“Shit. Maybe I should have worn black,” Maggie said, watching the crowd and seeing that most of the women were wearing variations on the little black dress.
“Are you kidding me, honey, you stand out like a beacon of light in this sad fashion show,” Ben reassured her. “Look who has spotted you now, girlfriend.”
Maggie followed his gaze and saw Michael working his way toward them through the crowd. She gasped as her stomach did a little flutter. Michael was stunning in his charcoal grey suit, crisp white shirt, black silk tie, and white pocket square. He was grinning rakishly as he strode up to them. Ben squared his jaw and slipped a hand around Maggie’s waist.
“Hey, Mags, glad you’re here,” Michael said, still smiling but his eyes were on Ben.
“Hi Michael,” Maggie said sheepishly. “Sorry we’re late. We took the train from Grand Central. This is Ben.”
The two men shook hands. “You’re right on time, we were just heading to our table.” Michael led them toward the tent. At the table two couples and a woman were already seated.
Michael introduced everyone. “Mags, you know Jimbo and Murph. This is Jim’s wife Pam,” Maggie said hello and shook hands, “and this is Brian’s wife Renee. This,” he continued, indicating the beautiful young blonde wearing a skimpy black strapless dress, “is Jana.” She gave a half-hearted smile that came off as more of a smirk. “Everyone this is Maggie Flynn and her date Ben...”
Brian and Jim stood to greet Maggie, eyes wide and mouths open in surprise. Could this be the same Maggie they’d interviewed in the conference room a few months back?
“This is Ben Kauffman,” Maggie added. “Again, sorry we’re late.”
Brian told them that they hadn’t missed much. The concert didn’t start until about nine o’clock. The silent auction items were on display in the tent adjacent to the dinner tent. A server appeared to pour their wine and take their orders for entrees. Maggie ordered the salmon while Ben requested the New York strip medium rare.
Over dinner, conversation naturally turned to work. “Maggie, how are you liking working for Michael?” Renee asked.
Maggie glanced at Michael who was watching her curiously. “Oh, I hate it. He’s such a hard ass!” There was a brief shocked silence before the table erupted in laughter. Maggie grinned. “Seriously, it’s been great. I’m just ready to get into a court room.” She looked meaningfully at Michael.
Michael sipped his wine. “We’re going to get Maggie into court next week.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
Michael nodded. “Yup, it’s time. Probably would have done it sooner but I haven’t wanted to deal with Hemphill and Standifer.”
“What about John and Ellen?” Pam asked.
Michael glanced at Maggie. “Well, they haven’t been especially welcoming to our newest team member.”
All eyes turned to Maggie who blushed bright pink. “Oh, they’re alright.”
“They’re not alright, they go out of their way to make your job difficult,” Michael said. “It’s just that Maggie doesn’t complain.”
Maggie felt herself blush again and she silently begged for the conversation to take a different direction.
“Hey Michael, do you remember that kid we hired out of, where was it, Stanford?” Jim asked.
Michael threw back his head and laughed loudly. “Holy shit, I forgot about Stanford.” He grinned and looked around the table. “So we hired this guy, he came with all the best recommendations, right?”
As Michael continued the story, Maggie glanced at Ben, who was consuming his fourth glass of wine, she’d been counting. “You might want to take it easy there, chief,” she said lightly.
Ben shook his head. “I just miss him,” he said sadly.
Oh, shit! Maggie thought. She tuned back in to what Michael was saying. “And we caught him smoking weed behind the stacks in the library.” She laughed in spite of herself.
“You didn’t! What did you do?” she asked.
“Well, we fired him,” Brian said. “But not before we confiscated the weed.” Everyone at the table laughed. Everyone except Ben who was working on a serious drunk, and Jana, who’d also been drinking heavily and now simply looked bored.
Dinner plates were cleared and dessert was served, a sampling of several small items like tiramisu, macarons, white chocolate mousse, and chocolate cake. As the table oohed and ahhed over the treats, Maggie noticed for the first time the music playing in the background. After the dj cued up the next song, she heard a familiar punk riff. “Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go, I wanna be sedated...”
