by Bella Court
Then again, Kristen thought furiously, maybe the two of them really were different, after all.
* * *
Connor couldn't stand Alyssa. He'd gone on a few dates with her, and she had been calling him nonstop ever since. Yesterday was the first time she had actually ever visited the office, though. Frankly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with her or go out to dinner with her, and he bluntly told her so.
Nonplussed, she purred, "Another time, then."
Alyssa was gorgeous as hell with her titian colored locks and bright cat like emerald eyes, but that one night he had taken her out, she seemed to think shopping expeditions and idle gossip about some bitch who worked with her were subjects of interest for him. It was a good thing she was good looking; he could stare at her and feign interest.
After that night, he didn't bother calling her back.
Sipping his coffee, Connor swung his briefcase over his shoulder, as he neared the entrance of Wilde Towers. Gingerly, he touched the base of his tie, the tightness almost suffocating him. No woman had ever done such a meaningful gesture like that for him. It almost seemed like…Kristen had cared about his comfort. Going home early yesterday had been good for him; he almost forgot what it was like to do nothing. It felt…strangely invigorating.
Pushing his way through the revolving doors, Connor tried not to gawk at the drastic change in his lobby. Nearly a quarter of the room to his left was closed off, with brawny looking men viciously tearing apart his floor. Hammering and masculine grunts echoed through the building.
A little ways past the construction stood Kristen in a dark blue sweater dress that flowed over the curve of her hips like a lover. It ended mid-thigh, and she had worn the dress with her favorite pair of Manolo Blahnik pointy-toed black pumps to show off her slim legs to perfection.
Connor's eyes weren't the only ones that were drawn to the lovely decorator. Several of the construction workers were openly staring at her, and the businessmen who frequented Wilde Towers weren't discreet with their stares, either. Kristen, on the other hand, appeared oblivious, as she talked animatedly to the head of the tiling company.
His feet were gravitating towards her before he even realized it. He was right behind her, about to tap her on the shoulder, when someone beat him to it. Standing more than a foot shorter than him was a girl with short brown hair, and wearing the craziest get up he had seen in a while. Maybe it was because he was a guy, and he just didn't get fashion, but what the hell was she wearing? She was wearing a cotton strapless pink dress that flared at the bottom, paired with green tights that had a swirling pattern.
"Hey boss, here's your coffee." The girl's chipper voice was a little too happy for so early in the morning.
Kristen turned around to take the coffee from the girl, but she froze for a second as she saw Connor standing behind her.
"Morning." Connor offered her a small smile, which came out looking more like an arrogant smirk. Kristen didn't even smile at him; she just nodded her head by way of greeting. Confused, Connor turned to look at the other girl.
The girl who had given Kristen the coffee had turned around, and practically pivoted her head ninety degrees upwards in order to look up at Connor's six foot two. When she got a clear look, her mouth rounded in surprise.
Kristen looked to the side disinterestedly, obviously not about to make an introduction, so with a dark scowl, Connor decided to take it upon himself.
"I'm Connor Wilde."
"You're going out with Alyssa, aren't ya?" were the first words out of Jade’s mouth. A look of both amazement and disappointment crossed her face. For one of the few times in his life, Connor was struck speechless. Going out with Alyssa? What made her think that?
"I'm Kristen's assistant or in other words, her slaving, non paid intern. My name is Jade." Jade stuck out her hand and offered him a bright smile. Connor was still quite taken aback by her bluntness and how amazingly cheery she was. Even though she didn't exude the same sexy confidence and maturity as Kristen, she had this energy and twinkle that came out of her eyes and smile.
"Alyssa's been showing everyone at Mimosa your picture. I could probably pick you out from a mile away." Jade informed him with a look that clearly read, 'Alyssa is a psycho.'
"She works with you?" Connor looked at Kristen incredulously. New York was filled with millions of people, yet it was apparently small enough to have created this whole situation.
"She does,” Kristen said tightly, examining her nails with sudden coldness.
