Accidentally On Purpose Part 7

"So I will see you at work," he said after a long kiss.

"Bring me a m.u.f.fin, will ya?"

"Banana nut for the nut."

I giggled and went inside.

Chapter Eleven

When I got into work in the morning, I was surprised to find Kyle already there.

He wanted to go over the gala guest list every morning leading up to the event. I had other work I would have liked to get done, but it could be juggled around to another time.

I got us some coffee and he sat in the chair next to my desk while I quizzed him on who's who. He wasn't doing too bad. I was impressed with how much he knew. Before the office could get too full, I wanted to say something to him.

"You're doing really well with the staff," I whispered. "Your att.i.tude is so much better and it appears that everyone is responding so well."

He actually blushed!

"I'm getting to know everyone a little better. I didn't even know Eliza had three kids until a couple of weeks ago. And she's worked for me for a year."

"I understand you can't get too personal. It makes it hard to properly do your job, but you're doing well. I just thought you should know."

He smiled, started to say something else but then frowned. I was perplexed for only a moment. Luke was suddenly at my other side, carrying what I presumed to be my m.u.f.fin in a paper bag. I stood up but didn't hug him or kiss him. Those things aren't prohibited in the office but I needed to be an example, as an office manager slash a.s.sistant to Kyle.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Long morning. I have a long meeting today, so I can't meet for lunch. Maybe dinner?"

"Sure. Let me know later. Thanks for the m.u.f.fin." I smiled, which made him smile, which made Kyle make a small gagging noise behind me. I didn't acknowledge it and Luke didn't seem to notice.

"Have a good day," he said, and despite my personal rules, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. He then looked directly at Kyle and nodded a h.e.l.lo before walking away.

I sat down, could feel Kyle glaring at me. I looked at the clock on my desk.

"Don't you have a meeting in a little bit?" I asked lightly.

"Did your m.u.f.fin bring you a m.u.f.fin?" He asked with a smile that didn't touch his eyes.

"How's Jess?" I asked.

He gave me a sour look and left me without another word.

Ever since he figured out Luke and I were dating, Kyle has been making little snide comments or looking at Luke like dirty dish water. At first I could hardly believe it. Was he jealous? I finally chocked it up to some kind of ego trip because he had slept with me and maybe he expects me to only want him. It didn't make things awkward, but it was annoying.

For the rest of the week, every morning Kyle and I would go over the guest list and sometimes just have a simple conversation about a movie or food or whatever. He never brought up Luke again, not that he was really given the chance. Luke had been working a lot lately and didn't really come to my office after the m.u.f.fin incident.

Friday night I didn't stay late at work. Kyle and I left at the same time. He offered to drive me across the bridge to the train station where my car was parked. I accepted, because I had a lot to do before the gala Sat.u.r.day night.

"Is Luke coming with you tomorrow?" He asked as he navigated into traffic out of the parking garage.

"No. He will be on a cruise with some friends from Chicago. Besides, I'm more or less working."

He nodded but said nothing in response. Every now and then he would look over at me, but I pretended not to notice. After a while, he spoke again.

"So. Are you two pretty serious?"

"Why does that matter to you?" I looked at him.

"It doesn't matter to me." He feigned surprise by my question.

"What's going on with you? You act like a jealous teenage boy when he's around."

"I do not not act like a teenage boy." act like a teenage boy."

"But you are jealous." I said pointedly. "And I don't know why. You have your own life going on with Jessyca and it was only one weekend. It's not like we had this elaborate love affair going on."

I know I sounded irritated. In a way, I guess I was. I'm not sure why. When I looked at him, he looked a little hurt and I instantly felt bad. He recovered quickly though, with bitterness.

"I apologize. I didn't realize it meant so little to you."

"You're wrong," I said, looking out the window. "It wasn't a 'little' thing, but..." I searched my mind for the words. "It doesn't matter what it meant for me."

We arrived at the parking lot for the high speed line. I directed him to where I was parked. The area was crowded with mostly people on their way home from work. In a few hours it would be busy with people going back into the city for a night out.

