My dress was sparkly and daring, unlike the extremely conservative dresses I had worn in the past. This year, I chose a short, black dress with a sparkling black lace overlay that showed not only cleavage but gave the illusion of an open back. My hair was wild and curly, tossed to the side and left to spiral down over my shoulders. I had done my makeup in a dark, sultry style with deep eyeliner, smoky eyeshadow, and a bright red lipstick to set off the entire ensemble. I’d encased my legs in silky, barely there thigh-highs and donned my black, six-inch heels, the ones that made my legs appear even longer. I wore a long over coat over my dress, and I couldn’t help but smirk as everyone stared when I took the coat off and checked it. In front of me, I clutched my small purse in my hands but tried not to fidget, wanting to look as calm and collected as possible. This was the first one of these I was coming to without a date since I had dated Jordan for pretty much my entire career at the company. It was nerve-racking, mostly because I knew what these people were whispering behind my back. I was the woman scorned, tossed to the side, and now, I was back, with a little sexy black dress. If it weren’t me they were gawking at, it would be almost comical.
“Tiffany,” Lily called, waving and grabbing John by the hand. They maneuvered over to me, and Lily immediately hugged me. “John said he had seen you. You look absolutely amazing. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” I smiled. “Getting back on my feet. I feel better every day.”
“I’m so glad.” She took me by the hands. “I’m sorry my son is such a jerk. We miss you so much.”
“Awe, I miss you guys, too,” I sighed.
“You need to start coming back to Sunday dinners,” she said. “Even if I have to kick Jordan out of them.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t ever expect you to do that. I think we are starting to come to a better place, so hopefully, one day soon, he will feel comfortable enough to have me around for them.”
“Hey there,” Jason said, walking up in his black tuxedo. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s good to see you again. You look wonderful.”
I blushed, looking down at how delicious he looked in his outfit. All I could think about was ripping his clothes off and doing him right here in the middle of the floor. I could feel the heat between my legs growing deeper and deeper, and it was excruciatingly hard for me to smile and play it off like I hadn’t just seen him last week fucking me from behind while I screamed out in ecstasy. But, knowing Lily was right there and everyone was watching, I smiled politely and thank him for the compliment, trying to turn my attention back to Mr. and Mrs. Banks. As they greeted other guests, I watched, standing next to Jason still, feeling the pull to be closer and closer to him. I moved to the left, my arm brushing his, and I could feel the electricity surging through my body. I hadn’t wanted someone that much in ages. This was proving to be a bit more difficult than I had thought it was going to be. Thankfully. they had an open bar at this event. Just as I was about to turn for a glass of champagne, Jordan walked in the room. He was arrogant as ever with his always-charming smile and walk that screamed superiority. I just wanted to punch him in the chin. Trailing behind him was the redhead we had seen leaving the bar with him, but this time, she was a bit more clothed, though not by much. She seemed timid and overwhelmed by the number of people who flocked in Jordan’s direction, and I immediately remembered the first time I had been in her shoes, though I think I handled it with a bit more class and without see-through stripper heels.
I spent several hours mingling around the event, talking to different employees, meanwhile looking up across the room to catch Jason’s lustful gaze. Every time I saw him and our eyes met, I felt like the only girl in the entire room and was immediately flushed. There was even one moment where the person I was talking to asked if I was feeling alright since my cheeks turned red so fast. I laughed and excused myself to the bar to grab another drink. I didn’t want to be completely wasted but getting through these events on a normal basis was already nerve-racking. Add in my secret love affair, my ex-husband, and his slutty date, and I needed more than a glass of champagne. I ordered a glass of wine and a shot of tequila from the bartender and smiled as he handed me salt and a lime. I licked the salt off my hand, took the shot, and bit down on the lime, looking up as Jordan walked in front of me. I choked a bit and pulled the lime from my mouth, placing it on the napkin and sliding it toward the bartender.
“Hi,” I said, wiping my mouth and hand.
“Hey.” He turned toward me and leaned against the bar. I took a step back, feeling crowded. “You look very beautiful tonight.”
“Thanks.” I laughed. “So do you.”
“You know, I’m really glad we have reached a place where we can do these events together,” he said, arrogantly looking around the room.
“Yeah, sure,” I said nonchalantly.
“I want us to get to a place where it’s not awkward at all,” he said. “No hard feelings.”
“No hard feelings?” I laughed. “You mean about your downgrade?”
He stopped and looked down at me, processing what I just said. I glanced over, seeing Jason approaching us. Anger flashed over Jordan’s face and he stood up straight, buttoning his jacket. He looked over at Jason and back at me.
/> “What’s wrong, dude?” Jason slapped Jordan hard on the shoulder. “What are you guys talking about?”
“She just called my date a downgrade,” he said, shocked.
“Is that true?” I could see Jason was holding back laughter and forcing himself to sound upset.
“Sure,” I said shrugging. “But it’s okay because I upgraded.”
I winked at Jason before Jordan looked back over at me. He huffed and puffed, not knowing what to say back to me. He looked to Jason for guidance, but Jason put up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. Finally, Jordan grabbed his beer from the bar and stomped off, tripping over the chair leg sticking out from one of the tables. He said something to his date, and she sent him a worried look before tagging along behind him. When he was out of ear shot, Jason and I both turned our backs to the crowd and burst out into laughter. Oh, it felt so good to let all the stress out like that. I hadn’t meant to piss Jordan off, but when he had come over so haughtily, I couldn’t help but put him down hard. The words just purged from my mouth, and I didn’t even have a chance to stop them.
“That was amazing,” Jason said, still laughing.
“I had to.” I giggled. “ I mean I saw the opportunity, and he came at me with the ‘no hard feelings’ comment, and it just spewed out.”
“Are you serious? He actually said ‘no hard feelings’? What a dumbass.” He laughed, turning back to face the crowd.
I looked at him standing there under the dim lights, his hair perfect, his dimples deep, and his tight body covered up, making him look like James Bond. I wanted to get him out of that tux so bad I could hardly contain myself. Heat pooled in my panties as I stood contemplating my next move. I stepped a bit closer and faced the bar, feeling his breath as it hit my neck. I tightened my fists, trying to restrain. We both should stay longer to cultivate social ties for the business, but ultimately, it held little appeal to me compared to the passion pulsing through me. I could no longer hold back.
“You want to get out of here?” I turned to look him in the face and gauge his reaction. “I really want to fuck you.”
He looked at me with a small smirk pulling at his lips before grabbing my wrist and tugging me up the side of the room, out of the view of everyone. We moved quickly through the tables and out of the room. I followed him up the escalator and into the hotel lobby, looking around as he stopped and turned to me. None of the guests were up here yet, so I leaned in and kissed his lips softly.
“I got us a room,” he whispered.