Chapter Four

Troy

I looked down at my watch and then out the window as we passed all the sparkling lights of the city. I was on my way to the Winchester for some kind of party that Cartucci was throwing. I usually liked to show up fashionably late, but he had gone out of his way to let me know that late was not acceptable this time around. I thought about doing it anyway just to piss him off, but decided I’d save that for his wedding.

Turned out that Cartucci, in an attempt to take on less work and actually spend quality time with his soon-to-be wife, had fired his incompetent Junior VP, the same one he had complained about for years. I never understood why he kept him around in the first place. The firing was long overdue.

In that guy’s place, he’d now given the job to some woman I hadn’t ever met before. I wasn’t sure if it was to show me the competition or just to be friendly, but Anthony had personally reached out to me a couple nights before to invite me to the shindig. These things tended to be planned at the last second, so they might have called everyone personally.

My eyes unglued from the transient passing lights and I focused in on the reflection of myself in the tinted windows. I pushed a rogue piece of hair back and sat up straight, pushing my bow tie just slightly to the right so that it would be centered. The tux looked good; I hadn’t seen it once in the months since wearing it to my own company’s Christmas party.

I absolutely hated these kinds of events. There were always a bunch of rich people parading around the room drinking expensive champagne and discussing days past when business was simpler. It was like being at a fancier version of Thanksgiving dinner with the elderly folks of the family. I usually ended up spending my time at the bar or hitting on some young secretary who had somehow ended up being invited to the event, probably to run errands. She usually had a nervous smile, a cheap dress she was trying to pass off as couture, and was very willing to hop in the limo and get out of there.

It was going to be the first event that I had been to where the person being celebrated was a woman. I wondered how this one would go since marketing was pretty much a boy’s club. Maybe this woman would fit right in, maybe she wouldn’t.

When the car pulled up out front, the corner concierge opened my door and stood aside as I climbed out. I nodded at him as I straightened and buttoned my tuxedo jacket. The Winchester was huge, ornate, and overly done for my taste, but the older crowd liked it. I knew that meant Cartucci was trying to sell this new Junior VP to them for some reason. I walked in, found my nameplate, and took it over to my table, smiling at the older woman already sitting there, fixing her lipstick in her mirror. She completely ignored me and scowled instead. Definitely one of the tyrants.

I glanced at the tables around me and realized there was an overabundance of hot young women. Several of them smiled coyly at me as I stood behind my chair, trying to decide where to go from there. At least I knew that after the bells and whistles had been played, I would have a plethora of asses to keep me busy. Maybe this wouldn’t be a wasted evening after all. I could definitely see myself getting laid later that night. Hopefully it would get under Anthony’s skin.

I looked around the room, my eyes falling on Anthony with his beautiful fiancée on his arm. I still didn’t know how that dweeb had gotten such a catch. Mind you, he was a good guy. Just not super good looking. But then again, I wasn’t looking for long-term, so maybe that was my problem—or solution, depending on how you looked at it. I smiled and waved as he looked over. He nodded and looked at his watch, giving me a thumbs up. I laughed and shook my head, looking to the right and finding the bar. It was definitely time for me to loosen up and have a drink or three.

I walked over to the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks before turning and leaning against the chair. I scanned the room looking for a middle-aged woman in a knee-length skirt with an aged haircut, surely the kind of woman who would be accepting this promotion. I really wanted to find her so that I congratulate her ahead of time, and get back to the loads of women that were out in the audience. I liked to take care of responsibilities before I started to relax. As I searched the room, I heard the soft voice of a woman next to me.

I nodded at the bartender, picked up my drink and turned to the woman standing next to me. I did my normal check for a wedding ring and then stood there staring at the buxom blonde sipping her glass of champagne. She had the perfect curves, obvious fake titties, and a tiny spaghetti-strap gown with a slit all the way up her leg. She turned to me and smiled, looking me up and down.

“You look stunning in that dress,” I said, taking a drink.

“Why, thank you,” she said, biting her lip. “And you don’t look too bad yourself.”

