I did know that.
I was charming, personable, and well liked in the office. I was the guy everyone went to for help, and to say I didn’t like it would be a lie. Being the go-to guy was an honor, whereas someone like Kathryn would see it as a burden because she considered her time too precious to be shared with her colleagues.
Me, on the other hand? I invested in my work relationships because they often reciprocated something in the long run. If I ever needed help, I had a long list of people I could go to.
Kathryn? I doubted she had anyone’s number in this office besides Jon’s.
I also knew that my colleagues weren’t the ones who would make the inevitable decision between Kathryn and me. That choice rested solely on Jon’s shoulders.
From where I was sitting, it sure seemed unlikely that the promotion would be mine. Jon was grinning at Kathryn like sunlight itself shone out of her ass. And maybe it did. Perfect Pairings was a massive account and the marketing would be big-scale, big-picture stuff. It would draw attention and pull in other clients. That was for sure. Trouble was, they might all call looking for Kathryn Rouche.
That couldn’t happen.
Mark clapped me on the shoulder. “Keep it together, man. She hasn’t beat you out of the running yet. You have horseshoes up your ass. Give it a couple of days. Your luck will turn around.”
It was my turn to make an uncommitted sound in the back of my throat. Mark left me where I stood, brooding and silently cursing the woman in the conference room, and it wasn’t long after he departed that Jon and Mrs. Pratt got to their feet to shake Kathryn’s hand and offer her congratulations.
Irritation crawled around in my gut as Kathryn looked up and winked at me.
Witch, I thought miserably.
I didn’t stick around to watch her sign contracts or make small talk with her new client. Instead, I made my way down the hall to the break room, where several people were gathered sipping hot cups of tea or coffee.
Jon’s receptionist stood on a chair, pinning sparkly snowflakes to the ceiling. They dangled from near-invisible fishing wire and caught the light shining from above. They were quite dazzling and cheerfully festive, and I leaned back against the counters to watch her work as a fresh pot of coffee brewed.
“How long have you been at that, Caroline?”
The young receptionist, bright eyed and rosy cheeked, smiled down at me. “Only about an hour or so, Mr. Collinder.”
“Call me Ethan, please.”
Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink. “Yes, sir. I mean Mr. Collinder. I mean Ethan.”
“You’re doing a good job,” I told her.
“Thank you.” She giggled.
“Stop harassing the girl,” a female voice drawled from the other side of the conference room. I peered around Caroline’s legs as she twisted around as well. We both spotted Kathryn at the entrance to the break room with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk playing on her lips. She strode into the room and sidled up beside me, presumably interested in the fresh coffee I’d just set to brewing. “The last thing poor Caroline here needs is you taking an interest in her.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Taking an interest?”
“You heard me,” Kathryn said. “Besides, shouldn’t you be in your office? You know, working? Since Perfect Pairings is mine, you must have a lot of free time on your hands. And you know what free time doesn’t get you?”
I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Partner.”
“Precisely, darling. Partner.”
The coffee pot beeped and the light turned green. Kathryn bumped me out of her way with her hip and poured herself the first cup, which she sipped while it was still scalding hot.
“Careful,” I said on instinct rather than actual compassion.
Kathryn arched an eyebrow and took a larger sip. “Heat doesn’t bother me because I’m Satan, remember? That cute little nickname seems to have stuck. I’ve heard a couple of people muttering it behind my back. I think I like it. It’s very…” She trailed off, searching for the right word.
“Succinct,” I supplied.
“I was going to say apt.”
“Same shit.”
“But not really,” she said.
I nodded at the coffee pot. “Are you going to get out of my way?”
“Are you going to congratulate me for landing Perfect Pairings?” she challenged.
Oh yes, she grinds my gears.
Kathryn Rouche pissed me off unlike anyone else I knew. Hell, I’d prefer the company of the three kids who’d bullied me mercilessly in high school to hers. At least I could punch them. Kathryn? Not so much.
I cleared my throat and became aware that everyone else in the break room was watching us. Caroline had ceased attaching snowflakes to the ceiling and stood on the chair staring down at us. The others, gathered in clusters at the three break tables or lounging on one of the sofas, leaned toward each other to whisper things in each other’s ears.
Either they were talking about how wicked Kathryn was or how brilliantly she was manipulating me.
I hoped it was the former as I blew out a long dramatic sigh. “Fine. Congratulations, Kathryn. You really earned that one.”
She smiled and squared her shoulders. Her posture pulled at the front of her blouse and I dared myself not to look down. The last thing I needed was her thinking I was attracted to her.
Of course, I was, but she didn’t need to know it.
I’d always thought she was an attractive woman. In fact, the first time I met Kathryn, I’d been struck by her dramatic looks and the presence she had when she walked into a room. But that was quickly replaced with disdain.
She had glossy hair the color of black ink. She wore it pulled back for work. I’d never seen it down. Her teeth were freakishly white and popped against her lip color, which was always some variation of red. Her hazel eyes were always accentuated with dark liner that flicked out at the corners, and I’d never seen her wear any color on her eyelids. She had full cheeks and high cheekbones and a gaze that made you feel like she was a cat and you were a lowly little house mouse.
Her body had no right to be tucked tightly into her ensemble today. She wore a high-waisted skirt that cinched at her waist. Kathryn was not a thin woman by any means, and her curves were quite simply delicious. She looked like she’d been poured into her clothes, rather than having her clothes put on her. I didn’t know if that made sense but I’d always thought it. Her breasts pulled at the fabric of her blouse and her ass the fabric of her skirt. And her smile?
Well, it pulled at my last damn nerve.
Kathryn slid to the side and made way for me to make my coffee. I helped myself, added some creamer and a dash of sugar, and turned away from her.
“At least you landed Perfect Pairings right before Christmas,” I told her as I walked away. “It should make your job easy. Nobody wants to fall in love more than when it’s the holidays.”
I glanced over my shoulder and caught Kathryn glaring after me. If she could blow smoke out of her ears, the fire alarms would be ringing.
I grinned and made for my office, knowing I’d said the right thing. There was nothing Kathryn hated more than a person thinking her work was easy.
Chapter 3