“Is everything okay, Mr. Roarke?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve seen you naked. It seems to me we can use first names.”
“I’m working,” she said, pursing her lips like my mother did when she didn’t like my attitude.
“You can still call me Devin,” I said. I waited for her to give me permission to call her Serena, but she didn’t. I sighed. “Why are you pissed at me? I didn’t do anything.”
She sighed. “I’m not pissed. I’m working. I have a lot to do before tonight.”
“Right,” I said, now feeling bad for hassling her. I realized that this wasn’t the right moment to hire her for my parents’ anniversary party. “By the way, I plan to be here tonight.”
She stiffened. “You don’t think we can do the job?”
“I have no reason to think you can’t. I’m not doing it to check on you. I’m doing it because I’ve got to get resettled into the business here in New York, and this is one way to do it. To see how the Roarke does at holding events.”
“Oh, right.” She relaxed some. “Sorry.”
I studied her. “I really wish I understood why you’re acting this way toward me.”
“Like I said, I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Then I’ll let you do it. I’ll see you tonight.” I smiled, hoping it would relax her more, but she was already off talking to her staff.
I watched for a second longer, confused as to why I cared so much that she was resistant to me and wondering if I could change her mind.
5 Serena
I didn’t like being such a bitch to Devin, but I couldn’t let his charm and sexy smile seduce me. There was too much at stake, and this time it wasn’t my heart. It was Andrew’s. Yes, that made me a bitch too, but for all his attention now, he didn’t have any to give over the last five years. And his mother was clear on how little she valued me or my child.
Once I knew everything was set for the event at the Roarke that night, I headed back to the office and changed into my plain little black dress and fake crystal earrings. I needed to look nice, and at the same time I needed to blend in, because my role at the Gallagher party was simply to make sure everything was running smoothly.
I showed up at the same time as Nikita and slyly looked to see if Devin was there as we made our way across the restaurant to the room holding the party.
“Looking for Mr. Roarke?” Nikita asked.
“What? No.”
She smirked. “I can’t blame you. He’s rich and handsome. And rumor has it he’s going to take the Roarke business into the twenty-first century.”
“I don’t need rich or handsome.”
She pursed her lips at me. “What do you have against men? I know you must like them because you have a son. Was baby daddy so bad that you never want to have sex again?”
“I don’t mind sex.” Of course, I barely remembered it since I’d been too busy raising a son to have it since Devin. “But I don’t need the hassle of a relationship.”
She tsked at me. “You’re far too young to be so pessimistic about love.”
I shrugged, and looked around for something I could refocus her attention on. “Is that where you wanted the flowers?”
She looked to where I pointed. “Not quite. I’ll deal with that. Can you check that the heaters are on out on the terrace?”
Happy to be doing something other than discussing Devin or the lack of a man in my life, I set off to work.
The event went exactly as Nikita and I had planned it, which was why I enjoyed being mentored by her. She had an ability to anticipate problems and fix them before they started.
By the end of the evening, I was exhausted and my feet hurt from wearing heels, but it was a good kind of tired one got from a job well done.
I was finishing up the end-of-event checklist when Nikita approached me. “We’re done here. I just need you to check in with Mr. Roarke.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why?”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. You need to be careful about showing your disdain for him. He’s well-connected and if you want to move up, you’ll need to at least pretend you like him.”
I huffed out a breath. “I don’t dislike him.”
“Good.” She handed me a folder. “Here is the paperwork, including the bill owed to the Roarke. You know the drill.”
I nodded as I took the folder. “Why me?”
“One, you know him. It’s good for the company to work those connections. Two, you want to move up in the company, right? Your acquaintance with him can help you do that. I’m looking out for you, Rena, even if you’re not.”
I felt like a bratty teenager. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She walked off leaving me alone in the event space.
I finished my work, psyching myself up to talk to Devin as the professional event planner that I was.
“Ms. Moore, Mr. Roarke is in the lounge when you’re ready to settle,” a staff woman told me.
“Thank you.” When I’d checked and double-checked that we were leaving things the way we found them, I headed out toward the bar and into the lounge area. It was late, so the restaurant was empty. A handful of people sat at the bar. I didn’t see anyone but Devin in the lounge.
He sat in a leather wing-back chair overlooking the Manhattan skyline with an amber drink in his hand.
He stood when he saw me. “Can I get you a drink?”
I shook my head. “No. Thank you.”
He motioned for me to sit in the chair next to his. “The event went well.”
“It did, yes.” I pulled the paperwork from the folder and handed it to him. “The payment info is there.”
He glanced at it and set it on the table between us. “I have another job I
