Page 90 of Business Casual

“Green is a good color on you,” she told me before jumping into a conversation with Mrs. Franklin.

Or maybe it’s because she’s drinking.

I smiled around the table as I listened and made small talk. But the whole time I kept looking at the two empty chairs at the ten-person table. I knew one of them had to belong to Tre.

So where was he?

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed flecks of gold and I knew it was the woman I’d seen in the parking garage. Someone stopped her to talk, and I marveled at how the dress was even more beautiful under the chandelier and lighting of the ballroom. The tall, slim woman with the dark brown skin and long wavy hair was beautiful. But the gold sequin dress she wore made her look like a model. I just wished I could see her shoes.

“There’s my boy,” Mr. Franklin announced loudly, staring behind me.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I waited.

Good God.

Most men looked great in a tuxedo. But Tre looked like a god amongst men. His body was made for a tux and that one in particular looked like it was tailored to perfection. My lips parted as I stared at him in awe.

“Good to see everyone,” Tre greeted as he walked around the table to the empty chair beside his mother. He stood behind it and looked around. When he locked eyes with me, he froze. “Imani.”

I hadn’t talked to him all day. But between my manicure, pedicure, and wax appointments, I didn’t have much time to talk to anyone.

“Yes,” Mr. Franklin replied. “I extended the invitation to Imani because she earned it working on your project. Also, I thought it would be a good opportunity for us all to get to know her since we haven’t been able to do the executive lunch. Is that a problem?”

Tre cleared his throat. “No, not at all. I was just surprised because—uh, she’s a contractor. A great one. I just didn’t know contractors were eligible—never mind.” His smile looked nervous. “Hey Imani. It’s good to see you.”

Sitting up straight, I was aware of the eyes on us. “Hey. How are you?”

“He’ll be fine once he sits down and tells us what the president of Capital City Bank wanted to talk to him about,” Mr. Franklin interjected.

The table laughed.

“He was talking us up to his friends from Virginia,” Tre informed them. “He said that the—oh!” He looked over his shoulder as a perfectly manicured hand grabbed his arm.

It was the model in the gold sequin dress.

“Sydney,” Mrs. Franklin greeted the woman. “It’s good to see you again.”

I tried not to react, but the punch in my gut was intense. I wanted to look away. I wanted to run away. But I sat there with my eyes glued to the two of them with a fake smile plastered on my face.

Tre pulled her chair out for her and then after she was seated, he sat next to her. When he looked up at me, there was a tortured look on his face. He shifted his eyes around the table before landing back on me. I couldn’t read his expression, but it looked a hell of a lot like guilt.

Once Mrs. Franklin finished gushing over Sydney, Tre quickly interrupted. “This is my friend, Sydney. Syd, you already know most of the table.” He pointed to me. “But let me introduce you to Imani Jones.”

“Hello Imani,” Sydney greeted me warmly.

“Hi,” I returned. “It’s nice to meet you.”

As Tre continued to introduce Sydney to Chase and Theresa’s dates, I maintained a pleasant smile on my face. But I was hurting on the inside.

He invited his ex-girlfriend to a formal gala. He could’ve come alone, but he invited her for a reason. Did he lie? Is she even really his ex? Are they together? Were they always together? Was his whole ‘I don’t cheat’ line bullshit? Was he lying about his feelings for me?

Question after question infiltrated my brain and made it hard to think clearly. I didn’t know the answers and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to leave because after dinner, I would be able to network. I didn’t want to stay either because seeing him on a date was bothering me.

I was officially in my feelings.

We weren’t dating, but we had a connection. I couldn’t say he played me because we weren’t in a relationship, and we never discussed rules. I couldn’t be mad because we said we weren’t supposed to be anything but coworkers and friends. But I couldn’t deny the sting of disappointment that rose like bile in my throat.

Something about him being on a date didn’t sit right with me. In addition to that, he told me he had feelings for me while he was fucking me twenty-four hours ago. Even if I couldn’t act on it, for that reason alone, I had the right to be in my feelings.

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