Chapter Nineteen
Thesunwasshining, the birds were chirping, and I felt like shit. Alex brought Rocky home but swiftly left again and he wasn’t answering my calls. I wanted to call Chris and talk to her about it. The feeling like I was losing grip on the tight control I had of my life was terrifying me, but I promised I’d never call her unless it was urgent.
I sighed and leaned my head against the door as I stood on the front porch waiting for Jake to collect me. The car that had come down the drive a moment later was none other than a limo. Martin, the chauffeur, welcomed me with the removal of his hat as he opened the door, then drove me to Lakeland Park five miles outside the city.
There were several picnic benches covered with finger sandwiches, meats and cheese platters, mini burgers and pies, and different vegan and vegetarian options. Two others were covered with multiple bottles of champagne, different beers and wines and soft drinks. The spread looked insane, especially for a work function.
“What in the hell?” I whispered to myself since I was alone in the limo and Martin had put up the privacy screen. I turned to look out the window, taking in the sight before me. A large section of the park had been cornered off and decorated with balloons, a DJ booth and one area had a mechanical bull set up with hay bales in tow. My mouth gaped at the sight of a bouncy castle with small children bouncing for dear life and laughing their little heads off.
“Mr. Weston’s PA helps him set this up following the publication of the yearly financial results as a thank you to his team,” Martin said, as the screen rolled down, and my eyes bugged out as we came to a stop. Martin’s door opened and closed before he reached for mine and stretched out his hand.
Jake was standing with the biggest smile on his face, his hands in his dark denim jeans pockets, as he gave Martin a nod and stepped forward to help me out of the car himself. He was wearing a white Henley t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows in a casual-relaxed vibe and his dark hair was done to perfection. Couple that with his facial hair that had grown out since the last time I saw him, he looked deliciously rugged and my mouth watered as I took him in.
“Beautiful,” he purred, taking my hand and pulling me from the car. He wrapped his arm around my waist and dropped a kiss on the side of my head.
“You did all this? For everyone in the office?” I asked in disbelief, raising my hand around in a gesture towards the park.
“It’s nothing.” He downplayed with a shrug. “It’s the least I can do. Without them, my company would not continue to be a success. My father used to do something smaller, but I created this tradition. You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” He smiled, nodding once more to the driver, and moved his hand to the small of my back, taking us towards a table with three gorgeous blondes and a man with the reddest hair I’d ever seen.
“Eva, Penny, Robert, and Moira. This is Stefany, my date. Please look after her whilst I finish up with my chief scientists,” Jake said smoothly while an echo of ‘hellos’ resounded from the group following his introduction. His fingers grazed my elbow as I took a seat at the bench next to the girl I think was called Penny. Jake leaned down so his mouth was right at my ear.
“Did you do as I asked?” he whispered, dragging his fingers up my thigh, getting dangerously close to the edge of my dress. My body shivered at the contrast of his hot hands and whisper-light touches against my cold legs and I clenched my thighs together.
I shook my head no and glanced around to see if the others were watching us. Jake removed his hand, clicking his tongue in disapproval and placed a chaste kiss on the crown of my head before nodding to everyone and taking his leave to join two men over by the DJ who were deep in a conversation that looked intense.
“Hi, I’m Eva,” the first blonde with a pixie cut said, holding her hand up in a small wave. She was a petite little thing and looked barely older than twenty-two with her big hazel eyes and pouty, pink lips.
“Rob,” the ginger man said, giving me a wink and taking a sip out of his champagne glass. “That was Moira.” He thumbed up at another blonde with long beach curls falling down her back who had stood up from the table and was in the middle of cheek kissing another group of newcomers.
“And I guess that makes you Penny?” I asked the final blonde sitting next to me. She gave me a huge smile that was all teeth and grasped my hand in hers.
“Oh, honey, you are going to be the talk of the picnic!” she cried, giving my hand a squeeze that was much harder than I’d have given her credit for. I gave her a tight-lipped smile in return, pulling my hand from hers with a wince. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just so excited. Mr. Weston never brings dates to work events.”
“Never?” I asked, my eyebrows raising slightly.
“Never,” Penny emphasised, drawing her wineglass to her lips and peering over the rim. With a wink, she added, “You must be something special.”
“Shush, Pen,” Eva chided, reaching over to tap her friend’s hand in warning. “Don’t mind her, always the office gossip.”
I chuckled, but deep down I wanted Penny to keep talking and spill every piece of gossip she’d accumulated over the years of working with Jake. I felt this was an ideal opportunity to dig. You know, for the job.
Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Stevie.
“Anyone like another drink?” Penny asked, getting up quickly and downing the rest of her wine. Fair play to the girl, since she had over half a glass left when I sat down.
“White for me,” Eva replied.
“More champers, Pen, thanks,” Rob said.
“What about you, sweetie?” Penny asked, rubbing the top of my back. “You like anything?”
“I’ll have a red wine, please,” I replied and quickly looked over to see where Jake was and if I should get her to get one for him too. But the contorted frown on his face as he concentrated on whatever one of the scientists was saying made me decide to leave it. He’d get something when he was ready.
“Who are they?” I asked Eva once Penny walked off, and she followed my eye line.
“The one on the left is Alton Kingswood, the Chief Scientific Officer of Weston Pharmaceuticals,” she said, looking to the picnic table, and fighting the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth when she looked at him. Her cheeks flushed red, and she cleared her throat, embarrassed, and fluffed up the choppy ends of her short hair.
Alton was conventionally handsome; tall, muscular build, dark blonde hair leaning into the brown territory, and had one of those butt dimples on his chin. He laughed, breaking the seriousness of the conversation, and slapped an arm over Jake’s shoulder.
“And the other?”
“He’s Victor Critchley, the Qualified Person,” she said, narrowing her eyes before continuing. “He’s the one who has to give the okay before any pharmaceutical batches can be released for use,” she quickly added, sensing my confusion at his job title.
“Alton graduated top of his Master’s class in Biomedical Science, whereas Vic got a PhD in Molecular Medicine,” Rob interjected. “The three are ridiculously smart, ridiculously rich, and ridiculously handsome.”
My eyes moved over to Victor. He was slightly smaller than Alton and Jake, with inky black hair that had been pulled into a knot at the top of his head, and he had dark eyes and dark stubble to match. He even wore dark jeans paired with a navy Henley. You would not believe that man had a doctorate in science by looking at him. I snorted, taking in his image, and quickly excused myself as Rob and Eva shot me puzzled looks.
“What is it you all do?” I asked, reaching for the glass of wine Penny had finally brought back as she rejoined our group.
“We are in HR,” Penny beamed, handing the others their drinks and swinging her legs over the wooden bench at our table.
“No wonder you love gossip then, Penny,” I said, and she laughed, nodding enthusiastically. She was sweet, and with every sip, or gulp, she took of her drink, she was getting more and more loose-lipped.