Denise was looking beautiful in the long black dress she was wearing. Harold, as usual, was waiting beside the car. He was very nervous about tonight. He was happy to be going out with Denise again as her 'date' but this time, he was very nervous to the extent that he could hear his heart beating in his chest.
Denise was walking down the stairs towards the entrance, when her mother rushed out from her room, calling her name. Denise stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned around to face her mother, who walked down the stairs to get closer to her.
"What's wrong, mother? Is something bothering you?" she asked, looking very worried about her mother.
"I am fine, love. It's just that there is something I wanted to talk to you about. Can you give me some few minutes?"
"Mother, I am almost late and Harry is out there waiting for me. Can we talk when I get back? Please, mother."
"No, it's important. Please, just a few minutes. It won't take long."
Denise and her mother both walked into the living room together and sat down.
"I have been thinking about the bodyguard issue. And, I have decided on something," her mother began.
"Mother please, if we are going to talk about you looking for a bodyguard for me, then, I think we should just talk after I come back. I really can't do this right now."
"No, Denise, listen. I am not thinking of getting you a new bodyguard. Far from it. I have actually decided to employ Harold as both your driver and bodyguard. I trust that boy and it seems you both get along really well. So I believe he is the best man for the job."
"You really mean that, mother?" Denise asked, her eyes filled with happiness.
"Of course, baby girl. I want you to be happy. And I don't want us to fight like the last time. It really hurt me that we had to fight like that. I don't want that again."
"Thank you so much, mother. Thank you for giving me this gift. And I know, Harold will do a very good job." She hugged her mother and she returned the hug. Denise kissed her mother on the cheek and bid her goodbye.
Her mother waved back at her, as she walked out the door. Mrs Wilson, then went back into her room, to prepare herself for the meeting she has with the women's leaded of the party in government.
As soon as Denise walked out the door, Harold stood with his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly opened. He was wowed by Denise's beauty and she actually looked breathtaking.
"You... You look so beautiful, Denise. The dress looks beautiful on you and it fits you perfectly." he stuttered.
Denise smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry. Are you please going to open the door for me?"
This is the second time Harold was so held by Denise's beauty that he had forgotten to open the door for her. He muttered a sorry and opened the door for her. Denise hopped in and Harold gently closed the door behind her. He walked over to the driver's side and sat in, then, drove off to the venue where the get together was being held.
They got to the company the get together was being held. Harold came out and opened the door for Denise who came out of the car looking more beautiful than ever. She took a look at the building, which looked a bit like hers, but not that close to it. Harold held his hand towards her and she graciously took it, with a smile on her face. They walked inside.
They got inside, and were welcomed by Mr Shaw, who had taken notice of them once they walked inside the room. "I am so glad you were able to make it, Miss Wilson. You look very dashing, if I may say. You look absolutely stunning." He took her hand and kissed it.
"Thank you, Mr Shaw. Let me introduce you to my date for the night, Harold. Harold, this is Mr Shaw, one of the new business partners for the company." She introduced the two men.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr Shaw."
"Same here, Harold. You will agree with me, when I say that Denise looks absolutely perfect, right?"
"I totally agree with you. She is very beautiful," Harold replied sincerely, staring deep into Denise's eyes, making her blush.
"Well, let's meet the others. Come," Mr Shaw ushered them, towards where Mr Johnson was standing. He was chatting with a group of people when he noticed Mr Shaw and Denise approaching him. He excused himself and walked towards them.
He also complimented Denise and nicely welcomed Harold. Denise had actually not just attracted the attention of the two men, but also, all the others in the room, being it man or woman. Soon, the get together started, and everyone was really happy. There was a lot of wine going around, and Denise decided to have a glass. She was the kind of woman who never loved to drink. She was not even fond of alcohol all together. But, since they were celebrating their partnership, she took and glass and began drinking from it.
"Ma'am, I don't think you should be drinking. You know how you get when you drink," Harold whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Don't worry, it's just one glass. And I don't think that will do anything to me. You should relax a bit, you look so tense." Denise joked.
Harold just smiled and continued drinking from his glass. He was able to handle his drink very well unlike Denise, who could actually cause a scene with just a single drop from alcohol and this worried him a lot.
Mr Shaw came to get Denise to introduce her to some of the workers in his company. Harold wanted to go with her, but she stopped him and asked him to have fun. Mr Shaw dragged her away quickly to go meet the others while Harold stood at a corner, watching what was going on.
"Hey, handsome," a girl came to stand beside Harold. She looked drunk already and was almost falling over.
"Um, hi," Harold replied, trying to sound nice to the lady.
"I saw you standing here by yourself and I decided to come up and talk to you. By the way, my name is Karen," the lady held out her hand.
"I am Harold. Nice to meet you, Karen." Harold shook hands with her.
"Did you come with anyone, Harold?" Karen asked.
"Yes, I... "
"Harold? Is everything okay?" Denise asked, as she walked towards the two. She looked quite annoyed.
"I am fine, Denise. I thought you were talking with Mr Shaw and the others?"
"Yes, I was. But then, I realised I had left you all alone and decided to come back and keep you company," she replied, ignoring the other woman completely.
"Hello Denise. It's good to see you again after such a long time." Karen said.
"I wish could say same, but unfortunately, it isn't really good to see you. What are you doing here?" Denise looked at Karen coldly.
"I am friends with Johnson. He invited me. I did not know you were the new business partner they were talking about. Congrats."
"Thank you. Well, if you may excuse me, I and Harold have some things to talk about. See you," she said and walked away with Harold, who looked more confused than ever.
Once they were away from Karen, Harold asked the question that had been bothering his mind.
"Denise, tell me, do you know this lady?"
Denise nodded slowly. "She is the girl Alvin cheated on me with. The girl I used to call my best friend."
Harold nodded his head and his mouth formed an o shape, signifying his understanding on the event that had transpired in front of him earlier. Denise was still angry, but her anger was beginning to subside. Her eyes perked up when she heard the music being played out of the blue. Then she asked,
"Want to dance with me?"