Trivial Pursuits Ch. 10

"I did. After all, you are mine," he answered unaffectedly.

"What?" she asked sharply, glowering up at him.

"My associate. I hired you, so there is a certain amount of responsibility I have for how you reflect on the firm, not to mention the credit I get for being clever enough to hire you," he finished with a wide grin. "Now, smile," he whispered as he steered her to another group of people.

This time, they weren't all strangers as she saw Jude in a breathtaking satin gown. The golden-beige fabric was draped over one shoulder, leaving the other bare. There were pleats and gatherings at asymmetrical angles making her highly reminiscent of a roman goddess. The only jewelry she wore was a wide, heavy gold band high around her bare arm. Her hair was long in its typical fashion, curling down her back.

She also noted in the group was a short, slightly round man who was balding at the top of his head. The white hair that ran round the perimeter was downy and longer than she would have thought was professional. He had a matching, thick mustache and thick glasses so his eyes appeared larger behind them than they really were. She had seen pictures of him frequently enough round the office to know he was the chairman of the board of Wiles, Mayer, and Schecter LLP.

Mr. Schecter's pleasant, beguiling appearance belied the daunting fact that the senior partner had been the preeminent negotiation lawyer in the state, and quite possible the country, with candid and sometimes shockingly blunt tactics. He was shorter than she would have imagined, but the moment he spoke, his Queens accent was exactly as she expected. His Jewish heritage was evident in his eyes, his nose, and his voice and made her instantly smile. He was charm itself, and when they were at last introduced, she knew it was love at first sight.

"So you are the very talented Ms. Allen I have been hearing so much about. Ms. Macrae has nothing but the best to say about you."

Her eyes darted to the tall and svelte Jude who stood with her champagne flute in her hand as though it were a glamourous cigarette holder. A golden eyebrow arched at Alessa, a smile playing just on the other side of her lips.

"I am so very pleased to hear it, Mr. Schecter."

"And how are you liking working at our firm?"

"Very much. It is exactly as I had hoped for."

"Finding enough to keep you interested?"

Alessa checked the impulse to look at Denny, knowing he was smirking at the answer that was doubtless at the front of her mind. Yes, she was very interested in what she had found at Wiles, Mayer, and Schecter, but she didn't think that was the answer the old partner was after.

"Alessa has the best dedication to her case load I have ever seen," Denny offered chuckling. "Puts the rest of us to shame."

She barely held back the blush that was just on the inside of her skin, while struggling to ignore him and any unease he caused.

"And are you enjoying your time this evening?" a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair asked. Denny had introduced him as Peter McConnell, a member of the Omniliance board, and a client of her firm.

"It is certainly a gorgeous party, that can't be argued," she replied with a smile, hoping some amount of dazzle showed through to give her words credence.

"Any particular charities you are found of?"

Alessa was caught a moment as her brain quickly scrambled to form a suitable answer. After all, she didn't generally donate to any charities. She wasn't comfortable with the idea of handing over money to nebulous enterprises where the majority of her contribution went to overhead costs for running the charity, instead of addressing the actual purpose of the charity. But she knew of one that she had given money to in the past and would do so again in the future.

"The Alameda food bank I think is a very well-run institution. With your donated finances, they are able to buy fresh, whole foods and distribute them to populations who don't have access to healthy food. Unlike other food banks where people simply donate food already bought, most often cans or unhealthy, easy-to-make dinners, this food bank pools the financial resources and can buy vegetables and such at whole-market price. That means the money you donate actually goes further than if you were to just buy some extra cans from your grocery store and donate them. They also run on a large volunteer basis so there is less over-head."

"I didn't know that," said Mr. Schecter. "The poor are important to you?"

She opened her mouth but paused, daring to take a leap. "As cliché as it may sound, there are a lot of hard working people in the world who struggle to make ends-meet. And sometimes, it's not so much that people are completely destitute despite their hard work, but that in spite of it, they can't advance; there is no wiggle room to make just a five dollar gain a month. Organizations like the food bank are tools for people to make small steps up in the world."

"But the poor will always exist," someone commented.

