Hmm, this is interesting…the playful side of Alexander.
“I could probably tell you something about every make and model of car out there because of him. Everything I know is because of his non-stop chatter at the dinner table growing up.”
“What do you know about the Turbo S?” he asked somewhat dubiously. If he was trying to test me, this was one test that I’d be sure to ace.
“Well, where should I begin? I know that the hefty price tag packs five hundred fifty horsepower and is powered by a four point eight liter twin turbo V8 engine. It can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in only four point three seconds, maxing out at one hundred seventy-five miles per hour. It has – ,” I stopped short when I saw that Alexander was staring open-mouthed at me.
“You sound like you’re reading from a spec sheet. Even I don’t know those specifics off the top of my head! You got all of that from dinner conversation?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah, sort of. Plus I’ve had a car crush on anything with a Porsche logo since I was thirteen years old,” I confessed with a small shrug.
“You continue to surprise me, Miss Cole,” he murmured. “It makes me wonder about what else you may be hiding from me.”
“Frank owns a bunch of car dealerships back home. Car stats were sort of engrained into me. It’s really no big secret.”
“It seems like you’re fond of your stepfather. Do you have a good relationship with him?” he asked, guiding me around the corner onto Fifth Avenue.
“Oh, yeah – I don’t have any issues with Frank. He has always been very good to me. It’s my mother that I’m always battling with. She can be rather difficult at times, and that’s putting it mildly.”
“How so?”
I took a deep breath and tried to think of the easiest way to describe my mom.
“She’s just bitter all the time. Really negative, you know? It’s almost like she has something to prove. It’s hard to explain if you don’t know her.”
“Maybe I’ll meet her one day,” he said easily.
“Oh, no. You don’t want to meet my mother. She’s stubborn and overbearing to say the least. A part of me would swear that she hates men. Her past is somewhat…well, tainted. You know that expression about a woman who’s been scorned? That’s her. I almost feel bad for Frank sometimes. It’s a small wonder that he’s put up with her for so long.”
“Oh, I don’t know. She sounds like someone that I’d find interesting,” he said with a wink.
I watched him for a moment before realizing the hidden meaning behind his teasing. I was, in a sense, describing myself.
I felt the blood drain from my face as the comprehension dawned. It was like taking a blow to the head. Alexander probably didn’t realize how close to the mark he had hit. At some point in time, I had become like my mother – untrusting, bitter, and resentful towards the entire male species. And while I loved my mother dearly, I did not want to spend the rest of my life sharing her negativities.
How could I have not seen it before? I’m miserable – just like her.
“Krystina, are you okay?” I looked up to see Alexander searching my face imploringly.
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?” I questioned innocently, trying to shake off the unsettling emotions that were reigning down on me.
“You just got really quiet all of a sudden.”
I didn’t offer him a reply, as I was unable to formulate any sort of response at that moment. No words could describe what I was feeling. I could only shrug and act unconcerned, and I was glad when Alexander didn’t press the issue. This was a whole subject that I needed to evaluate for myself – alone, without his speculative gaze.
“I haven’t been here in ages,” he said, as we passed under the Washington Square Arch.
“This park is one of my favorite places. It’s one of the reasons why I fell in love with New York – it’s so full of life. There’s always something going on in Washington Square,” I said wistfully, taking in the activity around us.
“Yep, the place sure has character all right. I’m pretty sure that the guy sitting over there feeding the birds is in the exact same place that he was when I was here last,” Alexander said with an air of distain, nodding his head towards a man that was sitting on a bench, pigeons dancing all around him.
“Oh, come on! The pigeon man gives this place charm! Besides, he’s better than the lady that feeds the squirrels out of her purse.”
“A woman who feeds squirrels?” he asked, features pinched in disgust. I started laughing at his repulsed expression.
“You don’t get out much do you?” I joked, and then laughed again when he scowled. I tugged at his hand and led him towards a park bench. “Come over here. We can sit and people watch.”
“What’s to watch?” he asked, taking a seat beside me.
“Have you always lived in New York City?” I answered back with my own question.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“Because people who have lived here their entire life tend to be immune to the charm around them. See that kid over there?” I asked, pointing towards a young boy strumming a guitar under a tree. “Or that man just down the way with the puppets? You never know what you’re going to see here. That’s why it’s fun. You can just sit back and enjoy the show.”
We sat quietly and watched people come and go, a distant harmonica and the splash of the water fountain adding sound to the quiet evening.
After a while, a damp chill settled in the air, as the sun had completely set for the night. I reached down to rub my hands up and down my legs.
“You’re getting cold,” he observed. “Let’s get going.”
I nodded my agreement. Walking hand in hand, we started making our way back through the park.
I glanced down at our entwined fingers.
This is strange. He’s acting like we’re a couple.
Keeping in mind that we were very much not a couple, I removed my hand from his. I put my hands in my sweater pockets and made a show of feigning a chill. Alexander didn’t seem to notice my withdrawal, but rather wrapped his arm around my shoulder as if he were trying to warm me. My attempt at keeping a bit of distance between us had clearly failed.
When we reached the Arch, he pulled his phone his from his pocket.
