Friday!!! Oh lordie ... we all still talk about that Friday! I could fib and tell you there was a full moon. That might have made Friday's fun even more so. Shade didn't have any appointments. Thankfully. Our day got a bit of a late start. The most likely 'excuse' would be a continuation of Thursday night. Me: bashfully batting eyelashes. As
if
!
We had to lock Shade's office door. The girls drifted in through out the morning and early afternoon, nosing around at what we had in store with the grab bags. Ya know, grab bags isn't right. Gift bags fits better. Sorry about that. I'm ignoring mickey soft -- again!
Shade was all set to include the bonus checks in the gift bags. I offered that
each
woman should be recognized for her achievement this year. Shade looked at me like I'd cured diabetes or something. Sheesh. I just thought that a boss might want to do something pretty easy to acknowledge individual contributions. Naturally, the best producer should come first and be accorded special recognition. The rest could be random.
Here's a little personal note. That recognition thing goes back to high school. First and second honors got their names mentioned and were given ribbons. Anyone know what I mean? Cool! One year, the Vice Principal (I think) made the funniest comment. He told all the honorees to stand and cheer for all those who had
not
achieved awards. I think it went something like, "If not for them none of you would have been honored." Maybe it's one of those memories that only I thought was funny at the time. I never forgot the underlying message though.
But I digress.
We had decided we would both wear red. Friday morning was the first time I teased about sharing details about the boots to curry sexual favors ... as if Shade needed any prompting! Her dress was a short red wrap with blended fabric and a side buckle; a black notched lapel beautifully complemented the surplice neckline. Short -- as in hung just over the top edge of the boots. Me? A dark berry A-line with a scoop neckline, three-quarter sleeves and a bow-tie belt at the waist. Most important was a back zipper for easy on, easy off. Wink!
The first person I saw when Shade and I entered the restaurant was Connie. A very angry Connie if her eyes were any indication. Shade was chatting with Melanie. I smiled; she turned her back to me. Ya know what? I'm not going to let her interfere with this fun night. I did hope I had the chance to get a few minutes with her to clear the air.
The room began to fill rather quickly. There had been a buzz about the party at Monday's meeting. Apparently it had built during the week. Shade and I were dressed rather conservatively. Several of the others were 'dressed to kill.' Every woman has her own sense of fashion; you could tell exactly who felt what by what they wore to the party. No, I'm not going to do a lot of detail. At least not about what they wore
to
the party!
Kim and Honey had very specific instructions on when they were to show up and what they were to do. The bartender took drink orders. About that -- everyone had been given warnings about drinking too much. Enough said. The room was buzzing with barely suppressed excitement. Even an office as small as ours has its little cliques. The usual suspects were where you'd expect.
When dinner was announced and everyone was seated Shade made a very brief welcoming remark. "It's been a very good year. This night is our collective celebration of that success. Thank you one and all for your contribution. You are
all
valued assets to my business." She looked at me and smiled. "My Destiny and I hope you all enjoy the night."
Three tables of four tonight; Kelly and, a surprise, Nicole joined Shade and I. Shade told me this was by far Nikki's best year with her. I was very happy for her. I'd sorta, kinda knew she'd done well ... just not
that
well. I hope Shade had some sort of special recognition planned for her besides the bonus check.
Dinner, a pre-ordered menu, was spectacular. We really did have to thank Melanie and her staff for doing their usual fabulous job with the food. A wee little part of me wondered if Shade had more than a friendly relationship with her ... in the past! Kelly was seated next to me. The vibe I got from her wasn't real positive. I wondered what was up.
Well, whatever. I knew that the festivities were about to start and wanted to use the restroom. I pushed the door open and felt it open behind me. I turned to see Connie and her angry eyes. Aw crap!
"I gave you a note telling you how much I wanted to be with you. I gave you my phone number." She was absolutely livid. "What do I get in return? Absolutely nothing." She took a few steps. Voice cold, she repeated, "Nothing!!"