"True, but so should generosity and the unflinching resolve to ease the lives of those around us," she countered. "I'm not saying the food bank will end poverty for all time, but it will be a great benefit to some, and who knows what future Einstein or Schweitzer or Salk will have a chance to contribute to the world because they were supported by their community."

"I hope I am not interrupting," someone spoke from behind Alessa. She turned and smiled at seeing Hyun-Joong standing there smiling down at her.

"Denny, good to see you," he greeted smiling at his friend, giving him a firm handshake.

"Hyun-Joong, glad you could make it. You know Mr. Schecter and Jude Macrae," Denny said before introducing him to the other people standing around. Questions were asked and chit-chat was made, until eventually Hyun-Joong turned his attention down on Alessa.

"Actually, as nice as it is to meet you all, I came over to ask Ms. Allen if she would dance with me," he said smiling.

Alessa smiled immediately, but then glanced at Denny to see his reaction. His expression was contained, with a mixture of amusement and challenge glittering in his eyes. Though it should have meant nothing, after all, she was attending the party for the very purpose of mingling with clients, she could feel the tension rising in him.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Park, I think a dance is exactly what I need," she accepted with a smile, and as she placed her hand in his, she turned back to Denny, giving him a look of smiling defiance.

"You were having quite a lively conversation," Hyun-Joong commented as he pulled her into his arms, leading their bodies to sway in time with the music.

"Yes, and thank you for saving me."

"Saving you? It sounded as if you were doing quite well for yourself," he commented, pulling her deep into the swirling crowd.

"Well, exactly. My purpose here is to prove that I belong. It's all a big test, really, and quite frankly, I needed a break from being so damn clever," she grumbled, tired of being forced to converse with strangers.

Hyun-Joong threw his head back and gave a shout of laughter. He knew she hadn't meant to sound like a braggart, but that was exactly how she had come across. His arms tightened around her. "Well, in that case, I promise you don't have to perform for me. Just be yourself and I'll be satisfied." His embrace was firm, and as Alessa looked up into his smiling brown eyes, she felt the light tingle of butterflies.

"Thanks. It means a lot to me. You know," she said after she had given it some thought, "my firm has selected me to be one of the lucky participants of the date auction later this evening."

"Actually, I did know," he answered with a mock-calculating smile.

"You did? But how-"

Hyun-Joong pulled out the pamphlet for the fundraiser. "They have all the dates listed on here with a short bio. And a photo," he said smiling.

Alessa raised her brows and rolled her eyes. "Of course. I just hope I don't embarrass myself by not getting any bids."

"I wouldn't worry about that," he intoned.

"And why not?"

"It seems as though you are to be the headliner." When she gave him a puzzled look, he explained. "You're going last. They always save the person they expect to get the most bids for last."

"Good grief," she moaned, "I really am nothing more than a show pony, or worse, a freak in a circus," she mumbled miserably. "Still, it is a little scary to think about, knowing you could so easily be mortified by receiving no bids," she mused.

"Will you allow me to put your fears at rest? It just so happens when I saw a date with you was being auctioned, I made certain I had seventy-five thousand transferred to my slush fund account."

"Seventy-five?" she repeated flabbergasted. And then she was horrified. "Oh, Hyun-Joong, you cannot spend that much money on me. It's too ridiculous. It's a waste."

"How is it a waste if the money is simply for charity's sake? After all," he murmured, pulling her a little more tightly, "you haven't exactly promised me a date yet. This could be my only chance."

Alessa could feel a reaction rising within her body, and was disconcerted at its presence. "Hyun-Joong, tonight's date is merely for the sake of networking. To socialize and make connections within the business world. It isn't supposed to be...personal. I wouldn't want you to spend your money on false hopes."

"You just smile as we dance, and leave the hopes to me."

For the remainder of their dance he asked her about her dress, which led into a discussion about her shopping outing with her sister and Lou. When the music stopped, Hyun-Joong looked back to where he had taken her from and debated escorting her to the opposite side of the room.

"Enjoy the dance?" Denny asked from behind them.

They turned to him, Hyun-Joong's arm slipping from her waist. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Alessa's a great dancer."