She immediately looked up at Michael and they grinned at each other. “I love this song,” she exclaimed.
Jana rolled her eyes. “I hate this song, it sucks.”
Michael gently took her elbow and stood. “Let’s go for a walk,” he told her quietly. “If you folks will excuse us for a moment, I think we’ll check out the silent auction.”
Maggie smirked at Michael, recalling what she’d said about anyone who didn’t like the Ramones. Michael gave an exaggerated eye roll as he steered Jana away from the table.
Chapter 18
Michael excused himself and stepped away from the table for a few moments to get away from Jana and her incessant yammering. He generally tried to match his dates with the appropriate outings. This event had Veronica written all over it and he’d tried her first but she’d been unavailable. Bringing Jana to a fundraiser featuring classic rock music had been a mistake. The twenty-two year old had dropped out of school at the age of fifteen to pursue a career in modeling. She’d spent a few years in Paris but had never bothered to learn French. She was undeniably hot, a trait required for her current job as a swimsuit model, and she was always a fun fuck, but she was too young to appreciate the evening.
He wandered toward the house in a vague effort to give credence to his intention of finding the restroom, but he was scanning the crowd. Where is she? he wondered. He knew Maggie was coming. And bringing a date. He wondered why that fact irritated him, but it did.
He stopped scanning when he glimpsed her bright red hair illuminated by the angle of the setting sun. A smile crept across his face. She was so easy to spot in a crowd. He began moving in her direction as he watched her and a young man in a dark suit take glasses of wine from a passing waiter’s tray, chatting as they did so. The guy saw Michael first and pointed him out to Maggie. Her face lit up in a smile. He’d been so focused on her hair he hadn’t noticed her dress until he was closer. Holy shit, he thought. Maggie was stunning in a low-cut green dress that fit her like a glove. He’d never paid much attention to her tits before; now it was all he could do to tear his gaze away from them and meet her eyes. As he approached them, her date protectively put his arm around her waist. If she were with me, I’d do the same thing too, pal, Michael thought.
“Hey, Mags, glad you made it,” he managed, taking stock of her date for the first time. He was about six feet tall with the kind of wavy brown hair women go crazy for, and clear blue eyes the color of the Caribbean. He was neatly dressed in a dark slim fit suit with a blue shirt and tie. Maggie introduced him as Ben and the two shook hands before Michael led them to their table.
Once there he introduced them to Jimbo’s and Murph’s wives, and of course, to Jana who was already slightly drunk and behaving like a brat. I’m going to have to put Jana on the ‘last resort’ list, he realized. In contrast, Maggie was smart and funny and as dinner progressed, he saw that Maggie fit in well with the others at the table; he even enjoyed when she busted his balls on occasion. Visually she was so bright and colorful that next to her, the wives in their chic black dresses looked like pale moths in comparison.
By the time dessert was served, Jana was sloppy drunk, as was Maggie’s date Ben, who seemed considerably less imposing with each glass of wine he consumed. Michael had seen her speaking quietly to him and wondered if she’d asked him to slow down. He knew better than to try to moderate Jana here at
the table; she’d pitch a fit in front of everyone.
Looking across at Maggie, he saw that she was fixed on him and grinning broadly. At first he didn’t know why, but then he heard it. The Ramones. The memory of her black t-shirt flashed through his mind and his eyes were drawn to her tits again, this time envisioning the band’s logo where it had been. He grinned back at her.
“I love this song,” she said.
“I hate this song, it sucks,” Jana slurred.
Maggie gave him a smirk, her green eyes sparkling. He knew exactly what she was thinking. “I don’t think I could be friends with someone who doesn’t like the Ramones,” she’d said the other day in the office. He gave her a knowing look. It pleased him to share a private moment with her.
