Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(83)

He did comment on Bob being absent, however. Krista filled him in on the way back to her room. He had looked at her knowingly, but didn’t comment. He knew it was coming—apparently everyone did—and his reaction was no surprise.

When Krista got back to her room, she had a good cry. It was an emotionally draining day on top of an emotionally draining weekend. She was making progress, it was true, but it was just so much work. She felt like she was walking the proverbial uphill slope in the snow. And while her team was starting to warm toward her, which was a huge plus, the rest of the managers weren’t. She had a tiny group of supporters in a large crowd. It was draining.

So with the help of a pep-talk over the phone from a riled up Kate, who hated her in any sort of turmoil, she decided to put on her chic, sexy dress and just be Krista. She wasn’t putting her differences in their faces, but she was no longer holding back, either. She didn’t have an angle and she wasn’t hiding—she was coming right at them in normal Krista style.

It was the awards night, and they would hear who won and who placed for the weekend’s events. There were team trophies and individual trophies. Krista didn’t realize about the individual ones, and was glad for it. She didn’t need any more pressure.

Janice came, showered, got chastised by Marcus for her outfit, ignored him, and went. Sean came by to talk to Janice, but when she was leaving, he had no excuse to stay. He gave a farewell to Krista and said he’d see her later.

Speaking of Marcus, he was all for her wearing the dress she chose. It was a black tie affair. Everyone would be in their best. The men in tuxes, the women in evening gowns. Krista’s dress was long, down to her ankles, but there was a slit up one side to her mid-thigh. It was a strapless number, and her bra boosted her boobs up and out. It was a shimmery blue color shifting material. It was unique, expensive looking, and set off her coloring perfectly.

Krista did wavy hair, a soft eye and red lips. Her necklace fell to the tip of her cle**age in most places, but in the middle it toppled on in. The eye helplessly followed and got lost in boob. She had four inch, silver strappy heels that Marcus delighted over, and that made the outfit.

Fifteen minutes after the cocktail hour started, Krista left her room and headed down. She didn’t see anyone on the way to the elevator and she didn’t see anyone in the lobby. She would be surprised how people took in her appearance.

Krista walked into the big open area in a strut. That was another thing Kate said. Walk the walk, honey, strut your stuff into their f**king midst—Kate was on fire with the f-bombs in the pep-talk. You’re a woman, baby, make sure they know it! Girl power!

As Krista neared the bar, she started seeing people glance her way. All of them did a double take and stared hard. Krista kept coming, not faltering in her step. More and more people looked. Now people were talking, and you bet it was because of her. The girls all wore scowls. Krista smiled. She kept coming. No faltering, no slowing down.

When she was in clear view, there were very few heads that weren’t turned in the woman manager’s direction. She was bee-lining for the bar, not bothering to look for a friend, not bothering to worry about anything.

~*~*~*~

Sean, standing with Ron, noticed the people around him go quiet. The hush filled the bar. In confusion, Sean and Ron both followed their gazes until he could just see her, walking toward the bar. Sean stopped breathing.

She was a vision. She was confident and proud and not holding back. She was like a warrior princess marching into battle. She was so beautiful, Sean nearly scrubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

“She feels like she’s got something to prove,” Ron said beside him. Unlike Sean, and most the other managers around them, Ron wasn’t looking at Krista. He wasn’t watching her progression. Instead, he was watching reactions.

He went on with, “She’s shown everyone she can do a man’s job, and now she proves that she is undoubtedly a woman. She’s making us all eat it. Smart.”

“She isn’t doing a man’s job. She is doing a job, period. It doesn’t take a man specifically to crunch numbers and manage people.”

“And now we know,” Ron said with a smirk. “Which I don’t think most of these men did before this weekend.”

Sean huffed and shook his head, unable to stop watching Krista. He wanted to go to her. He wanted to make sure she didn’t have to continue her plight on her own. And he nearly did, but before Krista reached the bar, someone called her name. It was another woman.

Emily stepped forward out of the crowd with a warm greeting and a smile.

“Oh my God, I didn’t know you were here!” Krista exclaimed, giving her a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

“Girl, look at you!” Emily said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I think you found the only way to shut these men up!” Emily laughed as she looked around her. Everyone took that as a cue to quit staring. It was widely known that Emily was not one to trifle with. She had no power professionally, but she had plenty where Tory was concerned. Now everyone knew Krista was on friendly terms with her. It only worked in Krista’s favor.

“All these men are looking at Krista in awe and fear. A couple with lust, of course,” Ron went on, looking at Sean.

The last sentence had Sean looking back. Ron was smiling in a knowing way.

“I talked to her, did she tell you?” Ron continued.