She gave a nervous chuckle. "I don't know how I managed that. I really don't ever dance. Must have been my partner," she supplied, smiling up at Hyun-Joong.

"I'm sure that's it. Well, as much as I hate to drag you away from your partner, I should introduce you to other clients," Denny stated, holding his arm out for her. Despite the mild attraction she had felt towards Hyun-Joong, she didn't feel threatened by him as she did with Denny, and so she was reluctant to part from the ease in his presence. She smiled at him in as she slipped her hand on Denny's arm.

"Don't forget your promise," she called as she was pulled away.

"You have my word," Hyun-Joong answered cryptically.

When they were some distance from him, with tens of people in between, Denny asked to what promise she referred. She was tempted to not tell him, to goad him with keeping secrets, but something inside thorned her to tell him. Maybe to let him know she was getting along well with one of his clients. Maybe to make him jealous that someone else valued her. Maybe to hear he wanted to bid for her. Maybe.

"He said he planned on bidding for me."

Denny was silent.

"He said he was willing to go to seventy-five thousand." When they were alone against a wall near the draping, sheer curtains that thinly veiled the city lights outside the window, Denny at last looked down at her.

"And you want to go on a date with him?"

"I told him the date for tonight was not the sort of date he was after," she confided, though she wasn't certain why.

"And what sort of date is he after?" Denny remained strangely calm.

"He took me to lunch one day. He asked if he could see me again. I told him that he was a client, and it was a tricky road to navigate dating a client."

"That's all that held you back?"

She could just discern a tightness to his voice.

"No. That wasn't all." She looked up at him, her eyes held by his sharp gaze. And as she blazed in the fire she saw there, all the attraction she had felt towards Hyun-Joong seemed to burn away. "Denny, I-"

But his hard mouth against hers cut off whatever she was going to say. His kiss was angry and she felt heartbroken that though they were kissing, they weren't connecting. His firm hand on the nape of her neck held her to him until at last he yanked his mouth away to stare into her eyes. But he didn't explain himself as she had expected. Instead he pulled away, taking her by the hand and mumbling something about leaving her with Macrae.

They wove through the crowd like a needle and thread; Denny was sharp and decisive in his movements, and Alessa trailed numbly behind wherever he led. They at last found Macrae in the midst of several distinguished looking men. They were all laughing at something she had said, but when Denny cut in, her eyes narrowed at Alessa.

"You'll look after her, won't you?" was all he said before he turned to leave her there under the supervision of Macrae as though she were a child in need of a babysitter.

Alessa was reeling by his behavior, feelings of mortification, indignation, and heartbreak all swirling wildly in a tangled maelstrom. Macrae put a soft hand on her shoulder, drawing Alessa's attention back to her surroundings.

"Gentlemen, may I introduce Alessa Allen. She's one of our new associates. She's already made quite a name for herself." Jude took turns introducing the young associate to the rich clients. Mild conversation was made until Macrae excused them.

She looped her arm through Alessa's and led her to other groups of people mingling. The evening was interspersed with various presentations to highlight the many projects Omniliance was involved in followed by an auction of some category of items to raise money to support it. They auctioned vacation packages, cars, jewelry, paintings, and the affair was to culminate with the date auction.

Alessa felt somewhat brittle after her confrontation with Denny, of whom she hadn't seen but glimpses here and there since. She spoke with Hyun-Joong again, but the conversation was empty and tense. She was asked to dance several more times, even gracing a very eager and not overly-subtle Josh Caplin with a song, and did her best to fake an interested and charming demeanor, though she assumed she failed miserably.

Denny had officially ruined her evening.

It was nearing eleven when Lou found her in a flurry of excitement. It was time to start the bidding for the dates the excited friend announced. Alessa's stomach dropped as Lou ushered her to the far end of the room where all the participants were to meet. Even though she knew it was coming, Alessa somehow had managed to place it from her mind. But now that it had arrived, she was suddenly awash with endless doubt and fear and nerves.

The ten employees were split into male and female factions and seated on either side of the small stage that had been erected. One of Macrae's assistance was there to organize them all according to the order they would appear on stage, and as Alessa took the seat on the end, she scanned the gathering crowd for Denny.

