A wolfish grin crossed her face. “We need you to sign today.”
8
I sat at my office desk typing useless notes. I resisted the urge to insert what I’d really witnessed, unsure of what security Kyros had in place. They couldn’t know that I suspected they were an underground mafia of some description.
Today passed without major incident. I still felt wrung out and ready to collapse in a heap—but I’d started the day feeling like crap too. Parts of the day were even interesting. I’d learned that when Live Right referred to securing a house, they meant buying it. As for the script Katerina referred to, I’d returned to the car expecting to be scolded. She’d congratulated me instead. The anger. The call to the supervisor. It was all a bluff. It was Live Right policy to close the deal the same day.
Which seemed dodgy as fuck.
So I hadn’t asked why, but the question had plagued me all afternoon.
I glanced at my phone—henceforth known as Beast—plugged in to charge so the battery didn’t go dead every hour.
7:00 p.m.
One more hour to go.
… Unless I returned tomorrow.
This morning, I was adamant I wouldn’t return. After that, I was certain this was my last shift.
But the day spent with Katerina wasn’t terrible.
More than that, a few quick figures had shown that if I finished out this week, I’d have enough money for food and transport next week. I’d have all next week to find another job. At lunch, I dropped the last three copies of my résumé off to prospective jobs. One for a position at Jamieson—the outlet store where I bought my crappy clothes. Another was for a cashier gig in a fruit store, and the other was for the janitor position. I would literally take any other job.
Angelica knocked on the framing of the open door. “How was today, Basi?”
Now was the time to bring up quitting and payment.
I ignored the fear-filled reaction of my body. I was becoming better at compartmentalising it. Otherwise known as being too exhausted to react.
The memory of my hasty budget forecast swam before my eyes.
Dammit!
“Good, thank you,” I said firmly.
Her brows lifted. “I’m glad to hear it. I wondered if yesterday overwhelmed you. We have a lot of staff and they’ve known each other for a long time. But you’ll be part of the team in no time.”
Awesome. I couldn’t wait to be best friends with everyone. “Will most days be like today?”
She smiled, and I blanched, caught unawares.
“Most days, for the next two weeks, yes,” Angelica said, taking a step into my office. “After that time, you will operate on your own with a set caseload. I believe Katerina talked you through our process?”
“She did. The visits after lunch were preliminary visits.” Which I’d learned were essentially cold calling houses in a bid to get a foot in the door.
“Perfect.” Angelica beamed.
My stomach lurched. The sushi roll I’d eaten was considering making a guest appearance.
“You’ll be an adept hand in no time.” She cooed at me just like Kyros cooed last night. I was still a monkey.
“Once you complete the tasks Katerina set you, you are most welcome to call it a day.” With another terrifying display of teeth, she left the room.
If that wasn’t incentive to get my work done, I didn’t know what was.
Earlier, Katerina presented me with a list of addresses we’d visit tomorrow. I was meant to research them in a system called Monocle.
I double-clicked on the icon, and a login tab appeared.
Katerina didn’t give me a login. I clicked Enter but was denied.
Shoot. I wanted out of here.
Standing, I smoothed the fronts of my slim fit pinstripe trousers. A thin cream boatneck sweater completed the look. My boobs looked awesome in it.
Striding across the room, I beelined for the reception, glancing around. I really didn’t feel like talking to more bright eyes, but I wanted out of this tower more.
“Miss Tetley.” A deep voice sounded behind me, and I whirled, hand gripping my throat.
Kyros exited the elevator doors.
I hadn’t heard the usual ding.
His meadow-green eyes fell to where my hand rested, and I breathed thinly as he swallowed. In a suit again—charcoal this time—he dipped his gaze lower to my breasts. My chest inflated as though he’d forced air into my very lungs. It made it look like I was preening under his attention. Which I was not.
My body and mind were on the same page, right?
Right?
“What do you want?” I snapped, turning away to collect myself.
