Page 71 of Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake
“Here you go,” Rake said, handing her a marker after scribbling his own name on one of the tags. “Do you want a drink?” he asked.
“Tonic and lime,” Lizzie said, giving him a smile. “Oh, and have them put it in a fun glass,” she added as he headed toward the bar.
Turning back to the table, Lizzie uncapped her pen. With a stroke of genius, she scribbledSek C. Baudyacross the white square, making herself snort. She slid it over a bit, hoping it might give someone else a laugh, then wrote outLizzieon a fresh sheet.
“Here you are,” Rake said, handing her the glass. “Shall I introduce you to some people?”
“Let’s do it,” Lizzie said, taking a sip of the tonic then grabbing a name tag off the table and slapping it on her chest.
They made a circuit around the rooftop, Rake stopping to introduce her and chat with coworkers she’d heard him speaking to many late nights. Even when he left the office, his work never seemed to really end, always someone else to call, some other fire to put out, some side job to complete for extra income. Lizzie admired his work ethic but often found herself wondering if anything else in his life would ever matter as much as his job.
Lizzie received more than one funny look as they made their way around the party, but she brushed it off as people being curious about who she was in relation to Rake. She made sure to introduce herself before Rake had a chance to stumble over an identifier for her. Lizzie was doing the best she could to stay focused on the small talk, but she missed more than half of what people said or asked, the noises and action of the party sinking its claws into her attention, turning her brain this way and that.
“Lizzie,” Rake said, steering her toward an imposing older gentleman who sipped a glass of scotch as he surveyed the party, “I’d like to introduce you to my boss, Dominic. He’s responsible for getting the line to be such a success already.”
Lizzie flicked a look at Rake for his oh-so-subtle ass-kissing before fixing Dominic with a smile and reaching out her hand. “Great to meet you.”
Dominic lifted his hand to shake, his gaze snaking an appreciative path down her body, but it snagged halfway through, his eyes locking on Lizzie’s right tit.
“What the bloody hell is written on your chest?” Dominic said, his eyes flashing with a bizarre mix of horror and lewdness. Gripped by fear at the look, Lizzie clutched her boob, then looked down.
And her heart sank.
She’d been walking around this fancy party, talking to Rake’s clients and coworkers, trying to be classy and charming, with the nameSek C. Baudywritten in block letters across her chest.
And Lizzie, by no uncertain terms, wanted to die of embarrassment on the spot.
“I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said, her eyes flashing between Dominic and Rake, every inch of her skin stinging with mortification as she replayed the funny looks she’d received.
“Lizzie, it’s—”
“So, so sorry,” she repeated, ripping off the tag and taking a step back.
And right as she did, she collided into the people behind her.
The crash of champagne glasses and a silver platter echoed around the party.
Lizzie was suddenly drenched in booze while hors d’oeuvres slid down her back before plopping to the ground, following the platter to its demise.
She turned, seeing two horrified servers looking down at the mess, broken glass and sea scallops covered in a green sauce littered around their feet.
“Jesus Christ,” Dominic said gruffly, making Lizzie’s body jolt in shame.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said, for what felt like the thousandth time in five minutes. She dropped down, grabbing handfuls of scallops and flinging them on the platter while trying to avoid the shards of glass. “I can’t believe—I’m sorry. What a mess. Here, I’ll—”
“It’s okay. You go get cleaned up,” Rake whispered, squatting next to her and placing a hand on her back. “I’ll get someone to take care of this.”
Lizzie nodded, squeezing her eyes shut tight against the pressure of tears and embarrassment threatening to consume her as Dominic continued to mutter about the giant fucking mess.
She stood, unable to meet Rake’s eyes, and hurried toward the bathroom.
Chapter 33
AFTER calming down the profusely apologetic servers and getting the mess taken care of, Rake turned to Dominic, preparing for his worst.
The lines of Dominic’s face were deeper than usual, his nostrils flared as he glanced around, trying to gauge the disruption’s effect as curious eyes lingered on them. Dominic existed on precision and style, and Lizzie’s mishap pressed every one of his nerves.
“I’m sorry, Dominic. She’s a touch clumsy.”