My shoulders sag. While the idea of seeing Kenzie again is appealing, poring over the details of the company holiday party I don’t even want to attend does not.
“Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.”
Darla nods and retreats to her desk.
I haven’t really spoken to Kenzie much since last Friday night when we were at the Rockettes. We’ve texted a few times regarding her task of calling what felt like every caterer in the city to see if they had availability for December 17th, but that’s it. No mention of last Friday night, no mention of setting up our next get-together in her effort to make me like Christmas. I shouldn’t be so eager to find out what she’ll have us do next.
Maybe she needed a little distance in the same way I did. I know it wasn’t a date, but tell that to my libido. I’ve had Kenzie on the brain ever since.
The way her eyes sparkled as she watched the show, the youthful energy pouring out of her when she talked about coming to see them every year… the way her hair drapes over her breasts when she leaves it down and the way her tongue pokes out of her mouth a tiny bit when we’re in close proximity like she either wants to lick them or draw in another breath.
I’ve never had a problem concentrating at work before, but all week my mind has floated to thoughts of her like a raft stuck in a current, unable to control the direction.
It’s irritating as fuck.
Especially because of who it is. I mean, Kenzie and I could not be more different or ill-suited for one another, not to mention the issue of her being the baby sister of my best mate.
I stand from my desk and grab my suit jacket off the hook near the door, then make my way to the boardroom. When I arrive, Bethaney and Kenzie are seated in the same places as before and both turn in my direction.
“Hi, Andrew. Thanks for joining us.” Bethaney smiles at me like a dog waiting for a treat from its master.
“No problem.” I manage to keep the irritation from my voice. Once I’ve taken a seat across from her, I glance at Kenzie and nod in way of greeting.
I am wholly unprepared for the sight of her. She’s seated, but I can see that she’s wearing red, and it matches the exact shade of her lipstick. The arresting color makes her hair seem even more blonde than normal and makes her already blue eyes look the exact color of the sky on a clear day.
She smiles and gets started with the meeting, tackling her list of priorities and doing her best to put Bethaney in her place with her outrageous ideas, but in a way that seems to do good rather than harm.
Bethaney asks for my input a few times, but I manage to defer back to them without her picking up that I really could not care less. All I can think about is how I’ll be working later than normal tonight because of my time spent in this meeting.
“Now, the food. Andrew was kind enough to call around to a list of caterers I’ve used before and can vouch for them being able to do the job and no one has any availability this close to the date, so I’d like to make a proposition.” Kenzie looks at Bethaney with a hopeful expression, but her face falls like a toddler’s whose mum just told her she can’t have any cake.
“That’s the worst.”
“Well, I think I might have a solution. I know you weren’t thrilled with the regular offerings at the event space, but I spoke to the St. Regis and since we’re at a crossroads with Bethaney’s menu to what St. Regis offers, they’re willing to let you have some outside vendors come in and set up to serve during the party. So rather than having a sit-down formal dinner, the theme would be ‘Take a stroll down Main Street.’” Kenzie pulls out some rough sketches she’s done of the event space with her idea integrated in, and I watch as she pitches the idea to Bethaney, who seems to relax the more Kenzie talks.
It’s quite something to watch. Kenzie clearly has a passion for her work. It’s not like I thought she couldn’t put two brain cells together, but seeing her in her element showcases what an intelligent and capable woman she is. Sadly, it’s a fucking turn-on.
As if I needed another reason to want this woman.
“If you’re on board with the idea,” Kenzie continues, “this means we’d have to push the party start time by an hour and a half to make it clear this is a cocktail party and not a formal sit-down dinner, but with the money we’d save, we can get some holiday-themed ice sculptures done as the centerpiece for each table.”
“You’re a genius, Kenzie! I love it!” Bethaney’s outburst takes the two of us by surprise and Kenzie actually startles in her chair. Bethaney claps like that monkey with the cymbals.
The smile her comment puts on Kenzie’s face brings a warm feeling to my chest.
“Do you think everyone will like it, Andrew?” Bethaney looks at me, waiting for a response.
“Absolutely, I think it will be the best holiday party the firm has had.”
Bethaney grins, and I resist the urge to wipe my lips from having them on her ass.
“Perfect,” Kenzie says. “I’ll get to work on securing all the vendors and making the arrangements with the hotel. Next week, we’ll need to meet to finalize the rest of the decor.”
“Can’t wait. Now we’re getting to all the pretty details.” Bethaney swings her gaze in my direction. “I’d love your input on that, Andrew. I know you’ve been to all the other firm’s parties and I want this to be the best one yet.”
I have been to all the firm’s holiday parties since I’ve been here, but if there was a gun to my temple, I couldn’t tell you what the decor looked like at any of them.
This is not what I say though. “Happy to help.”