Chapter 10
Lisa
My eyes snapped to her face to see her luscious lips curled into a devilish smirk.
"Oh shit..." Nate said and then guffawed. "The boss forgot!"
I blinked at her, trying to force my blood flow back to my brain for the following thought process. 23rd of September. She was right. How could I have forgotten that?
"I'm certain that she didn't." Jennie lied for me, batting her eyelashes up at me like a newlywed. "Lisa always plans the best anniversaries."
I saw what she was doing now. Having a bit of fun at my expense while also making us look like a real and true married couple. Well. Two could play that game.
"Ooh, do you Lisa?" one of the designers, Tim, called out. My gaze snapped in his direction and he fell silent, worried that he'd taken it too far. Maybe he had. I hadn't totally been lying when I'd informed Teddy that I liked to keep my personal life and my professional life separate.
"Tell them about last year, love." Jennie cooed, with her eyes sparkling with mischief. I resisted the urge to grin. Oh, she was going to pay for this later.
"Last year..." I repeated, buying myself some time. "Let's see. Our fifth anniversary. When I took you on a helicopter ride through the valley and then landed for some tacos at your favourite shop in downtown LA. What's it called? Oscar's?"
Her smile faltered a bit and she blinked back at me, surprised that I had remembered the little taco shop in LA that she'd brought me too every time we left campus to go and visit her mother.
"And after that..." I continued, while raising a hand to cup her cheek. She froze for a moment but then leaned into the touch. Our eyes met and I gave her my most dazzling smile. "Well, I can't really tell them what happened after that."
Then I winked and drew away from her, as much as it pained me. Her lips parted when she realised what I had said and she cleared her throat and blushed.
"That's so romantic." Merissa gushed.
"Yeah.." Jennie muttered quietly. "It is."
I grinned.
"Well, we're here boss." Nate said suddenly, changing the topic from the
mushy stuff to get down to business. "Our one annual required after-hours work event. We've made an appearance. So you can stop breathing down our necks about it until next year, eh?"
"Fair enough." I told him. "I appreciate you guys coming. It's good for them to be reminded of who really does the work around here from time to time."
They all nodded in agreement and I bid them goodbye and led Jennie away with my hand on her lower back again. I still hadn't gotten used to the contact. It flooded my brain with all sorts of inappropriate ideas every time I touched her. But I had to maintain control. That was what she wanted, after all. She had said enough the night before.
But now, with the way she was watching me as we made the rounds and spoke to everyone in the room, the way she leaned into me when someone else drew too close or touched me when she laughed, it was sending different signals to my brain than what was being sent below my belt.
"Excuse us." I said to the last of many groups that we'd greeted this evening and, as I steered Jennie away, I whispered into her ear. "Now that I can properly formulate words, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to whatever shop you found that dress at."
She giggled and pushed me away.
"Unfortunately, you're going to have to submit your appreciation in writing. I'm never going back there again." she told me, while taking a sip of her wine.
I cocked my head to the side and watched her, totally confused.
"Why not?" I asked. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson and I wanted so badly to know why. But we were interrupted that very moment by none other than Danny Lee himself.
"Oh, the beautiful wife that we've heard so little about." Danny exclaimed as he pulled his model girlfriend alongside him. "Danny Lee."
"Jennie, er... Manoban." Jennie replied, glancing at me, totally unsure. Shit.
"Jennie er Manoban, how interesting. Is that a family name?"
I grit my teeth and stepped forward protectively. If this asshole thought he was about to treat my wife this way, he was going to experience a pristine Italian leather shoe right in his gut.
"No." Jennie answered with a chuckle, waving off the insult as though it were nothing. "You caught me off guard, Mr. Lee. Forgive me, I've introduced myself to so many people tonight, I'm forgetting which is my name and which are theirs." She laughed lightly at the joke, while turning to me. I smiled back at her.
"I've also perhaps indulged a bit more than strictly necessary tonight." she admitted, holding up her third empty martini glass. "The bartender is fantastic."
"Hmm..." Danny replied, unconvinced and unimpressed with her pivoting. "Well, Lisa, perhaps you could tear yourself away long enough to meet with some of the board. They have a few follow-up questions regarding the projections for the third quarter."
"Actually, I'd better get Jennie home." I said. "I promised no work tonight. It is our anniversary tomorrow, after all. But it was nice to see you, Danny. I'll be in touch." Without another word, I lead Jennie away from Danny and out of the bar.
The moment we stepped into the lobby, I was dialling Kevin's number, and then we stepped outside into the warm California evening. Jennie watched a couple nearby make their way down the steps, staggering to a waiting car, and then turned to me.
"How foolish was I?" she asked in earnest, her tone no more cooing and lovely but stern and focused. I turned to her in surprise.
"What?" I asked, actually caught off guard.
"I know I sounded like a preening idiot in there. So tell me. How bad was it?"
"Well, you weren't yourself, that's for sure." I started and she frowned. "You were actually kind and polite."
She punched me in the shoulder and I laughed, grabbing it with my other hand and pretending it hurt.
"Jennie, you were wonderful, truly." I told her, while staring into her eyes as I did. "Every man in that room was jealous of me tonight. I got to show
