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The closer we got to the venue, the more unsure I was about actually having Ariane there as my date. I didn’t want to recant my invitation and make her feel like she wasn’t good enough to be among my peers, but Casey made me second-guess things. On top of that, Margot would be there. She had a hound’s nose for picking up on the secrets I was hiding, so I didn’t want her snooping anywhere near Ariane and me that night.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ariane whispered to me once Casey was out of the limo. “I think she knows something's up.”
Ariane
Logan insisted I calm down and let things flow for the evening. He said I was his date, and everyone would respect me as such. I wasn’t sure how well that would play out—considering Casey had no idea at all, and his ex-wife was there—but I did as he said and tried to relax.
There were a lot of heavy names at the CEO party. Even people I had mentored or worked for in the past were there. I started to get anxiety when I thought about Lucas randomly showing up. Neither Logan nor Casey had said anything about him being there that night, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility completely.
I stood at Logan’s side from the moment we entered. Everywhere he went, I followed. He didn’t really treat me as his date, which wasn’t as odd as it should have been for me. Instead, he treated me as exactly what I was—his assistant.
“Hey, Logan.” The same gorgeous woman from the first party I’d attended approached him with a man on her arm. “You look stunning, darling.” She smiled at him.
“As do you,” Logan replied. “And who’s the lucky man?”
“This is my new assistant, Raynaldo. Isn't he lovely?”
Logan chuckled as he scanned the guy over. He was a very gorgeous man. Looked a lot younger than Logan and Sharron. Maybe even younger than I was. He didn’t say much, he just kind of smiled and moved whichever way Sharron ushered him. Much like I did with Logan.
“This is your assistant? Ariane, right?” Sharron asked.
I expected Logan to correct her and call me his date, but he went along with the original introduction. Assistant. It didn’t even feel like he wanted to introduce me as his date anymore, even though he had said he would. Making a big deal about it would have ruined the entire party that evening, so I went along with it too.
After a brief conversation with Sharron and her assistant, Logan and I made our way around the room to more and more people. And the more people we ran in to, the more he introduced me as only his assistant. He barely even acknowledged me as a human being after a while. I felt like a robot, programmed to greet, smile, nod, and say thank you. That was when I started to have an issue with being at the event.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” I said. “Or do you need me to stick around like your personal robot, smiling and waving all night?”
He looked confused by my tone. Truth be told, I was confused by my own tone. I could have easily continued to play along with the assistant role—because that’s what I was—but I felt ambushed. Lied to, even. Then again, how could I be upset with him while I had secrets of my own?
When I got into the bathroom, I took a good look at myself in the mirror. The makeup artist had sure done a wonderful job. I looked so gorgeous. My eyelashes were just perfect, making my hazel eyes stand out. The red lipstick complemented my long, red embellished dress. The cinch in my waist and the front slit accentuated my curves and brought out my elegant shape. I sure looked like eye candy. But I was more than that, and I hoped Logan knew that.
While he had made sure I looked the part for the event, he wasn’t treating me like I was part of the event. I felt really out of place being among his peers. Although I’d had the opportunity to coach a few lives in that room, I still didn’t feel like I fit in with them. I felt like nothing more than eye candy, attracting glances and stares from middle-aged men.
“Why don’t you just leave?” Trinity asked after I called her to tell her what was going on. “I mean, it’s not like he owns you or anything. You can leave whenever you want.”
“I know,” I sighed. “But how would that look for my job? I don’t wanna embarrass him or leave him hanging or anything. Ugh! I'll just stick it out through the night. But after this, Logan and I are strictly business.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Trinity laughed, knowing I had said that a thousand times before. “You say that every time and fall right back into his web. If you’re gonna be done with him, stick to it. If not, stop complaining.”
She was right. I had to choose a side and stay there. I couldn’t continue straddling the fence with him, especially knowing my secret would come out one day. I felt it was best for me to get out from underneath him before we got too deep with each other.
When I returned to the party, I ran into Casey as I left the bathroom. She was talking with a guy I had never seen before, and they looked rather friendly. I tried to silently pass them by to go find Logan, but she spotted me and stopped me to introduce her friend.
“Oh! Ariane! Hold up a minute, I wanna introduce you to my friend.”
I put on a smile to hide my frustration with the evening and said hello.
“Jeff, this is Ariane. Ariane, this is Jeff. My date for the evening.”
The word date almost made me cringe. I didn't know why, but for some reason I felt like Casey had put a lot of emphasis on the worddate. Almost like she knew her father had invited me as his, but conveniently changed his mind. Logan hadn’t even come to try and find out where I was after I'd been away from him for so long.
“Hi, Jeff. Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand and let my mood swing pass me by.
“Nice to meet you too.” He smiled. “You look great.”
His smile was a little friendlier than I would have liked, but I ignored it and pretended not to notice Casey's apparent dismay. Jeff was nowhere near the type of a man I was fond of, so she had nothing to worry about there. Her father, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
“Where’s Dad?” Casey asked. “How come you two aren’t glued at the hip this evening?”