"Alyssa was totally pissed off about the fact that you would be working here instead of her." Jade told Kristen, then turning her head to Connor she helpfully continued, "But really, Kristen is a way better decorator. You wouldn't want her, she'd just turn your whole building into something pink and Candy-land-esque."
"Oh, I'm sure he'd prefer Alyssa here rather than me. After all, they are going out,” Kristen said coolly, still not giving Connor a glance.
"Well, she and I–'' Connor was suddenly cut off from telling them that he had really only gone on a few dates with her by a rough hand clap on his back.
"Connor! We have a meeting in a few minutes, and you're standing here flirting with Kristen?" Reece's easy baritone voice came into the mixture. Connor's sandy haired partner stood next to him, and together, the two made such an imposingly handsome picture that Jade's lips formed that familiar o once again.
"We weren't flirting. Hey, Reece," Kristen greeted, sending him a charming smile that she had failed to give Connor when he had arrived. Connor could feel his face hardening, as Reece returned her greeting. What the hell was that? She was tight lipped before, but now that Reece had come, she had turned on the charm. That, and it seemed like she wanted to make it clear to Reece that they were not flirting.
Reece quickly glanced at the short girl who seemed to be standing next to Kristen. "Little sister or something?” he asked, indicating Jade.
Jade's smile vanished, as he gave her a smile that one would reserve for when dealing with children. She hated it when people condescended to her because they thought she was younger than she was, and they couldn't be more wrong. "I'm not her younger sister. I'm her assistant, Jade Madeleine Gray."
"Sorry." Reece flashed her a quick grin that almost made her forgive him instantly. Almost.
"How old are you, sixteen?"
"I turn twenty next week." Jade snapped, removing his hand from where he had been patting her on the head.
Reece shrugged nonchalantly in his usual way, "Eh, close enough. Connor, we gotta go. See you around, Kristen."
"You, too, Jade." Reece added as an afterthought, as if he had just remembered she was there. This of course, only added to the petite Jade's ire.
"Who the hell does that guy think he is?" Jade demanded after Connor and Reece had left.
"That was Reece James. He's the vice president of Wilde Finances." Now that Connor was gone, Kristen could feel herself relaxing. Ever since that whole ordeal with Alyssa yesterday, she could feel her disdain for the Wilde brothers coming back in full force. Alyssa and Connor had been quite a shock, and even though she didn't give a damn about what Connor did with his life, she would have hoped that he would have had better taste in women than Alyssa.
Jade shrugged, tossing her little head. "Whatever. Ready, to go buy the new furniture?"
Chapter Five
Connor growled with frustration as Kristen swept past him, barely giving him any recognition. This had been going on for days. She was obviously irritated about something, but it only seemed to be whenever he was around. Whenever he saw her with Reece, she seemed to be laughing her stupid little head off, but whenever he came into the vicinity, her mouth seemed to be glued closed. What could she be pissed at him for?
Whenever he passed her in corridors, she wouldn't say a word unless he did, and even then, she would only give him a cold hello. Whenever he asked that she come up to talk to him, she would go to Reece's instead. Was she sleeping with him? They were certai
nly acting like old lovers, laughing and flirting openly in public.
To make matters worse, Alyssa seemed to be everywhere. She seemed to be hanging around the building a lot, either waiting for Connor, or talking to Jade and Kristen. He had no clue why she was continually coming to the building. She would ask to go out for lunch, and he had taken her out again once, just so she would stop bugging him. After an hour of her chattering¸ he realized there was no way in hell that he could ever go out with her again, pity date or not.
Kristen had given him a cold glare that actually made him a little uncomfortable after he had come back from that lunch date. She was especially icy towards him that day.
Connor sauntered into the lobby but stopped almost immediately. The lobby looked completely different. To go with the dark, gothic looking architecture, Kristen had chosen a sleek, black Italian marble as the flooring, and new furniture had been implemented. Bright red leather couches were added to make the lobby look very elegant in a modern way. There was no longer the jarring sound of hammering and grunting men. The lobby looked spectacular.
