Chapter 20
Twenty
The next day, Kayla informed Jack that she’d changed her mind about going with him to the company party. “You’re right. It doesn’t make sense for us to drive separately,” she said.
Jack played it cool, but inside, he congratulated himself on the minor victory.
Three days later, on the night of the party, he waited in the living room for Kayla to come downstairs.
He was straightening his tie when the floor creaked above him.
Jack looked up and spotted Kayla at the top of the stairs.
Like a cartoon character, his jaw dropped to the floor.
Kayla was wearing a red dress, similar to the one featured in his dream.
The silky material molded to her curves and was the perfect combination of sweet and sexy.
The V neckline showed a hint of cleavage, and a red tie cinched in her waist. The hemline was just above her knees, and black patent leather heels accentuated her shapely legs.
Her hair fell in soft waves, and her dark eyes shone under long, curled eyelashes. Her red lipstick matched the dress.
Kayla descended the stairs and came toward him. “Is everything okay?”
Jack snapped his jaw shut. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just—”
“I know. I don’t dress up very often. You’re used to seeing me in jeans and sweatshirts.”
“You look beautiful.” He’d taken a risk in saying so, but she smiled in return.
“Thank you. You look pretty dapper yourself.” She reached out and tugged on his tie.
“I hate these things.”
Kayla chuckled. “You won’t have to wear it very long.”
Suddenly, Jack envisioned Kayla slipping off his tie and out of her dress. He cleared his throat. “We should get going.”
Kayla nodded and tucked her sparkly, black clutch under her arm.
“It’s pretty cold outside. Don’t you need a coat?”
She shook her head. “It’ll ruin the look. Besides, you can drop me off at the door.”
“Of course.” That way, they wouldn’t be entering the party together, which was what she wanted. Jack tried not to let it bother him because at least they’d be coming home together.
As they drove to the venue, Jack forced himself to keep his eyes on the road instead of staring at Kayla. Still, whenever he could, he stole sideways glances at her.
“We should have an escape plan,” she said.
“We haven’t even gotten there yet, and you already want to escape?”
“Work parties are boring. We see these people all the time. What more do we have to talk about?”
“You and I see each other all the time, and we don’t run out of things to say,” Jack pointed out.
“That’s different. We’re friends.”
“Right.” Like he needed the reminder. “So what’s our escape plan?”
“What if I tug on my left earlobe?”
“Like Carol Burnett?”
“You know about that?”
“My parents loved that show,” Jack said.
“Mine too.”
“So if you tug on your earlobe, I’ll go outside and pull the car around.”
“Right. And I’ll come out a few minutes later.”
“So people won’t know we drove together,” Jack concluded.
“Someone might see us, but at that point, who cares?” she said.
“Half of our coworkers will probably be drunk off their asses, anyway.”
“Let’s hope they have designated drivers.”
“I think that’s why Jim booked the party at a hotel ballroom, so people can stay the night if they need to.”
“Or for other reasons …” Kayla said.
Jack pretended to be scandalized. “Do you think some of our coworkers are sleeping together?”
Kayla chuckled. “Don’t you?”
Jack didn’t pay much attention to office gossip unless it was about him and Kayla. If their coworkers found out they were living together, they’d assume he and Kayla were having sex, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
Jack pulled into the hotel parking lot. “Here we are.” Per Kayla’s request, he dropped her off a short distance away from the main entrance.
“See you inside,” she said as she climbed out.
Jack watched her walk away, wishing he could have escorted her inside. He parked the car and entered the hotel a few minutes later. In the ballroom, he scanned the crowd until he spotted her with a group of coworkers near the bar. She already had a drink in her hand.
Jack was about to join her when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and greeted Gillian, one of the pharmaceutical reps on his team. “Hey.”
“Hi. You look like you could use a drink,” Gillian said.
“I was just on my way to the bar,” Jack replied.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Okay.” Jack could have done without the escort, but he didn’t want to be rude.
As they made their way across the room, he was waylaid by other coworkers, and Jim, his boss.
He paused to say hello and make small talk, hoping Gillian would tire of following him around and peel off.
By the time they got to the bar, Kayla had moved off and was talking to a new guy at the company named Grayson.
Jack didn’t like how closely Grayson was standing to her, even though there was nothing he could do about it.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“I’ll take a beer.”
“I’ll have another rum and Coke,” said Gillian.
While they waited for their drinks, Gillian tried making small talk. “So what are your plans for the holidays?”
“My parents are visiting from Florida, so I’ll be hanging out with them.” And Kayla too. “What about you?”
Jack half listened to her answer, as he continued sneaking peeks at Kayla and Grayson. Grayson must have said something funny because Kayla tipped her head back and laughed. Grayson took the opportunity and peered at her cleavage, licking his lips.
“Here you go,” the bartender said, handing Jack a beer in a plastic cup.
“Thank you.” Jack returned his attention to Grayson and Kayla.
“And for the lady,” the bartender said, handing a cup to Gillian.
Gillian grinned. “Believe me, I’m no lady.”
Gillian was attractive and flirtatious, but she wasn’t Jack’s type. She came on too strong, like she was desperately seeking attention, and tonight was no different. “I’m going to mingle,” Jack said, and started moving away.
Gillian clamped a hand on his forearm. “Wait! Tom Watson is heading this way, and I don’t want to get trapped by him.”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with Tom?”
