Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake (A Brush with Love, #2)(64)
Lizzie received more than one funny look as they made their way around the party, but she brushed it off as people being curious about who she was in relation to Rake. She made sure to introduce herself before Rake had a chance to stumble over an identifier for her. Lizzie was doing the best she could to stay focused on the small talk, but she missed more than half of what people said or asked, the noises and action of the party sinking its claws into her attention, turning her brain this way and that.
“Lizzie,” Rake said, steering her toward an imposing older gentleman who sipped a glass of scotch as he surveyed the party, “I’d like to introduce you to my boss, Dominic. He’s responsible for getting the line to be such a success already.”
Lizzie flicked a look at Rake for his oh-so-subtle ass-kissing before fixing Dominic with a smile and reaching out her hand. “Great to meet you.”
Dominic lifted his hand to shake, his gaze snaking an appreciative path down her body, but it snagged halfway through, his eyes locking on Lizzie’s right tit.
“What the bloody hell is written on your chest?” Dominic said, his eyes flashing with a bizarre mix of horror and lewdness. Gripped by fear at the look, Lizzie clutched her boob, then looked down.
And her heart sank.
She’d been walking around this fancy party, talking to Rake’s clients and coworkers, trying to be classy and charming, with the name Sek C. Baudy written in block letters across her chest.
And Lizzie, by no uncertain terms, wanted to die of embarrassment on the spot.
“I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said, her eyes flashing between Dominic and Rake, every inch of her skin stinging with mortification as she replayed the funny looks she’d received.
“Lizzie, it’s—”
“So, so sorry,” she repeated, ripping off the tag and taking a step back.
And right as she did, she collided into the people behind her.
The crash of champagne glasses and a silver platter echoed around the party.
Lizzie was suddenly drenched in booze while hors d’oeuvres slid down her back before plopping to the ground, following the platter to its demise.
She turned, seeing two horrified servers looking down at the mess, broken glass and sea scallops covered in a green sauce littered around their feet.
“Jesus Christ,” Dominic said gruffly, making Lizzie’s body jolt in shame.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said, for what felt like the thousandth time in five minutes. She dropped down, grabbing handfuls of scallops and flinging them on the platter while trying to avoid the shards of glass. “I can’t believe—I’m sorry. What a mess. Here, I’ll—”
“It’s okay. You go get cleaned up,” Rake whispered, squatting next to her and placing a hand on her back. “I’ll get someone to take care of this.”
Lizzie nodded, squeezing her eyes shut tight against the pressure of tears and embarrassment threatening to consume her as Dominic continued to mutter about the giant fucking mess.
She stood, unable to meet Rake’s eyes, and hurried toward the bathroom.
Chapter 33
AFTER calming down the profusely apologetic servers and getting the mess taken care of, Rake turned to Dominic, preparing for his worst.
The lines of Dominic’s face were deeper than usual, his nostrils flared as he glanced around, trying to gauge the disruption’s effect as curious eyes lingered on them. Dominic existed on precision and style, and Lizzie’s mishap pressed every one of his nerves.
“I’m sorry, Dominic. She’s a touch clumsy.”
Dominic held up his hand, his voice low so no one else would hear. “Rake, you can’t bring women like that to events like this.”
Rake blinked, not understanding.
Dominic looked at Rake then sighed, his anger easing like he was about to import a life lesson to a small child. “I get it. Being young can cloud your judgment when it comes to mixing business with … pleasure,” Dominic said, shooting Rake a conspiratorial glance. “But you have to be wiser than this. You’re representing the company. The brand. Girls like her aren’t a good look for events like this.”
Rake opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Dominic clapped his hand on Rake’s shoulder in a friendly gesture, but his grip squeezed harder than necessary. “Don’t get me wrong, girls like that are always a good time,” he said in a lascivious whisper, “but leave that for your private time. And I tell you this from making similar mistakes myself when I was your age. You have a great career ahead of you, and I’d hate to see something like that … tarnished.”
Rake stared at him, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what to say.
“Glad we had this talk,” Dominic said with one more pat on Rake’s shoulder. He plastered on a grin and walked away, mingling with his clients.
Rake scrubbed a hand down his face, feeling like an absolute wanker as he played back the conversation. He hated hearing Dominic talk about Lizzie that way, but he also couldn’t challenge his boss and get fired on the spot. He doubted Dominic even meant it. He was probably as stressed and tired as the rest of the team and lashed out at the nearest target.
“Rake?”
Rake spun around to see his coworker Andrew typing away on his phone as he started to speak. “The photographers are ready to get the ‘candid,’”—Andrew paused his typing long enough to add air quotes—“shots of the models with the golden hour, but we need your approval before we start.”