Page 20 of Risk Assessment
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Jenkins said as he narrowed his eyes. “Have you known each other long?” he asked.
Raleigh had the immediate impression it was more than idle curiosity. “We’ve been together for a while now,” she answered quietly. “We’ve kept our relationship kind of quiet.”
“There you are! I lost you in the crowd.” Calvin Clark’s assistant approached the table. “Here is— Raleigh, what are you doing here? I had no idea you’d be here.” He wore a look of bafflement.
“Hi, Josh. How are you?”
“I’m well,” he managed to respond before turning to Clark. “Sorry, Calvin.” He handed Clark some papers and a pen. “You just need to sign these so I can send them off to… Well, send them off.”
“No problem, Josh.” Clark quickly signed the papers and handed them back. “Why don’t you deal with those and then come back and join us?”
Josh looked pleased until the older man finished his thought. “I may need you a bit later,” he said in a dismissive tone.
“Yes, sir.” A flash of something lit his face, but it was gone an instant later, and he looked crestfallen. Josh caught her eye and shrugged. “We’ll catch up later, Ral,” he said and then disappeared into the crowded dining room.
Raleigh sighed as she watched Josh go. It had to be hard to work for Calvin Clark. Josh was like a wounded puppy, always looking for praise and finding none. She glanced at her watch as a wave of fatigue hit her. She wouldn’t be here when Josh got back. She just didn’t have it in her. Not after the day she’d had.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Sorry, gentlemen, but if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to claim my girlfriend now. I haven’t seen her all night.” Dylan wound his fingers through Raleigh’s and assisted her off the seat, steering her right into his arms. He held her against his chest.
Everywhere his body touched hers, heat rippled across her skin.
He rested one arm around her waist and brought her chin up with his other hand.
Her gaze met his. Awareness ran the entire length of her body.
His eyes darkened before he brushed his lips against hers. “Mm. Missed you, hon.”
“Er, missed you, too,” she said as she tried to take a step back. It was overwhelming being this close to him. Exhausted as she was, she needed space to regain her equilibrium. But Dylan held her in place. He leaned down again and brushed his lips against the hollow behind her ear. She shivered in his arms.
He turned her to face the men, but still kept his arm around her waist. “Night, gentlemen.” He nodded at them.
“Night, Mr. Clark,” she said. Her voice was husky. She cleared her throat. “Mr. Jenkins, have a good evening.”
The men mumbled their good-byes as Dylan ushered her away from the table. He stopped their progress next to the bar and asked her to wait while he talked to the bartender for a minute.
“Why? What do you have to talk to the bartender about?” She was wrung out and wanted desperately to go back to the room.
He looked guilty. “I just want to speak with him about one of the waiters. He was too busy earlier but now that things have slowed down, I think he’ll be able to chat for a second.
“A waiter? Is there a problem?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Raleigh cocked an eyebrow, but Dylan had already moved down the bar to talk with the bartender. Great. Was he going to question all the staff? Did it have anything to do with her stalker? Somehow she didn’t think so. Was this his aversion to her authority rearing its ugly head already? He was supposed to be working on keepinghersafe. She sat down on one of the recently vacated stools. Immediately, she felt a presence at her elbow.
“There you are!” a shrill voice screeched in her ear. She turned to see Donna, Lydia’s assistant and event planner.Shoot. She’d been advised to connect with Donna earlier about what Lydia wanted in terms of coverage.
“Hi, Donna. How is everything?”
“Fine,” she snapped. “Why? What have you heard?”
The woman looked stretched to the breaking point. Her deep red hair was pulled back tight enough to pull the skin around her forehead. Maybe she thought it would smooth out the wrinkles working for Lydia was giving her. Donna’s brown eyes had dark circles under them that no make-up could cover, and the whites of her eyes were so bloodshot, it was hard to think of them aswhite. Donna was only in her late twenties and she looked twice that.
“Ah, nothing. It was just a…” She sighed. “Forget it.”
“Lydia wants to review everything you’re putting together about tonight. The write ups for the Look Book plus the pictures and she wants it by midnight. And here’s a list of the things she’d like you to focus on tomorrow.” Donna handed her several pages that were stapled together. “There are a few specific phrases she wants used on the last two pages.”