“Washington Square. Near the Arch,” he barked into the mouthpiece before pocketing the phone again.
“You should probably be a little nicer to Hale. If I end up working for you, I certainly wouldn’t want you to talk like that to me.”
“Not if, Krystina. When would be more accurate,” he corrected.
“Confident, are we?”
“You start on Monday.”
“Monday? I can’t start that soon! I have to give Wally’s at least two weeks notice and –.”
“A week from Monday then. That’s more than sufficient,” he stated, as if what he was saying was completely sensible. When we reached the Arch, I stopped walking and turned to face him.
“Alex, I haven’t even accepted your offer yet!” I said, my exasperation clear. I all but stomped my foot like a two year old.
“There’s no need to keep going around and around about this, Krystina. I’ve already spoken to Walter Roberts. It’s a done deal. Now, are you going to ruin the night or are you going to get into the car.”
Speechless, I could only stare in shock at him for a moment before realizing that Hale had pulled up to the curb with our ride.
Rather than argue about it on the sidewalk, I conceded to Alexander’s point and begrudgingly turned to climb into the SUV.
The ride to Alexander’s was short, but the silent trip felt like forever. I could feel the waves of tension rolling off me. I didn’t want to fight, yet I couldn’t help but to be more than just a little bit vexed over the situation. I had planned to accept the job at Turning Stone, but would have preferred the opportunity to accept it on my own terms, rather than have it assumed for me.
I need to get over i
t. There’s no sense in letting a technicality spoil the evening. The end result is the same.
I focused my attention on my hurting feet instead, sore from walking too far in heels. Partially slipping off a shoe, I reached down to rub the ball of my foot. Comfort before fashion had always been my rule, and I was paying the price for my stupidity tonight.
“Dammit, Krystina. I knew I should have made you change your shoes,” Alexander swore, lips pursed in annoyance.
“Sorry, Jimmy Choo’s got the best of me today,” I said wryly. “Normally I know better, but I didn’t think we’d walk so much. I’m fine, really.”
“We’re almost to my place. You can put your feet up once we get inside,” he said irritably. He was evidently unhappy with my lack of practicality.
I only wore them for your benefit!
I rolled my eyes and almost said the words aloud, but the car came to a halt just then, signaling our arrival.
I glanced out the window to see a towering condominium complex. Hale came around to the side of the car and opened the door for Alexander and me. When we stepped out of the vehicle, a brisk wind slapped me in the face and I shivered from the assault. I could smell rain in the air and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Mother Nature replaced her generously warm October temperatures with harsh winter winds. Alexander and I hurried into the building.
The lobby of the building was very swank looking, with its marble floors and gold embellishments throughout. A young man, wearing what looked like a bellhop uniform, was changing the trash bag of a garbage can in a nearby corner. When he glanced up and saw us approaching, he immediately dropped the bag and scrambled over.
“Mr. Stone! I’m so sorry, sir! I didn’t know that you pulled up or else I would have –,” he started.
“Don’t worry, Jeffrey. Finish what you were doing,” Alexander assured and waved him away. Jeffrey anxiously began fumbling in his pockets.
“At least let me get the elevator for you and your guest! I have your key card somewhere…” he trailed off, still frantically searching. Alexander watched him patiently for a moment or two, before flashing his own keycard for Jeffrey to see. The frazzled young man paled. “Oh, no. If my boss finds out about this, he’ll kill me!”
“Your boss is on my payroll. I assure you, your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stone,” Jeffrey said, seeming somewhat doubtful. He hesitantly nodded his appreciation and then returned to his task of taking out the trash.
Alexander led me over to a bank of elevators. I raised my eyebrows in surprise when he swiped his keycard through a slot labeled “PENTHOUSE”. Although, I shouldn’t have been shocked in the least bit.
Like he would actually live in anything other a penthouse…
“You’re not going to tell his boss, are you?” I asked, glancing back at the still very distraught Jeffrey. From the way he had panicked, it was quite apparent that Alexander was a force to be reckoned with around here.
“Of course not. Jeffrey’s a little overzealous sometimes, but he means well.” Alexander paused then and gestured me into the elevator to his private residence. “After you.”
When the doors closed quietly behind us, all thoughts of the eager Jeffrey left me and I was immediately overcome with tension once again. However, this time, it was for an entirely different reason than in the car ride over. In the enclosed space with Alexander, I could almost see little molecules of sexual tension colliding and rupturing in the air between us.
I clasped my hands together to stop them from fidgeting, but the effort only seemed to increase my awareness. My breathing became irregular, coming out in short bursts. Vivid images of our kiss last night in the restaurant filled my head, causing my imagination to run rampant. To my mortification, my panties began to feel damp, clinging to the sensitive flesh between my legs, heightening the completely unexpected burst of arousal.
We’re only two people in an elevator for Christ’s sake!
I wanted to reach out to him so badly, to run my hands up his torso, over his shoulders and into his hair. All I had to do was step slightly to my left and he would be within my reach.
Just do it.
The devil on my shoulder was taunting me, pushing me to take what I wanted without regard.
