The Proposal by Lily Zante Page A

company is not what I asked you to do!”  
    She leant against the
lift wall as the elevator bell sounded, signaling that they had arrived at
their floor.
    “And you don’t have to
make up wild stories about architectural metalwork, for goodness sake. I don’t
even know what that is!” She sounded very stressed.
    “Who says I’m lying?”
asked Ethan quietly.
    “Aaaaargh! You’re
impossible. I swear you’re doing this to me because you think its funny!” raged
Nadine, searching frantically in her clutch bag for the keycard.
    "Chill out Nadine,
for goodness sake. You know what your problem is?" he continued as they
walked along the hallway to their room, “you’re too uptight.”
    But Nadine wasn’t
listening to him. Once inside, she let her emotions rip.  "Sandra
Donnelly is a hawk eyed bitch."
    "I figured. By the
way, what are we doing here?" he stopped mid-sentence and looked at her
blankly.
    "You need to get
changed. Freshen up a little." She said through gritted teeth.
    "Are you ashamed of
me?" he asked her pointedly, staring at her with his now dark blue eyes.
She felt ashamed, "No" she denied hotly, feeling her face getting
redder, "but you do need to change out of your jeans and t-shirt and maybe
put on a smarter pair of pants and a slightly smarter shirt."
    He was silent for a while
and then he said, “You know, Nadine, if you’re ashamed of me, maybe you
shouldn't have bought me here in the first place. Maybe you should have thought
twice before making your proposal."
    "Just get changed
and come downstairs. And lay low," she ordered, pacing the room. She
couldn't work out why she was being so nasty. This was a different side to her
and she didn't like it. In a gentler tone, she added, "I'll see you
downstairs Ethan."
    With his back turned to
her, he started to take off his t-shirt. She left the room and headed back
towards the cocktail reception.
    A short while later,
Ethan walked into the drinks reception and dutifully sidled up to Nadine. She
looked at him and then did a double take. He looked deliciously sexy, in a
casual and effortless way.
    Sandra brushed past them,
"I was beginning to wonder what you had done with him Nadine," she
said smiling at Ethan rather provocatively. Once again he found himself feeling
slightly intimidated by her overpowering look.
    "Can I get you a
drink, honey?" he asked Nadine sweetly. She watched his face, trying to
discern if he was being genuinely caring and attentive or trying to be over the
top sweet.
    "Another wine, if
you don't mind," Nadine answered and stared after him as he made his way
through the crowd and over to the bar.
    "Where did you find
him and are there any more like him?" asked Sandra, with a little touch of
vindictiveness to her voice. She was watching Nadine like a hawk. Nadine
wondered whether Sandra had found out any information that she would rather
Sandra did not have. For the rest of the evening, Ethan was the perfect guest,
entertaining, lively, animated and able to converse and mix with all of
Nadine's friends and colleagues.
    "You're regaling
them with your anecdotes and impressing the pants off everyone" said
Nadine in an attempt to reach out to him. She had hated the way she had behaved
towards him earlier.
    "Interesting,"
said Ethan, "because the only person I'd like to impress the pants off of
is you," he whispered softly into her ear. His words sent an electric
current shooting through her body. He moved his face away and then winked at
her just as Melissa came around with another round of drinks for them.
    “I’m sorry for the things
I said to you upstairs Ethan. I’m just-“
    He cut her off by placing
a finger against her lips. “I know. Don’t worry about it.”
     
    The dinner was short and
formal, and in the Grand Ballroom. It was a buffet style meal where every guest
went up to the buffet table and filled up their plates.
    "He's absolutely
gorgeous," Melissa nudged Nadine, when Ethan's back was turned. 
"You'll have to