.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Last minute is right. How big?”
“Two hundred.”
My mouth fell open. “Two hundred?”
She nodded. “It’s for a cargo-shipping company. Apparently, they are pulling in some pretty good business and the owner wants to throw a party to celebrate and recognize his employees.”
“Ah, that’s sweet,” I said, completely ignoring the fact the party he wanted would normally take weeks, sometimes months, to plan.
“Yes, sweet, but seriously, this is a big deal. I’ve tacked on a fee for the short notice. This could be a good account. We were the only planners willing to take it on. If we prove we can handle it, we will earn their regular business.”
“Okay, what do you need me to do?” I asked. I loved a challenge.
“I want you to handle it. I have that wedding this weekend. I cannot possibly spare a minute for this. I have Amber and David with me as well. You would be on your own.”
A knot formed in my gut. “Me? Alone?”
“I know you can handle it. They don’t want a lot of flair. You can do it, right?”
It wasn’t like I could say no. “Yes. I will not let you down.”
“Thank you. If you need help, reach out, but this wedding is a big deal. I can’t let down this family.”
I nodded. The wedding was right up there with the likes of Will and Kate and Kim and Kanye. It was big. I had been picking up the slack while Clara focused all her energy on the one wedding. It was great for me, giving me a chance to grow and gain some experience. “I will give it my best.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging forward. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you. This wedding will be the death of me.”
“I have seen some of the plans. It is a doozie. They are going to love it.”
“They better. I’ll send you the details in the next ten minutes.”
“I’ll get right on it,” I assured her.
She left my office. I slapped my hands over my face. “Oh shit,” I breathed. “You can do this, Evie. You can do this.”
I quickly cleaned up my desk, putting away the sweet-sixteen folder. I needed organization. I needed everything in its place. I pulled out the yellow pad I insisted on keeping notes on and tore off the top page. It wasn’t written on, but it wasn’t pristine. I liked pristine.
I heard the chime alerting me to a new email. It was from Clara. I took a deep breath and put myself in the right frame of mind to tackle a new project. A big project. I opened it and immediately printed the document. We used a standard form and then the planner would reach out and get more information from the client.
I pulled the forms from the printer, put them in order, tapped them on the desk to get them perfectly even, and put a staple in the corner. Only then did I start to read through the forms. I made little notes on my yellow pad about things I needed to clarify.
With the notes made and an idea already forming in my mind, I packed up my things. I needed to do a little window shopping. I needed fresh air and a change of scenery. It was the way I worked. I needed to get my juices flowing.
I knew just the place—my favorite bar. I wasn’t a heavy drinker and I rarely liked day drinking, but my best friend in the whole world worked at the bar. It was really the only time we got to chat. She worked nights. I worked days and sometimes nights.
Right now, it would be nice and slow in the bar. The few regulars and the guys having really bad days would stick to their corner of the bar and I would hang out at the other side. I said my goodbyes to the small staff that worked in the office and headed out into the beautiful San Diego sun. I slid on my sunglasses and walked to my car. The heels I wore were sensible, which was a necessity considering how much I was on my feet most days.
Related chapters
Let Me In At the Bar
EvieI made it to the bar, parking in back next to Nelle’s car. I went around the front. The bar was in one of the better neighborhoods of the city, tucked in between several other bars. It was where the college kids came to do their pub crawls. Nelle’s bar was more of a sports bar by day and a millennial hangout by night. It was where the young people with man buns and skinny jeans liked to hang out. A lot of rich kids hung out in the place as well, which was really how Nelle paid the bills.“Hey.” I greeted her with a small wave as I walked through the doors. The place was plenty bright in the late afternoon hours. At night, the lights were down, and the music was up.“Uh oh, you got a new job,” she said with a bright smile. She knew me very well.Her long, shiny, blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The woman could have been a model. She was gorgeous. I admired her beauty and the perfect figure she had but it was the beauty on the inside that made her special. She was kind an
Let Me In Ship Building
