Bad Kitty: A Naughty Halloween Romance
Page 7
I peered over the top and pressed my lips together. He couldn’t even get past the log in screen. Piece of cake. I turned up the wattage on my smile. “I’m really nervous, and if I don’t get upstairs, I’m going to be late for my interview. From what I’ve heard, being late wouldn’t be a good first impression.”
“No. Punctuality is key for Mr. Carson. And security, which is why I need you to come back to the desk with me so I can log you in.”
I stepped close to him and laid my hand on his shoulder. “How many other people are here for the interview?”
He blinked at me. “Eleven people have come in.”
“Did anyone else have problems?”
He pushed up his glasses on his nose and wouldn’t meet my eyes. “It’s been very busy.”
Bingo. I glanced at his tag and boosted the wattage of my smile. “Tell you what, George. I won’t tell if you won’t. Then neither of us will get into trouble.”
The elevator opened and the guard sighed. “The last applicant came down in tears. Are you sure you’re looking for a job like that, miss?”
“I’m a tough cookie.”
The frazzled older man finally smiled. “You seem like it.” He held his hand over the elevator’s sensor. “If you last twenty minutes, I’ll call it a good decision. Top floor.”
I knew it. I stepped over the threshold and turned to face him and pushed the button. “Good deal.” When the doors closed, I turned and slapped my palm against the side wall. Even the elevator was pure glass. Was it more of that strange opaque glass or was it simply see-through?
Why did I care?
And yet knowing people might see me fidget made me stop. I tugged down the hem of my white jacket. I wasn’t exactly rocking a business suit. It was perfectly suitable attire for the gallery, but this place was definitely not business casual with a side of funky chic.
Nope, people in this place probably had pinstripes on their underwear.
Blake Carson was the kind of rich that was out of my stratosphere. I understood the wealthy vacationing set, the old money from Marblehead, and men who wore four-hundred-dollar Polo shirts on their boat.
This was an entirely different world.
The doors opened to a sea of gray. The wall facing the water was a pure sheet of glass. Even the frame for the panes was clear, giving it a faint grid pattern that drew me to the view of Boston Harbor.
My salvation, my first love, even above glass. A turbulent childhood of jet-setting from Milan to London, Greece to Japan, Monaco to Paris—places that should have been incredible and enlightening were only vague memories to me. My parents couldn’t be bothered to slow down for a child. I had a nanny and a tutor with me at all points, until finally my grandmother said enough.
And then Marblehead had become my home.
My parents had lived too fast one too many times, and they’d been lost to the same sea that saved me. That had been minor compared to losing my grandmother. No more disruptive than learning a distant cousin had passed away.
The day I’d found my grandmother on the floor of her sitting room had been incomprehensible.
“Can I help you?”
I turned to the deep voice. Sandy-haired, with friendly blue eyes, he was the poster child for nice guy. Not what I was expecting at all. I held my hand out. “Mr. Carson?”
“Afraid not. Jack Hollister. I’m just the guy bringing you to the firing range.”
My eyebrows shot up. “That bad? George told me there were many tears today.”
“Nah, just an exaggeration.” He smiled and crinkles played at the corners of his eyes. Not from age, but from being outside and squinting into the sun. I knew that look. I’d fended off many a guy with an invitation for a midnight boat ride.
“So I don’t need to gird my loins?”
He snickered. “Actually, I think you’ll be just fine.”
Unprofessional and a snicker. What kind of business was I walking into? If this was the personality type, then maybe…just maybe I wouldn’t be totally out of my depth.
Jack opened his arm toward another wall of glass. So it could be colored. It was the same gray as the gunmetal sky outside. It took me a minute to make out the handle to the door. It was nearly indistinguishable from the glass. The only thing on the door was B. T. Carson in an understated font. Not a corporate font created for charts and progress reports.
However, it shouted wealth with the hairline fine lines echoing the curves and bars of the letters. A hint of art deco grandeur hidden under corporate gloss.
I straightened my shoulders and crossed the room. I knew how to read people.
It was my gift.
Blake T. Carson was going down.
Would you like to read more?
One-click THE BOSS
Have you read all the books in our Oblivion Series? Each book can be read as a standalone, but to enjoy the series the way we intended, this is the reading order.
Lost in Oblivion
Seduced (prequel)
Rocked
Rock, Rattle & Roll
Twisted
Untwisted
Destroyed
Consumed
Committed
Shattered
Fused
Owned
Lost in Oblivion Holiday Stories
Gifted
Merry Oblivion
* * *
Found in Oblivion
a Rockstar Series
Bedded Bliss
Triple Trouble
Dirty Duet
Lost Lyric
Perfect Pitch
Raw Rhythm
Finding Forever
* * *
Made in Oblivion
a Rockstar Series
Play Dirty
* * *
Rock Revenge
a Rockstar Suspense Trilogy
Rock Revenge
PREORDER NOW!
Rock Reclaimed (Oct 8, 2018)
Coming Nov 5, 2018
Rock Redemption
* * *
Hammered
a Rockstar Romantic Comedy Series
Manaconda
Manhandled
Manipulated
Maneuvered
Coming Winter 2019
Maverick
If you’d like more information about the series & extras, please visit www.rockerreads.com.
The Boss
Serial Ficiton
The Boss Vol. 1
The Boss Vol. 2
The Boss Vol. 3
The Boss Vol. 4
The Boss Vol. 5
The Boss Vol. 6
Taryn Quinn
Bad Kitty
Holiday Sparks
Unwrapped
* * *
Afternoon Delight
Dirty Distractions
Drawn Deep
* * *
Deuces Wild
Protecting His Rockstar
Guarding His Best Friend’s Sister
Shielding His Baby
* * *
Dirty Dilfs
Have My Baby
Claim My Baby
Who’s The Daddy
Coming October 22nd
Pit Stop: Baby
* * *
Filthy Series
Filthy Scrooge
* * *
Wilder Rock
Rockstar Daddy
Coming Soon
Wilder Mind
Three Rockstars and a Baby
Cari Quinn
Heart Signs
Hot Text
Rekindled
Tempted By His Best Friend
Test Shot
Virgin Territory
* * *
Boys of Fall
Going Long
Going Deep
Going Hard
* * *
Love Required
No Dress Required
No Flowers Required
No Romance Required
No Promises Required
* * *
More The Merrier
Jingle Ball
Coming Christmas 2018
Stripped
* * *
Tapped Out
Shadowboxer
Sneak Attack
On The Ropes
NOVELLA
BODY SHOT (featuring Carly and Giovanni)
Taryn Elliott
When You’re Gone Series
Anything But Mine
Bulletproof Weeks
Edge of Forever
* * *
Suspended
About Taryn Quinn
USA Today bestselling author, Taryn Quinn, is the redheaded stepchild of bestselling authors Taryn Elliott & Cari Quinn. We've been writing together for a lifetime—wait, no it's really been only a handful of years, but we have a lot of fun. Sometimes we write stories that don't quite fit into our regular catalog.
Do you like shorter and dirtier reads?
* Ultra sexy—check.
* Quirky characters—check.
* Sweet–usually mixed in with the sexy...so, yeah—check.
* RomCom—check.
* Dark and twisted—check.
A little something for everyone.
So, c'mon in. Light some candles, pour a glass of wine...maybe even put on some sexy music.
For more information about us…
tarynquinn.com
tq@tarynquinn.com