Page 53 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

"It's our primary qualification for the inner circle," Connor explains.

"Speaking of inner circles," Ariana cuts in smoothly, "Karina, come meet Mackenzie and Roz properly.I suspect we have much to discuss."

Before I can intervene, the women have whisked Karina away toward the champagne fountain, leaving me surrounded by my so-called friends.

"So," Connor begins the moment the women are out of earshot, "Halloween two years ago."

I freeze."What about it?"

"Richard's party," Luke clarifies."Where you met Karina."

"Briefly," I manage."What of it?"

"Grayson and I were discussing it," Connor continues."Interesting coincidence that the one Abernathy Corp employee experiencing a viral crisis is the same woman you spent twenty minutes talking to at that party."

"Before disappearing with a suspiciously urgent 'business call,'" Grayson adds, making air quotes.

"You're suggesting what, exactly?"I reach for a passing waiter's tray and claim a whisky."That I engineered a PR disaster to reconnect with a woman I spoke to once, two years ago?"

"Or," Alex proposes, "that she engineered it to get your attention."

"That's absurd," I snap.

My friends exchange glances.

"Defensive," Luke notes."Interesting."

"I'm not defensive," I say, doing my best impression of a non-angry person."I'm irritated by baseless conjecture."

"Methinks the Scot doth protest too much," Grayson quips.

"Definitely defensive," Connor agrees.

I take a slow sip of whisky."There is nothing happening between Ms.Peters and myself."

Four skeptical expressions greet this declaration.

"So that wasn't you about to kiss her in the limo?"Luke asks.

The whisky nearly comes back up my throat.I cough.“What the—How could you possibly?—"

"Security cameras.”He shrugs."I have an alert set for suspicious activity around my friends."

I can’t help the Scottish slipping out.“None of you fookers ken the saying ‘invasion of privacy’?”

"That's friendship," Luke advises."Also, technically legal in public spaces."

"Your definition of friendship needs recalibration.”

"Your definition of 'nothing happening' needs a dictionary," Connor retorts.

From across the room, I spot Karina laughing with the women.

The sound carries even over the string quartet, brightening the stuffy atmosphere of wealth and pretension.

She belongs here—not as an outsider or Richard's plus-one, but in her own right.

The ocean blue of her dress makes her glow amidst the crowd, as if she's captured a piece of the night sky.