I caught the eye of the bartender, raised my almost empty glass and gave him a smile and wink. He saluted, and proceeded to make me another drink. It was the unspoken arrangement we’d had all night. I guess I could have gone over there myself, but I paid for this party, and he’d get a generous tip at the end of the night. Besides, I didn’t want anyone to mistake my thirst for a willingness to mingle.
I gazed out over the crowd, mostly made up of my employees and their partners, but spotted a few reporters and bloggers in the crowd, as well. I tried to keep my face in a calm but happy mask as my date, sitting beside me, tried his best to rile me up.
Jack had his arm draped over the back of my chair so his hand brushed my long hair, which tumbled down my bare back. He had been warned that he needed to act like a perfect gentleman tonight, and he had obliged, but just barely. I didn’t object to his advances per say; we had been on several dates in the past few months and I liked him a lot, but all we’d done is made out a little. A young, female CEO of a multinational company that found itself under the scrutiny of the news media, especially the entertainment page, had to hold herself to a bit of a standard, and slutting around with her employees is not a good look.