I looked up at Alexander. His heated gaze bore into me, causing my face to turn ten different shades of magenta. I could swear that he knew what I was thinking.
He reached over and pressed a button on the panel in the elevator. The lift suddenly came to a halt.
“Alex, what are you –.”
I was abruptly silenced as he pushed me roughly against the back wall. He pinned me there with his powerful arms, his hard body pressed against mine. There was a fierce look in his eyes, almost dangerous. I began to panic over the lack of mobility. I couldn’t move if I tried.
And I was terrified.
****
I crushed my mouth onto hers. Fueled by absolute lust, I devoured Krystina with the intent of kissing her senseless. I don’t know what possessed me to do it. Maybe it was her cheeks that flushed scarlet when I looked at her. Perhaps it was those fidgeting hands. Or maybe it was the way she rolled her eyes at me when I lectured her about the insensible fuck me shoes – shoes that I wanted to see her wearing without any other stitch of clothing.
She thought that I didn’t notice when she pulled her hand from mine in the park. But I knew what she was doing, and I wasn’t going to let her push me away again. I shoved my tongue passed her lips, my urgency to taste her completely unleashed. I didn’t allow for a slow build up like I had the night before. Instead, I refused her any sort of finesse and took her mouth fully. Like an assault. Hard. Powerful. Needy.
I allowed my teeth to graze over her lips, nipping at her pouty lower lip, before moving down her jawline to her neck. I breathed in her scent.
Mother of god, she smells devine…
She was a sultry combination of red plums and jasmine, making her ripe for the picking. I tugged on her earlobe, and she let out a small gasp. I groaned from her sudden intake of breath, her response like a lighting bolt to my groin. Gathering her mass of curls in my hand, I kept her pinned against the wall and attacked her mouth again. I pressed the full force of my weight against her, holding her firmly in place, making her boneless in my grasp.
I knew that I could probably take her right then and there. By the way she pushed her hips up against me, I could tell that her need was hot. It was all I could do not to hike up that little excuse for a skirt and bury my cock in her heat. To be lost in her. In everything that was Krystina.
But it wasn’t the right time. Not like this. I wanted her to feel the way that I did first, to have her endure some of the same hell that I had experienced day in and day out since our first meeting. She drove me to the point of madness, and I wanted her to suffer right along with me.
Summoning all of the willpower that I could attain, I tore my mouth away from hers.
“If the elevator stays immobile for too long, security will be called and I don’t want the hassle,” I excused. Even to my own ears, my voice sounded hoarse. Raspy. Like I was a dying man struggling for his last breath.
Who was supposed to be punishing whom here?
I stepped away from her and moved over to the elevator panel. I pressed a few buttons and the elevator resumed its ascent. Krystina, on the other hand, remained unusually silent, cheeks flushed and eyes wide with shock. She had a slight tremble about her, and I had to suppress a satisfied smile. She was most definitely turned on.
When the double doors opened, I led her through the spacious main foyer of the penthouse and into the dining area.
“You have a great place,” she finally spoke. I watched her as she took in the details of my residence. She was smiling, and her eyes were wide with fascination. Personally, I had begun to get tired of the penthouse, although I didn’t tell her that. She was too much of a joy to watch, eagerly absorbing every detail like a sponge, and I didn’t
want to ruin it. Like she had in the park, she was able to see things that I had stopped appreciating long ago.
“Have a seat,” I told her, and pulled out a chair at the dining room table for her to sit.
Once she settled in comfortably, I pulled another chair over towards her. Bending to lift her right leg, I removed one of her shoes, and placed her bare foot on the opposite chair.
“Alex –,” she started in protest, but I cut her off.
“You need to elevate your feet or else they’ll swell and you’ll never get your shoes back on later.”
“My feet are fine!” she said, seeming embarrassed. I ignored her quick tongue that could never stay silent for long, and lifted her other leg to repeat the process. “No really. I insist.”
She leaned forward, attempting to stop my progress with the left foot, but I swatted her hands away and continued.
“Do you have to argue with everything I say? Just keep your feet up, Krystina,” I ordered, placing her foot on the chair. “I’ll be right back.”
I left her gaping after me, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, and went into the kitchen.
I pressed my lips together in a tight line. I had thought a little evening stroll would soften her. Evidently, I was wrong. I was quickly learning how much Krystina despised being told what to do.
Every time I thought of a new approach, she would pose questions. Or Argue. Or just be Krystina. It didn’t matter what I did – she thwarted my every move. I knew she’d be a problem since day one. I knew she would be work. But her disobedience was a rather large obstacle that we’d have to overcome. And soon.
I grabbed the handle of the refrigerator and yanked it open, the force causing the bottles in the door to clank together dangerously.
Easy now...
I was too worked up. It was that sassy mouth of hers…so damn sexy, but it never shut up. I never knew if I wanted to gag her or kiss her. Knowing that, I should have held back in the elevator. By kissing her, I only succeeded in frustrating myself, and I was still hard like a fucking rock because of it. I had to think sensibly and maintain control, which is something that I found myself grappling with whenever I was with her. She made it too damned difficult.
Heart of Stone Page 15