“Relax,” Elle said. She pulled out a dress from the back of the closet and smiled. “This is what you need.”
Natalia looked at her and smiled. She had been having a wardrobe crisis for almost two and a half hours and Elle had been there for less than five minutes and she had already sorted her out. She took the black and white slimming illusion dress from Elle and took off her bathrobe. She pulled the dress on and stood in front of the mirror. She loved the fact that the dress hid everything she wanted hidden and showed off everything she wanted seen. She didn’t even know why she had not thought of the dress in the first place. She had a smile on her face as she looked at her reflection.
“Okay, makeup and shoes. We are out of here in fifteen minutes,” Elle said as she jingled her keys at Natalia.
****
When they finally got to the party, Natalia was not very sure what she was supposed to do. Normally she would be bustling around, the life of the party but today was different. She had to be cool, calm and collected. She had to be the woman Alex remembered.
“Here, you look like you need it more than I do,” Elle said as she handed Natalia a glass of champagne. “Besides, I am your designated driver, right? You have no reason not to drink,” she added as she walked away leaving Natalia alone, sipping on her drink.
“Black,” Natalia heard her boss calling out as she took a long sip of her wine. She turned around and almost dropped the glass when she saw Rick walking towards her with Alex. “Alexander Charleston I would like you to meet one of our most promising junior partners, Natalia Black.”
Natalia was dumbfounded as she looked at Alex. He was in a grey suit and a maroon tie. It was a simple look but he looked perfect.
“Actually we have met before,” Alex said with a smile that showed off that perfectly dimpled cheek.
“Oh?” Rick asked.
“Yes. Natalia Black and I were in the same college.” Alex was looking at her as he spoke.
“Well, what a small world,” Rick said with a smile.
“It sure is,” Alex said. Natalia was still dumbfounded.
“And to think that Black here never thought to tell me that she knew you when I mentioned you to her,” Rick said with a smile.
“Yeah, Natalia has always been a very private person,” Alex said, still looking at her. “Did you say junior partner?” Rick nodded.
“She is one of the best people I have ever worked with. I mean, she has zeal, innovation…she actually makes finance interesting,” Rick said. Natalia shrugged.
“You have to love what you do, right?” she said, trying as hard as she could to avoid Alex’s line of sight.
“Yeah, I guess you do,” Rick said.
“Actually,” Alex started as he turned to look at Rick. “Do you mind if I talk to Natalia alone?” Rick nodded and walked away. Alex’s eyes ran down Natalia’s curvy body before he looked into her eyes. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she said in a soft voice.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the longest time,” he said.
“Really?” Natalia asked. Her voice was so low that she was almost whispering but she didn’t even realize.
“Really. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…I have literally tried you on every social media platform,” he said. Natalia felt her cheeks flush.
“I…um…I know,” she said in a soft voice.
“And?” he asked. She gently tucked a curly strand of hair behind her ear. She took a long sip of her wine and sighed.
“You were with that Russian…German…model,” she said.
“She was Czech and she was a designer,” Alex corrected her.
“Well, there you have it. You had someone in your life and I once told you that I am incapable of being just friends with you.” She took another long sip of her wine. “It was better to just keep my distance.”
“Well, if you must know, Eliana and I haven’t been together in more than two years,” Alex said as he looked around. “Could we go somewhere a little quieter?” he asked. She nodded and began walking out of the crowded room. Her heart was beating hard in her chest as they made their way out to the cold night air. She led him to a grassy area on the hotel grounds and felt a shiver going through her. He sat down on a flower bed and began taking off his jacket as she sat down next to him.
“Now Natalia,” he started as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. “Are you going to tell me why you have been avoiding me?” he asked.
She shrugged and then turned to look at him.
“Eliana,” she started. “Was one of the many reasons.”