Free Forbidden Affair: The Bold and the Beautiful by Amy Andrews

neutral.
    “Yes?”
    “Are you going to the LA Fashion Awards gala on Friday night?”
    Steffy nodded. “Yes. I’m covering it for the magazine.”
    Bill was inordinately pleased. Maybe outside of work they could just be themselves. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”
    Steffy shut her eyes briefly before flicking them open to acknowledge him. “Looking forward to it,” she said. Like a hole in the head.
    Steffy sighed as she slipped from the room. Bill in a tux. Might as well dip him in jelly and paint him with peanut butter—the man looked positively edible in a tuxedo.

Chapter Six
    Friday night came before Steffy was ready for it and any enjoyment she might have felt at attending the gala she’d been going to since she was sixteen years old was totally stripped. It wouldn’t have mattered so much had Steffy been able to concentrate instead on the proposal for the new magazine direction, but that had been impossible too. All her thoughts had been preoccupied with the gala, with seeing Bill socially. Outside the safety of their colleagues-only work environment.
    In a tuxedo.
    And she’d been right to be worried, because the man looked amazing. In a room full of glamorous people—gorgeous male underwear models and a who’s who of Hollywood A-listers—he more than held his own, and Steffy was painfully aware of where he was at all times. The only thing saving her sanity was being seated at one of the four Forrester tables and surrounded by her family. Thomas and her grandfather sat either side of her. Rick, her cousin, and Thorne, her uncle, sat opposite. Thankfully, Brooke and Hope and Liam were sitting at a table two away from them and Steffy could just relax and be herself with the people who loved her.
    The ceremony was as lively and entertaining as usual and Steffy was proud when Forrester Creations took home several awards. She stood and cheered madly when her grandfather accepted an industry recognition award.
    After the awards came the dancing and Steffy kept herself busy on the dance floor to avoid Bill, whose eyes she could feel on her no matter where she was in the room. But she was so busy trying to avoid him, she didn’t anticipate Liam making an approach.
    “May I have this dance?”
    Steffy was startled by Liam’s voice so close to her ear. She looked over her shoulder to see him holding his hand out to her. She’d not long returned from dancing with a young up-and-coming designer who’d taken home the new talent award.
    Liam looked as handsome as ever. When she thought about how much she’d loved him, how many years she’d fought for him, Steffy wanted to stand up and slap him. Why was he being so gallant now that she was lost to him?
    She flicked a glance to Hope, who was glaring at them, and Steffy was pretty sure if looks could kill then Hope had just annihilated her from the surface of the planet. Brooke was also looking more than a little pissed about the situation.
    “Steffy,” Thomas prompted when Steffy hadn’t moved. 
    Liam smiled down at her as Steffy still made no attempt to take him up on his offer. “Surely we can still have a dance? For old time’s sake?”
    Steffy shook her head. She knew how this would go. They’d dance in this highly visible situation and people would start to gossip about them getting back together and then it would be back on again with Hope and Brooke, and her mother would restart her campaign. She didn’t want this.
    “Go away, Liam,” she murmured, pleased that the music and chatter around the ballroom kept their conversation from those around them. “Go back and dance with Hope.”
    “Steffy,” Thomas said reproachfully.
    “Thomas.” Steffy glared at her brother for interfering. She turned back to Liam. “You need to dance with the woman you came with,” she said.
    “Hope’s fine with it,” Liam insisted.
    Steffy shook her head at Liam’s lack of insight. Had he always been like this or was he just really freaking clueless? “No,