Novel 543
4
“Jerk” Karen yelled as she stormed into Emma’s apartment. Emma looked up from the book she was reading.
“Well hello to you too Karen, please come in” she said sarcastically. “What’s the matter?. You look like you’re about to punch someone”
“It’s nothing. Just Frank and I had a little disagreement”
“Oh just that” said Emma
“What do you mean just that?”
“Please. We both know you’re gonna go back there or he’s gonna come over here in like two minutes and you guys are gonna make up”
“Yeah kinda” Karen said smiling
“You guys are so lucky. Having something that beautiful” Emma dropped the book she was reading. “And speaking of beautiful things. I wanted to ask you something about that guy I met at Frank’s place the other day. A week ago. I think his name was Daniel”
One of Karen’s devilish smiles appeared on her face. The kinda smile she usually had on her face when she had one of her annoying ideas.
“You think? You THINK his name was Daniel?” she asked while sitting up.
“Can you just wipe that smug smile off your face” Emma said almost regretting why she asked
“Saw something you liked. Did ya? Karen raised an eyebrow.
“I was just wondering because I have never seen him before. I know most of Frank’s friends. And he was really… attractive you know”
“Ohhh.. Finally” came the reply
“Stop it. Seriously, who is he?
“He’s Frank’s friend,” Karen finally said. “I just met him like 3 weeks ago. He just moved here. And he’s really loaded. CEO of his company and stuff”
Emma could only stare at her “So you mean to tell me that for three weeks you knew this guy was around. We see each other almost everyday. And everyday I’d ask you what’s up… And you couldn’t start with.. There’s this guy that just came around… What kind of friend are you?
“Oh really” Karen said “Didn’t know you would be interested”
“I didn’t say I was interested. Just that you talk a lot. Mostly about things that don’t concern you and I’m just surprised this one didn’t slip out of your wide mouth. I mean, you wanted to set me up with someone and you never even mentioned him”
“Hmmmm… I never really thought about it. I was just so focused on you and Ben. By the way have you guys been in contact since then?. Karen asked
” Yeah. He called yesterday. Wanted to go on another date but I said I was gonna be busy. I don’t wanna lead him on”
“Oh. I just feel sorry for Ben. He really likes you. Do you want me to talk to Daniel?
Emma’s eyes widened.” No I don’t. Jeez. I just asked about him. Please don’t do that, it would be so embarrassing.
“Why? Now that I think about it. You both would actually look good together and you sounded like you like him just now”
“Just don’t. I don’t want that. When I met him I couldn’t even come up with anything to say. I suddenly felt so self conscious and you know I’m not the shy type. What are you even going to say to him anyways .. Would you like to go out with my really single friend?.. I’m just gonna end up looking desperate… Hell no don’t even try it ”
“Wow” Karen said
Emma rolled her eyes and continued “I know he’s really good looking, okay. I mean his height, his eyes and his body is just….”
She stopped suddenly when she saw the way Karen was staring at her “What?”
“Nothing”. Karen replied “Was just trying to help my friend”.
“Yeah of course you were” Emma said “In your own messed up, meddling way. And speaking of helping friends.. What time is this thing we’re doing tonight?
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Emma pushed through the doors leading into the huge, industrial kitchen. With a world-famous chef renowned for magic with food, a sous chef and army of station and line cooks bustling around the stainless steel countertops and range stoves, the area hummed with activity. Under ordinary circumstances, she would’ve been enthralled, attempting to soak up whatever knowledge she could from the professionals attending. But right now that wasn’t possible.
First, she and Karen had no business attending the Gala as guests, and definitely not as servers. But when one of their friends, Monica, called her earlier in the afternoon sounding like a foghorn had replaced her voice box, she had agreed to take Monica’s place as a member of the catering staff. Karen had to come to help too.
Though Monica owned and ran a fledgling food truck business, she still helped mitigate expenses and pay her personal bills with jobs on the side. The position with this particular catering company was one of her regulars, and Monica couldn’t afford to lose the gig.
Facing a night at home with another binge of the big bang theory on Netflix versus actually working in the periphery of a famous chef, the choice had been a no brainer. Besides, Monica had assured Emma that most of her duties as an assistant to the line cooks would keep her in the kitchen. But when the catering supervisor shoved a tray of sparkling wine at her and ordered her to make the rounds of the ballroom, she couldn’t exactly say no.
Still, everything would be fine-All she had to do was take the tray around. No big deal.
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She was beautiful. Daniel tuned out the man speaking to him as he studied the petite woman weaving a path through the crowded ballroom. Even wearing the white shirt, black bow tie and dark pants of the waitstaff, she stood out like the brightest jewel among the hundreds of guests at the gala.
Frank said she worked at Reddings Plc. So she wasn’t supposed to be here. But that didn’t bother him. He was glad she was here. An opportunity to speak to her had presented itself.
How was it that only he noticed the elegant length of her neck, the straight line of her back that tapered at the waist and flowed out in a gentle, sensual swell of hips?. How did the other people in the room not ogle the particular way the light from the crystal chandeliers hit her skin, causing it to gleam? How did they not stop and study the graceful stride that wouldn’t have been out of place on the most exclusive catwalk? Had he said beautiful? He meant exquisite.
“Excuse me.” Daniel abruptly interrupted the prattling of the gentleman, not bothering with a polite explanation for walking away. He was Daniel Rohan. cofounder and CEO of Kay Corp, one of the hottest and most successful start-up companies to hit the market in the last five years. Now that he was a multimillionaire, this businessman, and people of his tax bracket and social sphere, damn near scraped their chins on the floor with all the bowing and kowtowing they directed his way. Money and power had that peculiar effect.
Usually, he could dredge up more patience, but he despised events like this high society benefit gala. One thing he’d learned in his grueling battle to breach the inner sanctum zealously guarded by the obscenely wealthy one percent was that a good portion of business deals were landed at dinner tables, country club golf courses and social events like the Gala. So even though attending ranked only slightly higher than shopping with his sister, he attended.
But for the first time that he could remember, he was distracted from networking. And again, for the first time, he welcomed the disruption. He wound his way through the tuxedoed and gowned throng, pretending not to hear when his name was called, and uttering a “Pardon me” when more persistent individuals tried to halt him with a touch to his arm.
Many articles written about him had mentioned his laser-sharp focus, and at this moment, it was trained on a certain server with black hair swept into a low knot at the back of her head, a body created for the sweetest sin and skin that had his fingertips itching with the need to touch…to caress. That need-the unprecedented urgency of it- should’ve been a warning to proceed with caution. And if he’d paused, he might’ve analyzed why the impulse to approach her, to look into her face, raked at him like a tiger’s sharp claws. He might’ve retreated, or placed distance between him and her.
Discipline, control, focus-they were the daily refrains of his life, the blocks upon which he’d built his business, his success. That this woman already threatened all three by just being in the room… Not even his ex-fiancée had stirred this kind of attraction in him. Which only underscored why he should walk away. It boded nothing good. Yet he followed her with the determination of a predator stalking its unsuspecting prey.