“I’m your employer, Miss Tetley. Don’t speak to me that way. I do not tolerate insubordination.”
I scanned the reception area anew. Seriously, where did everyone go? Not that I could blame them for avoiding the jackass at my back.
“That’s laughable.” I glanced back over my shoulder. “You stared at my ass yesterday. You stared at my boobs today. Then there was that little strip tease you did rolling up your shirt sleeves. Or do you treat all your employees that way.”
He was silent.
I sighed, scanning reception. “Angelica?” I called. “Katerina?”
Anyone?
“Do you require assistance?” he asked. The clip of his business shoes was muffled by the carpet, and only a faint scuff was audible.
I tensed, every muscle in my back drawing tight. How close was he?
And who spoke like that?
Unfortunately, the polite question unsettled me. A battle of exchanged barbs, I’d expected. Helpfulness, not so much. This was the second time he’d switched tactics and used kindness to make me uncomfortable. I’d have to remember that.
Not that I expected to see him again after tomorrow.
Unable to bear him at my back, I faced Kyros, hands on hips. “Monocle requires a login. I don’t have one. I need to do research on tomorrow’s targets.”
“Come. You can use mine for now.” Without waiting for my reply, he gestured to my office.
Balling my hands at his order, I focused on the end goal. On the way home, I’d get a salad from a little eatery I discovered next to the underground mall. Then I had a date with my cheap and crappy bed.
Kyros stood aside, waving me ahead.
As soon as I moved in front of him, my hackles rose. I didn’t like having my back to him at all. A gasp lodged in my throat, and I lengthened my steps to put distance between us.
“Are you okay, Miss Tetley?” he asked, deep voice rumbling.
Was he laughing at me?
Ignoring the question, I hurried across the room and sat in the desk chair. My discomfort dissipated, and after a shaking inhale, I pointed at the login box still on my screen. What did I say about hindsight before?
I shouldn’t have taken the chair.
Kyros rested a large hand on the back of my office chair, right above my head. He leaned forward to grip the computer mouse—or crush it.
But my mind was on other things. Like his torso brushing my shoulder and the unyielding line of his jaw. I closed my eyes, battling with my ovaries, and trying to recall the fear of thirty seconds ago.
He smelled fucking incredible.
I’d never encountered the cologne before, which surprised me. I inhaled, and the earthy, citrus scent filled my head. I usually noted people’s choice of fragrance. But never before had someone’s natural musk mixed so effortlessly with the product meant to enhance and entice the sense of smell.
It had to be custom made.
I opened my eyes as he straightened, studiously ignoring the way my thighs were squeezing together. It had been a long time. I’d gone off rich boys—the ones I knew anyway. While on the estate working here-and-there for grandmother, I’d only spoken with male employees, all of whom were my seniors. There hadn’t been many nights out with Tommy in recent months either—working six days a week would
do that to a person.
Our gazes locked.
Not a fleck of brown disturbed the intense green of his irises. His face was carved from stone, lips wide and full, and currently pressed together. He disapproved? Interesting considering he’d instigated our nearness.
I frowned, realising how hard we were both breathing.
How close he was.
How my body wanted him, though my mind most certainly did not.
With colossal effort, I dragged my eyes to the screen again. Monocle sat open. I wheeled my seat forward, dislodging his grip on the back.
“Thank you,” I said. Fuck. I sounded like a porn star.
Ah, well. Some things couldn’t be helped, but they could be ignored. For instance, I wasn’t blind to the rise and fall of my chest, and I highly doubted a man with eyes as keen as his would be either. But I could refuse to act on it.
And would.
He lingered, and I refused to look at Kyros, scanning the computer screen instead. None of it registered. Not one bit.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” he said. The gravel in his voice was the alarm clock every heterosexual woman wanted to wake up to. A bolt of heat shot straight through me, and I jolted at the ferocity.
