I’ll properly process that statement later, but for now, I maneuver us toward the bar with practiced nonchalance. My heels click against the marble. And then, with perfect timing, we accidentally bump into George and his blonde slut.
“George?” I feign surprise, widening my eyes just enough. “Wow, what are the odds of running into you here?”
He turns his head to look at me, and the effect is everything I hoped for. His jaw drops. I could bottle this moment and sip it on rainy days. His gaze rakes down my body, lingering at the neckline of my dress before snapping his attention back up to my face.
“Pippa.” His voice is a low, shocked gasp. “What are you doing here? You … you hate opera.”
I let out a tinkling laugh that would make Sandra proud. “Oh, I thought I did. But Rhett here …” I snuggle into him and glance up adoringly. “He loves it, so I let him drag me along. And now I see the light. It’s amazing, isn’t it, Rhett?”
Rhett’s eyes stay fixed on mine, warm and intent, as though no one else exists in the room. He runs the pad of his fingers lightly along my bare arm, from my elbow to my wrist. A casually affectionate gesture that could almost be dismissed. Almost. Except his touch sends shivers darting through me like sparks from a firework, leaving my skin alive and traitorous.
It’s lust.
Just pure lust, I tell myself firmly. Nothing more. Any girl would melt under his touch. The man looks like a Greek God, of course, I would be tempted. It means nothing. Nothing. Nada. Nichts.
George’s companion clears her throat pointedly. His head jerks toward her, his cheeks coloring faintly as it occurs to him that he has ignored her since he spotted me.
“Oh … excuse me,” he stutters, clearly flustered. “Pippa, this is, uh …”
Her eyes narrow with consternation, and I can barely hide my delight when I realize he has completely forgotten his date’s name.
“Claudia,” she supplies coldly for him.
“Yes, of course, Claudia,” George says, turning beetroot red and still fumbling his words.
She extends a hand toward me, her smile polite but sharp. “Lovely to meet you.”
I shake it with equal politeness. “Likewise,” I say, then gesture to Rhett. “This is Rhett. My boyfriend.” I look deeply into Rhett’s eyes. “Darling, this is George, my ex, and his … friend, Claudia.”
“Claudia is starting her own business,” George blurts out. “She’s really smart.”
It’s an odd thing to say, and Claudia looks visibly uncomfortable. It’s as though George is trying to make up for forgetting her name by bragging about her assets.
“What sort of business are you starting?” I ask, more to be polite than out of any real interest in her work.
“It’s a tech company. We are going to provide hosting services for small businesses who are sick of being pushed aside in favor of their larger competitors,” she says.
“Rhett is in the tech industry, aren’t you, darling?” I say, and swing another adoring glance up at him.
“Yes, I am,” Rhett agrees affably. “My main office is in the US, but I am stationed in the London office right now.”
“It sounds like a pretty successful firm you’re working for,” Claudia says, her eyes and voice showing interest.
“Remington International,” he says.
Her jaw drops, then snaps shut. Her eyes glitter. “Wow, that’s the holy grail of tech. Look, I know this might seem a little bit forward, but I am having a party at my place on Wednesday. Nothing fancy, just a little get-together with friends. I would love it if you would come, and Pippa, obviously. I’d love to pick your brains.”
George looks like he wants to be anywhere but here, his head almost vanishing inside his shirt collar. “I’m sure Rhett isn’t interested in that.”
Rhett let his hand graze up my back and looks down at me. “Are you up for it, honey?”
Yes, yes, yes, I want to scream, but of course, I don’t. “Sure, but I thought you hate talking shop when you’re not at work.”
Rhett, to give him his due, plays along faultlessly. “Normally, I’d hate it, but I don’t mind if it’s to help someone get off theground.” He beams at Claudia, the picture of innocent charm. “We’d love to come.”
I am so grateful to Rhett that I could do a little dance. Obviously, I refrain.
Claudia excitedly gives Rhett her address, and he types it into his cellphone. An awkward silence, mostly due to George sulking like a child, falls over us after that. Yes, that is another one of George’s little faults. He sulks. Sometimes for days. We stand together for a few minutes, throwing awkward little smiles whenever one of us catches the eye of another.
