Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I looked around the large ballroom, which my team and I had been working on for the last twelve hours. It barely resembled the space we’d started with, which was exactly the point.
Just hours ago, this place had been nothing more than a cold, empty room with neutral walls and standard lighting. It had no personality or presence. But after my team and I worked our magic here, everything breathed luxury.
And it should. Tonight’s event was a fundraiser for Saint John’s Hospital, and given that Jim Mitchell virtually owned the place, I knew exactly how he wanted these events hosted.
They had to appeal to the very people he was inviting, and those guests were always encouraged to donate their wealth while they were living and breathing in a room that spoke their language.
I glanced around the area, letting it speak to me in any way it could, to see whether any details had been overlooked. It rarely happened, but there was always a chance… and I never left anything to chance. That’s why I always took a final moment before moving forward with the night’s events.
Soft amber light washed over the space, catching the glass installations suspended above the tables, each positioned just enough off-center to feel intentional rather than staged.
As Mr. Mitchell’s events team had emphasized, the florals weren’t overpowering.
There were white ranunculus, orchids, and touches of greenery, layered with precision so nothing competed for attention.
Everything worked together, each with its own specific purpose.
“Cat, we’ve got a problem with table six,” Aria said, appearing at my side with a clipboard tucked under her arm.
“What kind of problem?” I asked, my gaze already moving across the room, scanning without making it obvious.
“The seating card for Doctor Black’s wife is incorrect.” She eyed me as if this were the first of many problems for the night. “She noticed.”
I exhaled slowly, already stepping in that direction. “Precisely how incorrect is the seating card?”
“Incorrect enough that she’s offended.”
“Of course she was,” I whispered to Aria. “Give me two minutes,” I added, as I reached for the extra place cards in the side console.
The woman in question stood near the table, her posture stiff, her expression tight, as if this wasn’t about the name on the card. Because it never was. I approached her with an easy smile that wasn’t forced or overly apologetic.
“Mrs. Black, please forgive the oversight,” I said smoothly, meeting her gaze. “We’ve had a last-minute seating adjustment, and I wanted to personally make sure you were placed exactly where you’re meant to be.”
Her expression shifted enough to let me know I was giving the response she needed if she was going to remain in the room with the rest of these elites.
“Your husband specifically requested that you be seated here,” I continued, adjusting the card in front of her with practiced ease. “Closest to the stage.”
That’s all she needed to hear for the tension to ease from her shoulders. The key to keeping every donor and guest happy at tonight’s event was to make them feel that the event would be nothing without their presence.
“Of course he did,” she finally said, her tone softening.
I smiled at her as she lifted her chin while she sat regally at the table. “Let me know if there’s anything else you need this evening,” I said, stepping back just enough to give her space while maintaining control of the interaction.
She said nothing in response, only nodding in satisfaction.
Situation handled.
I moved away without looking back, already shifting my focus to the next detail that needed attention. Because there was always something, and quite honestly? I preferred it that way.
“The lighting is running five minutes behind schedule,” Aria said, falling back into step beside me.
“Aria, honey,” I smiled at her. “They’re not running five minutes behind,” I replied calmly. “They’re running on my timeline now.”
A faint smile pulled at her mouth.
I nodded at her sudden ease. “Please adjust the cue. No one notices delays when everything else is flawless.”
“Got it.”
“Thank you.”
I paused near the edge of the room, taking it all in one more time—not because I needed to, but because this was the moment when everything either held… or didn’t. And not surprisingly, everything was holding and moving forward with precision only my team could offer.
My attention diverted when my phone buzzed gently in my hand. I stepped into the corridor, worried it might be my sister, but upon checking the screen, an unexpected name showed up: Titus Hawk.
I didn’t react right away because, honestly, I didn’t feel the need to.
The man had taken a full week to decide whether he wanted to hire me, and I didn’t operate that way.
I didn’t live in or need to be in this man’s orbit.
Life goes on, and the man who thought he could control the world and those around him could now get his ass in line.
Before returning to the event, I opened the message, and my eyes narrowed at the text.
Titus: Clear your schedule this weekend
There were no formalities, no proper greeting, and no explanation. Just a man expecting whatever the hell he wanted from me this weekend. A slow breath escaped me as I leaned against the wall, my gaze drifting back toward the ballroom, where everything continued to move exactly as I’d designed it.
Of course, men like Titus didn’t ask or make formal requests. They positioned, assumed, and expected the world to adjust around them.
I glanced down at the message again. I wanted to ignore the man, but silence never made the point it needed to with men like him.