Apparently, Connor wasn't the only one who thought so. Connor could see people gawking at the new surroundings, and verbally voicing their awe.
"This place was a dump just a week ago. Who did all this?"
"Mimosa, I think. It looks great, now."
"I love those couches!"
Connor felt kind of proud of Kristen for all the work she had done. The place truly did look amazing. His irritation with her attitude vanished momentarily, as he spotted her standing towards the back of the lobby, directing some men on how to arrange more of the couches. She had an aggravated scowl on her face, and as Connor neared her, he realized why.
"Those couches are hideous, Kristen. Honestly, it doesn't go at all." With a grimace, Connor recognized that voice.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Alyssa. In fact, I don't recall asking for your opinion at all this week, but it sure was great of you to needlessly offer it," Kristen snapped at the redhead. "It was actually kind of amusing, you know. Hearing how many times you could say the word 'eww' or 'ugly' in one day," Kristen continued sarcastically. To the men, she directed, "That looks great.” She turned to Alyssa and said, "Don't you have to go bug Connor or something?" Kristen sighed exasperatedly, wanting nothing more than to punch the stupid woman. She had been on Kristen's case all week. Apparently, Mandy had gotten so fed up with the girl's whining, that she had allowed Alyssa to come and help Kristen with decorating. All Alyssa had done was flirt shamelessly with Connor and constantly try to undermine Kristen's authority. Needless to say, Alyssa and Connor had been the source of Kristen's anger all week.
"Please, that's your job." Alyssa sneered.
Kristen stiffened visibly, and she turned a fierce glare towards Alyssa. "For your information, I want nothing to do with him, if he has anything to do with you."
Connor cringed as he walked up behind Kristen and Melissa, who were both unaware that he had been listening to their entire conversation.
"I hired Kristen because I knew she could do a good job, and I'm glad to see that she hasn't disappointed me,” Connor said from behind the two ladies. Sauntering up, he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile he hoped was more appreciative and admiring rather than arrogant and cocky.
It must have worked, because Kristen actually gave him a sincere smile that lit up her entire face, and for a second, Connor could feel himself stop. He stared at her for what felt like an eternity, as she gave him a true smile that he wasn't sure he had ever seen. Suddenly, all those smiles and flirty glances she had ever sent Reece or Connor, for that matter, felt artificial. This was who she truly was.
She was radiant, and he was reminded of that energizing moment when he had first seen her at John's wedding. She was beautiful, and no one could ever doubt that. But Connor had seen his fair share of beautiful women, so that was nothing new. It was that confident aura she exuded, and that soft, sensual vulnerability she hid beneath it all that drew men to her like moth to a flame.
Kristen felt her breath hitch, as he stared at her with those disarming eyes of his. On first inspection, she thought his eyes were identical to John's. But now that he had turned his gaze on her, she was hit with the full intensity of his eyes. Stormy swirls of black and purple shot through his silvery eyes, and mixed around his blacker than night pupils. John's eyes didn't have the depths that Connor's had. Whereas John was shielded from the world, Connor embraced it, letting every moment of pain, sorrow, and happiness take him fully. In short, he possessed the most captivating eyes she had ever seen.
Despite the fact that she had been annoyed with him all week due to his and Alyssa's antics, it was nice to hear him compliment her work. What else did she have in her life besides her passion for decorating anymore?
Alyssa's eyes narrowed, as she watched the short silence fall between Connor and Kristen. Kristen's entire face was lit up in a glowing smile, and Connor was staring at her so deeply, with a look of pure admiration in his gorgeous eyes. He had never even looked at Alyssa that way. Hell, she didn't even know he was capable of looking at someone so tenderly. Most of the time he had a dark scowl upon his handsome face whenever he was with others. Not that it wasn't handsome, but this was a new soft edge to a man she previously thought was made of marble.
