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“I wasn’t with anyone,” I bite back. “She was just a nice person.” A lie in the end, but she doesn’t need to know that. “And I guess I don’t need everything to be a business networking opportunity…”
“Which is why your company isn’t doing as well as mine,” she replies with a self-satisfied smile. “Because you don’t network enough. You are too busy chasing the next young woman in a skirt.”
“You don’t know me.” I narrow my eyes at her. I’m not going to let someone like Gemma fucking Dove make me feel shit about myself. I’m so annoyed because this is supposed to be an amazing night and it’s already turned to shit. I don’t even want the nice meal here; I just want to go home. “You don’t know anything about me so how can you make that judgement? I really don’t think that’s right for you to say…”
“People don’t get a reputation as a play boy for nothing.” She folds her arms protectively across her chest. “There is no smoke without fire. You must be something like that for people to say it about you.”
“I would have thought that you were above gossip., Gemma. I guess you aren’t so perfect after all.”
The waiter interrupts our conversation at that moment by bringing over a very expensive bottle of champagne. I want to get up and leave and I get the impression that Gemma does too, but it’s almost become a battle of wills to see which one of us will back out first. Like it’s a pitch we both want to win.
We taste the wine, barely making eye contact as we do, and both nod, pleased with it. I have tasted a lot of nice wine in my time, but this is one of the best. I would actually stay to drink the bottle if it wasn’t with Gemma. Urgh, I still can’t believe that it is her of all people. What a God damn mess. I can’t stand it. But I sit in silence and drink my glass much too quickly, just like she is doing, wondering when someone will break this thick, suffocating tension. We are going to have to talk soon, aren’t we? We can’t just sit here in a frosty silence all night long. But I have never made an effort to talk to the raven-haired ice queen and I don’t see how I am going to change that now. I actively avoid her for a reason, and tonight won’t magically make a difference…
“I think tonight is going to be a bust, don’t you think?” Gemma finally declares tartly, thankfully being the one to back down. I knew that it couldn’t be me. I couldn’t be the weak one in this situation. “We should just pay for the wine and get out of here. I have much better places to be and I’m sure that you do too.”
She doesn’t believe that, I can hear the pure sarcasm rolling off her tongue, but I nod. Sure, I might have cleared my whole weekend on the promise of this date being something incredible, but I don’t want to be here anymore than she does so the quicker that we end this the better for the both of us.
“Sure, whatever. I will even buy the bottle and you can take it home if you want…” Why am I being nice? This is weird. Not that Gemma seems to appreciate it at all. She is looking at me like I am a freak.
“Oh, hello guys.” A rushed voice bursting through the room grabs my attention. “Sorry that I’m late but I’m here now. I have the photographer with me so we can get these pictures done for the newsletter.”
My whole body sags with disappointment. This is Paige, the woman who has organized all of this. I almost forgot that she wanted to take pictures of it. Shit, now me and Gemma are going to be stuck here forever.
“How are you both?” Paige fusses with Gemma’s hair. “Why isn’t the food here? I wanted to get pictures of you with the food.” She tuts loudly. “I will go and get the chef on it now. Get this done.”
Once Paige rushes out of the room, I see no other choice. I grab the bottle of wine and pour us both another drink. If we are going to get through this and act like we are happy then this is what we need to do. We need to drink until our smiles seem genuine. I mean, I might not like any of this, but I do want to do well for Paige. She worked hard for the charity event and she deserves some kind of happiness in the pictures.
“So, we are really doing this?” Gemma cocks an eyebrow at me. “Fair enough.”
