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“I guess I’m just seeing another side of my father here. All I ever saw were the glimpses of him storming through the house or glaring over the dinner table every few weeks. But this is where it really happened. Where he really was, I guess. It just makes me wonder if the real him ever actually left this place, or if it was always here, you know?”
Adrian pulled me closer, hugging me to his chest. I had on a backless black dress and a white mask that covered most of my face except for a little section of my mouth. His hands felt good against my bare back. I wished I didn’t have the itchy mask on for just a few minutes so I could sink into the embrace and let his comfort bleed into me.
“We can leave,” he said simply.
“This is a work thing for you.” I pulled back, frowning up at him even though he probably couldn’t see the expression through the mask.
“And you’re personal to me. That matters more than work.”
My breath caught. The Adrian Terranova I’d known so far didn’t think anything was more important than work. As much as the sentiment flattered me, it also scared me. He was near the finish line of a ten-year race. I didn’t want to be the reason he tripped at the end. I admired his goal, and I agreed with it. I wanted to see him finish this.
“No,” I said. “You were already making a sacrifice bringing me here, and I’m not going to make you drag me home. I can handle it. It’s just strange being back in this world. I’d probably recognize half of these people if they took off their masks.”
“You’re absolutely sure you want to stay?”
“One hundred percent.”
Adrian smiled. “Okay, then come with me. Tonight, you’re playing my girlfriend.”
“That’s going to be a tricky place to try to get my mind, but I’ll do my best,” I said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“And,” he added. “Your job is to pull me out of conversations when I give you my signal.”
“What’s your signal?”
“I’ll say ‘um.’”
“That’s it? What if you say ‘um’ by accident?”
“I don’t say anything by accident,” he said.
I rolled my eyes as I followed him back into the crowd of guests, but still found myself smiling. It felt good to have a job again. To be Mr. White’s assistant, in some form. Except now I guessed I was Mr. Terranova’s assistant, even if nobody here knew him by that name.
I got to cling to his arm and follow him as he made his way around the room. For a man I’d initially seen as an impersonal rock, he was surprisingly good at this.
He touched people on their shoulders and forearms in a natural way that got them smiling early. He asked about kids and friends, remembering names in a way that seemed supernatural. He had to have only known some of these people for days at most, but he was asking about nieces and cousins or family reunions people had coming up.
I could see now how he’d climbed so quickly everywhere he went. Adrian could be an absolute charmer when he wanted to.
I nudged him after we finished talking to a large group of people that were still chuckling from a joke Adrian had told. “Where did that come from?”
Adrian shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of practice at this. When people give out promotions or assign new team leaders, they tend to pick people they like. You’ve got to have a good track record of getting the job done, but they’ll forget about the quiet one who nails every assignment. This is a necessary evil,” he said. “Be a cold prick to the ones who work under you. Charm the ones above you. That’s the recipe for endless promotions.”
“How do you remember all those names?” I asked.
Adrian grinned, then turned his body to block his hands from the view of most of the room. He produced a small stack of notecards. Each was crammed with tiny handwriting and appeared to be a list of names with various facts. I looked at one and saw a family tree, favorite investments, department, political affiliation, and marital status as well as the fact that the man was apparently having an affair. There was even a note that the man had a dentist appointment tomorrow but was deathly afraid of getting his teeth worked on.
“Wow. I can’t decide if I’m impressed or creeped out.”
“Those emotions aren’t mutually exclusive. Why choose? If you’re wondering, the answer is ‘no.’ I didn’t stalk these people. I paid someone to do it for me.”
He nudged me with a small smile, then took me toward a pair of tall men. Adrian continued his rounds across the room, and I found myself absolutely mesmerized by seeing him in his element. I’d seen him behind his desk barking orders at me. I’d seen him berating employees. But this. This was where Adrian wove his real magic, I realized.
