He grimaced. “Our water. And did you use paper towels?”
My fists clenched. “Are you serious? Tell me Montgomery’s is not that stingy.”
“We’re a business, madame. Not a charity,” he sneered.
I’d show him madame. My brows crept up as my hands came to my hips. I fixed him with my most quelling expression—one learned by studying my grandmother.
“Is that so?” I asked haughtily.
The weedy teen watched me with a bored expression. “I already said so, didn’t I? You need to buy something before you leave.”
“Or what?” I snapped, tossing my hair.
He sneered again. “Or I’ll call the police to escort you to the station. For trespassing.”
Seriously? Outrage swirled in my chest, and I did my best to keep a firm hold on it. Being arrested might hinder my efforts to get a job. And I had no bail money.
Why was this guy targeting me? I’d been into the city plenty. People were usually full of smiles and sunshine. Had I just encountered the only three assholes today?
… Or was it because I hadn’t arrived in a black car with tinted windows and a chauffeur?
I deflated. “Fine. What’s your cheapest item?”
His eyes sparked in triumph. “Our ice cream. It’s 100 percent organic.”
“You mean the supplier you use is called Organic.”
The teen’s guilty jerk confirmed that was the case.
“I’ll take one then.” I waved him off.
He pointed at the nearest queue. “Our meal artists will be happy to serve you.”
My jaw dropped. Now I had to wait in fucking line? This kid was outrageous.
I noted the smirk on his lips before he turned to berate the next person exiting the toilet. That had to be how Montgomery’s made their money. Using their toilets as a Venus flytrap to catch the innocent.
I stood in line, stewing in the injustice of it all. The irony of supporting the same corporation I’d just judged others for supporting didn’t escape me. I glared at the back of the weedy teen’s head. Greasy hair and a pimply neck. He probably only exerted his power here because he was bottom of the food chain in high school.
The thought made me feel a tad sorry for him. It also cut through my anger.
The teen’s back was to me…
I skirted my gaze to the automatic glass doors and back.
Didn’t need to tell me twice.
“Stop her,” the teen shouted as I bolted for the door.
I burst free and dashed down the stone steps, my pack thumping against my lower back. Luck was with me and the green man signal was flashing to cross to the next block.
Shouts rang after me, but I didn’t look back as I sprinted past the waiting cars.
Fuckers weren’t getting my money.
Uneasiness crept up my spine as I put more distance between me and Montgomery’s. They wouldn’t send coppers after me, would they? For something as small as that? There had to be cameras in there. They’d have a picture of my face.
I shook the thought away and dodged around a corner, lunging for the entrance alcove of a building.
Panting, I waited for five minutes in the alcove, but no handcuffs clamped down on my wrists.
Win. Hopefully.
I wiped sweat from my forehead, stepping aside as a young man entered the doors at my back. He smiled nervously at me, two sheets of paper in his grip.
“Dropping off your résumé?” I asked him, still breathing hard. I really needed to get back to the pool.
“No one ever gets a call from Live Right Realty, but can’t hurt to try, can it?” His lips crooked in a lopsided smile.
This was Live Right Realty? “Oh, I’m meant to be dropping my résumé here too.”
He held open the door, and I strode into the lobby, flashing a smile. Dark hair and dark eyes. Not my favourite combo, but I liked his style—a tight black tee and dark-blue jeans kind of guy, though I could see he had the ability to slip into a suit and tie without effort.
Aside from Tommy, he was the nicest person I’d encountered all day.
“You didn’t know you were in their building?” His dark eyes twinkled.
I lifted a shoulder. “Long story.”
“I saw you running out of Montgomery’s.”
Shit. Hoisting my pack, I answered, “A misunderstanding.”
He laughed quietly, and I joined in as we entered the elevator. Tall, dark, and handsome pressed Level 44.
My ears popped as the lift shot up.
“I’m Rhys, by the way,” he said, sticking out his hand.
He was totally getting his flirt on. In an awkward, adorable way. “Basi.” I shook his hand, making sure to linger a few seconds too long.
“Doing the résumé rounds today as well?”
I nodded, exhaling. “Sure am. It isn’t going so great.”
His eyes roamed my body and my brows crept upward until I realised he was staring at the ex-coffee stain covering my stomach.
Fuck. I had a massive wet patch on my shirt. I was meant to wait until it dried.
Ding!
The buzz of a bustling workspace reached into the elevator.
“Shall we?” he asked, tilting his head.
I swallowed, thinking of my last encounter. “Let’s do it.”
His dark eyes gleamed, and it wasn’t hard to guess where his mind had taken my comment. Which I might not be completely averse to after knowing him better.
Unlike the pet store, I wasn’t assaulted by the smell of roadkill when I stepped into the reception area. A small plaque on the front bench desk read Live Right Realty. Behind the desk stood several admin staff.
Several beautiful admin.
What the hell did they eat for breakfast? Their skin was flawless, their hair gleaming. Each of them rivalled my height except their willowy frames belonged on the catwalk or in an exquisite painting.
“Can I help you?” the closest admin said when we stopped in front of the desk.
A quick peek at Rhys told me he’d noticed the beauty of the reception staff and was robbed of speech.