He was not pleased with Jana. He stood and gently took her elbow. “Let’s go for a walk,” he told her quietly. “If you folks will excuse us for a moment, I think we’ll check out the silent auction.”
The others at the table sat in stunned silence for a moment watching Michael guide the young woman towards the auction tent. Finally Pam broke the silence. “That Jana is quite something, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but what?” Ben quipped, and the table dissolved into laughter.
An announcement was made that the concert would begin in a few minutes. The Murphys and the Methenys rose to head over toward the stage that had been erected on the back veranda of the home. “Maggie, do you two want to join us?” Renee asked.
Maggie looked to Ben then smiled at Renee. “I think we’ll stay here for a while, thanks. Toss a bra onto the stage for me,” she joked. The four laughed as they walked away from the table.
Ben looked sheepish. “You don’t have to stay with me, Flynn. I’m clappy as a ham right here with my wine.” He laughed. “I mean... You know what I mean.” He smiled warmly. “Go find him.”
Maggie kissed his cheek and left him at the table, making her way towards the silent auction tent. She hadn’t really thought about the items that would be up for auction so as she began to read the descriptions she was astounded. Tickets for a European cruise, a week in Aspen, a Rolex watch, a membership to a country club? Holy shit, she shook her head.
She heard a low voice in her right ear and felt the prickle as goose bumps rose on her arms. “What are you bidding on?”
Maggie turned to face Michael. “Nothing,” she answered. “It’s too rich for my blood.” She looked around for Jana but he seemed to be alone.
“I put Jana in the car and sent her home,” he responded to her unasked question.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Oh,” she said. “So what are you bidding on?”
He shrugged. “Well, I bid on some golf clubs, but I’m not sure I’ll get them.”
“Do you golf?” she asked.
“Only when I have to,” he laughed. “Some guys only do business on the golf course.”
They began to walk away from the auction tent towards the waterfront, David Lee Roth wailing in the background. Maggie found that a couple of glasses of wine made her feel bold. “It’s a shame your girlfriend had to leave.”
Michael gave a low laugh. “Mags, you and I both know she’s not my girlfriend. She was just my date tonight. It seems I chose poorly. Jana and this event were not a good match.”
Maggie frowned. “Let me get this straight. You match up girls with events?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” he answered. “Mind you, Jana was not my first choice tonight. She’s too young to really enjoy this kind of thing.”
“How old is she?”
“She just turned twenty-two.”
“That’s only three years younger than me,” Maggie said.
“But you’re smart and educated,” he reasoned. “She’s a swimsuit model.”
“Which explains her appeal,” Maggie gibed.
Michael laughed easily. “So what’s up with your boyfriend,” he countered.
She looked up at him wryly. “Ben is my good friend. He just went through a bad break-up. I was hoping a night out would be good for him.” Raising her eyebrows, she said, “He has a mad crush on you, by the way.”
He chuckled. “I’m flattered.”
“No you’re not,” Maggie laughed.
“I don’t know, Mags, when I first walked up he looked pretty possessive. The way I’d be with a beautiful woman on my arm,” he said looking into her eyes.
She blushed furiously and decided to ignore the compliment. “He was trying to wow you with his impression of a heterosexual guy,” she laughed lightly.
“Is that right?” he asked, his expression inscrutable. Michael placed his hand on the small of her back. “It sounds like the concert is ending. Maybe we should go back to the table and check on your friend.”
Chapter 19
With the concert over, the dj was back in position and guests were taking advantage of the dance floor situated at the opposite end of the dinner tent from Michael’s table. Michael and Maggie dodged enthusiastic dancers as they headed back to check on Ben.
White candles on the tables and white paper lanterns hung along the sides of the tent washed the scene in soft light. Nearby trees had been strung with tiny sparkling lights and with nightfall the place took on the appearance of a fairyland.
Ben was asleep with his head on the table when Michael and Maggie returned. The Murphys and the Methenys arrived at the table just behind them and their return caused Ben to stir slightly.
“Did you see Diamond Dave?” Pam gushed excitedly. “He’s still so hot!”
