Page 57

“Soon, I hope.” What the hell is that on his head?

“Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah, how about you?” Is that a mistletoe hat? At least it’s not a belt buckle.

“I really enjoy these…”

Tasha expected Kevin to go on, but instead he stopped. Actually, everything seemed to stop. The band paused in their setup, the conversations came to a halt, everyone was staring at the door.

Kevin broke the silence, saying, “Who is that?”

Tasha turned and followed everyone else’s gaze to the door. Framed in the entryway was a woman in an emerald gown, inlaid with silver Celtic triskelion patterns. Her purple, lavender-accented hair was done up in an elegant styling, contrasting with the natural red peeking through at the base. She wore silver gloves and had a silver tiara in her hair. Her green eyes locked on to Tasha’s and she smiled.

Tasha answered, her voice barely more than a whisper, “That’s my girlfriend.”

CHAPTER 36

PART TWO: IN YOUR EYES

Across the silent room, Megan heard Tasha’s words. She had been a girlfriend multiple times and then a fiancée and then a wife, but this was different from everything before. This was her best friend, whom she had known for almost half her life. This was the woman that she loved and that loved her back. Tasha had just claimed her in public, and Megan’s heart leapt.

Now, it was her turn to publicly lay claim to Tasha, and with that, she stepped forward.

Stiletto heels are generally considered uncomfortable; however, they lend themselves perfectly to a maneuver that Megan had always thought of as The Strut. It was something that you might see in a movie or a stage show. The Strut required balance, grace, and finesse. Most of all, it required perfect confidence. Too much confidence and it became exaggerated and you could break an ankle. Too little confidence and you were probably going to stumble and break an ankle. This was a move in the realm of actresses, drag queens, courtesans, and models.

Megan would never usually try anything like this, but that vast well of anxiety that had been eating at her for days was gone. With her eyes locked onto Tasha’s, Megan strutted.

Each step brought her closer to her heart’s desire. Megan felt her heart thundering against her ribs. The only sounds were the click of her heels and the swish of her dress. The room felt hot and her breath was ragged in her throat. Megan could see the smile forming on Tasha’s lips as she watched Megan walk towards her. She felt her own lips curve into an answering smile. Megan felt like a goddess.

Megan felt every eye in the room on her, but only two eyes mattered. Her entire world was there before her, and her smile grew with each step forward.

Reaching Tasha, Megan reached out and touched her arm. “Hello… girlfriend,” Megan purred.

“Hello, yourself,” Tasha purred back. She pulled Megan into an embrace. Sound returned to the room as everyone shook off their reverie.

“Holy shit,” Kevin uttered. “If you need some mistletoe?—”

Pulling away from Tasha, Megan’s gaze swiveled toward Kevin. “You must be Kevin.”

“How did you know?”

“Kevin,” she said firmly. “Before I decide to call your company’s HR Monday morning and file a complaint about sexual harassment at a company function, why don’t you take off that stupid hat and leave us the hell alone.”

Kevin blanched and scampered off, pulling off the hat as he went.

The look of surprise and glee on Tasha’s face was priceless as she said, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long. I am so turned on right now.”

Megan answered with a playful, yet sultry grin. “By me telling off your boss, or by this dress?”

“Definitely you telling off my boss, but also this dress. Where did you—Maria. She’s meddling.”

“She is. I feel like I’m okay with it, though. The look on your face…”

“On my face? On everyone’s face! Girl, you could have heard a pin drop in here.”

“I know! I felt so exposed, and then you called me your girlfriend and I just felt powerful. I really like that, by the way. Girlfriend. That word tastes delicious in my mind.”

“Me too! And you called me your girlfriend, didn’t you?”