“With the exception I wanted to set Ensley on the table and have my way with her, everything went great.”
“Didn’t know you were into public sex.” Damien laughs at his statement. I’m not, but at this point, I might be if it means I can be with Ensley.
“Definitely not something I’d be into, especially with Ensley. I wouldn’t want any other guys looking at her.”
“I’m curious, how do you know she doesn’t have a boyfriend?”
“We slept together last month,” I point out.
Damien shrugs. “Doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one now. You could be doing all of this for nothing.”
I stare at my friend and business partner. Part of me wants to punch him in his smug face for saying that, while the other half of me refuses to believe Ensley has a boyfriend.
“Shut up,” I say as childishly as possible. Standing, I say, “I’m going to my office to put the tickets online.”
“How much are we charging are employees to go?”
His question gives me pause. For every major gala or event I have been to, the employees buy tickets to attend, which seems to be normal practice. But on the other hand, the reason for the party is so I can get into the party planner's pants because I’m too chicken to ask her out and come clean about our one-night stand.
I stand near the door for a moment and think about what I’m going to do. “Our single employees get a free ticket, it’s only fair,” I tell him. “Non-employees will pay.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Just make sure you tell Ensley.”
“Why?” I ask.
Damien shrugs. “Because it’s an excuse for you to call her. Hell, at this point, I think you should make up a bunch of blunders just to get her to go to lunch with you again.”
“I’m sure she’s busy, Damien.”
“You’re right. It would be best if you just install a GPS tracker in her purse, so you know where she is at all times.” He laughs as I flip him off.
On my way to my office, I scroll through my phone, looking at Ensley’s website. She and her partner, Jordan, have a series of pictures of themselves at various events, but sadly there aren’t any pictures from the ball where I met her. I wish there were because I’d give anything to see her in that green dress of hers again. I’m going to have to request she wear it to bed, once I tell her who I am.
As soon as I sit down at my desk, inspiration hits me. I decide to send Ensley an email. I don’t want to call her if she’s busy, but an email can be professional, and at the end of the day, despite my actions now, I’m a businessman running an empire. One I won’t jeopardize with my bedroom antics.It’s been two weeks since Ensley and I had lunch, and it’s the longest fourteen days of my life. I never knew I could miss someone I barely know, but this is the case when it comes to her. I never realized that party planning was such a demanding job. A few times, Ensley and I had plans to meet up for lunch or a cocktail, mostly because I acted like I didn’t know what I was doing, and she took care of my worries via email with a quick phone call. I tried not to take her brush off personally, but I’m carrying around a bruised ego.
There’s a happy vibe going around the office. Most of the people who work for us are young, single, and freshly out of college, so tonight will be a lot of fun. The only issue is my nerves. I’ve asked Ensley a few times what she plans to go as, and at one point, she mentioned she wasn’t sure she’d be able to attend because of a family situation. My heart about sank when she told me. I think I paced in front of my office window so much; there’s a permanent indent on my floor.
However, she put me at ease when she emailed the final headcount and told me she had secured her costume. Although, in my mind, I wondered what costume because I was planning to go as James Bond and just put a mask over my eyes, hoping she’ll recognize me from last time. I mean, it makes sense she’s wearing a costume, but all I can think about is one of those plastic things we wore as children, with the face mask meant to suffocate us on Halloween night.
On the floor where mine and Damien’s offices are, it’s decorated to the max with Halloween décor. The staff really went out of their way to bring a lot of liveliness to their workstations. Black and orange cover every part of the walls, cubicles, and windows, and someone has spooky music playing.