Page 20 of Watching Her

Damn it.

At least I’d been cool and collected after…

Whew. Was it really crazy hot inside the bar? I tilted my head, staring at some flickering lights.

Was that a mirror ball? Oh, I hadn’t seen one of those in years.

As soon as I almost lost my balance, I giggled.

I was already regretting the third dry martini.

Why? Because I’d had little to eat and the stress of the day had taken a toll. A stale granola bar, four bites of chicken salad prepared by the hotel for lunch, and six olives didn’t make for a well-balanced food group.

I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d been buzzed. Or this exhausted. However, I could say I felt warm and fuzzy inside, even a little bit horny with all the male models moving around from table to table. They were doing their jobs, flirting outrageously while providing much needed eye candy.

And yes, I should be impressed by their gorgeous bods and deep voices, but in truth, they bored me to death.

That didn’t mean there was anything wrong with either ogling a sexy guy’s package or envisioning what it would be like if he became the dark prince. Of course not. To each their own and among the rabid comments and lurid activity in the bar, and there’d been some doozies during the evening, I’d found myself more and more detached.

Maybe because in helping Anita and Jane with the conference, I’d been reminded of a job I’d loved and lost.

An ache formed in my stomach. Lost, my ass. I’d been fired for no good reason.

Except for one.

I’d been stupid enough to sleep with a co-worker. That had been my big crime. No, the real crime had been not seeing through Carrington’s lies and emotional abuse. God, I’d fallen for his crap. I love you. I hate you. Why don’t you treat me better? You’re my queen.

Queen, my ass.

So I’d finally had enough of his games. So what? The slimy bastard had made good on his threat. I cinched my eyes closed briefly, hating even thinking about him at all. What had hurt more than finding out just how despicable Carrington’s true nature was had been what my boss and owner of the company had said after believing my ex’s lies.

That he’d never been so disappointed in anyone. He’d been like a second father to me, something else Carrington had known.

Stop it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have a new life. A new career.

That’s right. I did.

At least I had my integrity. Sadly, I’d either go bankrupt or throw my success in their faces along with cracking a bottle of champagne against their heads. A sly smile crossed my face at the delicious thought.

I lifted my glass, studying the remaining liquid. One more wouldn’t hurt. After all I was kind of on vacation and celebrating my new limited liability corporation. This was the last vacation I’d get for a very long time.

At least I’d made some connections today. You betcha. A lot of people had taken my card. I’d check social media in the morning and see how many new followers I’d gotten.

Had to be in the hundreds.

Thousands.

Being my own boss beat being an employee every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Except for my bank account status. Nope. I wasn’t going to go there. Not right now.

Yes, I’d been the low person on the totem pole at my last place of employment, my ideas stolen by other employees, but I’d still felt as if I’d been a part of something special.

Maybe. Maybe not.

“Would you look at that hottie? Come over here to Mama, big man.” The woman at the table squealed as another big, bad dude walked closer, the guy grinning from ear to ear.

Not bad. On a scale of one to ten, an eight. Maybe I’d rank him higher if my vision wasn’t a little bit foggy. I chuckled and lifted my glass, hoping the waitress noticed me.

The truth was that my idea of eye candy had been the man I’d likely permanently disfigured with hot coffee. I’d caught sight of him a couple of times throughout the day, becoming curious as to his identity, but too busy to follow through with finding answers. Besides, I didn’t belong in a world of wealth.