It was some minutes before the auction began, with Jude Macrae and a senior VP from Omniliance performing the small introduction, the niceties of the event explained by the VP and the guidelines for the dates delineated by Macrae. They at last turned the final auction of the evening over to the hands of the distinguished auctioneer who worked at the city's finest auction house.

The first person up was a rather good looking young man Alessa had seen around the office. The auctioneer detailed that he was in the IT department, liked to play rugby, and enjoyed dancing into the early hours of the morning. Much to Alessa's surprise, a woman, perhaps old enough to be his mother, made the final bid at fifteen thousand. There was a great amount of cheering and applauding as the woman stepped forward to escort her young date to the back of the room where all transactions of the night were being completed.

Despite her nerves, Alessa caught herself smiling a few times, and even laughing once when the auctioneer disclosed the current date's secret obsession was volunteering for date auctions. By eleven thirty, only one man was left as Alessa sat alone on her empty row. When she realized she had crumpled the fabric of her dress up in her hands so much the rhinestone were making them sore, she immediately released the skirt and smoothed it out.

When she looked back up, she saw Hyun-Joong make his way toward the front of the crowd, his eyes on her, his mouth smiling reassuringly. Thus far the top bid had only been thirty-five thousand, and she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't see just how much he was willing to pay for her. Her eyes still wandered over the crowd, and when she looked across the room, she saw him.

Denny was two people deep at the far side of gathering. Despite the distance and dim lighting, the intensity of his eyes was like a spike of heat driving straight through her. Alessa didn't know how long she held his stare, but when the applause roared, she looked around and realized the auctioneer had called for her to come to the stage.

Alessa masked herself with a smile of charm and ease. She walked gracefully to the spot all the others had taken before her, shook hands with the auctioneer and turned to smile out over the audience. Her ears were trained to his words and she felt herself mildly blush at hearing all he had to say.

"Alessa grew up right here in the Bay Area, ran track for UC Berkeley, loves Korean food and oysters, and is the newest associate at Wiles, Meyer, and Schecter. She specializes in international business law, but finds the most enjoyment pretending to be Perry Mason."

While the crowd laughed at her unauthorized bio, she shot Denny a quick, terse look, knowing only he could be responsible for sharing such personal information. But she quickly schooled her expression to smile pleasantly back at the crowd as the man got on with the bidding.

Much to her surprise, and everlasting relief, the bids instantly moved up, and quickly surpassed the thirty-five thousand mark. Alessa beamed at Hyun-Joong when he bid, but she couldn't keep her eyes from drifting to Denny and watched as he only stood there observing the action but not participating once.

She didn't realize she was doing it, but Alessa tried to console herself by assuming he was more than likely waiting until the end to bid. But eventually, when the bid reached fifty-thousand, only three remained and Denny hadn't once given any indication that he was interested. Soon, it was down to Hyun-Joong and a man Alessa hadn't yet met. She watched with growing anxiety as the bid crept ever upward to Hyun-Joong's limit of seventy-five, and still Denny hadn't participated.

She finally understood how much she had not only wanted him to bid on her, but to win the bid when she realized her stomach was knotted because she was waiting for him. And though the two bidders were to her center and right, she couldn't keep from looking to Denny at the far left of the room, her eyes questioning.

"I have seventy-five thousand, do I hear eighty?"

Alessa turned her attention back to the action. She looked at Hyun-Joong who gave her a lopsided, sad smile and then he shook his head no.

"Seventy-five thousand once. Twice."

The auctioneer held his hand high with the small wooden gavel in his fist. Alessa felt every muscle tighten. She refused to look at Denny again. And then an unpleasant jolt went through her as the hard little piece of wood banged down, declaring an end.

"Sold to the man in the blue suit at seventy-five thousand dollars, ladies and gentlemen!" And the crowd erupted. There was a bevy of movement, everyone stirring excitedly. Alessa stood frozen at the unexpected turn-of-events and attempted a calm smile as the nameless man with brown hair walked forward to the stage to collect his prize.