The Christmas Pact(3)
My boss, Edward Ames, was always intent on his employees participating in all company events. If you didn’t show, he’d actually call you from the party, put you on speakerphone, and shame you into coming. Rookies always tried to skip out on events like this. The experienced employees knew better.
Liliana sighed. “Maybe you can find a way to avoid him. Does he know what you look like?”
“He’s apparently been asking around, fishing for information about me. I’m sure someone will point me out to him.”
“Have you ever seen a photo of him?”
“No. I’ve never looked him up. I couldn’t care less.”
“You sure about that?” Liliana smirked. “I’m surprised at that, given all of your heated interactions.” She chuckled. “C’mon, aren’t you the least bit curious?”
“Not really. I’ve pretty much always just assumed he was as ugly as his personality, which would mean he looks like a goat’s ass.”
She took out her phone. “Well, let’s find out.”
“What are you doing?”
“Searching for him on Facebook.” She scrolled down and muttered his name, “Kennedy Riley…Kennedy Riley. There are a few of them, actually.” She jumped in her seat. “Ah-ha! Here we go. Lives in Soho. Works at Star Publishing. Oh, and he’s single. This is him!” Her eyes widened as she focused on his profile photo. “Oh. Oh my.”
I had to admit. Now she had me curious.
“What?” I asked, noticing that she was smiling from ear to ear now.
Her jaw dropped as she slowly looked up at me but said nothing.
Then she started laughing.
I was getting impatient. “Show it to me,” I said with my hand held out.
“You might want to start being a little nicer to him,” she said before turning the phone screen toward me.
I took in the image in front of me.
Nearly translucent light blue eyes. Chiseled face with bronze skin. Broad shoulders. Confident smile that hinted at the smug arrogance I’d come to expect from him.
I zoomed in.
Kennedy Effing Riley.
Kennedy Effing Riley…was hot as hell.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Riley
When I was a kid, I loved Christmas. I loved everything about it…decorating the tree, Christmas caroling through our neighborhood, going to see Santa Claus at the mall. But over the last few years, this time of year had become my least favorite. Even the music got on my nerves.
Apparently, the same wasn’t true for Liliana. I’d gone to her place before the party tonight, since she was keeping my morkapoo while I went home for the Holidays. Liliana had a half dozen wrapped presents and a collar with bells waiting for Sister Mary Alice when I walked in. She was all about Christmas, and it made me feel a bit like the Grinch tonight.
As we entered the lobby of the hotel where our party was being held, she handed her coat to the coat check attendant and started to bop around and sing along to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You, which was blaring overhead.
“So what should we do first?” she said. “Get a drink or scope out Mr. Hottie?”
I took my claim ticket from the coat check lady and shook my head. “I think we’re definitely going to need a drink if I’m going to have to face Mr. Hottie…I mean Mr. Noseybody.”
“Are we sure he’s here tonight?”
“I have no idea. I never heard back from him.” Or from that rude assistant to Dear Ida either, for that matter.
Liliana and I walked to the Grand Ballroom where Star Publishing’s expanded holiday party was in full swing. The double doors were wide open, and we took a minute to look inside. There were a heck of a lot more people than usual. When it was just our division, we were usually holed up in a small ballroom. And the small dance floor was generally half empty. But this year, it was twice as big and bodies were packed onto it. There was even a guy dressed up as Santa Claus in the middle of the room handing out those light-up necklaces that flashed in red and green. The vibe was already totally different than usual.
“God, how many people work at the other office? It looks like the bizarro version of our dull Christmas party.” Liliana hooked her arm with mine.
“I don’t know. But maybe that’s a good thing, and I won’t run into you-know-who.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. It’s gonna be the highlight of my month. You better run into him.”
Liliana and I walked in and went straight to the nearest bar. Normally, I’d get a glass of white wine, but when it was our turn to order, I pointed to a woman holding a delicious-looking cocktail with crushed red and white candy cane bits rimming the glass, and asked the bartender, “What are those?”
“That’s tonight’s specialty drink. A White Christmas martini. Vanilla vodka, white chocolate liqueur, and crème de cocoa with crushed peppermint candy cane lining the rim. They’re making them in the back. It’ll be a few minutes until they bring me a new batch.”
I licked my lips. “Mmmm. I’ll have one of those, please.”
“Me, too! Tell them to hurry,” Liliana said.
While we waited, I looked around. My eyes scanned the room for Kennedy, but luckily there was no sign of him. Maybe he wasn’t even here. From what little I knew about him, he did seem more Scrooge than spirited. After a thorough search of the faces in the crowd and coming up empty, the tension in my neck started to ease and my shoulders relaxed a bit. I dug a few bucks out of my purse and tipped the bartender as I took my White Christmas martini. I sipped and continued to stare out at the people on the dance floor as Liliana waited for her drink.