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Post by Eliot Quinn on Sept 23, 2015 23:34:50 GMT
Eliot Quinn was far from a philanthropist. He had very little time for volunteering or fretting about those less fortunate. However, he always had time for a good party, especially one where making appearances were key. So when a very wealthy friend of his father organized a very large charity event to kick off the holiday season, he made it a point to attend and be as charming as ever. This time even bringing along a date. He'd found, over the years, that it was helpful to bring a date to events where women he was having affairs with were present, it deterred them from approaching him and therefore from making problems for him when he was trying to network and do business. Yes, Gwen had been the perfect choice to accompany him for the evening.
His hand on the small of Gwen's back, he floated through the event easily - introducing him to acquaintances of his. When he brought her to the bar, he ordered them both a drink. "This entire evening is dreadful, if I have to make nice with one more idiot..." he glanced up, though, spotting from familiar faces and smirking. "Well, aren't things just looking up now?"
Amber Jacobs stood nearby the bar, close to Brandon, making polite conversation with one of the partygoers. Her fingers intertwined with his, she did her best to nod politely during the conversation, but as she turned to survey the crowd, her eyes settled on Gwen. Her hand slipped out of Brandon's and tried to avert her eyes and focus on something else. She sipped on her club soda, suddenly aware of just how much liquor had helped her get through these events.
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 24, 2015 2:09:16 GMT
In all honesty, Gwen had found that things had become weird in her life since she had kissed her boss. Not because feelings had been involved on her end, but because it had seemingly sent her into a tailspin of odd situations happening. After she had felt like she had accomplished her goal, she realized that everything had actually reverted. As quickly as Brandon and Amber seemed to break up, they had gotten back together and she had begun to wonder if any of it had counted in the first place. Sure, Brandon had gone out for drinks with Eliot and herself, but had one night really justified itself? She wasn't sure. And quite frankly, she wasn't sure that it mattered much at this point. Brandon had warned her off future advances and she might have let slip that it hadn't been anything serious in the first place, and yet he had still kept her as a member of his staff. What's more, she still worked on maintaining her connection with Eliot should anything open up elsewhere that proved to be more promising. And so when he had offered to have her come along to a charity event as his date, she had seen the opportunity as it presented itself. After meeting several names she was sure she would barely remember the next day, she was pleased when he brought them over to the bar. She took a sip of her drink as she followed his gaze, "Should we play nice or should we make this interesting?"
Brandon smiled at Amber, and he brought his hand to her cheek to comfort her momentarily. He knew that being pregnant in this circumstance wasn't ideal, and he blamed himself in part for that, but he hoped that she would soon feel better about it soon. "Everything okay?" he asked to clarify.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 24, 2015 2:22:12 GMT
Amber took a deep breath when Brandon asked her if everything was okay and she shrugged her shoulder up. "Yes, I'm just trying to remember the last time I made it through one of these things sober," she admitted with a small laugh. Leaning in, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Pulling back, she took another sip of her soda and then gestured to the other side of the bar. "You know, when I did talk to Gwen, I told her to aim lower. I didn't really mean rock bottom," she quipped, eying Eliot Quinn warily for a moment. Turning back to Brandon, she smiled softly at him. "Since I can't have a drink, you bear the burden of keeping me entertained, Brandon."
Eliot eyed the couple across the way for a moment, deciding his best plan of attack. "The night is young," he grinned. "Let's just make nice. Play along, yeah?" Picking up his drink and leading her over to the couple, he plastered a smile onto his face. "Finn," he greeted, then holding up a hand almost in surrender. "I come in peace," he chuckled. "Just wanted to come say hello and say that, while I was disappointed that you never called about another night out that I have to admit that obviously I must have been wrong. And I wanted to apologize to Amber." He took a sip of his drink before gesturing to Gwen. "Have you met my date?"
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 24, 2015 2:39:57 GMT
Brandon smiled softly at Amber and realized that he didn't envy her position. He was starting to come to terms with the fact that the child that she was carrying was going to be their absolutely amazing offspring, but he wasn't really in a position to wish that he was experiencing it all sober. "Hey," he said softly, "Play nice." When it came down to it, Eliot had been his friend for a long time in Amber's absence and he hoped that she thought highly enough of his judgement that he wouldn't have surrounded himself by such negative influences. His former friend made his way over with his secretary and Brandon forced a smile in their direction as well, "Gwen, it's nice to see you," he greeted kindly, professionally, even.
