‘Welcome to the city that never sleeps,’ he said.
I felt my creepy radar hit one hundred, so I pulled my hand away as politely as possible and rested it on Jimmy’s.
‘I must say, this venue, this evening, it’s quite the thing,’ Lucas said.
I smiled, knowing he was probably paying for most of it.
‘This app deserves a big bash. It’s a belter.’ I grinned, feeling Jimmy’s hand gently rub my back again.
Lucas and Jimmy exchanged a few more words before the older man drifted away to another cluster of people. We stood gazing around the room, watching as guests socialised and the champagne flowed.
‘This is perfect. You are perfect.’ Jimmy kissed my cheek again.
‘Thank you,’ I said, looking into his eyes.
‘Ella!’ Fee’s high-pitched voice echoed through the room, as she came charging towards me. ‘OK, you havekilledthis. This party is insane!’
‘And?’ Jimmy prompted.
She took hold of my hands. ‘And I’m sorry I doubted you. I just .?.?.’ She shrugged. ‘I was nervous that you’d pull it off, but this is absolutely incredible.’
‘Thank you!’ I laughed, knowing I had smashed it out of the park. ‘I’d have been nervous too if I were you. But I always keep my promises and we all know that this app deserves the very best parties!’
Travis strolled up to join us, and I managed a fleeting smile towards him.
‘The media are heading in just now,’ he said.
I scanned my eyes across the venue, watching Katy and Zola chat with Ethan. ‘I’m gonna go get the girls. We’ll do our first speech in a few minutes.’ I squeezed Jimmy’s hand and walked across the floor towards my friends.
‘Hey.’ I smiled at them as they laughed with Ethan.
‘Party looks cool,’ Ethan said.
Zola grinned. ‘You hate parties!’ she teased him, then she and Ethan laughed together. She’d actually made Ethanlaugh.I noticed a twinkle in her eye that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Was she flirting with the techiest tech dude ever? I wondered.
‘He hates socialising but can obviously spot a well-run event, right?’ Katy chimed in.
‘Exactly,’ Ethan said stiffly. ‘If I weren’t on the board, I wouldn’t be here, put it that way.’
I turned to Zola, and our faces both wore the same expression. ‘I didn’t know you were on the board!’
‘Me neither!’ Zola said, sounding more shocked, as if it were something he should have brought up.
Ethan nodded. ‘Yeah. Department heads all get a seat. It’s pretty boring, honestly.’
‘So, wait. Is Britney on it too?’ I asked, scanning the room again. I hadn’t seen that traitorous bitch yet.
Ethan sipped his champagne. ‘Britney, Fee, Travis, Jimmy, me, and a few finance guys too.’
I wondered if he knew about the company’s financial troubles. Surely he had to, if he was on the board .?.?.
‘I only attend the meetings when it’s absolutely compulsory,’ he said. ‘You know how those situations make me feel,’ he said, turning to Zola.
I felt a tight grip on my arm, as Katy gasped loudly. ‘Ella, isn’t that .?.?. the guy .?.?. the weird Texas guy from .?.?.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘From that crazy speed dating.’
I swivelled my head and immediately recognised the cream suit. My eyes dropped – Jesus, that extra-large bulge was impossible to forget. I felt my chest tighten and my face flush.
‘Fuck, that’s Leo!’ I gasped the words so loudly that my exclamation drew stares from the guests nearby.
