After what feels like an eternity, he does.There is some warmth there.Some thawing, I hope.He lifts his hand in a small wave before getting pulled back to his conversation.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I say, turning back to pick up my drink,shaking hand spilling a little on my arm as I turn and take a sip.
“Well, I think you have a line,” Darren says, pointing behind me, and I turn around to see a woman in a red suit waiting patiently for her turn to chat with me.
“I won’t keep you either,” she says, as the two men smile broadly and make their way through the crowd.She slinks in next to me and drops her voice.I can smell strong floral perfume and cigarette smoke as she leans in.“I’m just here on behalf of Haas.”
I stiffen slightly.
“Not because of anything in particular,” she says with a wink, handing me her card.“We’d love to take you for dinner sometime.”
“I can’t be seen—”
“It’s okay, I’m off,” she says.“Call me if you’re intrigued.”I quickly slide the card down my cleavage and into my bra, glancing around to see if anyone has noticed.Then I look back to find Matt, but he’s no longer in the group.In fact, I can’t see him anywhere in the room.But before I have a chance to really pine for him, I am touched on the arm by someone else.
“Sorry to interrupt,” says a Southern drawl.“Have you got a moment?”
I glance back at Barry, who tips his drink toward me in approval at the attention I’m getting.If only he knew I just got approached by Haas.That piece in the press may have ruined me inside my team, but it has raised my profile out of it.When Barry said that I wasquite the golden girl, did he already know?
CHAPTER 26
Matt
When I saw Chloe across the room in that disgracefully short silver dress, everyone fawning over her, I knew I had to get out of her eyeline.She was literally shining.Sparkling.She’s worked so hard, finally reached the pinnacle of her career.She deserves to have this attention all to herself.And so, I snuck over to the far side of the room, took a whiskey, and sat there alone, gazing out across the city, waiting as patiently as I could for a moment to go to her.
But now she’s gone.
“Where did Chloe go?”I ask Barry, who is speaking enthusiastically to some advertising dude with a man bun.
He looks back over his shoulder to try to see her, but then shrugs.“I excused her a little bit ago.Dunno where she went, though.”
“CanIgo yet?”I ask, and he just cackles.
“Bringing in one extra investor, who is also your friend, doesn’t give you a free pass.”
“Guess I’ll have to finish this scotch,” I reply, tipping my glass.“Did Chloe make any impact?”
Barry nods emphatically.“Oh, yes.She did good tonight.She’s outpacing us all.Making us all look like dumb, third-rate dudes.”
“If she can pull a bigger sponsor than Ronny’s fucking Ring Burner she’ll be my hero.”
I know Barry must be teetering on the edge here.He probably wants to release Chloe after all the chaos that has engulfed the team, and I don’t want that for her.
I’m going to leave the team, I’m sure of that now.I have felt retirement calling all year, and this latest disaster is the final straw.
Barry is glaring at me.What have I done now?
“Why can’t any of my team keep their damn mouths shut?”he bellows, tossing his hands in the air.
Suddenly I get a tap on the shoulder and turn around to see the guy with the man bun holding his hand out to me.I shake it, unsure who I’m actually greeting.
“I’m Ronny, from Big Ronny’s Ring Burner,” says the man.“And don’t worry, I understand.”He laughs enthusiastically.
“Oh.”Shit.“Sorry.I love the helmet,” I add meekly.
“Oh, that’s just one thing I do.More of a hobby, really.But I also have a pretty big tech company.And we’re looking to get in on sports marketing in a big way.”
Barry shoots me a look.I could die of embarrassment.Of course the guy with the silly sauce company is also a stupidly rich tech billionaire.
