Page 48 of Playing with Forever
“Thank you, everyone,” Jones said, and I jolted, realizing the meeting was over.
I stood with everyone else, turning my phone face down on the table so nobody could see if a text came in and leaving it with some of my papers while I grabbed my notebook and pen.
I started after my boss, trying to catch up to him. “Mr. Jones, sir, could I have a moment? I wanted to update you on…”
“Yes, of course, that little project of yours and Brandon’s for the Monarch,” Jones said before I could finish. “How is it coming along?”
I hurried to keep up with Jones, a much taller man with a quick stride, as he walked back to his office and I updated him on the campaign and gave him a rundown on the highlights. He shared his thoughts on changes we ought to make, and I jotted down those suggestions in my notebook along the way.
Jones was the kind of boss who didn’t usually have unique ideas but always wanted to feel like he contributed to a project so he could claim he was ‘hands on.’ I’d learned pretty quickly that I had to take notes on what he said, then find ways to change his ideas and incorporate better versions of them into our projects so that he felt included without ruining the client’s overall vision.
Once that was dealt with, I hurried back to the conference room to gather the rest of my things. Brandon wasn’t there. I figured he was probably already at his desk, and I’d have to catch him there and talk about how we were going to deal with Jones’ latest—
Wait.
An unsettling feeling coursed through me as I reached my seat and I saw my phone on the table, face up. I’d put it face down, hadn’t I, because I didn’t want anyone to see my screen if Chase texted me again? I’d been careful…I didn’t want anybody knowing my personal business.
But now, it was face up.
The only other person in the room was Sharon, one of the administrative assistants, wrestling with the presentation equipment. “Sharon? Did anyone touch my phone?”
“What?” Sharon glanced at me with a frustrated look on her face. “Sorry, I’ve been dealing with this stupid thing. I haven’t seen anybody in here since the meeting ended.”
My phone lay there innocently, like it was taunting me to believe my own memory.
I must have been mistaken. I was being paranoid, and even if I was remembering right, who was to say my phone didn’t get knocked over onto the floor and someone put it back on the table for me?
This was possibly the worst part of having a stalker, I concluded irritably as I went back to my desk. Knowing someone was lurking about made me second-guess everything, made me jump at every shadow and start to doubt my own perceptions.
I forced myself not to think about it further. I was under Chase’s protection, and he was nothing if not zealous. I was even staying at his place. My project was going well, and our company had a banquet to attend that night, an annual thing thrown by one of the casinos that were our oldest and biggest clients. I had so many more pleasant things to focus on than whoever was trying to spook me.
Especially since Chase was going as my date.
As soon as I’d told him about the event, he’d insisted on attending with me. He’d gone on about there being a ton of people I didn’t know at the banquet, that all the exits and entrances provided too many opportunities for someone to strike, and it was better to be safe with him than sorry.
“Are you allowed a plus one?” he’d asked after I’d shared the information with him.
“Yes, we all are, although we do need to RSVP if we’re bringing someone.”
“Great. Put me down,” he’d said succinctly. “I’ll be coming with you.”
“Wow, assumptions much?” I’d replied with a bit of sass. “What if I wanted to take Violet?”
He’d rolled his eyes at me. “As much as I trust your sister’s ability to smash a chair over someone’s head if they try to cop a feel, I’m less optimistic about her ability to handle security at a large event like that. Our firm works these kinds of events all the time.”
He wasn’t wrong, and at the end of the day I wasn’t mad that I was going to a fancy dinner on Chase’s arm.
I wrapped up work a bit early like everyone else so that we could all hurry home and get ready. Chase picked me up, as agreed, and we separately showered and dressed. I’d stopped using the guest bedroom a few nights ago, but having a second bathroom was definitely useful for times like this when we had a time crunch.
I’d bought my outfit a while ago, a dark purple dress with a slightly plunging neckline and a fuller skirt, and black satin strappy heels. It was a nice, formal event, so I didn’t want to go too sparkly or body-hugging, and aimed for tasteful elegance, including arranging my hair into a sophisticated updo and going with a smokey eye.
Judging by the stunned look on Chase’s face when I emerged from the guest bedroom, I had succeeded.
He looked gorgeous in a tux with a subtle sheen to the tie and pocket handkerchief, adding a little flair while still being black tie. The suit was clearly tailored, fitting him like a glove, and I was hit all over again by just how insanely handsome he was. It made me want to skip the party altogether and just beg him to take me to bed and fuck me with the suit still on.
Chase’s gaze dragged over my body appreciatively, his eyes dark and hungry. More than that, though, there was something else on his face. It almost looked like—like awe.
Clearly I was imagining things, seeing only what I wanted to see. Nobody was going to look at me and feelawefor crying out loud.