XanderI picked up a tool but I had no idea what it was. I examined it and put it back down on the table alongside Charlie’s workstation. I looked around the massive warehouse with various parts of cargo ships being manufactured or repaired. I knew exactly what I was looking at when it came to the bits and pieces of the ships.“This baby is almost finished,” Charlie said, lovingly patting an engine housing.I walked around the massive piece that would eventually be a part of one of the cargo ships I had designed. “It looks good.”“Of course, it looks good. I made it.”“I designed it,” I reminded him.He grinned. “Damn straight you did. And I’m glad you did. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be working as much as I have been. Look at this place. We have work lined up for the next two years. Your fancy ships are the bee’s knees.”I rolled my eyes. “When did you turn ninety?” I asked, referencing his very old, outdated phrase.“Do you want a tour?” he asked.I shook my head. “Nah, once you’ve s
Let Me In Introvert
XanderI shook my head as Charlie nodded, grinning big. I waited while Al spoke.“You know, that is an excellent idea,” Charlie said. “He would love to attend. There will be a plus one included with the invitation I gather?”I groaned, putting a hand to my head. Charlie turned his back to me. “He will be there. Thank you so much. Take care.”Charlie turned back to look at me with a very satisfied expression on his face.“What did you do?” I asked.“We’re going to a party! Free alcohol and food.”I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need free food and alcohol.”“But I do.”“No, you don’t.”“Okay, maybe I don’t need it, but I want it. I like to party. It will be a great way to meet new people.”I let out a long sigh. “You mean new women. I think you’ve about run through most of the women in San Diego.”“Not even close, my friend, not even close.”“What did you get me into? When is it?”“Saturday,” he answered.“This Saturday?” I asked with surprise. “What if I had plans? That’s not a lot of notic
Let Me In Deal of the Century
EvieI parked my car in front of the small antique store. I often shopped at the place when I was looking for that little something special to make a party theme complete. I had a good relationship with the owner and appreciated the many stories he had about the old days.I walked in, the bells on the door alerting him to my presence. The bells were a necessity. The shop was packed, wall to wall. In some places, things were stacked so high one couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of them.I walked inside, being careful not to knock anything over with my purse. “Bob!” I called out the owner’s name.I heard a muffled reply. “Back here.”I followed the sound of his voice. He was kneeling on the floor, unpacking a box of what looked like skeleton keys.“Those are awesome!” I exclaimed.He softly chuckled. “These are trendy right now,” he commented. “The rustier, the better. I’ll sell these in no time.”“They are very cool,” I agreed. I considered buying some just to have them. I w
Let Me In Checking on Dad
EvieI drove to my father’s house in La Jolla. It wasn’t one of the big, fancy homes, but it was comfortable. It was older. It was my childhood home and held a great deal of memories. It was small, but as a single dad, it was all he could afford. I pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. It was clear he wasn’t home. I made my way up the cement walk with little cracks that were in need of repair but would likely not get done anytime soon.I collected the mail from the box and used my key to go inside. “Dad?” I called out, just in case his car was in the shop.There wasn’t an answer. I put the mail on the small table near the front door. It was where the mail went. It never went on the dining table or on a kitchen counter. It always went on the table. My slightly obsessive nature was absolutely the product of my father’s upbringing.I looked around the living room that was clean and neat. It was who he was. Organized. He could give Marie Kondo a run for her money. I walked into the
Let Me In At the Party
XanderThe car pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. I could see Charlie pacing in front of the building. He was irritated. Pissed, judging by the flurry of texts he’d sent over the last twenty minutes. I was late. I could admit I nearly backed out. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of going to the stupid party. The only reason I was going was because of Charlie.I got out of the car, buttoning the suit as I moved toward him.“It’s about fucking time,” he said. “You need a better watch.”“I don’t need a better watch.”“You are late.”“I know. See? My watch works fine.”He growled. “Why didn’t you text me back?”“Because I knew what you would say. I was on my way.”He shook his head, clearly still pissed. “Can we go in? I need a damn drink.”“You could have gone in,” I told him.“No, I couldn’t. You are the one invited. I’m the plus one.”I nodded and moved to open the door. I gestured for him to go inside. “Let’s get a drink.”“I’m going to get a drink. And some damn good food.”“I’ll
Let Me In Not a Wallflower
