Chapter Fifteen
“You know you can skipthis whole dinner thing.I’m sure it’s going to be a drag,” I told him an hour later.
He’d been gung-ho about it, but the thought of forcing him into a room full of, well, probably not very interesting people, to drink mediocre wine and try to make small talk...it wasn’t the sort of thing I thought he’d enjoy.Or one that would paint me in a particularly positive light, frankly, should we be judged by the company we keep.
Kai looked over at me, partway through buttoning up a light gray shirt.“I said I wanted to come, didn’t I?Unless you don’t want me to?”
“It’s not that,” I started, trying to find the right combination of words.“I just...I’m just not sure it’s going to be even up to your probably low expectations.”
He chuckled, turning back to the mirror.“The alternative was staying home with my parents and listening to them argue over what to watch on TV, you might recall,” he pointed out.“Trust me, this is a rollercoaster of excitement in comparison.”
Sighing, I got back to fixing my tie.“Just don’t blame me when you’re trapped in a dire conversation and there’s no escape in sight,” I warned.
“Deal,” Kai agreed.He glanced at me again.“Shit, am I supposed to be wearing a tie?”
I looked him over.The fitted gray shirt and black pants were simple, sure, but then Kai didn’t really need much to bring out his most striking attributes.
“I’m only wearing one out of habit,” I reassured him.“You look incredible.”
He rolled his eyes.“I just put these pants on, and now you’re trying flattery to get into them?Show some restraint, Tate.”His grin betrayed the joke.
“Everyone’s going to want to talk to you and ignore me,” I said, “not that that’s such a bad thing.”
Kai reached out to gently straighten my collar.It was one of those simple gestures that somehow also felt intensely intimate.
“Well, when they find out I know absolutely nothing about your job, I’m sure they’re going to turn to the expert instead.”
I snorted in disbelief.
#
It wasn’t the biggestconference in the world, or even in the industry, but there were still a few hundred people or more in the hotel ballroom by the time we got there.Not all of them would necessarily be attending the presentations themselves, of course; I could see plenty of couples milling around.
I had a name tag on my chest, which Kai - grinning, clearly entertained - had insisted on pinning into place.As my guest, he went unlabeled.People would have to actually talk to him, to find out small details like what he called himself, and why the hell he was here.
“This is bigger than I expected,” he muttered to me as we stood in the doorway.
“Don’t worry,” I reassured him, or at least tried to.“It’ll all be over soon.”
Kai nudged me in the ribs.“Why do you instantly assume something negative every time?”
I turned to face him, holding out my hand.“Clearly we’ve never met, I’m Tate,” I said, voice heavy with sarcasm.
He ignored my hand.“Nice to meet you, Tate; I’m Kai and I’m going to the bar.”
I followed him across the room, as he picked his way through the crowd.It turned out to be the perfect vantage point for people-watching.Most were engrossed in their own conversations, but I counted more than a handful - men and women - who clearly noticed Kai.
Not that I could blame them.I’d first realized quite how well his pants hugged his ass while we were leaving the elevator, and even with the pockets of people to weave our way through, their snugness was more than apparent as I trailed him to the bar.The whole “broad shoulders, narrow waist” thing might be a cliché, but it was a good-looking cliché.In his wake, of course, I was basically invisible, and that suited me just fine.
“Do you recognize anyone?”Kai asked me, as we picked up glasses from the sea of drinks poured and ready.
I shook my head.“Not really.I don’t usually do these events, to be honest.We have other people on the team who are better at the whole ‘meet-and-greet’ part of it.”
He held out his glass, and I clinked mine against it.“Well, here’s to stretching boundaries.”
I smirked.“We could go back to the room and try stretching something else, instead?”
