Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(64)

Sean looked down at her, concern evaporating at the look on her face. “You should have been an actor. They are looking because you are stunning, you are confident, and you are an anomaly.”

“And what we don’t understand, we fear.”

“Or kill. I am here to prevent the killing. Which is also why I have to be the Sean McAdams they expect tonight. Why I haven’t been by your side until now. I need to make you look good. Good cop, bad cop. Only, good girl, womanizing guy, might be more appropriate. It’s what older men expect of a young buck, and value in a young girl.” He shrugged.

“Life is a chess board, huh? And I am forever a pawn?” Sean’s head snapped to her, surprise and understanding taking turns flitting across this face.

He was about to say she wasn’t when she said, “Do me a favor, Sean?”

Krista stopped him before they crossed the last open seating area before getting to the bar and people.

“Anything,” he said seriously.

“Be discreet tonight, okay? I don’t want to hear about your conquests.”

Krista couldn’t see the misery warring on Sean’s face. She was strutting away, raising eyebrows with her confidence. Which was all well and good—upper hand and all-—but now she needed a friend to head toward, and those were few and far between.

She spied Blake standing by the bar, opening his body for her to head directly into it. Yeah right, like that was going to happen. Marcus was down the bar a few people, but when she made eye contact with him, since he was looking at her just like everyone else, he slightly shook his head ‘no.’ Janice wasn’t in sight. She was on her own again.

At least she was used to it.

Krista chose a hole in the spectators at the bar, made bigger by her proximity, and motioned for the bartender, who started to walk over immediately. It was then she heard her name.

Georgie was standing with Donald and some other guy away from the bar in a cluster. When she questioningly met his eyes, he waved her over. She was so relieved, she could have cried. In answer, she put a finger up to indicate she needed a minute, got a drink from an overanxious bartender, and joined them. Hopefully, she looked nonchalant the whole time.

“Hey guys!” She beamed.

Georgie blinked a couple times and stammered a hello. Donald tilted his head in greeting, as did the other guy.

Krista rolled her eyes. “It’s just a vagina, guys, it’s not that scary.”

They all three started laughing.

“Just not used to a career equal wearing a skirt,” Georgie said. “No offense.”

“That you know of,” Krista replied, looking around them. Sean was standing with Ron and the young admin from New York. She was cute and bubbly and, therefore, irritating.

“Krista, this is Mark,” Donald said, pointing out the guy next to him.

Mark had glasses, thinning hair, and a faded red shirt. She’d called him Comb-Over and shot him with a paintball in the back.

“Hey Mark. The rumors aren’t all true. Also, sorry about the paintball in the back,” Krista said, sticking out her hand to shake.

He smiled. His teeth were super white and perfectly straight. They looked like caps. They probably cost a fortune. Must be nice to be paid what you’re worth…

“I was surprised to see you in the dunk tank. Everyone else was a VP,” he said jovially.

“Yeah, why is that?” She asked.

“Because it is the worst place to be, so they take it upon themselves to endure it,” Mark explained.

Donald looked at him with that furrowed brow that said he didn’t understand. No compute. Georgie gave a grunt and a smirk. He wasn’t buying it either. They were too polite to say anything.

Krista wasn’t. “That’s a load of crap. It is probably a long standing tradition. Probably a couple VPs did it because they were the only ones man enough, and the rest thought they should do it, too, so they didn’t look like cowards. That’s what I’d bet.”

“Ron started it the year after he became VP,” Perry said as he walked up.

“Perry. Good to see you! Sad to see the ‘stach still intact,” Krista joked, making room.

He chuckled, his belly rolling. “I came to say hi and heard what you were saying. Slow mover, you know.”

“Aren’t we all, Perry. Aren’t we all. Especially after a night of drinking.” Krista looked down at the dredges of her mojito. She should slow down. Should being the operative word.

“What are you talking about? I saw you on that paintball court.” Perry turned to the other guys. “This girl and McAdams were sprinting around, gunning people down. Saw it with my own eyes.”

“Oh now, Perry. I was just saying all the rumors they heard weren’t true. If they think I am a female homicidal maniac, they might get a lynching party together.”

“Well anyway,” Perry continued, not to be deterred. “Ron was newly VP and they were trying to figure out who would do the tank. No one wanted to, obviously. The person that did it was always the least useful. So, Ron did it. Year after year he did it. Then everyone just followed suit.”

“Until I decided I was the least useful and broke the tradition.”

Suddenly Krista felt really, really bad for Sean. He would be seen as the VP who sacrificed his employee to win. Now he was off being a playboy. All because of her. She was ruining his reputation so he could save hers. How was that fair?