Gwen smiled brightly, suddenly very much aware of the tension of the situation that had occurred the last time that she had seen Amber. "It's lovely to see you both," she greeted kindly. "I'm sorry that things had ended so oddly with us before, Amber," she added, "And as always, it's so nice to see you away from your desk, Brandon." She was going to do her best to stay bright and positive, if only for her own sake.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 24, 2015 15:14:11 GMT
Amber suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. When Gwen actually addressed her, she plastered a small smile onto her face and nodded. Not for a split second did she believe Gwen was actually sorry for how their previous discussion had gone and when Gwen and Brandon addressed each other, she took a sip of her soda and wished it was a gin martini.
Eliot regarded Amber’s reactions to everything meticulously. “Amber, how about I get you a real drink and we all toast to a fresh start?”
Shaking her head, Amber politely declined. “You know, I’ve had a horrible migraine nearly all day and I think it’s best I just stick to club soda tonight. Thank you though.” Fiddling with the straw in her drink, she glanced around the party looking for anyone else to focus on other than the pair standing in front of her. She imagined that they both were enough trouble on their own that in combination she should prepare for the oncoming storm.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 24, 2015 17:00:49 GMT
Brandon wasn't sure if Amber had tensed beside him or if he was the one that was having difficulties with the situation that they now found themselves in. It was one thing to have a conversation with Gwen at work, or even Eliot if the circumstances necessitated it, but it was something else entirely to try and also manage an appropriate conversation with them while Amber was there. Just having her beside him reminded him of all of the awful things that Eliot had said to her and all of the things that she had informed him that Gwen had said as well. Of everyone here, he was sure that these two were at the top of the list of people to avoid. "Actually," he interjected, not wanting to even humor the idea that they were in a position to agree to a fresh start with them. "Amber and I should probably say hello to some acquaintances of ours." Getting out of this conversation seemed to be his best choice.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 24, 2015 19:41:56 GMT
Amber was relieved when Brandon moved to make some sort of an excuse, and she’d never actually been so relieved to see Cooper Benson over Eliot’s shoulder. She waved him over quickly, a grin still plastered onto her face. She knew that Cooper was going through a lot at the moment, but was hoping that he and Madison might serve as a good excuse to get out of their awkward social situation.
Cooper had been unsuccessfully trying to avoid too much social interaction, finding that he just really wasn’t in the state of mind to be dealing with people. He was hoping to run into Brandon and Amber to thank them for their recent help and to find Riley and discuss the case, but more than that he wanted nothing more than to take Madison home and enjoy a quiet evening alone with his girlfriend and daughter. When Amber waved him over, he let out a soft sigh – seeing that they were standing with Eliot Quinn. “I think we’re being summoned for a rescue mission,” he joked, leading Madison over almost reluctantly. He greeted the group with a nod. “Well, what are we all up to over here?” he asked with a small, knowing grin.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 24, 2015 22:58:20 GMT
Madison knew that her heart just wasn't in it tonight. While she hadn't been nearly as affected by things as Cooper had, she still felt exhausted from it all. She couldn't stop feeling awful about what he was going through. Quite honestly, she would have loved to have just stayed in tonight and been a little more antisocial. She smiled politely at their friends, not wanting to intrude on whatever conversation they were having with Eliot Quinn and some woman she hadn't met before.
Brandon would have rather excused himself and Amber from their awkward little chat, but he figured that having backup would have been good too. "Cooper, Madison," he greeted them, knowing that things had been difficult for them recently.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 25, 2015 2:14:21 GMT
Amber was a big believer that maybe if they just ignored their problems, in the form of Eliot Quinn and Gwen Sullivan, maybe they'd go away. After all, how hard was it to take a hint? She smiled brightly at Maddy, glad to see the brunette there with Cooper given how hard she knew things had been. "Maddy, you look beautiful."
Parker Blye had been feeling rather off since the passing of his father. Throughout the course of his life, he'd felt that going to college, having a failed engagement, and working had changed him - having a profound impact on his life. But it was truly the loss of one of his parents that had begun to put things in perspective for him. His mother had always been cold towards him, apathetic even. But his father had been disappointed, a disposition that had caused Parker to act out for many years and then slowly to try to seek his approval. In her grief, his mother had softened considerably but it was too late to redeem himself in his father's eyes. After quite a bit of time in mourning, he now felt that it was time to move forward. As he circulated the event with Liv on his arm, he wondered if his vision of the future lined up with hers. A churning feeling in his stomach made him feel as though it might not. He noticed Eliot Quinn gesturing in their direction and looked at Olivia. "It appears someone wants to say hello," he pointed out, reluctantly drawing her attention to the man he wasn't particularly fond of.