I took the reins, smiling for all I was worth. “Hi, yes. Thank you. I’m Basi. I saw your job advert in the paper and wanted to drop my résumé off for consideration.”
The words slid out of my mouth just fine, but after last time, I didn’t dare celebrate.
The ethereal woman held out her hand.
“Oops, hold on a second,” I blurted. “It’s in my pack.”
Rhys recovered and handed his over silently.
The woman scanned the front page. “Thank you, Rhys. We’ll be in touch.”
When he turned away, she slipped the résumé beneath the desk. A second later, a whirring sounded.
Hold the front door.
Did she just shred his résumé?
She turned her smile on me at full wattage. She totally did!
I slid my résumé free—the one that cost ten cents per page to print. “How many people are you looking to hire?” I asked, not handing it over.
The woman dropped her gaze to my bag and up again. “Elegance. I love that brand.”
I frowned. What? “My pack? Thanks.”
Her eyes travelled my frame, lingering on the massive wet patch on my stomach. I breathed thinly and stilled as she studied me. The woman’s eyes were bright blue. The kind of bright that was impossible to look away from—not a thought I could ever recall having. As she perused my manicured nails, silky hair, and ensemble, I could almost see the twin beams of her gaze on each body part.
“Is that Alastair body wash I smell?” she asked.
This was officially becoming weirder than my run-in with Jenny at Purrfect Pets. But weird in a scary way.
I blinked. “You can smell that?” I suppose I washed three times yesterday, and once more this morning.
The receptionist hummed. “Lemon myrtle is my favourite scent. What did you say your name is?”
“Basi,” I answere
d, leaving off my last name. I’d left it off my résumé too. Though Tommy said that slip might cost me professionalism points.
The name Le Spyre was well-known in this city. I refused to use my name to secure a job. If a realty firm knew who I really was, they’d use my connections, and I’d be right back where I started—playing the fucking rich game.
“Basi…?” she prompted.
Not happening, lady. I widened my smile and passed her my résumé. She immediately flicked through, pausing on my details on the front page as she had with Rhys.
“Orange,” the woman said so quietly that I was positive she didn’t intend for me to hear.
This was getting stranger by the second. The other two admins had now stopped what they were doing to watch us.
I’d had my fill of unusual shit today. “I’ll leave it with you,” I said, the curve of my lips brittle. “My email is on there if you wish to get in touch with any questions.”
The woman slowly lifted her head.
She shot a glance at the other two and turned back. “Actually, Basi. Your résumé looks perfect for what we’re looking for. Could you interview on the spot?”
They wanted me to interview? Now?
“You realise I have no job experience, right?” Stupid thing to say when I wanted a job, but the oddness of her behaviour raised the hairs on my arms. Something about the keenness of her eyes made me want to sprint for the lift. My heart pounded from close proximity to her which couldn’t be possible. Could it?
Had she guessed who I was? Surely not. She probably just thought I was rich and had connections—the reason for forgoing my last name in the first place.
I hesitated.
Where was Rhys? A quick glance told me he was long gone.
Shit.
“Selling a house is much less about job experience than people experience. The right kind of people experience. Your social and extra-curricular portfolios are impressive.”
I’d made sure to only include those I’d participated in during high school. Normal people didn’t help to organise charities and high teas for the wealthiest families in the Southern Hemisphere—even if I refused to attend them.
Her comment went some way in alleviating my concerns that she was just after my network. Maybe I’d read her wrong.
I really needed this.
“Thank you,” I said demurely. “An interview would be great.”
She peered at my pack again. “Are you free now? It would save you a trip back from Orange.”
Her eyes were so hard to look away from. Such a bright blue. Enthralling. Looking at them nearly drove lucid thought from my mind. I didn’t like the vibes she was putting out, but the woman was offering me the first scrap of hope I’d had all day.
“That would be great,” I lied, tearing my gaze away to fix on the diamond necklace at her throat.
I darted a look up again.
Her lips curled, revealing a row of straight, perfectly white teeth. “Perfect.”
4
I stumbled out of Kyros Sky, fingers pressed to my temple. The main receptionist—apparently in charge of hiring and firing as well—hadn’t asked anything other than what I assumed were normal interview questions, but I felt wrung out, my brain full of clouds.
Hold on.
Where did the sun go?
I entered Live Right Realty just after midday. Didn’t I? Now, it had to be at least 6:00 p.m. Thinking back over the interview questions, I couldn’t recall the process lasting very long.
Maybe I spent more time in the Montgomery’s toilet than I realised.
“You’re losing it,” I muttered. The craziness of today was hitting all at once. Hopefully it hadn’t shown in the interview—though my gut twisted at the thought of actually working with the beautiful women upstairs too. They were just so… intense.
I circled my fingers on my temple, lifting my other hand to mirror the soothing gesture on the other side. I groaned at the small pleasure. If I was back at the estate, I’d be on the phone to my massage therapist, stat.
Wheels screeched.
The breath choked in my throat, and I whirled as a car hurtled straight for me.
This can’t be how it fucking ends.