“I didn’t see him but I heard him. He sounds great,” Maggie commented.
“Michael, we’re going to be heading out. We still have to get back to the city and pay the babysitters while we can still afford it,” Brian laughed and he moved around the table to shake Michael’s hand. Pam and Renee gathered their purses and wraps.
“Did you guys share a car?” Michael asked. “I didn’t realize. Well, hey, I’m glad you made it out tonight. We should go out together more often.” He shook Jim’s hand and pecked Pam and Renee on the cheeks.
“Maggie, it was lovely meeting you,” Renee said. “We’ll all get together for lunch or something.”
“That sounds great. It was nice meeting you as well. Safe travels,” Maggie said. They stood and watched the foursome leave.
Maggie looked down at Ben, who was still asleep. “I’m so sorry, Michael. I never dreamed he’d be like this.”
Michael waved off the apology. “Never apologize for someone else. At least he’s quiet.” They both laughed lightly.
“I should probably try to get him moving so we can go,” Maggie said. “Ben, wake up. Come on, seriously, we should be going.”
Michael watched her attempt to wake the sleeping Ben. As she leaned forward over the table her tits came precariously close to spilling out of the deep v neckline and Michael was mesmerized, feeling himself become aroused.
“Hey Mags, let him sleep. I’m stuck waiting here until my car returns. Let’s hang out and you two can ride back with me. Besides, they’re supposed to have fireworks in about an hour.”
“Really?” Maggie gave a relieved smile. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get him home on the train. I sort of pictured tossing him over my shoulder firefighter style.”
They both laughed as Michael removed his jacket and loosened his tie, placing the jacket on the back of the chair beside him. He flagged down a waiter and quietly said something Maggie didn’t catch. The waiter nodded. “I’ll be right back, sir.”
Michael motioned to a chair beside him. “Come, relax.” As Maggie moved to Michael’s side of the table, the waiter returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He opened the wine and offered it to Michael.
“That’s fine, thanks, I’ll take it from here,” he said, handing the man a generous tip. Michael poured as Maggie sat beside him, their chairs facing each other.
She leaned an elbow on the table. “That’s some service,” she commented.
; He shrugged. “You just have to ask nicely,” he said. “Too many people behave like assholes. Everybody likes to be treated with courtesy.”
They sipped without speaking for a while, enjoying the music from the other end of the tent. Maggie spoke up. “The Murphys and the Methenys were very charming. I liked Pam and Renee.”
Michael nodded. “Yeah, they’re good people. Although the girls looked like bored house fraus out for a night on the town.”
Maggie let out a surprised laugh and playfully slapped his arm. “They did not, they were lovely!”
“Just calling them like I see them,” Michael chuckled.
“Well I thought they were sweet. And it’s sweet they had to get home to their kids. They’re such nice families.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me. Mary Margaret Flynn aspires to be a member of the Dowdy House Frau Club. Ah, yes, the white picket fence, the 2.3 kids, the cocker spaniel. You’d give up your career and move to the suburbs?”
Maggie blinked and spluttered, “The what? I don’t...I mean you can’t just...”
He laughed heartily. “Okay, Mags, don’t blow a gasket. I’m just pulling your chain.”
“I’m not talking about giving up my career or moving. People raise families in the city. They do it all the time. Don’t you want all that? You know, a home, a wife, kids. I mean, sometime, not now. But seriously, Michael. You mock all that like it’s pointless.”
He shook his head gravely. “No. I absolutely do not want that. I like my life just as it is. I come and go as I please. I spend my money as I please. If I want to go out, I do. Otherwise I stay in alone.”
She regarded him seriously. “But you don’t want to grow old alone. Don’t you want someone to be there for you when life gets difficult?”
“I would think you of all people would get it,” Michael said, draining his wine and pouring another glass. “People let you down. They leave you and you have to fend for yourself. It’s just easier this way. You know what you’re getting.”
Rannigan's Redemption: Complete Collection Page 8
