Offensive Behavior

She took his outstretched hand. Tongue thick and useless in her mouth. They went down the stairs together and out into the breath of evening. She wanted words to tell him how he’d made her feel, how their thing had come to mean more than she’d expected it could.

He had a car and driver waiting and he opened the door for her. She settled inside, being careful with the length of the dress. She’d tell him when he got in the other side, when they were hand in hand again.

But when he slid in beside her and took her hand he stole her incentive to speak by saying, “I won’t disappoint you tonight,” and she wondered why he thought he might.

NINETEEN

Reid walked into the foyer of the ballroom with Zarley on his arm and Sarina was on him like a good cop on vice.

She snatched his wrist, nails engaged. “What are you doing here?” she whispered in the process of not kissing him hello. Their cheekbones crashed together because she never had kissed him before and it was a confusing move.

He took in the rapidly filling ballroom of The Fairmont. “You invited me,” he muttered, then looked down at his arm, expecting to see blood.

“I did not invite you. I cannot believe you’d crash like this,” she hissed, hand to her cheek.

He spoke up, “Sarina, this is Zarley. I told her how long we’ve known each other and what a great job you do.”

Both women leaned around him at the same time, hands outstretched to shake. Reid watched Sarina’s face. She had every right to have them thrown out. He had every right to be here.

“Hi, Sarina. Reid told me you’ve had a lot to put up with from him,” Zarley said.

Sarina gave a disconcerted laugh. “He did? He’s right.” She spared him a sharp look. “Hi, Zarley, nice to meet you. Can I borrow him for a moment?”

Zarley smiled and let go his arm. “I’ll wait here,” she said, and Sarina drew him away from the foyer.

“You can’t be here.” She kept her voice even. She was the perfect picture of politely furious.

He gave her a wry smile. “Are you going to throw us out?” He had to choose whether to make a scene if she did.

He looked back toward Zarley. He should’ve told her but he’d hoped to sail through this because it would be too embarrassing to have him thrown out. He watched her stand in that fantasy of a dress, head high. She had self-possession born of being a performer. She attracted attention, she must’ve known that, but didn’t show it. Before he turned back to Sarina, Dev was approaching Zarley with an enormous grin on his face. He had green tennis shoes on with his tux and a matching green bowtie. He must’ve seen them come in together.

A hard punch to his arm brought his attention back to Sarina. “You bought a date.” He rubbed where she’d hit. “She’s lovely. I’m proud of you. Is she, you know the,” Sarina gestured vaguely to his middle and he glared at her.

“I’m sure you can find us a place.”

Sarina closed her eyes, a muscle in her cheek twitched. Her dress was long, red and sparkled. Plus was a jeans and tee’s company. He’d never seen Sarina this dressed up. “You look beautiful.”

Her eyes snapped open. “Don’t try to sweet talk me.”

He tugged on his suit coat. “Someone always drops out of these things, there’ll be a no show or two, sit us anywhere.”

“Kuch will go mental. This probably breaches your restraint.”

“Kuch will nod and smile and glad-hand his way around this ballroom as though nothing bad has ever happened in the world and you know it. He couldn’t care less I’m here.”

“If all that was the case, you’d have been invited.”

He pulled his cuffs, aligned his cufflinks, knew it was nervous fiddling and couldn’t stop it. He needed some of Zarley’s steadiness. “You’re not throwing us out.”

“Oh, but I really, really want to. This is wrong, Reid. It’s offensive.”

He inclined his head. “The other way to look at it is to say it’s offensive not to have invited me. There would be no Plus without me and I’m still a majority stockholder.”

“Yes, yes, all that, a convenient truth hack. Just your style. You were let go. It’s controversial. You weren’t invited and you shouldn’t be here.”

“But I am, and I’m willing to make a noise about it.”

She sighed. “There have been so many times I’ve wanted to knee you in the balls. Think yourself lucky I don’t have room to move in this dress.”