I place my hand on his chest and push him back. “Same way you always do.”
“Take me to the filing room and I’ll show you.” His eyes darken as they lock with mine, and I have a moment where I wonder if he’s serious. But we’ve been through this a thousand times. He teases me. I blush. Then we laugh and he ends up fucking someone else. I’m just not relationship material, he says. Most of the time I think it’s a copout. I think he’s just afraid of turning out like his father: drunk and belligerent, resenting the people he’d promised to love. That man really messed with David’s head.
“Behave,” I say with a smile, poking my finger in his chest as Kayley and the others join us.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” Albina asks, giving David an approving once over.
I do the round of introductions while Albina makes her interest painfully obvious. David doesn’t help matters much, flashing his ‘yeah, I’m hot’ smile and running his fingers through his already messy hair. She licks her lips seductively at him. And I feel a little lightheaded.
I can’t keep going through this.
I excuse myself to go freshen up.
As I leave the conference room, my breath catches a little. Elliot is coming toward me. A smile creeps over my lips, but I freeze when I see his eyes drift over my shoulder to check if anyone is looking. He’s acting aloof, and it instantly annoys me.
What is with these men?
“Are you leaving?” he asks, looking at his watch. “I thought you were staying a while.”
“Not just yet. I’m just going to the bathroom.”
His eyes drift nervously to the conference room again. “I might see you in there.”
I want to say, “Don’t do me any favours.” But, I just nod then head into the bathroom. It’s not fair to take my frustrations about David out on him. It’s not his fault I seem to have a thing for unattainable guys.
Once I’ve visited the loo and washed my hands, I sigh as I look at my reflection. I reapply my makeup and brush my hair, wishing I’d thought to bring some clubbing clothes with me. I’m good at making myself look casually pretty, but I’m terrible at getting dressed up for nights out on the town. It’s something my mother tried to coach me on, but it never stuck. I’m no match for the likes of Bianca and Beth, or even Albina. They all make themselves up so beautifully, and I’m very plain in comparison. The difference in our looks doesn’t make me feel unique as Elliot suggested. It makes me feel dowdy.
I return to the conference room, a lump forming in my throat when I see Bianca flicking her hair while talking to David. The last thing I need is for David to do his usual hump and dash with someone I work with. Especially Bianca. I can only imagine how nasty she’d get if she felt used by him.
“Hey,” I interrupt as cheerily as I can, focusing my attention on David. “You about ready to go?”
“Ah, yeah sure. These guys are all heading to Pontoon. You want to wait and go with them?”
“We’d love it if you came.” Bianca smiles at me but touches David’s arm. God, give me strength.
“Oh, I don’t—” I start, before Kayley bounces over and excitedly tells me she’s so happy I’m going to Pontoon with them “—think it was ever my decision.” I finish the sentence under my breath.
“It’ll be good for you,” David murmurs in my ear. “We can dance the night away. I won't leave your side, I promise.”
I flash him a warning glare. “Just keep your hands off the girls I work with.”
He pulls his head back and frowns. “Where would you like my hands to be?” he challenges, gaze drilling into mine as we stare at each other for a moment, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t find the words. I hate feeling this way. I just want to leave and go out with David on my own. I won't be able to handle watching him hook up on my first night out since the accident. I know we’re trying to act normal and not make a big deal about this. But I don’t want to share him with anyone else. This was a mistake.
“Let’s just get something to eat and meet up with them later,” I suggest just as Elliot positions himself at my side.
“You must be Katrina’s friend,” he says, sticking out his hand for David to shake. But it isn’t friendly, it’s… possessive. “I’m Elliot.” Fuck.
I’m not doing this. I’m not doing this. I’m not doing this.
The air becomes heated and tense. David takes his hand and shakes it firmly, maintaining eye contact to the extreme. “David. And yes. I’m Katrina’s very close friend.” They stand there having one of those silent battles of the mind that males have when they’re sizing each other up. What the hell is Elliot doing over here?
“OK.” I interrupt the uncomfortable exchange. “David, would you mind getting me another wine?” I hand him my almost empty glass.
“Sure thing, baby girl,” he says, kissing me on the side of the head like he owns me, eyeing Elliot before moving towards the bar.
“I’ll come too,” Bianca says, trotting off to join him. I completely forgot she was there and wince over the knowledge she just witnessed that exchange. Things are going from bad to worse. I can’t handle this.
“Hi.” Elliot smiles once we’re alone, looking momentarily relieved before he clears his throat and looks around as though he’s just remembered where we are. “How has your first week been?” He goes into office mode, his eyes straying to the partners talking together off to the right.
I can’t even with him right now. “I’m leaving,” I say curtly, about to turn and walk away, when he gently touches my arm to stop me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what? Talk nicely to a girl twice in one day? Or behave like a person at work?”
He grins. “Both, I guess. You know what’s at risk,” he murmurs.
“I thought we already agreed this was a terrible idea?”
“We agreed it was insane, actually.”
“Then why are you even standing here?” I ask, laughing a little. Mainly out of frustration.
