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At the Party
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Let Me In Not a Wallflower
Xander“We all are very happy Al took the chance,” Gary said with a laugh. “I’m not a gambling man. I didn’t want to see one of my ships sink to the bottom of the ocean.”“Lucky for me, the ship didn’t sink. None of them did. If you excuse me, I need to say hello to someone.” I walked away, anxious to get away from them.I moved through the crowd, nodding at a few familiar faces. Charlie made his way to me. “See? It’s not so bad.”I glowered at him. “It is painful.”“Nah, it’s not so bad. I’ve already met two very lovely ladies. I could introduce you.”“No thanks, I’m good.”“Incoming,” he said in a hushed voice.“Xander,” Al, the man hosting the party and the owner of the company, said. “Thank you so much for coming.”“Thank you for inviting me,” I replied. “This is nice.”Al smiled and looked around. “It is nice. We owe my lovely wife Deidre the credit.”The woman stepped forward and smiled. She had Texas-big hair. “Hello, Xander. It’s nice to finally meet you. You’ve made my husban
Let Me In Party Crashers
EvieThe man was handsome as hell. I had a feeling he knew it as well. Not that he acted stuck up or arrogant but there was a vibe about him, like a “don’t bother me, I’m too sexy for my suit,” kind of thing. He seemed bored, like he attended parties like this all the time. My party was another in a long line of boring engagements he was forced to attend. I wondered if he was part owner of the company throwing the party. Maybe he was the pain in the ass brother that lurked in the shadows.I turned, leaning my shoulder against the wall as I faced him. His hair was a little too long for him to be one of the usual suits that ran a big company. His eyes were a light shade of brown, almost a yellowish gold tone. His brows were thick and his lashes were long. His jaw was square and chiseled. I liked that he had a hint of a shadow along his jawline. He was definitely not the average suit. Every other man at the party, not counting those that had beards, were freshly shaven.Not him. I was gu
Let Me In I Want to Touch You
EvieHe gave me a dry look. “Do I act like a party crasher? Wouldn’t I be enjoying myself a little more?”I looked at his drink. “You’re enjoying the free liquor.”“I’m here under duress,” he claimed.I laughed. “I don’t see the chains.”“I came because I was invited and my friend insisted I show up.”“You were invited but you don’t work for the company?”He looked uncomfortable. “No.”I waited for him to explain. He didn’t. “Are you related to Al?”“No.”I burst into laughter. “I think I understand a little more about why you are here in the corner. I feel like I’m giving you a root canal.”He shrugged. “I told you I’m not a big people person.”I studied him. I felt like I was pretty good at reading people. I had to be in my line of work. I had to be prepared to jump in and rescue a bride that was on the verge of hysteria or a bitch fit. When I read him, I saw a guy that was uncomfortable but could be fun given the right circumstances. “You haven’t found the right people.”“Pardon me
Let Me In The Beauty of the World
XanderI parked my BMW in the parking lot, not caring I was stuck at a spot way in the back. It was the parking lot she designated—no ordered—me to be at. I was actually on time, which surprised me a little. I couldn’t explain why I was there at all. The woman intrigued me. That was why I was there. She had challenged me. I did not turn down a challenge, especially from a beautiful woman.I tapped my hands on the steering wheel, staring out at the cars in every size and color, and wondered once again why I was there. I shouldn’t have come. I moved to start the engine, ready to get the hell out of there when there was a knock on my driver’s side window. I nearly jumped out of my seat.It was her. She was peering at me through the heavily tinted window. How did she know it was me? I pushed the button to roll down the window and looked at her. “Are you going to sit in your car all day? That really wasn’t what I had in mind.”I shook my head. “No.”“Then come on,” she said, reaching for t
Let Me In Smarty Pants
Xander“You see things in black and white and maybe a hint of gray, I suspect.”We kept walking, finding an easy pace that allowed us to talk without sprinting. “What’s wrong with that?”“Nothing, if you are at work or working on a project. I am a very black and white girl Monday through Saturday. Sunday, I like to see color.”“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.“It means on Sundays, I like to come here. If I don’t have a job on Saturday, I will take the whole weekend and go up the coast. I love to get out in nature and recharge. Nature is the place that reminds me how lucky I am to be alive. I need the color. I need the lively activity of nature. It’s like a reset once a week.”“You work six days a week?” I asked.“Most of the time. Sometimes, I take a Monday or Tuesday off, but during our busy season, it is usually six days.”I slowly nodded, having a newfound respect for her and the work she did. “I had no idea a party planner worked that hard.”She made a choking sound. “We w
Let Me In Getting to Know Him
EvieIt was a fairly cool morning, or as cool as it could be on a summer day in southern California. I appreciated the shade that made it comfortable to sit outside while listening to birds and the happy sounds of kids enjoying nature.“What about you?” he asked.I turned to look at him, taking in the profile of the man that had caught my interest. “What about me?”“You’re a party planner. How did you get to be that?”The way he said it made it sound like it was a dirty word. “That?” I said with a laugh. “I think I always knew that I loved parties. Didn’t you like parties as a kid?”“I don’t think I remember a lot of parties when I was a kid.”“Birthday parties?” I questioned.He slowly shook his head. “No. Not really. I think we had one for my younger brother when he turned five, but that’s about it.”That struck me as odd. I couldn’t imagine a childhood with no parties. “Did you ever go to parties?”“I went to a few homecoming parties.”I wrinkled my nose. “Not a kegger. I mean a pa
Let Me In An Easy Life
EvieHis coy smile told me he did. “You could say that.”“Stop being so cagey. You have one of those big beachfront mansions?” “It’s not as big as some of the others. I preferred more land and less house.”My eyes widened. “Oh my god, you are being serious!”“Yes, I am. Why would I lie?”I turned to look at him, making a big show as I did. “The boat business is that good?”“It is,” he said with a soft smile as he nodded.“That explains a lot,” I said, putting all the pieces together.“What does?”“You are one of those wealthy, eccentric types.”“I don’t think I’m eccentric at all. I like to keep to myself. I don’t go out a lot. I don’t care to go out a lot.”“Because you don’t like people. I remember. Do you live in San Diego?”“Yes,” he answered. “I live in the La Jolla area.”“Wow, no kidding. I grew up in the general area. Not in one of those big fancy mansions on the beach but the general area.”“I grew up on base mostly. We did finally move off base to a house just outside the c
Let Me In Not My Lady
XanderCharlie was sitting outside the building where he worked. I was meeting him for lunch. Technically, I was bringing him lunch to make up for ditching him at the party the other night. He wasn’t truly mad. We both knew from the very beginning there was no way I was going to stay the entire time. It didn’t matter. He was a little pissed. I would make up for it with burgers and fries, and all would be well.I parked my car, hanging the parking pass from my rearview mirror before climbing out. I sauntered across the parking lot, carrying the bags in my hand. He was staring at his phone, obviously texting someone.“You can’t ignore me forever,” I told him.“It won’t be that hard,” he said, dropping the phone down. “You don’t talk much.”I sat down and pushed a bag toward him. “I brought a peace offering.”He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the burgers. I grabbed one for myself. The waxy paper the burger was wrapped in was covered with grease stains, ketchup, and melted che
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