“I’m Troy,” I replied, sticking my hand out.

“Missy,” she said, shaking my hand. “Do you work for Anthony?”

“No, actually,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “I’m the competition. I own T&R.”

“Oh,” she said, visibly interested as soon as I said owner. Never failed. “You have quite the reputation.”

“Hopefully a good one,” I laughed.

“Mostly,” she replied. “You definitely live up to the handsome part.”

“Thank you. I—” I stopped talking, squinting as something in the audience reflected from the chandelier and hit me right in the eyes. It flashed back and forth for several seconds before stopping.

“I’m sorry, something is blinding me,” I replied, trying to block it again.

“Maybe it’s the glare of your ego,” she giggled.

Good sense of humor. I liked it. “That could definitely be a possibility,” I replied, laughing. “Sheesh. What is this person wearing? A coat of arms?”

I stepped to the side and set down my drink, trying to find the culprit messing up my flirting. Aha! There it was. A gleaming bracelet. I followed the bracelet up the dainty arm of a really sexy woman. I stood there for a second, my eyes glued to her body, unable to even get a word out. The woman beside me turned, following my eyes. When she realized what had rendered me speechless, she scoffed and rolled her eyes, walking away. Well, that had been a serious waste of time.

My attention was drawn back to the beautiful woman with the bracelet. She was mid-height, slim, but with curves in all the right places. Her shining black hair sat perfectly straight to her shoulders with blunt-cut long bangs. When she turned her head, I felt a strange sensation in my chest and stared at her striking ice-blue eyes, showing even brighter against her tanned complexion. She was absolutely stunning, confident, and elegant at the same time, something you didn’t usually find together. I stood and watched her for a bit longer, trying to figure out just how I was supposed to weasel my way up to meet her. Usually that wasn’t how it worked. They came to me, not the other way around. But I couldn’t see that happening with this one, someone. And that was … intriguing.

Finally realizing that all I was doing was stalling, I decided that it was either now or never. I picked up my drink and finished it off, feeling the sting of the alcohol flow down my throat into my chest, transforming into some sort of courage. I thanked the bartender and turned, starting to walk toward the stage. I had no idea what I was planning on saying to her, and that in itself was a bit concerning since I always knew what to say to women. She had me tongue tied already.

I smiled as I pushed past people and looked back up. Suddenly I stopped, my eyebrows furrowed and my eyes not exactly sure what they were seeing. Anthony walked across the floor and put his hand on the woman’s back, leading her toward the stage. They walked up the stairs and she stood back while Anthony made his way up to the podium. Maybe she was going to be the one introducing the new VP. I backed up and made my way to my seat as everyone else sat and quieted.

“I want to start by saying thank you to everyone that made their way out to our confirmation tonight,” Anthony said, starting his speech. “I know it was last minute notice. The Junior VP, as I’ve said many different times, is often more important than any other position in the company. They are executives on the ground floor, participating in every aspect of the company from sales and marketing, to art, HR, and employee complaints. This position requires a person who is a jack of all trades. That being said, I want to introduce to you the very intelligent, very hardworking, very definite jack of all trades, and new Junior VP of Creative Nature, Melinda Phase.”

Everyone put their hands together, standing from their seats and clapping. Slowly I rose to my feet, my mouth hanging open as that beautiful dark-haired beauty made her way across the stage and took the mic from Anthony. This woman was absolutely gorgeous in every way physically possible. Not only that, but she walked with confidence and stature. This was why Anthony had wanted me to come, I realized; he was revealing his unsuspecting secret weapon. I could only imagine what kind of animal this woman must be in the marketing world for him to give her such an important role in the company.

As I sat there listening to her very well-articulated and thought-out speech about the power of strong teams, strong work families, and the future of Creative, I couldn’t help but wonder just what weaknesses this woman was going to have. Because, I decided there and then, she was going to be my next target. I had to admit this was definitely going to be a challenge. But hey, it was about time I did something challenging. And I never missed where I aimed.