“I don’t know. I guess I figure there’s no harm in talking to the people—the person—I want to talk to.”
“I suppose that would be fine if all you were doing was talking. You came over here beating your chest and practically pissing on the ground.”
He lets out his breath. “It’s possible I’ve lost my damn mind,” he mutters.
His brow furrows, and his eyes search mine with what looks like confusion and perhaps hope. I feel my annoyance slip away; he’s struggling with this sudden attraction as much as I am.
“You know, a bunch of us are about to head to Pontoon. Maybe you want to come? Practice being a human. You might even make a friend so work doesn’t feel so sucky every day.”
“I have work friends. I hang out with Andrew over there. Well, we discuss work over coffee sometimes, but that counts.” I follow his line of sight to another of the junior solicitors—a very tall lanky, dark-haired guy who looks around the same age as Elliot. He’s standing in the corner speaking quietly with one of the account managers. She’s a little more than half Andrew’s height with red curly hair and looks to be in her mid to late twenties.
“Maybe you could ask if he’d like to come along too? It’ll be good for you,” I say, borrowing David’s line.
A smile curves his full lips. “All right. I'll try to make it.”
David returns and hands me my drink with Bianca trailing behind him. “Everything all right?” he asks, giving Elliot the once over again, and positioning himself firmly at my side.
“Everything’s fine,” I assure him, touching his arm in a ‘back down’ gesture. “Why don’t you guys get to know each other instead of the girls?” That last part is directed at David. “You might find you have something in common.” I know I sound snippy, but I can’t seem to help it. Too much is going on. There’s too much testosterone in the air. Everyone needs to calm the fuck down.
We end up staying there for another hour before we all head off as a group to Darling Harbour—Elliot included. As we walk, he introduces me to his friend, Andrew, and the woman Andrew was talking to earlier, Carmel.
“I think I saw you and David on the train the other day,” Carmel says. “Do you live near Penrith?”
“We do. Out in Cranebrook.”
“I’m in Jaminsontown.”
“We should catch the train home together then,” I suggest, and we swap mobile numbers in case we separate.
Pontoon is packed. The music is loud; the air is thick with body heat, and the bar is ten people deep. You need to be slightly aggressive to maintain your position to make it to the front of the line.
Much to my annoyance, Bianca has David well within her sights and won’t leave his side. He offers to get me a drink, and she tells him she’d love one too. So, he obliges, and it pisses me off that he’s even entertaining her advances in front of me. I'm sure he'd say he's just being polite, but it irks me.
Unwilling to engage Bianca in conversation, I attempt to busy myself trying to spot where the rest of our group has gotten to. Elliot is talking to Andrew and Carmel, whilst Kayley and the others have gone straight for the dance floor. I smile as I watch them swaying their hips with their arms above their heads, getting plenty of attention from surrounding men. It feels like forever has passed since I’ve possessed such abandon. I wish I could revisit that time of my life again, when the possibilities were endless, and I wasn’t broken.
Despite my efforts to ignore her, Bianca stares at me openly. “So, what are you? A cutter or something?” she sneers, indicating my scarred forearms.
It’s hot in here, so I’ve rolled my sleeves up, never expecting that in a million years someone would have the audacity to accuse me of something like that. Even if I was into self-harm—and I’m certainly not—that’s not how you broach the subject. I’m categorically taken aback.
“What is your problem?” I search her face to gain some understanding and find myself expecting a forked tongue to flick out of her mouth.
“You’re my problem.”
“What could I have possibly done to you?”
“I see the way you’re going after Elliot.”
“I’m not going after Elliot.”
“And yet you were with him during the office drinks and walked most of the way here with him.”
I frown. Who is this woman? “I need to talk to him for work. We get along. Is that against the rules now?”
“Just stay away. Beth’s been working on him for months, and she doesn’t need some Amazon like you getting in the way. God only knows what he’d see in you. If you didn’t wear skirts and have long hair, I’d swear you were a boy.”
My mouth drops open, and an animalistic rage seems to build deep inside me. In my mind, I’m jumping on her, screaming at her, while I scratch at her face and pull at her hair. But in reality, I keep my cool, knowing that all she wants from me is a reaction. I'm not stupid enough to give it to her.
Instead, I look away, my eyes landing where Elliot stands with his friends. Beth has joined in and they’re all chatting happily like old friends.
“It’s only a matter of time before he breaks,” Bianca says in my ear. “See how they look at each other? They’re perfect together.”
I can’t deny the truth. Beth and Elliot look neat and tidy together. Like the poster children for perfection. He’s smiling; she’s smiling. Their hair seems equally shiny, and she’s just the right height, just the right size. They look right together.
“I thought there was a ‘no-dating’ policy at work,” I say, struggling to drag my gaze away. Beth links her arm with Elliot’s and rests her head on his shoulder, laughing at something he said.
“There is. But I’m sure they’ll find a way around it.”
“He wouldn’t risk his career.”
“You sure about that?”
Jealousy flares within me as he puts his arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. It’s more bodily contact than he’s had with me.
I need to look away. “Well, I guess it’s his life. He gets to do what he likes with it.”