Whoa, that’s a new one.
I grunted through it. “Yep. Bye.”
“Good evening, Miss Tetley.”
Only when I heard the elevator ding did I drop my head into my hands.
Holy shit.
My body just boycotted me, both in terms of fear and desire.
What was that?
I stared vacantly at Monocle, frazzled mind scrambling over the encounter from the moment Kyros had exited the lift.
Just my luck to run into him at the end of the day. From what I could gather from Katerina, Kyros hardly ever showed on Level 44.
He must have come looking for something.
Except… I saw him arrive, and he went straight to the elevator after our conversation.
Which made it seem a whole lot like he came down here to see me.
Katerina zipped into the towing zone out the front of Kyros Sky and shoved the car into park.
I’d returned for the third and final day, unsure if I was dumb or brave.
Her eyes fixed on the entrance. A couple lingered there. Only one had bright eyes, so the other had to be a monkey like me.
My mentor scowled at the pair.
“You disapprove?” I asked. I thought they looked pretty darn cute.
She hissed. Like, a legit cat hiss.
In one and a half days, I was over any surprise at her vocal abilities. Katerina made a whole heap of unusual sounds: rumbles, growls, hisses, and a weird gurgling hum when she was happy.
Don’t think about it. You’re halfway through the day already.
I couldn’t fuck it up.
“They shouldn’t mix,” she snarled.
Say what? Because I couldn’t help myself, I blurted, “Why?”
Katerina’s face worked and she shot me a veiled look. “Because they’re bad for each other.”
I stared.
Nope—not getting involved. I pushed open the door and climbed out of her car. “See you at six.”
Per her request, I’d complete my two hours of research after lunch today instead of at the end. We had a target in Black this evening that Katerina was nervous about—or so I gathered from her flagrant thwarting of the speed limit.
I slammed the door shut, swinging my pack on. I was on my third and final outfit, a hugging navy blue dress with a square neckline. The dress fell to just above the knee, and I’d layered a puff sleeve white blouse beneath. Despite its Jamieson origins, the dress fit quite well.
I set off in the direction of Sister Sushi, digging around for my loyalty card. This was only my third lunch break, but the makings of routine made me feel a part of the Bluff City hustle. At lunch, I was just another working woman grabbing a bite and looking in the paper for a better job when the cashier wasn’t looking. Because she was dirt poor.
Perfectly normal.
“Miss Tetley.”
The world hated me.
Kyros leaned against the corner of his skyscraper.
I slid my eyes in the direction of my beloved sushi. I probably couldn’t ignore him—I’d stopped for too long.
I cursed long and hard in my head, then skirted to join him against the tower so traffic could pass by.
“Kyros.” I rushed in an undertone, “What are you doing out of your tower? Don’t you know how dangerous it is down here with the common folk?”
He’d tensed at my urgent tone, but relaxed, shooting me an annoyed glance.
I snickered, watching the crowds of Bluff City citizens enjoying their lunch break. “Anyway, lovely to see you. I’m just on my way to get food, so...”
I managed a single step.
“How are you finding the job?” He shoved both hands in his pockets.
I’d buy a magazine with that on the front cover, but it was incredible how easily he conveyed that he’d rather be elsewhere.
“Small talk, Kyros?” I tilted my head back to meet his gaze, feeling my hair swinging across my shoulder blades.
His eyes followed the silky slither of my butter-blonde tresses. My hair was the ultimate wing woman. Except my hair didn’t consult my head, just my reproductive organs. Which had never been a problem before this man.
I had to admit that Kyros’s hair was no two-dollar shop wig either. The sides were shaved, and the top middle section longer. The toffee-coloured strands were styled back, not a lock out of place. It was a modern style that could make or break a person.
The jerk pulled it off.
He pushed off the walk and straightened, cutting off my view of the good people of Bluff City. “Small talk. Straight talk. Loud talk. No talk. You don’t seem to like any of it.”
