by Flynn, Mac
"And after such horrible treatment you're looking for other work?" an older and wealthy woman asked the pair.
"That's right," Monroe replied. "I hope my next employer can appreciate my work and expertise more than the Benson company."
John stiffened at my side, and I coyly slipped my arm into his. "Did ya both work for the company?" I drawled, imitating John's previous accent.
Monroe glanced over at us and raised an eyebrow at our outlandish costumes. Sievers perused us with a careful stare, and for a moment I regretted our coming over to deceive them. I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Sievers turned her nose up at us and looked away. "I worked for the company, and Miss Sievers here is my personal secretary," he explained to us.
"Must have been hard runnin' that place all be yerself," I commented.
He smirked and shrugged. "It was rather easy, actually. The others on the board were a little meek, but they at least didn't get in my way."
In that short space of time I'd heard enough of his bragging to last a lifetime. "How very interestin'. Come on, honey, let's get goin' to that there food stuff." I pulled John away and breathed a sigh of relief when we were out of earshot.
"That there food stuff?" John repeated.
I shrugged. "I guess I overdid it."
John chuckled at my side. "I stand corrected. You are a decent actress."
I wiped my brow and sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, well, just don't let me do that again. I thought we were done for back there." All that stress made nature called, and I tugged on John's arms. "Mind letting go of me for a few minutes while I wash up?" I asked him.
He smirked. "I suppose I can part from you for that long."
We went over to the restrooms which stood against the far left wall of the room. It took me a while to handle all the clothing and washing my hands without smudging my makeup, so it was a few minutes before I emerged. I expected John to be standing guard at the door, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, Monroe stood close at hand, and when he saw me emerge he grinned at me. I didn't like that look.
"Ah, Miss Curious. I was just looking for you." I liked that even less.
"Oh, um, well, Ah was just fixin' ma hair," I replied.
Monroe stepped up to me and offered his arm. "Care to take a short walk with me around the room?"
This was more to my liking. I'd find John and get away from Monroe. "Sure thing, darling," I agreed, and took his arm.
He grinned and firmly placed his hand over my arm to keep me there. "Shouldn't it be honey?" he corrected me.
The blood in my veins ran cold at his low chilling voice, and I nervously smiled. "Just depends on who Ah'm talking to," I pointed out. I tried to free my arm, but he held tight and pulled me along the wall.
"I'm very pleased to be able to speak with someone who's so interested in my work. Do you know anything about the Benson company?" he asked me.
Now I was worried, and trapped. He wouldn't let me go and I didn't like the direction these questions were leading us. "Ah don't know much about companies, darling, and Ah think I need to go find my partner."
Monroe leaned down so his lips brushed against my ear. "Your fear is causing your accent to slip," he scolded me. That was the point where running would have been a good idea, but he turned us into one of the side rooms. Monroe shoved me inside and quickly shut the doors behind us. We were alone in there except for a few tables, and he blocked my only escape. He turned to me with a twisted grin on his face. "You're a convincing actress, but Constance wasn't fooled by your stupid costumes."
"But you were," I shot back. He stepped toward me and I stepped back until my butt hit one of the tables.
Monroe quickly jumped me and pinned my hands behind my back with one of his arms. His face lay up against mine and I turned my head away to give some space between us. "You think you can keep making a fool of me?" he hissed.
"It's not that hard," I countered. He pulled on my arms and I cried out when pain shot through them.
"What will it take to shut up that stupid mouth of yours?" he wondered. I jerked when I felt his free hand pull up my moo moo. When he felt the smooth dress beneath the ugly cloth he smirked. "What have we here? A little surprise for everyone?" he guessed. I whipped around and spat in his face. He retracted his hand only to slap it across my face. I cried out and he covered my mouth to stifle the noise. He shoved his face close to my own and his hand. "Shut up, or I'll hurt you-" His nose wrinkled and he turned away to sneeze. Monroe turned back to me and only had enough time to open his mouth before his face scrunched up. This time I wasn't so lucky, and he didn't turn away in time to avoid hitting me with his mucus.
That was the last straw. I bit down on his hand, and he cried out and stumbled back. His sneezes just kept coming, and I was mesmerized as he was paralyzed by them. They came one after another in a parade of snot and curses. My fear was replaced with amusement, and I stepped back and watched the show with a triumphant smile on my face.
Monroe managed to glare at me through his uncontrollable attacks. "You bitch! Achoo! You set me up! Achoo!"
I furrowed my brow. "Set you up how? You're the one who led me in here?" I reminded him.
"Y-you know-achoo! You know I'm allergic to-achoo! Cats!"
