Terms of Agreement

59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Charlotte

I pushed the mouthful of over-cooked steak through the puddle of parsnip puree on my plate, manoeuvring the food around my plate in an attempt to disguise the fact that I hadn’t eaten. To be fair, I hadn’t had much of an appetite all week, but as the evening wore on and my anxiety settled in my stomach, it smothered any whisper of an appetite I might have had. Abandoning the meal, I turned in my seat and tried to join the conversation that two other associates at my table were in the middle of.

In a bid to foster inter-team networking and collaboration, the firm had decided not to organise the tables according to practice areas, but rather seniority, which, while fine in theory, had left me surrounded by four of my colleagues and their partners, and I didn’t know any of them.

The hair on the back of my neck bristled as I leaned in to listen more attentively to what Kirsty—banking and finance, five years qualified—was saying. I didn’t need to turn around to know whose gaze I was caught in.

Ben was seated at the table beside ours and, initially, I’d been relieved to have my back to him, to be able to avoid accidentally making eye contact throughout an already uncomfortable evening, but now, with his eyes on my bare back, I wasn’t sure that this was the better option. I fought to suppress a shudder at the thought and forced myself to focus on Kirsty and her holiday plans.

After what felt like hours, and an inordinate number of speeches, later, the plates were cleared, and the firm’s managing partner nodded once in the direction of the DJ, who abruptly switched over from the soft instrumental music that had accompanied dinner and over to something that I’d assumed was meant to encourage everyone to head to the dance floor. I smiled politely as a few of the couples at the table got up and made their way over to the dance floor where a small crowd had gathered. Leaning forward, I reached under my seat to grab the small silver clutch I’d brought with me. I’d been good all evening, resolutely stashing my clutch and my phone under my seat the minute I’d sat down, forcing myself not to retreat behind my screen and to actually engage in conversation. My fingers fumbled desperately at the small silver clasp, forcing the purse open to sneak a peek at the time.

Nine-thirty. Smiling to myself, the tight band across my chest loosening with the realisation that I could go home soon. There was just one more thing I needed to do.

Twisting in my seat, I glanced at the surrounding tables, searching for some of the partners that I needed to be seen by before I could leave. My gaze snagging on the man a few tables down from me, I zeroed in on Karl. My eyes flicked upwards, drawn by the soft glow of the light that indicated where the restrooms were.

Excellent.

I would stop by Karl’s table on my way to the bathroom. A perfectly organic reason for a run in—it was time to reapply my lipstick anyway.

Rolling my shoulders and gripping my clutch tightly in my hand, I stepped back from the table and made my way over to where Karl held court with some of his colleagues. I recognised a few of them. Several were partners in my team, but some of them I’d worked with on some of the bigger deals I’d been part of.

This was good. I could say “hi” to more than just Karl. That would prove to him I’d made a name for myself in the firm. My heart lightened with each step towards their table.

Karl’s wild gesticulating halted mid-story when he spotted me in his periphery and the table turned, interested in what had grabbed his attention. My smile wobbled a little, but I’d pinned it back into place by the time I reached the table.

‘Sorry to interrupt, Karl,’ I said breezily. ‘I just wanted to stop by and say “hello” before everyone was swept away and onto the dance floor.’

A few of the partners chuckled good-naturedly at my words, but Karl’s expression morphed into one of barely contained annoyance.

‘Charlotte,’ he nodded. ‘Good to see you’ve finally decided to grace us with your presence.’

‘Yes,’ I nodded enthusiastically, ignoring the sting of his dig. ‘It seems like I’ve been missing out. If I’d known that the food was this good, there’s no way I would have missed last year’s party.’ I smiled at the wider table with a forced lightness that made me feel a little sick.

‘Better not let any of our competitors know that some of us can be bought for a good meal,’ Karl sneered, drawing the collective focus of the table. ‘Or we risk losing all our employees.’ He chuckled darkly at his own joke and the few mouthfuls of toffee pudding I’d forced down threatened to make a reappearance.

‘Stop teasing her, Karl,’ Nicole—one of the lead partners in the banking team—said, pushing at one of his shoulders with an ease that only people within the same income bracket could share.

‘It’s good to see you, Charlotte,’ she said, smiling warmly at me from across the table.

‘You too, although I am sorry that we haven’t been able to work together much in the past year,’ I said, offering her what felt like my first unforced smile of the evening.

Nicole had opened her mouth to respond when Karl cleared his throat loudly, drawing the eyes of the table.

‘Well,’ I swallowed, feeling the corners of my mouth twitch under the strain of my smile. ‘I’ll not take up any more of your time. I just wanted to stop by and say “hi.” Karl. Nicole.’ I nodded to both parties before moving on towards the restrooms, the neon sign drawing my footsteps like a homing beacon.

***

‘You did it,’ I whispered to myself, checking my phone as I pulled the lipstick from my clutch. No notifications.

Leaning towards the mirror and gliding the soft brush of the lipstick over my lips, I reapplied the colour that had faded during dinner. I was paler than usual, but the soft lighting in the hall would hide most of that.

Snapping my clutch closed, I shook some of the nervous energy from my arms and pulled the bathroom door open.

‘There you are.’

My spine stiffened as I slowly turned to face the man shadowed in the dimly lit corridor.