Judging by the way he raked his eyes down her legs and paused at her feet, she’d made the right choice of footwear. Then his fingers closed around the collar of her coat and pulled it back, just enough to expose a little of the red fabric of the dress.
He patted her ass. “Good girl.”
She followed him up the stairs, but put her hand on his arm to stop him before they went in. “So Carl is going to be in there?”
“He is.”
“It’s going to be weird seeing him, knowing what I know. I kind of want to punch him.”
“Try to resist the impulse. I do every day.”
“There’s also the part where he thinks I’m the floozy piece you picked up. Remember, from the office?”
“Oh, I remember.”
“You were whispering about bending me over the reception desk, and I was playing the ditz. He’s also going to think I only own one dress.”
“There’s a kitchen island here, but we’ll save that part for after everyone’s gone.”
“What?” It took Cassie a moment to get his meaning, then she felt her cheeks heat, even in the cold.
“I don’t give a fuck about what Carl thinks,” said Jack, wagging his eyebrows at her. “But anyway, he obviously told Britney about you, so it can’t be that bad.”
“Yeah, what about Britney?” She swatted his arm. “You neglected to mention the part where you’re godfather to the criminal’s kid.”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah, and she’s a pretty awesome kid.”
“And you take down her father, and it ruins her life.” Cassie shook her head in sympathy. What a mess.
“Hey!” The kid in question stuck her head out of the door. “Are you guys ever coming inside? My mom says we have to go soon.”
Jack gestured for Cassie to precede him, and she was launched into a magazine spread. How had he managed to so utterly transform the space in a few short hours? Candles blazed from every flat surface, stylish people stood around in clumps laughing and juggling champagne flutes. There was even a small Christmas tree in the living room, limbs heavy with silver and white ornaments.
“Ha!” said Britney triumphantly, pointing to the space above Cassie’s head where she stood in the middle of the entryway. “Works every time!”
Cassie tipped her head up. Mistletoe. “Ah! You got me!” She offered her cheek to the girl.
“No way! Jack’s gotta do it.”
“Oh, no,” said Cassie, suddenly feeling cornered as the chatter in the room died and everyone turned to look at her. “I have a feeling you’re the one who hung this, Britney, so pony up.” She pointed to her cheek.
But the girl had danced away. She twirled in a circle in the festive room. “Jack has a girlfriend! It’s a Christmas miracle!”
Cassie started to protest that she wasn’t Jack’s girlfriend when the lemony musk of her not-boyfriend assaulted her senses. He stood behind her, sliding her coat off her shoulders at the same time he reached around and placed his lips on her jawline. He’d probably been aiming for her cheek, but she’d jumped a little, and he ended up where her jaw met her throat. His breath was warm, and his lips pressed against her skin felt like a brand. He left them there for a long moment, enough for her to register that everyone else was probably cataloguing the kiss as more than strictly polite.
When he finally pulled away, her legs felt wobbly. But Britney swooped in. “Everyone, this is Cassie. I met her earlier today.” She tugged Cassie’s arm and took her around, introducing her to Jack’s employees. She met the VP Amy, who turned out to be a stunning, leggy woman much younger than Cassie had expected. She was probably not even thirty, and a sharp stab of jealousy pierced Cassie’s belly when she thought of Amy’s office nestled next to Jack’s, the two of them collaborating on plans and projects. She couldn’t dwell on her irrational reaction, though, because there were others to meet. Seth the executive assistant was studying ancient philosophy part time. Dax Harris, the software guy, greeted her warmly. And then there was Amy’s boyfriend, a tall good-looking doctor whom Cassie greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm. She met Marcus Roseman, the CEO of the third company on the forty-ninth floor, and a handful of his employees. Finally, a group of analysts from Jack’s company and programmers from Dax’s recognized her from Edward’s and drew her into their heated debate about what was going to happen in the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special.
Everyone was different, yet they all seemed to come together into a cohesive, collegial whole. Even spouses and kids—in addition to Britney, there were a couple of middle schoolers and a baby asleep in his mother’s arms—seemed to integrate into the group like they’d always been there. It felt almost like she was at the Christmas party of a family business.