Jealousy prompted her to throw herself at Connor once more. Only this time, she'd be a bit more discreet about it. Standing on her tippy toes, Alyssa reached her freshly manicured fingers up to Connor's tense shoulders and started to knead the hard flesh there. Even though he might not have wanted a massage from her, his muscles instinctively relaxed as she continued the massage. A slightly dazed expression came across his eyes, knocking his focus away from Kristen.
"Maybe you're right. I've only been tough on Kristen because I just want the best for you and your company, babe." Alyssa placed a soft kiss on his stubbly cheek, and that seemed to jolt him back to reality, but not fast enough to catch the disgusted look that crossed Kristen's pretty face.
"I have to go talk to Reece,” Kristen said in a voice that was calm but bubbled with quiet rage underneath. Shooting them one last dirty glance, she stalked out of the lobby faster than any woman should in four-inch heels.
"Kristen! Wait!" Connor called after her, and he moved to follow her, but Alyssa had clamped her hands around his arm, and was holding him to her like he was a teddy bear. Furiously, Connor ripped his arm out of Alyssa's surprisingly strong grasp, and he spun around to glower at her.
That was the last straw.
She didn't seem to get his subtle messages that he didn't like her, so now he would have to tell her loud and clear.
"Alyssa. We are not a couple. I do not appreciate you coming over here and disrupting not only my work, but also the work of my colleagues, and yes, that does include Kristen. We've gone out on a few dates, but that's where it ends, all right? So stop antagonizing Kristen, and stop jumping on me."
Connor told her angrily, trying hard to keep his voice low so as not to create a scene. Dispassionately, he watched as fury flitted across her features, only to be replaced by a thoughtful look, and then as if on cue, her green eyes filled with practiced tears.
"It's not going to work on me, so don't even bother trying," Connor snapped dispassionately. Unlike Kristen, Alyssa's every emotion showed on her face, and it was all too obvious that she was doing this to get his sympathy. Predictably, the tears ceased, and her green eyes flashed angrily again.
"Fine. I was only using you for your money anyway," Alyssa growled, in an attempt to gather the shreds of her dignity. Connor rolled his eyes carelessly.
"What a surprise. I can smell gold diggers a mile away, Alyssa. Besides, I was only using you for your looks. Too bad there's nothing else to you but that," Connor retorted, quickly getting tired of talking to her. "So get the hell out of my building and don't come back."
Connor was finished with the conversation, and he turned
to walk up to his office, when Alyssa's next words stopped him.
"Kristen's a heartless bitch, you know. Want to know why she's heartless? Because she's already given her heart to John, and he still has it. She's never going to be with you, because to her, all you are is a reminder of him."
Knowing her work was done, Alyssa left the wounding words in the air. Convincing himself that he didn't care one way or another, Connor waited for the elevators. But still, her words tormented him. Had John seen that smile more times than Connor ever would?
* * *
Kristen crossed her arms tightly over her chest, as she stepped into the elevator, impatiently tapping her heels against the floor of the elevator. Her face was still drawn tightly into a scowl, and it wasn't until she noticed there was an aching pain in her cheeks that she realized she had been frowning a hell of a lot more often than was usual this week.
Damn Connor. He made her so angry. Granted, there was a rational side of Kristen that told her she was probably taking out her anger and frustration out on him for no reason, but the irrational side of her told her that he was an asshole who deserved it anyways. Alyssa had been awful this week. The taunts Kristen could handle. There was nothing that bitch could say that would tear Kristen down.
But her actions were a bit harder to ignore. Every smile she sent his way, the indulgent smiles he would give her in return. That day he had taken her out to lunch, the way she would throw herself into his arms. The kisses she would press along the line of his strong jaw…
It wasn't that she was envious, she told herself. It was like a soft-core porn production over here! All right, so perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but still…
"I'm not jealous,” Kristen said aloud to the elevator, but unwillingly, her eyes darted to the corner where she had stood with Connor and Alyssa. There they were, still standing closer than ever, him apparently telling her something that she was listening to with rapt attention. Kristen felt her stomach lurch.