Xander“We all are very happy Al took the chance,” Gary said with a laugh. “I’m not a gambling man. I didn’t want to see one of my ships sink to the bottom of the ocean.”“Lucky for me, the ship didn’t sink. None of them did. If you excuse me, I need to say hello to someone.” I walked away, anxious to get away from them.I moved through the crowd, nodding at a few familiar faces. Charlie made his way to me. “See? It’s not so bad.”I glowered at him. “It is painful.”“Nah, it’s not so bad. I’ve already met two very lovely ladies. I could introduce you.”“No thanks, I’m good.”“Incoming,” he said in a hushed voice.“Xander,” Al, the man hosting the party and the owner of the company, said. “Thank you so much for coming.”“Thank you for inviting me,” I replied. “This is nice.”Al smiled and looked around. “It is nice. We owe my lovely wife Deidre the credit.”The woman stepped forward and smiled. She had Texas-big hair. “Hello, Xander. It’s nice to finally meet you. You’ve made my husban
Let Me In Party Crashers
EvieThe man was handsome as hell. I had a feeling he knew it as well. Not that he acted stuck up or arrogant but there was a vibe about him, like a “don’t bother me, I’m too sexy for my suit,” kind of thing. He seemed bored, like he attended parties like this all the time. My party was another in a long line of boring engagements he was forced to attend. I wondered if he was part owner of the company throwing the party. Maybe he was the pain in the ass brother that lurked in the shadows.I turned, leaning my shoulder against the wall as I faced him. His hair was a little too long for him to be one of the usual suits that ran a big company. His eyes were a light shade of brown, almost a yellowish gold tone. His brows were thick and his lashes were long. His jaw was square and chiseled. I liked that he had a hint of a shadow along his jawline. He was definitely not the average suit. Every other man at the party, not counting those that had beards, were freshly shaven.Not him. I was gu
Latest chapter
Let Me In Epilogue Part 2
XanderLaughter floated out of the ballroom behind us. I was glad everyone was having a good time. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work over the year. Every person in there deserved to celebrate their success, including Charlie’s crew.“What kind of business?” she asked. “Are you guys cooking up another scheme to make ships even faster?”“No. I think I’m good for a while now. I have more important matters to focus on.”She touched my cheek. “I better be one of those matters.”“You are. You absolutely are.”“My dad is pretty excited to be a part of all of this,” she commented.“He should be. He made it possible, which is why I gave him a check for his cut of the profits.”Her mouth fell open. “You did what?”I shrugged. “Without him, I never would have gotten those first few ships to try out the new hardware. He offered suggestions that made it work even better. He deserved—no, he earned—that money.”“Wow. Did he accept it?”I laughed and nodded. “Oh yeah, he did. His name is a
Let Me In Epilogue Part 1
XanderOne year laterPride. That was what I felt in that moment. My ships were heading out to sea. Everyone else was already making their way back away from the dock. I couldn’t leave just yet. I watched the ships navigate out to sea one at a time. I didn’t have children, but I imagined what I was feeling was similar to what a proud papa would feel.I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Charlie next to me.“This is a big day,” he said.“It is. You pulled it off.”“You pulled it off.”“What do you think?” I asked him. “Is it going to work? Do you foresee them falling apart halfway around the world?”He shook his head. “My guys did excellent work. That shit is solid.”“Good. Those test ships seem to be holding up.”“Of course, they will. My team is the best. Your idea wasn’t half-bad either.”“Thanks,” I said, watching as one of the ships cleared the harbor.“You know, you could have made a lot more money with that plan,” he lectured.“I could have but I already have a lot of
Let Me In Shaking Things Up
Evie“I’m going to make love to you all night,” he promised. “This is just the beginning. This is to tide me over until we get home. I want you in my bed. I want me inside you.”“Yes,” I gasped, my head dropping to my chest as he slid in and out of me. Every stroke touched new places. Every stroke sent my body into a wild tailspin of desire and need. “Please. Please. Don’t stop.”He didn’t speed up his pace. He kept moving in that slow steady rhythm, sliding in, grinding his hips, and then gliding out and leaving just the tip inside me. The spasms rocking through me made it difficult for me to remain standing. I wanted to crumble in a heap at his feet with him still inside me.“This is just the first,” he said, his voice strained. “I can’t hold back. Your body is milking me. You are too tight. Too hot. Too fucking wet.”“Don’t hold back,” I told him. I needed his release. I could feel mine hovering just out of reach as if my body refused to give in until it had his complete surrender.
