“Of course.”
“Can you put together some packaging for that? I know some corporations that might like this for holiday parties and such.” She pointed to a counter near the front of the club. “And what’s this? An information desk?”
“That’s the coat check.” Or a fabulous place to make out, I thought, remembering how Hudson and I had spent some time in there one evening before my shift. “Oh, whoops! That’s not supposed to be there.” I grabbed a serving tray that had been left on the coatroom counter.
“I’ll put this away while you let him in.”
I skipped back up the ramp to the front bar to deposit the tray behind the counter then headed back.
As I returned, I heard Julia gushing about The Sky Launch to her partner, whose back was to me. “It’s an amazing club, baby. A total gem.”
Baby, huh? Partner must mean more than just in business.
“Plus we’d be hooked up to Pierce Industries, and that’s a major bonus for us. We have to score this deal. I can already think of two couples this place would appeal to.” Julia’s tone echoed the excitement I felt about our impending venture. “The Fredericks for one.”
Julia spotted me walking toward them. “Here she is. Alayna Withers, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend and partner at Party Planners Plus—”
Her partner turned around to face me, and I nearly choked as Julia finished her introduction.
“Paul Kresh.”
My heart stopped. Literally stopped for the space of two beats. Paul Kresh, the man I’d stalked and terrorized. God, oh god. He had a restraining order out on me. I couldn’t be within one hundred feet of him and there he was, standing a yard in front of me, his features frozen in a state of shock that had to mirror mine.
Fuck.
There went my affiliation with Party Planners Plus.
Julia carried on, unaware of anything odd between her boyfriend—that’s what she’d called him, anyway—and me. “Paul, this is Alayna, the…Wait.”
She paused and I worried she’d figured it out, that she’d pieced together his expression and my name. If she knew about me, that was.
But when she spoke again, her words were harmless. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know your title.” She laughed, and I blinked at the oddness of the sound in contrast to the panic that was rushing through my veins.
David and I had come up with my official title only the day before, but I was so stunned by Paul’s arrival and Julia’s obliviousness that it took me a second to respond. “Um, Events and Promotional Manager.”
I didn’t know if I should shake his hand or run. If I should act like an old friend or as if we’d never met.
Paul made the decision for me. Smiling stiffly, he held his hand out. “Pleasure to meet you.” His tone was steady. Not sure and commanding and unflinching like Hudson’s, but unfazed nonetheless.
I took his hand, my fingers wrapping limply around his. “No, the pleasure’s mine.” That’s what you say to new business affiliates when you meet them, right? Because nothing I could think of sounded correct or harmless. Did it sound like I was flirting? Because I was not. Was. Not. There wasn’t any interest in my body for him except to be far, far away.
I pulled my hand away first, unwilling to touch him longer than necessary.
“Paul, you’ve got to see this place. Can we repeat the tour?” She looked at me, wide eyed and expectant.
Hell, no. That’s what I wanted to say. What I should say. But I was numb and no response came at all.
Again, Paul came to the rescue. “Actually, honey, we’ve really got to get going.”
She took his wrist in her hand and twisted it to look at his watch. “Yeah, you’re right. We have a thing tonight. Last minute details and all. Mind if I use the little girl’s room before we take off?”
She blinked at me twice before I realized that the question was for me.
“Not at all, it’s back at the top of the ramp, to—”
She cut me off. “I remember.”
I watched as Julia climbed the ramp and disappeared around the corner. Then I found my voice. Words fell like the sweat dripping down the back of my neck. “Paul, I had no idea, I swear. I didn’t have a clue that Julia was your partner or that you worked at Party Planners Plus or that you’d be here today or ever. I would have canceled if your name was anywhere attached to the business website, and how the hell would I ever know that you’d become an event planner anyway? Because when I knew you, you were an accountant in that stupid firm on Forty-Seventh—”
“Stop, Alayna.” He let out a huff of air as he ran his hands through his hair. “I know you didn’t plan this. There’s no way you would have known.” I wasn’t sure if he was acknowledging my innocence in our meeting or reassuring himself. “I’m still an unofficial partner. I’ve been doing Julia’s accounting and we only recently decided…”