My boss said, “Dance with me, my ex is watching. The reward is a kiss. Single dad replied,You can do
The Corporate Gala and a Surprising Request
Have you ever found yourself caught between an unexpected proposition and your own moral compass? That moment when someone offers you something that seems tempting, but deep down you know there is a better path?
The evening air carried the scent of expensive perfume and champagne. Thomas adjusted his tie, feeling out of place at the company’s annual gala.
As a senior project manager who would rather be home reading bedtime stories to his daughter, these corporate events were his personal version of purgatory. Attendance wasn’t optional, especially when trying to secure a promotion to provide a better life for your child.
Thomas had been a single father for three years now. His wife hadn’t died; that would have been simpler to explain to their daughter, Sophia.
Instead, Clare had simply decided that motherhood and marriage weren’t for her, leaving behind a note and divorce papers on a Tuesday morning. There was no warning and no proper goodbye to their four-year-old daughter.
She was just gone, pursuing her career in another country while sending occasional gifts that never quite filled the void she’d left.
The ballroom of the Grand Meridian Hotel glittered with chandeliers and the forced laughter of colleagues pretending to enjoy each other’s company outside office hours.
Thomas nursed his single glass of whiskey, planning his strategic exit for exactly one hour and fifteen minutes after arrival. This was long enough to be seen by the right people and short enough to make it home before Sophia’s babysitter needed to leave.
“You clean up nicely, Thomas. I almost didn’t recognize you without a spreadsheet in front of your face.”
The voice belonged to Roseal Carter, CEO of Carter Innovations and, for the past eight months, Thomas’s direct supervisor. At thirty-five, she was unusually young for her position, but her business acumen was legendary in the industry.
She wore a deep burgundy dress that complimented her olive skin. Her dark hair was swept up in an elegant style that revealed diamond earrings worth more than Thomas’s monthly salary.
“Thank you, Miss Carter. You look…”
Thomas paused, searching for a word professional enough for his boss yet honest enough not to sound insincere.
“Remarkable.”
Roseal laughed, the sound genuine among the artificial social niceties surrounding them.
“After hours, it’s just Roseal, remember? And thank you. I had to make an impression tonight.”
Thomas nodded, unsure what to say next. Their relationship had always been strictly professional.
Roseal was brilliant, demanding, and fair. She was the kind of boss who pushed you to your limits because she somehow knew those limits were further than you believed.
He respected her immensely, but they rarely discussed anything beyond quarterly projections and client acquisitions.
“Would you like another drink?” she asked, gesturing to his nearly empty glass.
“I should probably stick to one. I’m driving and Sophia’s sitter can only stay until eleven.”
“Uh, yes, Sophia.”
Roseal’s expression softened.
“How old is she now?”
“Seven going on seventeen, if her attitude lately is any indication. The challenging years are just beginning.”
Roseal said with a knowing smile, “My sister has three teenagers. She says she misses the tantrums of toddlerhood.”
Thomas laughed.
“That’s not reassuring.”
A shift in Roseal’s demeanor caught Thomas’s attention. Her posture stiffened and her eyes fixed on something or someone across the room.
Following her gaze, Thomas spotted a tall man in an impeccably tailored suit, his arm wrapped possessively around a woman who could not have been more than twenty-five.
“That’s Alexander,” Roseal said quietly, not taking her eyes off the couple. “My ex-husband and his new fiancee Vanessa. Twenty-four years old and apparently the love of his life.”
Unlike his wife of eight years, the bitterness in her voice surprised Thomas. Roseal always seemed so composed and so in control. This glimpse of vulnerability was unexpected.
“I’m sorry,” Thomas offered, not knowing what else to say.
“Don’t be. The divorce was finalized six months ago. I’m completely over it.”
Her words contradicted the intensity with which she watched Alexander whisper something in Vanessa’s ear, making the young woman giggle.
The orchestra in the corner of the ballroom transitioned from ambient background music to something more suitable for dancing. Several couples moved to the center of the room, including Alexander and Vanessa.
Roseal’s knuckles widened around her champagne flute.
“Dance with me.”
Thomas blinked, certain he’d misheard.
“I’m sorry?”
“Dance with me,” she repeated, turning to face him fully. “My ex is watching and I refuse to be the pathetic divorcee hiding in the corner while he parades his child bride around.”
“Miss Carter—”
“Roseal.”
“I don’t think—”
“Please, Thomas.”
There was something in her eyes, not just anger or pride, but a flash of genuine hurt.
“Just one dance. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
Thomas hesitated. He wasn’t much of a dancer, and mixing personal dynamics with professional relationships seemed unwise.
But the vulnerability in Roseal’s request was so unlike her usual confident demeanor that he found himself nodding.
“One dance,” he agreed.
Relief washed over her face.
“Thank you. And don’t worry, there’s a reward in it for you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“A kiss,” she said, leaning closer. “At the end of the dance. Just enough to make Alexander realize what he gave up and enough to make the board members stop pitying me as the woman who couldn’t keep her husband interested.”
Thomas froze.
“Roseal, I can’t do that.”
“Why not? Are you seeing someone?”
“No, but—”
“Then what’s the problem? It’s just for show.”
Thomas took a deep breath.
“The problem is that I respect you too much for that kind of game. And I respect myself too much too.”
