I looked at the hideous piece of fur and held back my cringe. Did he really expect me to wear that thing? It wasn’t something out of the eighties, but still…it was fur. Just like that damn fur wrap. Was this what rich people wore? Who actually thought fur was fashionable anymore?
“I’ll just wear my coat.”
“Come on,” he smiled. “Your coat is fine for going somewhere casual, but it doesn’t match your dress.”
Nothing matched my dress. In fact, I was pretty sure that the only place I would feel comfortable wearing this thing was in the middle of a strip club. But I was going with Robert to a work party, so I sucked it up and put on the damn coat. The ladies left before us, leaving me standing in the hallway, waiting for Robert to finish up a last minute phone call. By the time we were downstairs, I was already forcing myself not to touch my face. It felt like my whole face itched solely because I knew I couldn’t touch it.
When we arrived at the party, I gazed up at the building, beautifully decorated for Christmas and sighed. This was not at all my scene, but the look on Robert’s face right now, the pride that shone was too much for me to tell him I didn’t want to go in. I took his hand and let him lead me into the building. A ballroom had been rented for the occasion, and everyone was dressed for the part. Beautiful women sashayed around the room, each one trying to outdo the next woman. The men all congratulated themselves on their accomplishments for the year, and snidely congratulated others for their lesser accomplishments. It was disgusting.
Robert led me around the room, introducing me to so many people that my head spun. Maybe that was the champagne. I was already on my second glass and in desperate need of much more if I would survive this night.
“Robert,” Mr. Mosley said jovially. “I see you brought your lovely lady with you. It’s good to see you, Anna.”
He held out his hand and I placed mine in his tentatively. The smarmy look on his face sent chills down my spine. My hand felt sticky in his and I quickly yanked it back, brushing it against my dress. Robert wrapped his hand around my waist, talking to Mosley about something, but I was tuning him out, trying to find the best way to exit before I threw up all over the place and embarrassed myself. This guy made me sick.
“I’m hoping to wrap up that case soon after the new year,” Robert said, his voice holding a hint of irritation.
Mosley grinned, glancing at me one more time. “Excellent. I hope you both have a wonderful time tonight. Make sure you gamble a little. The prizes are excellent this year.”
He walked away and I took a step away from Robert, needing some space. “I’m going to find the restroom.”
“It’s down that hall,” he gestured across the room. “Are you okay?”
I forced a smile. “Of course. Too much champagne.”
He eyed me curiously, but didn’t stop me as I spun and took off in the other direction. I did my best not to appear too hurried, but I was losing control fast. I shouldn’t have had so much champagne, but that wasn’t the main problem. No, the real problem was that Robert’s boss gave me the creeps and it made me sick. I spotted the ladies room and pushed inside, finding the entire bathroom empty. I shoved open the stall door and leaned back against it, doing my best to calm my nerves. I took deep breaths until my body relaxed enough that I felt like I wasn’t going to be sick.
I needed to get out of here. I would have to tell Robert that I wasn’t feeling well. I couldn’t stay here with his boss giving me the creeps. Hell, it wasn’t just his boss. I wasn’t comfortable around any of these people. I wanted to go back home where everything was simple, and the most that happened in our small town was the spreading of gossip on the town Facebook page.
I stepped out of the stall and moved to the counter, wanting to wash the makeup off my face, but knew that I would look terrible if I tried to wash it off in here. The door opened and I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to go out there again. I