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Derrick was competent, so there shouldn’t be any problems. I loved Derrick to bits and was really thrilled to be working this event with him. I felt a bubble of excitement as we approached the venue. It was going to be so much fun!
“Hey, sweetie pie, thank goodness you’re here,” Derrick greeted, giving me a tight hug.
“Now, chop, chop, tons to do!” he cried as he bundled me into the kitchen.
We helped the caterers unload the catering boxes from their van and then started unboxing the food onto the large oval platters made of real silver with ornate edging, not the cheap disposable tin foil versions I was used to. They were gorgeous.
The food looked utterly amazing, too. There were seared scallops with a honey and Dijon sauce, miniature shrimp cocktails, smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis with figs, blue cheese tarts with Waldorf salad, mini ricotta bruschetta with sweet and sour tomatoes, little sandwiches filled with smoked salmon, cheese and caramelised onion pickle, ham and avocado, chicken with Caesar salad dressing and, of course, those garden party favourites, cucumber! I smiled to myself at that; posh people always liked their cucumber sandwiches.
There were also several varieties of dessert shot glasses, all laced with alcohol. My favourites were the pina colada cream with filthy cherry compote and one called Glitz Mess, which was a variation of the famous Eton Mess, I assumed. It had golden syrup and cream laced with champagne and was decorated with gold spray, with Glitz spelt out at the top of its little spoon. I loved that! There were also some tasty-looking mini cupcakes decorated with gold-coloured cream icing and a letter G made from dark chocolate.
They all looked delicious and beautiful, and it would have been sacrilegious if I’d ruined any. Thankfully, I did not. Not one thing fell on the floor or got overturned on the platters while I set them out, and I couldn’t help smiling as I put the last dessert on its tray.Score one for me.
I have so got this!I thought, pleased with myself, as I looked at all the beautifully arranged trays.
My mouth watered at the sight of all that gorgeous food, and I couldn’t resist stealing a couple of the desserts for later. There was a ton of everything, and with only three hundred people on the guest list for tonight, there would be plenty of leftovers anyway. So, I didn’t feel guilty.
“Caught you, Missy!” Derrick said, winking and giving me a knowing smile as I hid the last of my treasures away.
“Bet you did the same!” I said, smiling back.
I’d known Derrick for a few years now, and I knew how much he liked his food. There was no way he had his hands on all of those goodies and didn’t snaffle some away for himself.
He just winked and laughed.
“Okay, folks,” he said, gathering all of us waiters around.
“Time to get this show on the road. Start mingling. Get out there and offer the guests drinks, then come back, and pick up a tray of food once your drinks have been handed out. You can then alternate between food and drink trays for the rest of the night.”
There were several drinks on offer. Expensive champagne, straight Russian vodka, and freshly squeezed orange juice for non-alcohol drinkers. These were to be handed out by us waiters. For anything else, the guests ordered directly from the free bar. Lucky them!
I grabbed a tray of champagne and headed off into the main room, excited to get a look at the main club.
The guests had begun to arrive, and the hall was already filling up. Music played softly in the background as people milled around looking at the décor or stopped to chat with folk they knew. I felt a bit nervous at first as I weaved in and out of the guests, but after a while, when I hadn’t spilt anything, I started to relax and felt much more confident.
I looked around at everyone and all the lovely clothes. Most people were in couples, I noticed; the men were all in expensive tailored suits, and the women were all beautifully dressed in outfits and jewellery, which probably cost more than I made in a year.
I wandered around checking everything out as I worked. The décor was beautiful, very tastefully done, with either black marble or mirrored walls and gold and black light fittings and accessories. Everything was sleek and minimalistic and very expensive looking.
I managed to alternate between handing out drinks and food for a couple of hours without any issues before I got to take a short break. In a quiet corner of the kitchen, I grabbed some water and my hidden dessert stash and ate them with relish. They tasted even better than they looked, and while I ate them, I daydreamed about being one of the guests instead of a waiter.
In my dreams, I was wearing a lovely, long, tight-fitting, expensive silver dress and was on the arm of a handsome, dark-haired man. We sipped champagne, chatted, and laughed, just like some of the couples I had seen. He was looking deeply into my eyes with his arm around my waist. He pulled me closer, leaning towards me, and I felt my breath hitch in anticipation of his kiss.
A glass smashed, startling me out of my dream just at the good part. Typical! My spoon had dropped onto my lap when I’d jumped at the noise, splattering the last bits of cream from my dessert onto my trousers. Aargh! I got a wet cloth and mopped at the mess. Thankfully, I managed to get it off, leaving only small damp patches on my trousers. It could have been worse. I sighed and checked my watch. It was time to get back to work.
Back in the main hall again, I stopped beside a young couple with my drinks tray. The young woman was beautiful with her long dark brown hair. She was wearing a gorgeous bronze-coloured sparkly dress, which hit her mid-thigh, showing off her slim, tanned legs. The man she was talking to was tall and muscular, with dark brown hair cut very short and neatly trimmed facial hair. His tie matched her outfit. They made a gorgeous couple.
The man murmured something and then moved away, but she turned towards me. Just as she took a glass of champagne off the tray, I was jostled from behind, and the champagne spilt all over her hand.
“I’m so sorry. Let me get you something to dry off with,” I apologised.
I put my tray of drinks down on a nearby table, picked up a serviette, and gave it to her.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” The woman smiled reassuringly at me. “It wasn’t your fault. In fact, it was my brother’s,” she said, looking pointedly at someone behind us as she dried off.
“Sorry, malen’koye nebo,” a male voice said, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up at the trace of a Russian accent.
I turned to see the most handsome man I had ever seen. Oh my god! I blinked in surprise. He could not be real. Surely, nobody looked like that in real life? Even the book boyfriends conjured up between mine and the author’s imagination combined could not have created such perfection. He was tall, around six feet two inches, muscular, clean-shaven with dark hair, and the most gorgeous dark grey eyes that matched his beautifully tailored suit. Wow!