Riley Nicholls was pleased to have a night out. While these sorts of functions still weren't her comfort zone, she had to admit it was a nice break from work and even the stress of wedding planning. Her hand in Adam's, she smiled up at him. "Have I told you that you clean up really nicely, Tyler?" she asked teasingly. She observed Cooper standing near the bar. "Maddy and Cooper are here," she said. "Want to go say hi?" she asked, subsequently observing that they were standing with a group of people neither of them were entirely fond of. She'd been trying to assist Cooper in retaining custody of his daughter, while it wasn't in the scope of her responsibilities for his company, she'd agreed to work with him on it due to how close it hit to home for her, especially with the resurgence of her mother.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 25, 2015 12:28:04 GMT
Maddy smiled at Amber, "Thank you, you look amazing," she complimented. It was so strange to think that after all of this time she had found herself in a circumstance where she was considering Amber Jacobs to be a friend of hers. She had always looked at Amber and Brandon's little social circle in high school to be much different than her own. She had grown to be content with spending time with Riley and focusing instead of her studies, but now with the distance that time had created, she was beginning to think of them a little less as the popular kids who thought she was invisible. There was no doubt in her mind that if there were two people who she felt could absolutely run this city, it would be them. But for now, she considered herself lucky to have them as friends. At the thought of having friends around, she glanced out in the crowd to see if Riley and Adam were here but in the crush it was hard to tell.
The last several weeks had been much different than Olivia had been anticipating. Had someone asked her just a month ago what she would have been doing, she would have easily been able to list events, social gatherings, and people that she intended to have lunch with, but she hadn't been anticipating that her world was going to be shaken up in a way that had actually affected her. If there was anybody that could make her want to step outside of her comfort zone, she knew that it was Parker. And in this instance, being there for him when things were difficult had been far more important than silly luncheons and events where she knew she was only attending so that she could perhaps be a little rude to people she disliked. She had been surprised by how relieved she had felt when they finally made it back to New York, and she was even more surprised when he offered to attend a charity function with her. Liv looked over to spot Eliot Quinn with a group of people that she wasn't particularly fond of. "Shall we go say hello and get it over with?" she suggested.
Adam grinned at Riley, giving her hand a little squeeze. It seemed like their lives had started to become heavily wedding-centric now that just a few months remained. And while he wasn't sure that everything was on its way to getting completely back to normal, he was thankful for what sense of normalicy they did have, especially when it came to the fact that Riley seemed happy. "You don't look so bad yourself," he teased in response, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her lips. He looked over in the direction that she had spotted their friends and noted that it wasn't quite the crowd he necessarily wanted to say hello to. "Sure," he offered.
Brandon was quickly realizing that anyone and everyone that they had ever had history with was suddenly joining their small circle. And while he was appreciative of no longer finding himself and Amber alone with Eliot and Gwen, he wasn't particularly fond of all of the people that seemed to be making their way over to say hello. He was sure that if he had been alone with Amber, this would have been one of those moments where they joked about needing new friends, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 25, 2015 23:22:52 GMT
Riley laughed softly at Adam, kissing him quickly again, knowing that he wasn't exactly thrilled that she'd become friends with Brandon Finn of all people. While she understood, she appreciated that he didn't let that get in the way of their relationship. Not once did he ever try to dictate who she associated herself with and she was pleased with that. Leading him over, her eyes narrowed when she realized Eliot Quinn was among the people standing in their circle. She chose to ignore him for now, turning her attention to Maddy who she greeted with a warm hug. "Hi!" she exclaimed happily before greeting everyone else with a nod. She turned to Cooper,lifting her eyebrows. When he looked at her expectantly she nodded, "Today went well. I just wanted to let you know, I'm confident I can take care of it."
Cooper nodded, smiling at Riley's enthusiastic greeting for Maddy. He was grateful to have Riley as a friend and on his side in that custody battle, and he was grateful she'd introduced him to Madison in the first place. Come to think of it, he probably owed her a thank you gift. But what exactly did you buy someone that said 'Thanks for introducing me to my girlfriend and helping me in a custody battle?' A fruit basket? Shoving the thought aside, he nodded at the redhead. "Thank you. I appreciate that. Adam, it's good to see you."