Searching his face, I didn’t immediately answer. His comment implied that he’d tried several different approaches with me. Flattering, I supposed, but we hadn’t talked that much. And those few interactions were tense with a capital T.
I was well aware of my attractive physical qualities—not deluded enough to think men would fall in love with me after a single come hither. Then there was his obvious reluctance to be in my presence.
Consider me confounded.
“Maybe it’s the person I’m talking to.” The words would bounce off his swollen ego anyway.
He dipped his head to mine, and my palms slickened. I gasped for air as he pushed closer again. The space between us disappeared.
Cloying. Heady.
“You’re attracted to me,” he stated.
Yep. Ego to spare.
“Physically,” I managed to puff out, enjoying his answering surprise when I didn’t deny his accusation. “Neither of us are mentally, emotionally, or spiritually attracted to the other. Our bodies may want each other, but one in four odds aren’t enough.”
His attention on me was so intense that a whine slipped between my teeth.
“What gives you the impression that I’m only physically attracted to you?” Kyros leaned against the building again. “And, if that is the case, surely one in four odds is enough to satisfy our urges?”
Warmth pooled low in my stomach. Whoa, Nelly, I had urges alright. And no doubt he could satisfy each one several times over.
A one-time thing was tempting. Extremely so. If Kyros wasn’t connected to, well, his illegal tower, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
This was my last day at Live Right Realty.
I refused to take any part of it with me.
“You don’t like being near me, Kyros. I don’t know if the conversation is painful for you or if you’ve taken a dislike to me. Really, I have no idea why you’re punishing yourself by talking to me. With all that said, it is definitely against my will to be near you, so that should answer both your questions.” Smiling, I swung my pack to the front and dug for my glasses. He’d turned my hunger for food into hunger for t
ime between the sheets, so I’d go to the agency first to read the paper.
I slipped my thick-rimmed glasses on and dropped the case back into my bag. When I looked up, his mouth was slightly ajar. He blinked at me.
Whatever.
I glanced down the street again.
“Basi, is that you?”
I searched for the speaker. A real smile widened my face. “Rhys? Hey!”
Rhys scanned me head to toe. “You got the job?”
I shrugged a shoulder, remembering my boss was behind me. “Seems like it.”
He wore suit pants today. Shirt untucked. Not neat and tidy like Kyros. Casual and comfortable. “You got a job too?” I asked.
“Sure did. Got lucky with a car sales yard.” Rhys stared over my head, and when he looked back, I made a face only he could see, darting my eyes pointedly to where Kyros lurked.
Amusement flitted over his handsome face. “Are you heading out for lunch?”
He was going to save me from Kyros? My hero. “I’d planned to. Sister Sushi.”
“The bacon and avocado roll?”
“I never knew that sushi combo existed. I’m obsessed.” I laughed, and Rhys sucked in a breath at the husky sound.
His eyes darkened. “Join me then. My shout. You can tell me about your job. We can swap war stories.”
Hells yes! I was on a budget. If I ate a few rolls on his dime, I wouldn’t need dinner. And Kyros just made me hot and bothered. I’d redirect that heat to the boy next door. He wouldn’t lead me directly to hell without passing GO.
“It’s a date.” I smiled archly.
“Miss Tetley.” Kyros’s rumbling voice vibrated through me. “You have work to do.”
The outrageous words took a few beats to register. “You’re fucking me?”
“Not yet.”
He couldn’t say that. That wasn’t legal… was it?
“My break is two until four.” I protested.
“Is there a problem?”
I jumped at Rhys’s voice. Shit. Forgot he was here. The amused glint in Kyros’s eyes suggested he might have noticed.
His eyes hardened, settling on Rhys for a beat before returning to me. The warning was clear. And though Kyros’s assholery made me want to throttle him, I had to remember all the dodgy shit happening in his tower.
Blood Trial: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 1) Page 9