More than one night

Chapter 10: Cooperate event

Getting out of it was not an easy task but I didn't want to wear a dress that isn't fully zipped up. Now I am wearing a dress that hugs me closer and only reaches to shortly over my knees. My cleavage is also slightly bigger than in the previous dress but not too big to make me uncomfortable.

As I approach the building, my heels click against the pavement and I almost trip, cursing myself for picking these shoes. But they were the only ones working with this dress, not that anyone but me cares about that.

I'm not good at walking in heels but I manage my way into the building. After climbing the stairs, walking straight ahead seems a lot easier. Not that it is any more comfortable. I'd give a lot to be in comfy clothes and socks right now. Preferably on Wanda's and Natasha's couch. But it doesn't help, I am here now and can't change that.

I enter the room and look for my boss but it's too full to see anyone who is not right in front of me. Who thought it would be a smart idea to put the bar by the entrance?

I push my way through the crowd of people and take a breath when I am past it. There are still a lot of people in this room but now I can actually look around.
My boss texted me to find him once I am here and that he will probably be mingling. Which isn't a problem at all, there are just a thousand people or so in here, finding him should be easy.

I huff and slowly walk around, searching for my boss. There are a lot of men in suits here, barely any women. But the women who are here wear dresses just like I do. The dress code was stated on the invitation and everyone stuck to it.
Finally, I spot my boss and hurry over to him.

"Miss Cooper, great to see you!" He says, a little too exuberant to be totally sober. It's fine though, I would probably have a drink too, if I was him.
After all, I'm here to find new connections for us, he's just the face. Is that unfair?
Totally, but I get an extra bonus for tonight, so it's fine.

"Good evening, Mr. Stevens." I greet and smile politely at the man he is talking to. Mr. Stevens excuses himself from the other man and leads me a few steps away to let me know who I am supposed to talk to tonight.

It's all about connections and securing deals. I'm not sure if that's the point of a cooperate event, but I guess so. He points out two people I should talk to before going back to his pervious conversation. I follow his lead and start a conversation with the first person he pointed out.
They aren't very interested in my offer and after five minutes excuse themselves to leave me standing in the room by myself.

I sigh and shake my head. This is really no fun. Since I'll be here for a while, I make my over to the bar and order a drink. I might as well get a free drink out of this if I'm already here.
With my drink in hand, I make my way over to one side of the room that's less crowded and watch the people around me. Looks like I'm not the only one taking advantage of the free drinks.

There's a platform with a band on it that plays some instrumentals. I'm guessing the spot before the stage is a dance floor but no one is dancing. Everyone is just standing there and talking.

My eyes dart over the crowd some more. I notice someone with red hair, thinking about Natasha. I should really get a bit of a grip, I can't keep thinking about her and Wanda the whole time.
I'm not spending the evening with them and should arrange myself with that. Thinking about it again and again won't change it.

The woman turns around and I can't suppress the small hit of disappointment when it's not Natasha. I look around further and wonder if the group of men on the other side of the room is really talking business or if they are discussing sports.

With a sigh, I empty my drink and thank a server for taking my glass. I smooth out my dress, ready to talk to the next person.
I don't get very far though before noticing multiple people glancing at the same direction. I follow their gazes and totally forget how to breathe.