Parker shrugged, leading Olivia over to the group. "Well, well. It's just like old times," he observed before noting Gwen. "With some new faces, I suppose," he greeted them evenly before turning to Eliot, who had been the one trying to summon them over in the first place.
Eliot clapped his hands together with a smirk. "Well, I for one am glad everyone is here. I was just telling Brandon and Amber here that I was hoping to make a fresh start with everyone, so why don't we get a round of drinks and toast to new beginnings. Amber - it might very well help your headache. Gin martini, if I remember correctly - not a cosmopolitan," he nodded, referencing the trip to the bar that had resulted in the end of his friendship with Brandon Finn.
Amber shook her head, "Really, no. I'm fine."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 26, 2015 19:27:43 GMT
Maddy grinned at her best friend, glad to see her looking so happy. She knew that with the reappearance of Riley's mother, things hadn't necessarily been easy for her. And with her wedding to Adam approaching quickly, she was sure that tensions were getting higher. "Hi!" she returned the greeting enthusiastically. In addition to everything that Riley had been going through on her own, she had recently started helping Cooper with his custody battle and Maddy couldn't express how appreciative she was for all of her help. Actually, she assumed that she owed Riley a lot of thanks for a lot of things when it came to Cooper, but that was something she was sure that she would have to take several years to truly thank her friend for all of that. She made a note to take Riley out to lunch soon to try and show her appreciation for her. "Hi, Adam," she added with a smile.
Adam smiled at Riley's friends, "Hi, Maddy. Cooper, it's good to see you too." He had to admit that he had been much more appreciative of their friendship recently than he had been of his own friends. At least his working situation had been a little strange considering the fact that his once tolerant attitude toward Eliot had quickly dissipated once everything had happened with Riley. As such, he wasn't particularly fond of the fact that he was now finding himself in a situation with Eliot nearby.
Brandon took hold of Amber's hand, "Eliot, I really don't think that a fresh start is in order."
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Post by Eliot Quinn on Sept 26, 2015 20:12:27 GMT
Amber bit her lip, fidgeting slightly and squeezing Brandon's hand. She thought about trying to change the topic but thought that, at this point, it might be too late. Eliot Quinn, in her opinion, was a lot like a rabid dog that wouldn't let go of something once it sunk its teeth in. Apparently, she was who he'd set his sights on for the night.
Eliot observed her for a moment before shaking his head. "From all accounts I've ever heard, Amber's best accessory has always been a gin martini. I'm just curious what could really motivate her to not want a drink. Unless she's joined some sort of twelve step program, or..." he trailed off, chuckling softly. "My, my, Amber. You're positively glowing tonight," he chuckled softly before turning an eye to Brandon. "Everything is starting to make sense now," he nodded.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 26, 2015 20:23:23 GMT
There had been quite a few reasons Brandon had disliked Eliot over the last several months, but right now he could only think of disliking him for what he appeared to be hinting at right at this moment. "Whatever you think you know," Brandon said, "I think it would wise for you to keep it to yourself>" He had completely understood Amber's reason for keeping things quiet for a while, and while he knew that they were eventually going to need to tell people, he wanted it to be on their terms. Particularly on Amber's terms, and if Eliot thought that he had an opportunity to make a spectacle out of it, Brandon was tempted to forcibly stop him from saying anything about it.
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Post by Eliot Quinn on Sept 26, 2015 20:51:04 GMT
Eliot smirked at Brandon, taking a step closer to the couple. "Honestly, Brandon, I think it's quite honorable that you're still with her while you're awaiting the paternity test results," he nodded. "You are having one, aren't you? I'm sure once you go public with the news, the Board will want one. We live in a very progressive city but those stuffy old men on the Board of Directors will be very concerned about who'll be handed the keys to the castle a couple of decades from now. And you never can be too careful with a girl like Amber, can you? It would be such a shame if she got dragged through the mud for being an unfit mother before her bastard child is even born, wouldn't you agree?"
Amber glowered up at Eliot, squeezing Brandon's hand and looking up at him. "Ignore him," she whispered softly. "Please?"
Cooper eyed the exchange going on between Eliot and his friends, frowning he stepped forward. "Eliot, I think that you're probably wanted somewhere else - perhaps by some other poor unsuspecting victim or back to your headquarters in hell?"
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