“We slept together one time, and he thinks he owns me or something.”
Jack wasn’t surprised, but he didn’t want to get caught up in her drama. “You’ll be fine,” he said, but it was too late.
“Hey, Jack.” Tom clapped him hard on the back like they were good buddies when in fact, they hardly knew each other. Tom worked with another group, and his territory was on the west side of the state.
“Hey, Tom. How’s it going?” Jack said. Talk about feeling trapped.
“Better now,” Tom said, eyeing Gillian appreciatively.
“Great. Well, I’m going to mingle. See you two later.” Jack quickly moved away, ignoring Gillian’s protest. He spotted Kayla talking to Jim, and Grayson was milling nearby. Grayson kept glancing at Kayla, and Jack’s temper flared.
Jack approached them when Kayla said, “Excuse me for a moment.” Deflated, Jack watched her striding out of the ballroom, in search of the ladies’ room. With Kayla gone, Jack wasn’t eager to talk to his boss, or Grayson. But once again, he was trapped.
“Jack! We were just talking about you,” Jim said.
“Uh-oh. Am I in trouble?” he joked.
“I was just telling Grayson he should shadow you for a couple of days. He’s going to shadow Kayla too. I want him to learn from the best.”
Jack swallowed his dismay. “I appreciate the compliment.”
“I see someone I need to talk to. Why don’t you two work out some dates?” Jim walked away, leaving Jack and Grayson behind.
Jack shifted uncomfortably. “We don’t have to decide anything tonight. It’s supposed to be a party.”
“Fine by me. You can email me some dates that would work,” Grayson suggested.
“Sure,” Jack said.
“I do have a question for you though,” Grayson said.
“Shoot.”
Grayson leaned closer and lowered his voice. “It’s about Kayla.”
Jack tensed. “What about her?”
“I heard a rumor that you two are dating. Is it true?”
Jack glanced around, hoping nobody had overheard. He was more worried about Kayla’s reputation than his. Jack wanted to tell Grayson to mind his own business, but he had to work with the guy, so he tamped down his irritation. “No. We’re not dating.”
Grayson smiled. “Cool. I just wanted to check before I asked her out.”
Jack squeezed his cup too hard, and beer shot up and out, splattering his shirt and suit jacket. “Dammit!”
“Sorry, man. You should go take care of that,” Grayson said, looking amused.
Jack stalked off toward the restrooms, garnering a few curious glances on the way. Normally, he would have laughed it off, but he wasn’t in a humorous mood. As he strode down the hall to the men’s room, Kayla emerged from the ladies’ room.
She eyed his damp shirt and jacket. “What happened?”
“I spilled my drink,” he grumbled.
“Do you want to go home?” she asked.
More than you know. Before he could respond, Gillian approached them.
“Oh, Jack. There you are!” Gillian’s words slurred together, and her eyes were glazed over.
Kayla gave Gillian a tight smile and strode off toward the ballroom.
Dammit! There went his escape. “I spilled my drink, and I need to dry my shirt,” Jack said to Gillian.
“Mmm. Do you need help to take your shirt off?” Gillian wiggled her eyebrows at him.
“I have to go.” Jack turned away and went into the men’s bathroom.
“What is it with everyone tonight?” he muttered under his breath.
Jack removed his jacket, shirt, and tie, and held them under the hand dryer until they were dry.
He was about to put his shirt back on, when one of the accountants, Todd, entered the bathroom.
Todd’s gaze roamed over Jack’s bare chest, and his cheeks flushed.
What? No way! “I spilled my drink all over my shirt,” Jack explained.
“When you look that good, don’t apologize,” Todd said, grinning widely.
Flustered, Jack turned away, and quickly redressed while Todd went into a stall. A few minutes later, Jack reentered the ballroom, and looked around for Kayla. He couldn’t take another minute of this madness and was dying to escape.
He spotted Kayla near the bar, and sure enough, Grayson was with her. The two of them were conversing with their heads bent over their phones. Were they exchanging phone numbers? Did Grayson ask her out? Did she say yes?
Jack stalked across the ballroom, his gaze pinned on Kayla, wanting her to notice him. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. He tugged on his earlobe, sending the message they’d agreed upon. Instead of leaving Grayson, she eyed Jack quizzically.
Then, his coworker, Matt, approached him. “Something wrong with your ear?”
“It itches,” Jack said dismissively.
“You know what that means. Somebody’s talking about you.”
Ignoring him, Jack continued moving toward Kayla, and pulled on his ear again.
Why wasn’t she getting the message? Suddenly, he realized he’d been tugging on his right ear, and quickly switched to his left ear while gazing at her intently.
Kayla gave him a brief nod, and said something to Grayson, which Jack assumed was goodbye.
Mission accomplished, Jack turned and strode toward the exit.
He avoided making eye contact with anyone, lest he get waylaid again, but nobody stopped him.
Not even Gillian, who he spotted conversing with Tom in a quiet corner.
Outside, Jack took deep gulps of the cold, night air.
He went to his car, climbed inside, and started it up.
Then he pulled up to the walkway in front of the hotel and waited for Kayla.
A few minutes later, she emerged. Kayla paused and glanced around, before rushing over to Jack’s car and slipping inside. As if they were Bonnie and Clyde fleeing a crime scene, Kayla ducked down in the seat, and Jack sped off.