"Thanks for the ride." I said, opening the door.

"Wait. We're not done talking." Kyle protested, his hand on my arm.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm sorry. See you tomorrow night." I got out, closed the door and walked to my car quickly before he could stop me.

Chapter Twelve

My parents made a striking couple when they weren't all dressed up for a gala, but the fancy clothes made them a remarkable couple.

My mom was almost sixty-eight years old and didn't look a day over forty-five. Her hair color, a honey blonde, was maintained by a hair dresser, but she had no other artificial work. She barely had wrinkles or sagging skin. Women her age envied her. Women my my age envied her. age envied her.

My dad was going bald, but was still a good looking man. He stayed in shape after retiring from the military. He was bulky, but not fat. He also had few wrinkles and no saggy skin. He looked twenty years younger than his seventy years. Women of all ages flirted with him.

For the gala, my mom wore a white gown by Dior and had her hair swept up in an elegant bun. I spent significantly less money on my dress, a long blue gown that fluttered when I walked. I wore a simple diamond pendant with matching earrings. My money well spent was on my Minola Blahnik shoes. Heaven on my feet.

My mother wrinkled her nose when she saw me, and the whole way into the city she wouldn't shut up about how I wouldn't let her buy me a different gown and that I should have went to her hair dresser and why didn't I wear pearls instead of the diamonds.

"Can you stop stop?" I slapped my hand on my lap and glared at her from the backseat. "I'm really tired of hearing hearing you. Don't you ever get tired of berating me?" you. Don't you ever get tired of berating me?"

She turned in her seat to look at me, all shocked and surprised.

"I'm not berating you. I just -"

"Samantha," my dad said firmly. "Leave her alone."

"But - "

"It's over." He said with such finality that she turned back around in her seat.

By the time we got to the gala, I was so wound up, I couldn't think straight. As soon as I could get away from my mother, I did. I found the bar quickly and was already on my fourth drink when Kyle found me. I drank them pretty fast and on a mostly empty stomach. It took everything I had to keep my composure and not look as tipsy as I felt.

"You look amazing," Kyle said, letting his eyes travel over my body.

"Thank you." I smiled. "My mother doesn't think so, but at least someone does. Where's your date?"

"She's running late. She'll be here soon, by the time dinner is served." As if it were natural, he put his hand on the small of my back and lead me away from the bar. He then held out his elbow expectantly and I took it, looping my arm through his.

We walked through the reception area for the rest of the c.o.c.ktail hour, greeting people we knew and introducing ourselves to those we didn't. Kyle was a freakin' social b.u.t.terflying master. He remembered names without my help and spoke to others in a way that always made them feel flattered. Whenever we would move on, he would put his hand on my back.

"I love this dress," he whispered to me.

My back was fully exposed in my dress. What he was loving was touching my bare skin, the curve of my back.

Jessyca arrived just as they started seating for dinner. I hastily released Kyle's arm and made my way inside with the rest of the crowd.

Galas sound like a lot of fun, but once someone gets on stage and starts talking, you can find yourself all dressed up and bored to tears. The food is always good and most of the time the entertainment is good, too. This year's entertainment was a cover band covering a number of songs from Frank Sinatra to Green Day. There were a lot of younger people this year, so the dance floor stayed busy with bodies. I loved to dance at any event, so I took to the dance floor with or without a partner. One of my frequent partners happened to be an up and coming film star. He was h.e.l.la cute, but when he offered to take me back to his hotel room, I politely declined and went back to my table.

Kyle didn't really need my help all night, so I was free to roam and socialize and dance and drink to my heart's content. When he wasn't with Jessyca, he would follow me around. When he was with her, he would watch me as much as he dared from afar.

During dinner, whenever Jess wasn't paying attention, he would try to talk to me about something mundane. At one point he started talking to me about olives. I must have looked at him as if he were nuts because he stopped talking about it in mid-sentence, sighed and then stared at his gla.s.s.

