Page 41 of Crash & Burn
As I look up at him now, I’m relieved to see a slight smile on his face as we pass by a few of the gala-goers. He looks so sexy in his gray suit, his hazel eyes illuminating in the lighting of the venue. Even angry, he’s hot. I felt it in the car, my want for him. Ever since I left his house earlier today, I’ve been dreaming of all the things I want his hands to do to me. I think back to when his hands were on my skin earlier, how close we were. But I tell myself it’s just the lust speaking. He’s rude and confusing and I know from the grapevine that he’s a player. But he’s also shown that he’s caring and thoughtful and takes pride in his hard work and success. I can’t for the life of me figure out why I can’t stop this need inside of me.
My daydream is cut short when I hear Callan introduce me as his assistant to another business owner.
“Nice to meet you.” She reaches out her hand to shake mine. “I’m Celeste, I own Fantasy Travel International. I hope you’re taking great care of Callan.” She winks as she releases my hand, but I hang on to her words.What the hell does that mean?
“She is.” Callan places his hand on the small of my back and leads me away from the conversation. I look back and see her professional smile drop as her face contorts to what looks like jealousy.
Callan’s hand is still touching the bare skin on my back, where my dress dips into a low V. It really is a beautiful dress he picked out for me. I was hesitant to wear it, but as I was getting ready earlier, I realized I didn’t have much else that would be fitting enough to wear to an event this formal. Besides, he pretty much demanded I wear it tonight. I wouldn’t be an exceptionally good assistant if I denied the instruction of my boss now, would I?
The red silk is flattering against my pale skin tone. There are slits on both sides that come up to the tops of my thighs, leaving very little to the imagination. One wrong move and the whole venue gets a show. The straps of the dress are haltered behind my neck, which gave me no choice but to go braless. My hair is in tousled curls flowing freely down my back. I really regret not bringing a jacket of some sort because I am getting a bit chilly, and the goosebumps only worsen as Callan’s hand presses against my skin. I feel my nipples harden at the thought of his touch, I hope and pray that the material of this dress can stop them from showing through.
“She seems nice.” I attempt to break the awkwardness. “Very pretty,” I add, trying to get him to respond. But he doesn’t even look at me. Instead, he removes his hand from my back and suddenly I’m pissed at myself for opening my big mouth.
I know there’s something wrong. He’s not himself, but I don’t have time to ask him why, as an announcement begins from the speakers overhead.
“The auction will begin in about fifteen minutes. Please make your way to your seats, we will begin shortly,” the voice declares cheerfully.
“I guess we should go sit down.” I look up to Callan as we stand at the back of the room. Black chairs lined up in rows fill the space in front of us leading to a big stage at the other side of the room. People start making their way past us, all dressed in fancy clothes, dripped in luxury jewelry and smelling like top shelf perfumes and colognes. A great reminder that this event is way out of my league.
Callan doesn’t respond to my question and I’m starting to feel at a loss here.What did I do?
Next thing I know, another business owner greets Callan, and he emerges into full conversation with him.So, he does talk. Just not to me.
I’m not going to stand around and look even more out of place than I already am. Without giving notice to Callan, I walk toward the front of the stage to find my seat.
I make my way to the third row, where our seats are located. Everyone is assigned a seat and it doesn’t take long to realize that someone is sitting in mine, the second seat in from the aisle.
“Excuse me,” I start, trying to do my best impression of a polite rich person – don’t ask why. “I think you may be in my seat. Any chance you could move down one?”
The man looks up at me and I’m almost caught off guard. His light green eyes glow back at me as the light in the rooms dims down lower, kind of like a movie theater when the previews are ending. He’s attractive. He doesn’t hold a candle to Callan, but at the same time, he isn’t my boss.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers up at me. “I’m technically seat four but the person in seat five wouldn’t stop chatting my ear off. I pretended I had the wrong seat and needed to move over.” He shoots me a crooked smile. I give him a knowing nod and try to hide my amusement.
“I’m Leo Dale, by the way, of Dale’s Jewelers. What’s your name?” He stands as he offers me the seat he was just sitting in and moves over to seat three.
“Sterling,” I share as I take my seat. “I’m the assistant to the CEO of David Dealership.” I place my sparkly clutch on the floor, trying to figure out how to properly sit in this dress.
I look behind me, my eyes searching for Callan, but I can’t seem to spot him even as the crowd lessens. I’m annoyed. He made a big deal about this thing, even told me what to wear and he just ditches me?
“You don’t mind if I stay seated here, do you, Sterling? I really don’t want to be stuck next to Chatty-Chad all night.” He glances over at the person two seats down who waves excitedly at us, and I let out a small giggle.
“I don’t think that’s a problem. My business partner is in seat one,” I clarify.
“Good.” He breathes quietly as the last few guests take their seats and the music comes to a stop. The auction is about to begin. Leo leans a little bit closer to me, lowering his voice so only I can hear. “I’d rather be talking to you all night anyways.” He winks before leaning away from me and turning his attention to the stage.
I feel nervousness wash over me as Leo’s whispers stain my skin. All it really does is remind me of Callan whispering in my ear and trailing his fingers over my skin earlier today. My nervousness turns to frustration when I hear the announcer speaking to indicate the start of the main event and Callan is still nowhere to be found.
The announcer starts going over the rules. He explains how the auction works, which is helpful because I’ve never done one of these before, and then he goes over some of the items up for bid.
“Every dollar raised tonight goes towards a charity of each donor’s choice,” He explains.
“What did David Dealership bring to the table?” Leo asks me, scooting a bit closer to me so that I can hear him over the speaker.
“I actually don’t know,” I admit.
“A McLaren Elva,” a familiar voice speaks above me, and I look over to my shoulder to see Callan, as he takes his seat next to me. Simultaneously, I notice that the girl from earlier, Celeste, is also just finding her seat across the aisle from us.
“Nice of you to join us,” I tease, but it doesn’t seem like his mood has improved.