MichaelAfter changing into a different suit than I normally wore to work, I took a cab down to Kadia. Other than nights where I had planned events late at night, I let Constantine off whenever I arrived home from work. I didn’t mind taking a cab at night since there were more of them at that hour. During the morning and evening rush times it was simply more convenient to have someone ready and waiting for me.At Kadia, I entered through the back door as I normally did.And when I reached the VIP room, I saw Frederick wasn’t alone.Two young women dressed in skin-tight, almost nude colored glittering dresses sat on the edge of the sofa. They were sipping on champagne and giggling with each other.Frederick was on his phone before he looked up and saw me.“Hey!” Frederick got up and embraced me.“Am I interrupting something?” I was under the impression that we were going to have a private conversation.“Not at all,” Frederick said, then snapped his fingers. The girls got up from their
Michael“It’s taken care of,” Demetri said, holding his hand out. It was his gesture for me to stop going on about it. While I didn’t appreciate him cutting me off, until this was over, I’d have more and more questions. I trusted him. At least until he gave me a reason not to.“Alright, we need to boost morale in this place,” Frederick said, getting up from the couch. He whistled to one of his bouncers and made a gesture to the guy. Then he sat back down. “Let me take care of you guys tonight.”The two girls from before came back into our room. One of them went for Demetri, and he smiled up at her as she started to dance seductively in front of him.The other girl came up to me and bent over, resting her hand on my shoulder and pressing her lips to my ear. “I’m Sammi,” she said and then stood up, turned around and started moving her ass slowly in front of my face.I let out a sharp breath and turned to Frederick. “This is nice and all, but I’m not interested.”“Come on, man. She’s new
RaineyTessa came over to the house bright and early Saturday morning bearing coffee and donut holes. While she and Tanner ate the donuts, I sipped on my coffee. My stomach was a jumble of nerves, and I couldn’t imagine eating. I hoped that feeling would subside by later since the menu we chose was exquisite. I wanted to taste everything.We took off around nine to get to the city. When we arrived at Bloomingdale’s, we went straight to the floor with all of the gorgeous dresses. A woman named Joanne helped us. She was in her late sixties and had the fashion sense of someone who knew her way around a red carpet. I was in good hands.Tessa and I had way too much fun trying on dresses. With Tessa’s advice, I brought my budget to anything under a thousand dollars. It took some convincing on her part, but she guaranteed that Michael wouldn’t mind.“It would probably come off as a business expense,” she’d said.She had a good point.Two hours later, I narrowed my search to two dresses. The
RaineyConstantine stood outside of the car and opened the door for me.“Good evening, Ms. Foster,” he said.“Michael didn't need a ride tonight?”“He's in the hall already.”Should I have gone in earlier too? Why didn't Michael tell me? Or was he giving me time to get a dress and get ready for the night?If that were the case, for next year I would get everything prepared earlier so I could be there with him. I didn't need the recognition from anyone, but this was as much my event as his. I wanted to be there every step of the process to make sure the event ran smoothly.When I got to the building, there was a line of cars pulling up. Several members of the press snapped photographs of whoever was getting out of the car. One of the incentives for people with deep pockets was to be seen at an event like this. Appearing on Page Six would draw funding for future events if the right petiole were seen there. That had been Michael's idea. He was the one in charge of the bigwigs while I pla
MichaelEven with the number of people at the event who demanded my time, all I wanted to do was be in Rainey’s presence. From the moment she stepped out of my car, my entire view of her shifted. She had everything I wanted; the intelligence, strength, and looks of a woman I could see myself with. Granted, the situation we were in as boss and employee complicated things, I’d make sure Rainey never needed or wanted for anything. I hoped with my commitment that she would make one of her own… that she would stay by my side till death do us part.During my speech, seeing her in the audience caused me to go off-script. She was simply stunning, breathtaking. I wanted everyone to know what I thought of her and to adore her – from a distance. I had a lot of influence over those in the room and by announcing her to everyone in the room, I stated my claim on her. It might have embarrassed her a little, but I didn’t care. I wanted her to be mine, and I wanted everyone to know it. Her momentary u
MichaelAs I weaved through them to find Rachel, most were empty. Between the dance floor and the auction room, there was no need to waste time at any table. Only the older patrons or those in wheelchairs, stayed behind to watch the party unfold before them.Rachel was in the back of the room, speaking with the other hospital board members who were honorary organizers of the charity event.“Michael!” she said and shook my hand. “This is the most beautiful venue. Wherever did you find it?”I glanced over my shoulder at Rainey who was chatting with Chrissy White’s assistant at the table. That girl hadn’t been allowed to leave the table as she was expected to guard Chrissy’s purse, which had her Maltese puppy inside. If she weren't one of our top donors, I would have requested she left the dog with her driver.“Rainey was able to secure this place,” I said proudly. Rainey had exceeded my expectations of the event, and I was happy to pass on the responsibilities to her next year.“Well, i
RaineyMichael’s good mood from earlier disappeared after receiving that envelope. He wouldn’t tell me what was inside. And from what I knew of his stubbornness, even if push came to shove he wouldn’t tell me. It was another added secret to the pile between us. While I still suspected his involvement with the mafia, I wondered how an envelope would have anything to do with that. His life was shrouded in mystery, and I found myself more confused than ever. Though I doubted anyone at the party noticed the shift in his mood. I was hyper aware of him at all times.Instead of pissing him off even more by asking, I decided to take a quick break and check in on Tanner. As the event wound down to a close, I excused myself to the bathroom.I hoped Michael would notice my absence and question it. If he knew how his attitude affected the beautiful night we’d experienced together, maybe he could get himself back into a good mood. At least until the event was officially over.In the bathroom, I pu
RaineyI scrubbed at my hands a little longer than necessary, wanting Rachel to feel as uncomfortable as possible. If she were alone, I’d have some choice words for her. But with Dena there, I didn’t want a witness to anything I said while red-hot anger ran through my veins.I headed over to the forced air dryer and glanced at the mirror to see the woman’s faces pale even more. Neither knew what to say to me. It was painfully obvious I heard what they’d said to each other. I could almost hear Rachel’s mind turning back time to figure out exactly what I heard her say.“Have a nice night, ladies,” I said on my way out of the room.I opened the door and let out a breath. At least next year I wouldn’t have to be dealing with her for this event. It would be in her best interest to step down from the position, and I hoped she was smart enough to realize that. I’d hate to embarrass her by having Michael bring up her change in status for his event.Walking back to the ballroom, I knew I had t