Kyle's mother sat on the other side of me. I was nervous about it, because despite what Kyle had said about her, I still had the impression that she was a little sn.o.bby and cold. However, I noticed her husband barely spoke to her and even Kyle tended to forget she was there. Jess was so fake to her, it was obvious and so shameful. She rarely left the table to go socialize or anything. I really believed she didn't want to be there. Maybe she was Walter Sterling's eye candy.

I was getting bored, sitting at the table watching everyone else. Kyle and Jess were across the room talking to some people I knew, but didn't care for. I wanted to stay as far away from my mother as possible, and she was surrounded by a large group of women, and admiring men, as usual. I made my way over to the bar and started taking some shots. After my fourth one, I looked up and found Jess squeezed in next to me, ordering a cosmopolitan.

"Well, you do look like you're enjoying yourself," she said with her fake smile.

I hated talking to Jess, for obvious reasons, but also because she always talked to me as if she was some kind of princess and I was a lowly servant, even though we both came from wealthy families. I didn't know what her problem was with me.

"Actually, I'm bored," I said, not bothering to return the smile, fake or otherwise.

"I suppose this crowd is just a little too sophisticated for some," she tapped her manicured nails on the bar.

"Gosh, maybe you're right. I may not be sophisticated enough for this crowd." I threw back another shot and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, showing her I didn't care how unsophisticated I was.

"Your dress is very nice," she said. "It is a little too...suggestive for my tastes, but it is nice."

Jess was wearing a red Gucci dress that was flattering, but not fantastic.

"Maybe it is a little suggestive," I said, throwing money on the bar for my drinks. "Kyle really likes it."

I walked away, but not before seeing the startled expression on her face.

Take that, b.i.t.c.h.

A little while later, we all ended up back at the table again. Jess kept throwing me curious looks, wondering about what I said. I probably shouldn't have said it, but it was an easy way to get back at her for being an a.s.s.

After a long boring hour, Kyle stood up and offered me his hand.

"Let's dance," he said.

I looked at Jess and she shrugged and forced a big smile.

"Jess doesn't like to dance at these things," Kyle sighed.

"I don't like to get all sweaty and yucky, but you don't seem to mind at all." She said, with so much sweetness I was getting a toothache.

"You're right. I don't mind getting sweaty and yucky," I stood up and offered Kyle my hand.

As we walked to the dance floor I said to him "She has no idea how sweaty and yucky I've been with you before."

He tried to hide his smile, because I was clearly angry. We danced for two fast songs. When the band began to play Wonderwall Wonderwall by Oasis, I started to walk off the floor, but Kyle held my arm. Instead of causing even a minor scene, I reluctantly gave in. He held me as close as he dared in front of all of these people and under the watchful eyes of Jess. He had his hand on my bare back, which I knew he really liked. by Oasis, I started to walk off the floor, but Kyle held my arm. Instead of causing even a minor scene, I reluctantly gave in. He held me as close as he dared in front of all of these people and under the watchful eyes of Jess. He had his hand on my bare back, which I knew he really liked.

I wasn't prepared for the emotions that this very slow dance to this awesome song elicited. My heart pounded so fast I would be surprised if he didn't hear it. A large lump formed in my throat and I was finding it hard to breathe. It felt like any feelings I have had for him during or after that long weekend that I had buried were coming to the surface. They sat in my chest like a bomb, threatening to explode out of me into the light for everyone to see.

Not very long ago I had hated him. Now trying to deny that I cared for him was useless. Was it love? Was it infatuation? Either way, it wasn't something that could flourish from here.

When the song ended, I turned away and left the dance floor as quickly as possible. As fast as I could, I navigated out of the ballroom. I barely made it to a stall before vomiting up all of the contents of my stomach. As I flushed the toilet, I hoped I had also thrown up all of those emotions for Kyle.

I rinsed my mouth out thoroughly for a few minutes and b.u.mmed a couple of mints from an acquaintance. When I returned to the ballroom, I discovered my parents had deserted me. They wrongly a.s.sumed that I had wanted to stay longer. I had made some mention of staying late earlier, but I was angry that they had not checked with me before taking my my car. car.