Sassy. Sassy had saved the day for me. I smirked and stepped around him to the doors. "I'll go find Constance. This won't take long, I think I know where she is."
I left the room and found Sievers across the room with John as her captive audience. She was doing her best to distract and bore him with small chat. I came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Constance turned around and her smile slipped off her face. I smirked and jerked my thumb across the room at the closed doors. "You might want to go help your boyfriend. He's having a sneezing fit over a few stray cat hairs." Constance's mouth fell open and her eyes whipped over to the doors through which suffered her boy toy. She hurried past, and I turned to John with a raised eyebrow and a playfully scolding expression. "Here I am fending off admirers and you just stand there flirting."
"Fending off admirers? Cat hair?" John wondered.
I frowned and nodded my head over my shoulder. "Constance was distracting you so Monroe could get a hold of me. He didn't like it when he found out he was holding a ball of cat fur."
John's face darkened and his eyes hardened. "He touched you?" he growled.
I walked up to him and patted him on the chest. "Down, boy. He didn't get very far before Sassy's fur attacked him. Who knew he was so allergic to your little pet?"
John blinked, and a tinge of humor twitched the ends of his mouth. "But you're all right?" he insisted.
I smiled and nodded. "I'm just fine, but I think it's time we had some of our own fun and broke up this party," I told him.
He grinned and nodded. "Exactly my sentiments, Angel."
John took my hand and led me toward the stage. A podium stood up there, and a man came from left stage and tapped on the microphone on the podium. Everyone cringed when a shrill noise erupted from the microphone. "Hehe, sorry, but I'd like for everyone to get to their tables. The Dinner is about ready to begin," he instructed them. Everyone moved to their tables except us. Our target was the podium, and we stepped on stage and walked over to the speaker. He saw us and frowned. "Can I help you?"
I smiled and slipped my hands onto his shoulders. "Yep. How about you just come with me over here and give the man some room to talk?" The speaker blubbered but didn't fight me as I led him away from the podium.
John took center stage and tapped loudly on the microphone. The audience cringed and glared at him, and he grinned back. "Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and reporters. I have a few announcements to make regarding the hot topic of the night, the separation of John Benson and his floozy lover Trixie Calhoun." I scowled and the speaker yelped when my hands dug into his shoulders. John threw off his wig, and stepped to the side of the podium and pulled off his horrible suit to reveal a penguin one that was much more becoming. He pull
ed out a handkerchief and rubbed off the tan to show his pale skin. There was a collective gasp from the audience, and the guy in my hands, when they recognized John. He stepped back up to the podium. "I'm very glad to tell you that the rumors are false. Waiters, if you would please pass around the leaflets."
The waiters with the trays of food pulled out stacks of leaflets from their vests and dropped them down on every table. The murmur from the tables became exclamations of shock at the announced paper and small laughs of amusement at Sievers and Monroe's expenses. John turned and gestured to me, and I pushed aside my captive and hurried over to him. Along the way I shed my only disguise and there was that collective intake of breath that would rival any inverse wind tunnel. I reached him and John wrapped an arm around my waist. "We set up this charade for Mr. Andrew Parks' benefit, and if you'd like to learn more than you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the special Sunday edition paper I'm bringing out. However, there's one thing you wont' have to wait for."
John stepped away from me and got down on one knee while facing me. He pulled out a small box and nervously smiled at me. "Trixie Calhoun, we've been through a lot of adventures together that have tested us, but this past week without you was the hardest test of all. It reaffirmed what I've always known, and what I hope you realized." He opened the box and revealed a large diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"
The audience gasped, and mine was amplified through the microphone. Tears sprang into my eyes and my throat was choked up, but I nodded. The audience erupted into applause and cheers, and John stood to fit the ring onto my finger. I admired the beautiful purple gem, then glanced up and teasingly glared at him. "You planned this from the start, didn't you?" I accused him.
He slyly grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? I learned from the best how do be sneaky."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to rub my nose against his own. "You didn't have to get so good at it."
"I figured it would win you over," he replied.
"And I guess it worked," I teased.
"So does this mean we're romantically involved?" he wondered.
I glanced at the ring on my finger and grinned. "Only if you lavish me with more diamonds and jewels," I playfully countered.
He looked over my face and smirked. "I'll bury you."
"That sounds like a threat."
"No, just a promise."
The hollering from the audience disappeared when John captured my lips in a passionate kiss. It was a moment of bliss that we repeated for the rest of our lives. Who knew that a pack of ketchup could lead to a lifetime of love?
For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.
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