She grins. “I reckon he’ll be doing Beth by the end of the night.”
“Good for him,” I state, refusing to allow even a shred of distress to enter my voice.
Her eyes move over my shoulder. “David. You’re such a sweetheart.”
She takes her Vodka Cruiser from his grip as he hands me a Bacardi and coke. My favourite. “I ordered us some food as well. This is like your third drink on an empty stomach,” he says in my ear.
“Thanks for keeping count,” I say, knocking it back in two gulps before filling my mouth with the ice left over and crunching down angrily. “There. I ate.”
“Is something wrong?” He frowns, taking the glass from my hand.
“I’m fine. I'm going to dance.” I need space. I need to forget about men and move away from Bianca before I say something I’ll regret.
“I'll come with you,” he says.
“No,” I say, placing my hand on his chest. “I want to go alone.”
His eyes meet mine with hurt disapproval. But he backs off, nodding before indicating that he'll be watching me. “Be careful.”
I roll my eyes and walk away, pushing through the crowd, knowing that's bullshit. He'll be too busy seducing Bianca. Elliot will continue seducing Beth. And I’ll attract some random guy who’ll be terrible for me. But I’ll have some massive relationship with him anyway, just because I need to feel something more than rejection. Fuck my life.
Kayley’s group has grown, and she squeals, hugging me as I squeeze in next to her. She seems pretty drunk at this point, claiming she loves everyone. She yells in my ear, introducing me to the other people she’s dancing with. They’re mainly her housemates and all Irish like her—they came over to Australia on working visas at the same time she did. One guy is her cousin, and he leans into me to shake hands and introduce himself properly. “I’m Connor,” he yells above the music in his Irish lilt.
“Katrina,” I yell back.
“Katrina. Beautiful name.” He smiles and releases my hand.
Letting the music wash over me, I bounce and sway, closing my eyes and trying to forget about the men in my life. I can’t force David to love me. And I can’t change the rules at work, or the path Elliot is choosing for himself. I can only focus on me. And on having a good time.
Before I know it, my prophecy is fulfilled and Connor and I have broken off from the group, rocking together to the music. He keeps talking close to my ear. I can’t really hear him, but I’m laughing anyway because his voice is really sexy. And the heat, coupled with the alcohol is making me forget myself. Maybe I should have had that food.
Song after song, we dance and we laugh, our faces close, but always skirting past our lips. I know he wants to kiss me. But each time he nears my mouth, I turn my head, suddenly feeling out of my depth. I’m not ready for this.
My eyes leave Connor and search for David. I need him with me. I need him to take me home. But I’m still dancing, still so close to Connor, and he leans in to kiss me properly this time. The moment I realise how close he is, I panic.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” I yell above the music, pushing him away then wrestling my way through the crowd to get outside for some fresh air.
The moment I step out, I feel the cool air coming off the water wash over me. I gulp it in greedily and walk farther along the wharf to escape the noise. What’s wrong with me? That’s not the kind of person I am. This isn’t who I want to be.
“Katrina?” I turn to the voice. My head throbs as I realise Elliot has followed me out.
I’m pissed off at him as much as I’m pissed off at David. I can’t have another guy in my life who sets my heart on fire but won’t do any
thing about it. “Go away, Elliot,” I tell him sternly.
“No, I’m not going away. What the hell was that about? You invited me out, to what? Watch you dry hump some guy on the dance floor?”
I turn on him, the fire in my heart filling my veins. “You haven’t even spoken to me since we got here. You’ve been focused on Beth.” Releasing how insane I sound, I shake my head and step away from him. “Oh my god, what am I even doing? I’ve spoken to you what? Three, four times? We’ve trained together twice. I don’t even want a relationship right now, and I’m acting like some jealous girlfriend. Fuck this shit.” I try to catch my breath as I run my hands over my head in frustration. This guy is making me act stupid.
“It’s not just you. I'm behaving the same way. I just met you this week, and I've done nothing but break my own rules for you,” Elliot says gently, moving closer, hands out like I’m a scared animal who might run or lash out. “I don’t act like this. I never go crazy over a girl. Especially one I work with. I don’t know what’s happening. In a week you’ve got me at a bar chasing you out because I couldn't handle watching you with that guy. I even acted like a fool at work in front of the partners when I saw you with David. I just… I can’t stop thinking about you. I don’t even care if we’re not supposed to date because of that stupid policy at work. All I know is I want you, and I don’t even want to think about you with anyone else.”
“You could lose your job, Elliot.”
“So could you.”.
“Who cares about my job? It’s entry level. I can get another one.”
He stops in front of me and lifts his hand, brushing his fingers along the side of my face. “I care about your job,” he whispers as a rush of longing courses through my body. I lean into him and close my eyes, revelling in the touch of a man who wants me. “My days are better when you’re in them.”
“We only just met,” I whisper back, almost crying because this is crazy. Totally fucking crazy.
He draws my face towards his and ever so lightly, brushes his lips against mine. “I don’t understand it either.” Our mouths connect, and I let out a slight whimper as he encircles his arms around me.
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 8
