Page 38 of Broken Headboards
Chapter Fifteen
Tess
All workand no play makes Tess a dull girl, right?
Wrong.
Swear to God, next time Ashley drags me to another one of these galas, she’ll be the one coughing up my $50k entry.
Hello again.
Did you miss me? Why, thank you, I missed you too. I still wonder why you choose to spend half your time with Austin, but tonight I don’t care. I’m just happy you were there to see the expression on his face when Arnold from A&S pulled the rug from under him.
Must’ve been amazing, right?
Anyway, enough about Austin. I’m happy I landed a straight right, but he still hasn’t hit the mat. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t take a break from work and celebrate this little victory.
That’s exactly why tonight I’m at the Ritz-Carlton ballroom, a nice and tight dark gown caressing each one of my curves. Usually, I don’t have the time—or even the patience—to come to these charity galas, but Ashley insisted. A lot. See, when I have to pay $50K for a seat, I usually require a lot of convincing.
But it’s for a good cause. We’re helping the poor orphans in Sudan, after all. Or is this the one about the ozone layer? Crap, why can’t I keep all these charity events straight? I hope no one asks me to make for a speech. Although I could say that what the orphans in Sudan really need is for someone to fix the ozone layer.
That could work.
Okay, crap, sorry. I’m not that callous. I just work very long hours and devote all of my brain’s processing power to everything furniture.
So, yeah.
Ouch!
Jesus Christ.
I eye my dance partner warily as he stomps on my foot.
“I thought you knew how to tango?” I ask archly.
I can’t believe I said yes to him.
It all started with Ashley.
“That guy is eyeing you,” Ashley said, nudging me with her elbow when she found me, pointing toward a dork standing by himself in the corner. Probably one of the tech billionaires, he had horn-rimmed glasses on and seemed to be nursing what looked like a fruity cocktail.
“Are you kidding me?” I whispered. “What do I care if he’s eyeing me? The guy looks like he just stepped out of virgin-land.”
“So?” She insisted grabbing me by the elbow and pushing me toward him. “That’s Howard Mills. The guy invented some sort of software that can do...well, I have no idea what it can do, but it has an important sounding name. Besides, he’s known for donating a lot of money when he comes to these events...as long as he has fun. So you go there and make sure he has some fun.”
“Jesus, what do you care how much money he donates?” I asked. “Are you part of the organization or something?”
“Tess.” She pursed her lips, hands on her hips as she stared me down. “I’m part of the board here. Remember?”
“Okay, damnit,” I hissed. “I’ll go make sure he enjoys himself.”
Sighing, I made my way toward Howard Something-Something, and threw him some remark about his drink. The poor bastard started coughing like a madman, probably choking on his strawberry daiquiri, and I was forced to pat him on the back as he regained his composure.
“I’m...I’m sorry,” he stammered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and introducing himself. “The name’s Howard Mills.”
“Tess Armstrong,” I replied, already regretting I gave him my name.
“Would you care for a dance, Ms. Armstrong?” he asked me.
