Can I have this dance?

Sabrina's pov.

Today was the day. This launch was the place to be. The greatest event in my career, the first of many to come and I was going to make sure it was perfect and beautiful. It was an invite-only event with the attendees being our loyal customers, a few celebrities, our business partners and investors, and of course our family and friends. I was the mistress of ceremony and I had to look dapper and beautiful, be immaculate, charming, and welcoming. I hadn't slept all night as I was in constant communication with the suppliers, the DJ, the décor team, the catering team to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Today morning, I went to the venue to check if everything was well done and the service providers exceed my expectation. The décor was lit. There were black and gold draping on the seats and balloons of the same color on the doors. They had gone an extra mile of having a red carpet with a photoshoot point for our guests with the background a banner being the logo of our new establishment and I was proud of the work they had out in. the menu was on a whole new level and honestly the thought of giving the chef a permanent position in our hotel struck my mind. The songs the DJ had selected were great for persons of all ages and I could not wait for him to play them. The event was to begin at six and it was already four pm so I had to rush back and prepare myself and leave Jay with a babysitter.

I had chosen a short-sleeved, long, flowy mermaid maroon dress with gold embellishments around the cleavage and a knee-length side slit that exposed just the right amount of skin. My make-up was great, moderate, not too much, and not too little, just enough to highlight my black eyes and cheekbones accompanied by maroon lipstick. On my feet, I adorned gold stiletto heels. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could not recognize myself, and damn did I look stunning and I felt so good about myself tonight. This dress hugged me in the right places and the heels gave me a boost of confidence and I knew at that moment that dressing up never hurt anyone and I was going to make this a routine.

When I arrived at the venue, with my feet out first out of the car, the valet took my hand and as I stood before taking a step onto the red carpet, cameras started flashing and journalists were asking questions that I could not focus on right now so I gave them a smile, posed for a while before I walked in greeting the familiar faces I knew on my way to the podium. I checked in with the relevant service providers to ensure one last time that everything was okay. Paps arrived together with his wife in hand. They hugged me and I expressed my fear of being an Mc and he assured me that I was going to do just fine.

Once everyone sat at their designated places, I took the microphone and began, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor to have you here today for the launch of Mr. K Bites. I am your host and MC for this wonderful night, yours truly, Sabrina Zawadi. Today is going to be a night to remember as you will get to experience the heavenly secret cuisine from our very own chef Karissa. Also, do not worry about being entertained as we have the best Dj in town, Dj Beatz, a round of applause." I introduced myself as people clapped.

I continued, "Without further ado allow me to introduce the brains behind the Mr. K chain of hotels, to address this honorable gathering, Mr. Peter Kamau." As he rose up to the podium, everyone clapped. He spoke briefly about how his inspiration to venture into the hotel business began and he officially welcomed everyone to the launch. As he returned to his seat, there was a commotion outside from the press as someone got out of his car.

Everyone inside was glued to the door to see who the late-comer was. With his back towards us, he posed for the cameras for a minute then with his date clinging her delicate manicured hand, entered the hotel stride after stride and my world stopped for a few minutes as I took in his appearance, sharp haircut, sharp jawline, black fitting tuxedo, with black shirt and gold bow-tie and shiny black shoes. He stared back at me and took in my appearance and I could swear I saw him swallow loudly by the way his Adam's apple moved up then down. It was like it was just me and him. My attention was diverted from him by the skinny lady wearing a blonde wig that looked borrowed, with a short, yellow dress that barely covered her nakedness and a face caked with make-up, and with big unnatural boobs clinging to his arm giving him a peck and I wanted to rush down the podium and remove her forcefully from his arms. I was distracted from my jealous, murderous thoughts by Paps whispering in my ears to continue with the event as everyone was now staring at Jake and me.

To say that I wasn't affected by seeing Jake after him ghosting me for two months and worst of all show up on this great night with a bimbo for a date was an understatement. I was furious, mad and so jealous and if looks could kill, mine would have killed him. I wasn't going to allow his presence to affect the greatest night in my career, so I chose to ignore him for the rest of the night although I could feel his peering gaze from the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen for the moment we all have been waiting for, let's give a warm welcome to the man in charge of our stomach affairs, the one and only, chef Karissa." I continued. Mr. Karissa introduced himself and gave in detail the ingredients of the meal that was served before everyone and gave us permission to have a taste of his handiwork. On our table were Paps, his wife, mom Jane, Jake, and his bimbo, Dennis, my date for the night, and I. I was seated directly opposite Jake and I could feel his peering stare on my face and every move. When I took a bite of the appetizing food, I could not help but moan in appreciation for this exquisite masterpiece and I could feel Jake's amused stare. He had heard me moan. It was disgusting to see Jake's date trying to feed him and her constant desire for attention as she kept on calling Jake, babe and I swear if she called him that again, I was going to puke. When Paps what he thought about the food, he replied coyly like it is the most normal thing to say, tilting his face forward in my direction, " it is delicious just like someone tonight." I cleverly hid my blush because I knew his comment was directed at me.

Once stomachs were filled and throats water with wine and champagne, I continued with my Mc role by inviting everyone to the dance floor. I just wanted to sit, when Paps clinked his glass to get everyone's attention saying, "before everyone gets to the dance floor, it's only prudent that two individuals who have spearheaded the success of this project start us off with the first dance. Everyone, give a warm welcome to Mr. Jake and Ms. Sabrina our beautiful MC."

I felt my knees were getting weak at Paps proposition, so I took a seat. Why did he put me in this position? Jake stood up and as he passed by Paps, he whispered something in his ear to which he nodded. In a minute, he was before me with his palm stretched out for me to take, saying, "my beautiful, can I have this dance?"