Max and Rynda hung around at the bar for a while. Max tried to make conversation but Rynda paid little attention, alternating between texting on her phone and sucking on a martini as she eyed the room greedily. Each time a celebrity or millionaire entered the room, it elicited an excited squeal from her, followed by another bout of furious texting. After a while, Max stopped bothering to look up each time she made a noise. Feeling a little embarrassed by her behaviour, he reminded himself that she’d never been to an event like this before. He did a little room-scanning himself, wondering whether Liam Hannik had already arrived.

“Would you like to dance?”

Max turned to see a blonde woman in an elegant yellow gown holding out her hand with a smile. He blinked again. It was Effie! But she was a bit taller than he remembered and she must have hidden her wings somehow.

“I’d love to,” he replied. It would be better than standing here. “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked Rynda. She opened her mouth to protest, but Effie had already grabbed Max’s hand and was dragging him away.

“Great! Thanks!” she called as she towed him onto the dance floor.

“What are you doing here?” Max asked as they began moving in time to the music.

“What? You think that just because I’m your fairy godmother that I should stay home and let you have all the fun?”

“No, it’s just that I thought you’d already done your part for the evening.”

“Exactly.”

When the dance finished, Effie left him at the side of the floor with a grin. Max turned, thinking to go and hunt for Rynda or Liam when there came an imperious tap on his shoulder.

“You’ll dance with me, won’t you young man?” It was a ponderous, elderly dame who had what looked like several kilos worth of diamonds hanging around her neck.

“Of course, madam,” Max bowed, then led the woman onto the floor. She turned out to be remarkably nimble, despite her age and size.

“I must tell you, young sir, I admire your style,” she gushed as they glided across the floor. “Aubergine is so very fashionable at the moment.”

That dance was followed by two more with other, similarly elderly ladies, each wearing similar fortunes in diamonds. Max was starting to wonder whether the purple suit was charmed to attract particularly old and rich partners. But then he was pleasantly surprised when his fifth dance of the evening was with a girl who must have been in her early twenties. She was wearing a light green dress that complimented her chestnut hair and pale grey eyes.

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“I like your cologne,” the girl gasped as they whirled around in an energetic jitterbug.

Cologne? Oh! The coffee aroma must still be lingering. “Thank you. Some people find it a bit too much.”

“No it’s lovely. It reminds me of my favourite café at the uni.” They were both panting by that point. As the dance finished, Max led them to the side of the floor, where they paused to get their breath back. “I’m Aurora by the way,” said the girl, turning to offer her hand.

“Max Bilan. Are you a student?” Max asked curiously as they shook hands. It was unusual to find students at a high-priced event like this.

“I graduated last year. Now I’m an editorial assistant.” Aurora shrugged. “I love my job but the pay isn’t that impressive. Normally I wouldn’t have the spare cash to attend something like this.”

“So are you here with a date?”

She grinned. “Yes actually. Father managed to offend his latest girlfriend last week. I’m her replacement for the evening.”

Max returned her grin. “In that case, I’m very glad about your father’s failure with women.”

Wait a minute, was he flirting? The girl had blushed, which made her look very pretty. There was a sparkly tiara holding her chestnut curls in place that he found just adorable.

“There you are!” An irate Rynda appeared out of the crowd. “You’re supposed to be escorting me, not dancing with half the women in the city! When do I get a turn?” She seized his hand and Max found himself being dragged onto the dance floor yet again. He threw an apologetic glace back to Aurora then turned his attention to placating Rynda.

A few dances later, Max was fed up of hearing what Rynda’s friends had said about his purple suit. With a thrill of relief, he caught a glimpse of Liam Hennik across the room. “Sorry, darling,” he told Rynda as the dance ended. “I’ve seen someone I need to talk business with.”

Rynda’s ears pricked up at the possibility of networking. “Can you introduce me?”

“Oh… Yes, of course.”

“Good! But just let me freshen up a little first. I’ll come and find you in a minute.” Rynda disappeared in the direction of the powder rooms. Shrugging, Max made his way over to open the conversation with Liam.

“Bilan, my man!” Liam, a broad-shouldered, former sportsman, clapped him heartily on the shoulder. “Good to see you here. What a tux! You’ve got some guts.”

“Um, thanks. How’s your evening going? Are you here with a date?”

“Yeah, man. She’ll be along in a minute. Gone to use the mirrors. You know how it is.”

“Oh yes. Mine too,” grinned Max.

The small talk went on for a few minutes until Max felt that it would be appropriate to bring the conversation around to the question of the potential contract with Liam’s company. “We’ve had nothing but good reviews and satisfied customers,” declared Max, slipping easily into his tried-and-tested sales talk. “What are your thoughts on the matter? How do you feel about a partnership between our ventures?”

Liam was shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. I do a lot of these things based on feelings, you know? And I need to see some proof from you that you really want the contract. I mean that you’re really passionate about us as a client. I don’t want to fall for some talk and then end up with a supplier that doesn’t care. You understand?”

“Absolutely. I totally get that. What kind of thing would convince you? I can offer samples? Perhaps a probationary period with no strings attached? Can I take you to lunch and we can talk more ab…” Max’s jaw dropped open as his eye fell on the woman who had come to stand next to Liam.

“Alison?!”