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“Should I really be here?” I whispered.
Abe mock frowned at me. “I asked you here as my date, of course you should be here. Would you like some wine, snacks? There’s plenty of both around.”
I stuck close to his side, and I was soon distracted by all the food and drinks. I was glad when no one approached as, and as Abe and I chatted, I could feel myself relax more and more. Actually, our conversation was moving a lot closer to flirting than I should have allowed, when I saw someone I shouldn’t have, and froze.
Abe picked that moment to release me.
“I need to make a work call, so wait for me, okay? Don’t go too far, okay?”
He pecked a kiss on my temple, and that was enough to get me to look up at him distractedly. I watched him walk away for about a second, then whirled my head back around. I didn’t want to miss him, or risk losing him in the crowd.
Crap. Fuck! Tell me I’m seeing things!
I knew I wasn’t, though. I stepped slowly closer to get a better look, and I didn’t think I was mistaken.
What the hell is Paul doing here?
Paul, Nora’s soon to be husband was supposed to be on a business trip in Washington. In the short time I’d spent with her, helping her plan their wedding, I’d met this guy like three times before he disappeared on this so called business trip, so what the hell was he doing at a wine tasting event in California?
Doubts plagued my mind. Maybe…he’s here on a work thing? Like Abe sort of is? But then, as I watched, a woman walked toward him. She moved into his side and he readily slid his arms around her, holding her a little too intimately.
I put my focus on her. She had silky, long black hair that fell around her in wild curls. She was in a black dress, like me, only it was more simple and elegant, with short sleeves, clinging to her slim body. She also looked incredibly young, and I wondered if she was even legal. She barely looked like she could pass for twenty-one!
So why was she flirting with Paul, and why was he allowing it? She had to be half a dozen years younger than him, at least. And with as close as they were, there was no way it could be just a friend or a relative or something.
Damn the bastard.
It was easy enough to figure out what was going on, and even in the
middle of that crowd that I didn’t think I could fit into, I walked over to him, fully knowing I’d be making a scene.
“What are you doing here?”
My voice, when I asked, was chilling. The couple turned to look at me, and Paul was surprised for a moment, but then his expression turned indifferent. He didn’t even let go of the woman in his arms, if anything tugging her closer like he was trying to dare me to say anything.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he said, looking around. “You don’t exactly belong in this environment, so how can you be here? Did you come alone?”
I sneered at him. “What, are you wondering if I came here with Nora? Should I call her over?”
That had him going still, and I felt triumph for a moment that I could have made him feel bothered. But in the next second, he relaxed.
“Go ahead and call her,” he drawled lazily. “I know she’s not here, though. I talked to her just last night and she’s still busy planning the wedding.”
“You mean the wedding you’re supposed to make an appearance at as the groom? And yet here you are with another woman! Paul, what the hell!”
“Keep your voice down,” he growled at me.
I just sneered again, and the woman in his arms looked from him to me in confusion.
“What is she talking about?” she said slowly, looking at me strangely.
I gave the girl a sympathetic look. She was so young, I didn’t doubt that Paul was the one stringing her along. She probably had no idea he was seeing someone, let alone that he was supposed to get married within the week. I glared at Paul with half a mind to call Nora up and tell her everything. The only thing that held me back, was knowing that it would make her miserable to find out.
“Are you going to call her, or should I?” I asked threateningly.
Paul pursed his lips and didn’t say anything. The dark-haired woman took a step away from him, but didn’t move away completely.
“Honey, do you know this woman is?” the dark-haired woman asked, frowning up at him.