The sleek black car screeched to a halt an inch from my kneecaps, and my heart hammered as my mind stuttered over my imminent death and miraculous survival of the last few seconds.
The driver door opened, and only then did I process that I’d somehow walked into flowing traffic. What the hell was wrong with me? I almost died.
I almost died.
Pure adrenaline coursed through my veins and I slammed both hands on the bonnet of the car that was far more reminiscent of the place I’d run away from than my current situation.
“You almost ran me over, you compensating-for-something jerk!” I turned to look at the driver.
And stopped.
Hormones and ovaries.
He’d left the door wide open, ignoring the honks from the line of cars extending behind. Though summer reigned, the towering man wore a knee-length business coat. Beneath it, I glimpsed a three-piece suit and a slim black tie.
If Rhys could have slid into a suit with ease, this man could slide out of one even easier.
Swallowing hard, I pulled my hands off his bonnet.
After a lifetime amongst the elite, I knew power when I saw it. This man had it. Not only in his muscular frame that was apparent through the coat. Not just in the ticking of his jaw. He came from powerful lineage—an inheritance that was the work of many generations. I could detect it as easily as the sinking sun.
Or a urinary infection.
My face hardened.
He stopped when we were almost toe to toe, and I tipped my head back, feeling my curls brush the small of my back.
His eyes. Bright green. So insanely bright. Kind of like the receptionist’s in Live Right Realty.
“Compensating for something?” he asked in a rumbling voice.
Huh?
Oh… right.
The unstated subtext of his comment implied he didn’t have anything to compensate for. No matter how much I agreed, arrogance drew out the worst in me. The urge to apologise disintegrated.
I looked him up and down, wrinkling my nose. “Seems like it.”
His eyes flashed and he stilled.
Predator.
The only word I could think of to describe the man’s sudden change.
My heart pounded anew. He was big. Like, athletic and two heads taller than me. Something about the guy sent my body into overdrive. My mind screamed at me to run.
But he was an ass. Asses didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing me afraid.
I held his gaze, planting my feet. My hands landed on my hips.
The flash subsided and the corners of his lips twitched. “You realise that you ran out in front of my car.”
I did. “The green man was flashing.”
The man hummed and cocked a brow at the pavement. I did the same, realising we’d created a spectacle. Pedestrians lined the road on either side. We’d stopped the traffic in this lane and the one next as people slowed to gawk.
More pertinent was the fact that I was the only pedestrian on the road. Which I assumed was his point.
Running a hand through my hair, I blew out a breath. “Whatever. Thanks for not killing me.” I really should be grateful about that. Oh, well. I wasn’t fucking perfect.
Pivoting on my heel, I resumed crossing the street, weaving between the gawking lanes. All four lanes were now slowing to catch a look at the drama.
“Where are you going? I’m talking to you,” the man growled at my back.
Seriously? Growling? No one actually did that. Well, except that one Caveman, but he was just overzealous in fulfilling his roleplay.
Under different circumstances, I might have flirted shamelessly with Black Tie in the hopes of loosening his tie, but he was a douche bucket. I wasn’t attracted to asshats. Scratch that. I was, but they we
re for one-night stands. Nothing more.
Safely atop the opposite pavement, I lifted my middle finger overhead, calling, “Sit and rotate, buddy.”
“Don’t tempt me,” the man answered, gaze set on my face.
Uhm, did he just imply what I thought he’d implied?
I recovered, shouting, “I’ll trim my nails then.”
Montgomery’s bright green sign caught my attention as I turned away from the hot piece of bastard. More importantly, my gaze snagged on the weedy teen opening the door.
Crap! I’m back here?
His eyes landed on me. Shock registered one second before the teen bellowed, “Stop her.”
Fuck!
Legs and arms pumping, I zig-zagged through startled pedestrians. One ear on the teen’s nasally commands, I kept the other on the snapping calls of the driver I’d left in the middle of the street, for some reason feeling he was the larger threat.
Which made no sense at all.
“You’re sure you didn’t notice anything weird about their eyes and smiles?” I pressed Tommy again.
She shook her head, appearing nonplussed. “Nope. I’ve dropped my résumé off three times. They’re fucking gorgeous. Every one of them—which I suppose is kind of strange… Do you think they wear contacts or something?”
Pretty sure my imagination was on the fritz and I was dreaming up monsters under the bed. Rhys hadn’t seemed to notice anything astray either, apart from the beauty of the receptionists.
“Are you sure you want to work there if the staff gave you the heebie-jeebies?” Tommy asked, snatching up the last fish taco. She’d paid, so I let her have it.
We were in a pub on the waterfront. Twenty years ago, the decor would have amazed. Now, it was tired and worn. But the food was good, and so was the strawberry mojito I’d downed.
Lips pursed, I turned my focus inward at her question. The head cloudy experience of earlier had dissipated now. Nearly being flattened by an expensive car would do that to a gal. Looking back, I was certain most of the staff’s strangeness was in my head. After pet store Jenny, coffee sasquatch, and the teen with a power complex, I was just twitchy and stressed.
“My options are few. I mean, I’ve blown any chance at being hired by Montgomery’s.”
Blood Trial: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 1) Page 3