Let Me In Making Love in the Park
EvieI was being terribly irresponsible. I was not the girl who got naked in the park and had sex. Unfortunately, when I was with Xander, all bets were off.And he loved me. The words echoed through my mind over and over. He loved me. I would follow him into the fires of hell knowing he loved me. I didn’t realize just how badly I needed to hear those words from him.He loved me. I loved him. I didn’t know what that meant for the two of us, but damn if I was going to pass up the chance to find out. The way he was kissing me was different. Maybe it was mind over matter, but I could practically taste the love on his tongue. It was in the way he touched me. The gentleness of his hand on my cheek, holding me steady while his tongue plundered inside my mouth.“Over here,” he said as he broke his mouth away from mine.I felt a little dazed. His kiss made me feel drunk on lust. Again, I was ready to follow him anywhere if it meant I got more kisses like that. He took my hand and led me away f
Let Me In I Love You
Xander“Xander, I want to believe you, but I’m hesitant.”“I know. I expect that. It isn’t just the memories of Kade that brought me back. You. Memories of being with you. Thinking about this place and our time together. Those are all really good memories. I want more memories like that.”“You are saying all the right things,” she said with a smile. “You know I can’t resist you.”“I’m counting on it.”“I’m glad you are back,” she said.“Me too. Does this mean you will entertain the idea of having a relationship with me?”“I could be convinced,” she said.“I am going to work very hard to convince you,” I vowed.She sipped her wine. “How are you doing? Like really doing?”“I’m doing a lot better thanks to you.”“Thanks to me?”“You are a sneaky little lady,” I told her.She raised her eyebrows. “Me? Sneaky?”“I got a call yesterday.”“Congratulations.”“Oh, you’re cheeky too.” I laughed. I opened the picnic basket and pulled out the small cheese tray and peeled back the plastic. “You ho
Let Me In Forgive Me
XanderI was so close to losing her. I sensed it in her voice. I wasn’t expecting her to jump at the chance to see me, but I wasn’t expecting such resistance either.The sense of urgency I felt was making me anxious. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. It had taken me way too long to realize how I felt about her. Anytime I thought about my life in a month or a year or in ten years, she was there. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but I knew she was a person I wanted in my life. It wasn’t even a want. It was a need. I needed the woman like I needed air.I was prepared to chase her down if I had to. I would do whatever it took to make her hear me out. I knew there was still a chance she would kick me to the curb. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I had fucked up. A lot. I would spend the next year trying to convince her to give me a chance. I couldn’t explain when things clicked but they had.It was like the light went on. I hated that I was so ignorant for so damn long. I hated to thin
Let Me In Our Spot
Evie“I don’t know,” I answered. “I didn’t take the call. I was in a meeting. And it wasn’t the kind of meeting that allowed me to answer my phone.”“Did he leave a voicemail?”“Nope.”“I hate that,” she groaned.“Me too. If it was important, he could leave a message. The guy has fallen off the face of the earth again. He hasn’t called or texted and now he blows up my phone? I’m not interested.”“Liar,” she shot back.“Okay, I am interested but I don’t want to make it too easy.”“You know you’re never going to be able to think of anything else if you don’t call him back and find out what he wants.”“Won’t that make me sound like I’m desperate for his attention?” I asked.“No. The man called you. Calling him back is just polite.”Truly, I was looking for her approval. She had given it to me and now I was anxious to call him and find out. “I’m going to do it.”“Let me know,” she said and hung up.I held the phone in my hand, tapping it against my forehead. I needed to mentally brace mys
Let Me In What Does He Want?
EvieI pulled up the images from a sweet-sixteen party I had planned about six months ago before I turned my laptop for the new client to see.“Oh wow, that is stunning!” the mother exclaimed.“I don’t want pink,” the spoiled princess pouted.I smiled, remaining calm. “You don’t have to have pink. You can choose any color you want.”“No,” the mother quickly interjected. “We are not having black.”The girl scowled. “I wasn’t going to say black.”I kept my smile in place. The affluent family had reached out to me last week. Initially, I didn’t want to do it. I was in no mood to deal with a spoiled teenager.“What colors were you thinking about?” I asked.“Purple,” she answered. “I want several shades of purple.”“Oh, that’s very regal,” her mother said with a relieved smile. “I like it.”“I was at a party you planned for my friend like a year ago,” the young girl said. “She said you were really good. My party has to be better than her party.”Ah, teenage envy. “We will do our best.”“We
Let Me In Go Fix It
Xander“No, I don’t suppose it was. You did it for yourself. You made something of yourself. I’ve kept my head in the sand, trying to ignore what you’ve been doing. I did a little research. You have changed the world, just like you said you were going to. You really did something remarkable. Your mother used to show me newspaper clippings with your name. I know I didn’t say it, but I’m proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you.”I put the bottle of beer down. I could not continue to drink it if he was going to send me into coughing fits every time he dropped one of his little bombshells. “You are?”“I am. I should have told you before. You are my son. I’ve said some pretty shitty things. I don’t know how to make them go away but I was hoping we could try and start over.”I felt like I was being pranked. Maybe I was dreaming. In thirty-two years, my father had never believed I was worthy of his last name. “You want to start over? I’m sorry, Dad. This is all coming out of left field.
