The three of us head into the main room. The lights are a deep purple and navy, giving the room a moody feel, the new branding for Andersen Schulz and Meyers on pull-up banners in every direction you look. Each of the new imprints has its own banner hanging by the stage, except one that is covered, I assume to hide the face of who has been selected as the romance imprint’s editor in chief. The temptation to sneak behind the stage and pull the rope that exposes the truth of the selection eats away at me, but I have far more class than that. I can waitan hour or two…maybe three, at the absolute most. I take a deep breath and Jasper takes my hand in his, squeezing it.
“Relax, babe. You’ve got this. I’m sure of it.” I smile at him, turning to look at Halle, who smiles deeply.
“Piece of cake, babes, no one holds a torch to you and that insane work ethic.” She chuckles and I bite my lip as the bubbles of excitement start to rise up my chest, and just as I’m about to squeal and dance on the spot, my light is dimmed again by that damn phone that won’t stop fucking ringing.
I huff an annoyed breath as Halle and Jasper make their way to the table in front of us, and I yank open the clutch to pull out my phone. Thirteen missed calls and five unread voice messages from the devil. I hold down the lock button and slide the power off. Ignoring “my responsibilities”for one more night. This is for me, and I’ll be damned if I miss the one night that acknowledges all my hard work. Not for some power-hungry man who thinks he owns me. No games, no playing around. I’m holding tight to the power of my mask and steeling my spine. I will not break, not for anyone.
Sliding my phone back into my clutch, I take a quick glance around the room on my way to my table and nearly trip. At a table almost front and center of the room is tall, blond hair, broad shoulders, and adevastatingsmile; Caleb fucking Smith. The picture of pure arrogance, letting every bit of his sex appeal ooze from him as he stands sure, one hand on his suit button, the other resting in the pocket of his perfectly tailored suit pants.
His sight? Cemented on me.
Specifically, the neckline of my dress, before he reaches my eyes and they downright smolder. Of course at a black tie event Caleb foregoes a black tie and instead wears a completely blacked-out ensemble, his black shirt collar tucked and open at the top, framed with his black tuxedo jacket refined with satin lining. And while I’m noting that his arm is vacant and seemsto be date-less, my jaw nearly hits the floor when I clock the finishing touch: the rottweiler necklace adorning his neck. The gaudy thing was a joke, though it’s a sleek piece. The chain is masculine while the charm is elegant enough that it doesn’t gauge any secondary head turns. But it’s a goddamn dog, and he is wearing it…openly. When he sees my appreciative looks, his lips tip up in a smirk, turning him from looking handsome to something entirely too good looking it should be illegal.Is that a fucking dimple?“Jesus,” I whisper, and only the calling of my name from Halle has me snapping out of the trance the sex pest had me locked into.
I quickly shake myself out of it and head for my seat, grabbing the complimentary glass of champagne being handed out on the way before chugging the lot and slumping down in my seat…like alady, of course.
“Before you ask, yes, we saw Pretty Face, and before you seek to clarify, yes, I still would like to sit on his face.” Halle nods through her statements as Jasper chokes on his wine and I smack her arm. It isn’t until she raises a brow at me that I realize I’m scowling at her instead of laughing at her joke.
“Ha!” I breathe, forcing a smile that is far more difficult than I had intended, but for some reason, the picture of Halle riding Caleb’s face has me wanting to choke her out.
Which is an odd feeling to have, I’m not a possessive kind of person.
“Hilarious.” I turn, grabbing the attention of a passing waiter and stealing another two glasses of champagne. “This is going to be a long night.”
“You did well up there.” I nudge Noah’s shoulder as I walk up next to him at the bar. “Natural public speaker,” I tease, and he chuckles lightly. His speech was lighthearted but professional as he introduced the new branding. I’m not really sure why this whole event is necessary for a branding and promotion announcement, but I suppose they’ll take any chance to show people how rich they are. Noah has been a good sport, and though they were dragging out the announcement itself, it was great seeing him up there, proud as punch of his work.
Ava had a slideshow of the new company slogan and values going as he spoke. All about how they have brought two old-school publishing houses together to be a new, improved, and modern take on the world of literature. It was impressive how Noah made the old farts that run this place seem invigorated, progressive, and fresh. The reveal of the colors and new logo was great too. Sleek and sophisticated.
“And he said he was nervous.” Addison rolls her eyes from where she peeks over at me from his other side. We did greetings earlier where we pawed and cooed at each other, Addison looking every bit the little shortcake Noah labeled her. In a stunning, soft pink silk slip with a train and left side hip slit, giving a sexy twist to the cute color, her blonde hair long and curled down her back but pinned from her face. Noah’s eyes haven’t strayed, and I don’t blame him, she looks downright edible.
“Lies, you nailed it.” I nudge him gently, and he gives me a grateful smirk.
“I appreciate that, Garcia. And I’m sure you will too.” He dips his chin before gripping Addison’s hand, kissing her knuckles and pulling her away.
“Rosebud.” Smooth sin once again coats over my skin and I slowly let my gaze flick over my shoulder to where Caleb has come to join me at the bar. I give him a teasing smile, an obvious once-over and then turn to fully face him.
“Hotshot.”
“Hmmm, I likecariñobetter.” He winks, his grin deepening when he realizes his comment has thrown me off, and he steps a little closer. That stupid name slipped my lips last weekend—the Spanish just comes out of me sometimes. It’s hard to control it when I’m anythingbutin control of myself.
“Well…” I search for anything to say, shaking off my shock and raising my chin. “Your pronunciation could use some work.”
“Noted.” He huffs quietly, his smile still firmly in place as his eyes watch me with the same gleam they had on Wednesday night.
Right before I fell asleep, the last thing I remember was his rich laugh, the soreness in my cheeks from my smile, and the light in his eyes that shone with joy. But I had somehow woken up on my bed, not at all remembering how I got there, a blanket covering my legs and a folded note on my pillow:
Thanks, Rosebud
xx C
My apartment was completely empty of him when I rose, the joggers folded at the end of the bed, but his scent had lingered long after, even on my skin and my clothes despite never having slept together. I showered for an hour to wash it away—I needed him off me so I could think straight.
That same glow rests in his observation of me, making my heart beat just a little faster, my breath just a little shorter.
“You are tortuously breathtaking, Rosie Garcia,” he whispers, a finger reaching up to gently pull on a curl as the deep blue of his irises take in my whole face. The gesture is simple, but I realize it for what it truly is. A need to touch me in some way, but not wanting to ruin my hair, or the lie that we are anything other than just friends of friends. I make another obvious once-over of him and his glorious body in that perfect suit, the smell of cedar and…and…
“Is that Chanel?” I whisper the name of my favorite designer brand, a smile growing on my face as I lean in a little closer and catch a whiff of his cologne. He clears his throat, that same blush from the other night hitting high on his cheekbones, averting his focus for a beat and pulling at his sleeves.
“I didn’t pick you for a Chanel men’s range kind of guy?” I cross my arms and hit him with a playful smirk. He just chuckles and shakes his head, tucking his hands in his pants pocket.
