Banking on Him

Chapter 1 - Serena

"I seriously don't know what I would do without you." I turned to smile at my best friend as she adjusted the last place setting. We had just finished making our final round of double checks for our bank's annual gala. It's basically an ass kissing fest, but as the Chief Financial Officer of the bank, it's my job to make sure that everything goes perfectly and I honestly couldn't have done it with my best friend, Erica. She's my assistant and my official lifesaver. 

"You better get out of here while you can, before someone else has some insignificant detail they can't decide on themselves. I'll take it from here. You go home and get ready. Unwind before the ass kissing begins." I swear I almost strained my eyes with the roll that followed that statement. At least after tonight, it would be over. It was just one night... I could get through it. "Thanks girl, I owe you one," I called as I walked out the door and into the parking lot.

As I slipped into my white Lexus, I checked my phone for any last minute additions to the guest list. My lenders were always making last minute changes, and this event was no different. It wasn't a shock to see I had two missed messages asking if there was room for one or two more. I forwarded their requests to Erica and started towards my uptown apartment. As I walked into my building, I nodded to the doorman, Eddie. He was the sweetest old guy and reminded me a lot of my grandpa. In my opinion, he made this place feel like home and was probably a big part of the reason I bought it. Eddie smiled at me, "I can't wait to see you all dolled up for your gala tonight, sweetheart." I paused at the elevator, "My car should be here at 7 sharp." I waved and smiled, as the elevator doors shut knowing Eddie would call me when they arrived. He was a retired veteran who couldn't stand sitting at home. I always thought his job was probably pretty dull so I made a point to stop and talk for a few minutes as much as I could. He learned a lot about my life that way. Hell, he probably knew more than most people.

Upstairs, I kicked off my shoes and curled up on the couch for just a minute. The stress of this event was starting to take its toll, and I was glad that it would be over soon. I allowed myself just five minutes of mindless scrolling through social media before I hoisted myself off the couch and forced myself to start getting ready.

Right at 7 I was putting on my second coat of lipstick and stepping into my heels when Eddie called to let me know my car was here. I grabbed my wristlet and phone before heading downstairs. As soon as I stepped off the elevator, Eddie beamed, "You look stunning Miss James. You are definitely going to be the center of attention tonight." I blushed. "Thank you, Eddie. I'm glad you approve." I turned to my driver, and he opened the door for me. "Have a good evening and good luck," Eddie said just before the door closed behind me.

Once at the event, I decided to do one last walk through to ensure everything was in order. While I am only the CFO, the President isn't really an event type of person. He would be attending, of course. It was mandatory. However, schmoozing was definitely not his thing. He was very smart, almost unapproachable at times, so connecting with clients didn't always come naturally to him. That left the task up to me. Not that connecting with borrowers was my forte either. Everyone always told me I had the looks for sales, but my personality didn't match. I would much rather have my head in a spreadsheet than deal with people. That is why I'm much happier dedicating my life to managing the finances of a bank, but in a male-dominated industry, the party hosting duties fall upon me. In reality, I'm probably just being ridiculous. It's one night, and I know most of our clients anyway, but as I said, people just aren't my thing.

I barely had time to down a quick glass of champagne before people started to arrive. I positioned myself near the entrance, welcoming everyone and directing them to the open bar. That was where all our lenders would be, drinking and trying to talk our borrowers into bringing more business to our bank.