I tapped the screen, typing without hesitation.
Cat: I don’t clear my schedule. You’re welcome to request an appointment for my services like everyone else.
After I hit send, I slipped my phone into my pocket as I stepped away from the wall, already moving back toward the floor. Whatever Titus Hawk thought this was, he was about to learn something very quickly about me. I didn’t step into someone else’s world and adapt.
I made them meet me in mine.
Titus: Noted. This isn’t a request for you to plan an event. I want to see you again
My mouth dropped open without my permission.
What was this guy trying to do? Even more, what the hell made him think he could ask me out?
If that’s even what this was. Whatever the case, I sure as hell wasn’t going to clear my weekend and drop everything for Titus Hawk, so I ignored the text for now to focus on my event.
“Cat,” I heard Nat say as I walked past her table, which she shared with her husband Spencer, Jim and Avery Mitchell, and their doctor friends and their spouses. “Everything is flawless. You’re truly the best."
I grinned, taking in everyone’s smiles at the table. “I’m thrilled you’re all comfortable and enjoying it.”
“Well, if it means anything,” Avery Mitchell said after taking a sip of her champagne, “Jim hates these things, and my husband is actually smiling.”
“That’s because I don’t have to cater to pointless requests,” Jim added, sitting regally in his chair. “Truly, you are a godsend, and we appreciate how quickly and well you’ve pulled all of this together.”
“Well, enjoy her while you’ve got her,” Collin Brooks said, exchanging smiles with Jake Mitchell.
“Excuse me?” I asked with confusion, knowing that Jake and Collin were not only world-renowned surgeons, but also partners-in-crime known for constantly pranking people.
Jake took a sip of his scotch. “Word on the street is that Hawk is hiring you to be his sole planner for these circuses?”
“Is that so?” I arched a challenging eyebrow at the two doctors’ amused expressions.
“And Hawk usually gets what he wants,” Spencer added.
“Well, that may be the word, but I’m not a fool when it comes to my business,” I said confidently. “I know not to cut my clients off because one billionaire wants to hoard talent when he discovers it.”
“How did that even come about, Titus hiring Cat exclusively?” Nat said, studying all the men’s knowing expressions. She looked directly at her husband, “In fact, you’re the one who told me Titus was an asshole to my girl on his yacht.”
“Right,” I added. “Now, suddenly, he feels the need to secure me as his own?”
“I guess that’s the billion-dollar question,” Jake said with a laugh.
“No,” Nat added. “Cat is not only a goddess who could tempt even a priest to cross that line, but she’s also extremely talented. I believe,” she sat back and eyed me, “Titus has just met the first person in his life to challenge him.”
“This is true,” I answered, eyes scanning the area to ensure everything was functioning well. “He’s also met the first woman to tell him no after he demanded that I clear my schedule for a date with him next weekend.”
Jim practically choked on his bourbon, while the two doctors laughed into their drinks.
“He is really trying to date you?” Jim asked, with more humor in the man’s expression than I’d ever seen.
“So it would seem,” I answered, knowing that once I was done talking to my friends, I would, in fact, decline Titus’s request to meet me again.
“God help that man,” Nat said with a laugh. “Karma always eventually hunts down and quietly returns the many, many favors we give to others, and I know that Titus Hawk has accrued quite a debt in the broken hearts department he’s left behind.”
“I say you date him just to break the bastard’s heart,” Collin said with a laugh.
“Oh, gentlemen, have another scotch and enjoy the evening,” I said. “There’s no need to worry about Mr. Hawk and me, because I can assure you, I don’t date my clients. From what you’re all sharing, it seems he might be hoping to become the exception to that rule.”
“Oh, how I wish you did,” Jim said with a laugh.
“I’m sure you do,” I bantered back. “Now, all of you, please enjoy the evening. I won’t be far if you need anything else.”
I’d have loved to sit and chat nonsense with that lively group at their table, but my work and managing these events required me to stay focused.
Anything could go wrong at any moment, and I couldn’t let that happen.
Honestly, I’d rather date Titus Hawk than let him be the reason I got distracted and had something go wrong at my event.
Rather than dwelling on him—on how Titus had mentioned my name, and how my friends knew he wanted me as his personal planner—I redirected my attention to work.
Thankfully, I did because the ice sculpture was melting under the wrong lighting.
I swear, Aria was a gem, but she often overcorrected, and that habit tended to create more issues than it did perfection.
And that’s why I wasn’t going to remain focused on Titus’s nonsense and gossip about the man’s agenda. I would not have a disaster on my hands tonight.