“Croix, what are you doing back here?” I clip.
“Well, well, well… you do leave the office occasionally. You know, I wondered if you had a cot and sleeping bag up there with how often you’re here.”
His sarcastic tone immediately irritates the crap out of me. I growl out my frustration as we stand locked in a stare down in the middle of the street.
The cab is long gone now, it’s him and me. A pedestrian hurries past between us, shooting me an uneasy glance and my scowl grows.
He clears his throat. “I forgot something I needed for this weekend.”
“Your brain?”
“Ha, ha, ha. She’s got jokes. No, my wallet. Need that to wine and dine all the dates I’ll be having this weekend from the Hook Me App.”
I roll my eyes and I watch the smirk that crosses his face. If only I could keep the disgust off my face long enough. “Well, enjoy. I’ve got a date tonight too.” I don’t, but I’m not about to tell him of my marvelous plan to curl up on the couch and read a book.Maybe Addison is right, cats are most definitely in my future.
“Oooo. The Ice Queen strikes again. Try not to blast him with coldness. Especially if you… you know. Guys don’t like cold things near their...” He crudely gestures to his crotch before striding off into the building.
Oh, the nerve of this guy. I wring out my hands from the ball they’d formed while talking to my self-appointed nemesis. A chilled glass of wine sounds perfect right about now.
Walking to the edge of the curb, I lift my hand to hail a cab since he didn’t have the decency to hold it for me.
My brain asks.Why would he?
I don’t live far from the office, but I rarely walk there. A gust of wind creeps up the back of me, tossing and twirling the hair that's fallen out of my bun, but I refuse to turn around to see if he’s watching me. I won’t give him the pleasure of thinking I care.
The cab ride doesn’t take long to drive me to The Gardens, the place I call home. I slip my way through the paparazzi that seem to have nothing better to do than hang out waiting for the sports guys and other celebrities who live in our building to make an appearance. I smile and greet Jacob, our doorman, as he opens the door in front of me. He seems kind, a silver fox who’s been there as long as I have, probably longer. He’s always professional, but I’ve never really talked to him more than the occasional hi or thank you.
June is at her post at our concierge desk with another guy I’ve seen around before, hanging over-the-counter flirting. She gives me a curt nod while I head across the lobby.
I love the look of this place. It’s designed in an Art Deco interior with marble flooring that lines the floors and tinted glass walls all around. Oddly shaped couches and oval coffee tables litter the sitting area. The elevator dings announcing it arrived to take me home for the evening. I step on, hit my floor, and watch as the floors jump up, stopping at level nineteen. I let my feet travel the same path as every day, making my way to 1902.
I’d bought this place when I got the job as an editor. I had family money, but I’d walked away from it. It’d cut deep the day I found out my then fiancé was only with me at the prospect of a prominent position on my father’s staff at the law firm. He didn’t love me.
In fact, he was bedding another woman every other night that he wasn’t at home with me. I’d been told to grin and bear it by my mother. As New York’s Elite we were to overlook his shortcomings and act as if we didn’t see what was happening, but it just made me sick. My father told me that if I walked away from our family that I’d be cut off financially and at the time I could’ve cared less.
Buying this apartment meant it was truly mine. Purchased with money I’d earned by myself. Something that didn’t come from being silver spoon-fed. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Addison moved in a little over a month ago when her then-roommate bailed on her and it’s been nice having her around. It breaks up the quiet. Calms the silence.
The click of the lock sounds as I slide my key into the door. A sweet melody hits my ears as the door opens into the foyer and I cross over the threshold. Addison sits on the couch in the living room laughing as she texts something into her phone. She smiles when she hears me and turns around. “Wyn, you finally left work. What took so long?”
My eyes roll at the thought of him. “Ugh. I ran into he-who-shall-not-be named on the street.”
She smirks. “You happen to be talking about a certain dark-haired, scruffy faced, hazel-eyed, muscular piece of man meat… that is also named Weston?”
“The same pain in my ass.”
“Are you ever going to give in and be nice to him?”
“Nope.” One word. That’s all I’ll give my best friend. I will not divulge the thoughts running through my brain every single time I come in contact with him. “I’m making dinner. Have you eaten?”
“Yep, grabbed something from Hunan Palace on my way home from work.”
“Fast food…”
“It’s not fast food...it's home-cooked, authentic Chinese food. You should try it sometime. Mrs. Zi makes a mean beef and broccoli.”
“I think I’ll pass. I’m going to make some Chili Lime Chicken.”
“Oh man, I love it when you make that.”