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Chapter 2

DREW.

I got out immediately my limo stopped at the venue, not waiting for the driver to open the door for me. My date, Emily, had damn near suffocated me with her excessive cologne.

She mistook my flight for enthusiasm and got out, sashaying to my side and looping her arm with mine like we were in the '80s. She was clingy as all fucks and had been looking for a reason to go out with me when this event had rolled in. I'd asked her to be my date, not because I had feelings for her , God forbid, but simply because I'd had no one else to ask.

Flashlights from cameras assaulted us as we walked into the building and Emily, attention whore that she was, ate it all up. I smiled for one or two shots before I got to the hall.

The event planners had done a wonderful job, I observed, they always seemed to take this occasion seriously. I didn't care much for occasions like this since it made me interact with people, something I tried my very best to avoid.

People recognized me instantly and tried to engage me in conversations. I chanced a glance at Emily who clung to my arm like I was life support, typing away on her phone- not bothering to pretend to be interested in the conversations .

I was in the middle of a discussion with Sam Tremaine, a hotelier, when something caught my eye. Not something. Someone. A woman. Red gown. Brown hair. I tried to follow her with my eyes but she got lost in the crowd .

"Rutledge?"

I blinked. I completely forgot I was talking to Sam. "Sorry. You were saying?"

He picked up where he left off but I heard nothing, my mind on the girl I'd seen.

"I'll give you a call. " I said turning away and by the way he looked at me, I knew I'd cut him off mid sentence.

I had absolutely no interest in calling him. I just wanted to see her again. After ten minutes of futilely searching for her, I berated myself. Why the hell was I even looking for her anyway? I'd never had to chase women, it was always the other way round.

I decided I needed a drink to get my head straight. I went to the bar and downed a glass of scotch.

I leaned against the bar, just now remembering I came here with someone. She was probably securing some other rich guy this moment, she wouldn't care much about my absence. I caught red in my periphery. I turned my head sharply.

The girl I'd seen earlier came to the bar, just two seats away which gave me a good look of her. She was beautiful with long brown hair that fell in waves down her back. I couldn't see from her waist down but I could tell she had a great rack.

I straightened, my pulse hammering. I was about to approach her when a guy beat me to it . He looked about five feet nine, smarmy as hell and had a face that would make good friends with my fist- when I break his fucking nose that is. He smiled at her, leaning too close like a creep and I'd had enough.

I stalked over to them and placed my hand at the small of her back, with the intention of playing the role of her date and hoping to God she'd follow through.

She turned to me and I blinked, plan forgotten. She had the most beautiful grey eyes I'd ever seen. Something so mysterious about them. I trailed my eyes lower and met pouty lips, the bottom one fuller than the upper one. She was so beautiful I forgot myself for a moment.

"Planning on talking anytime soon? " She asked, a small smile on her lips. She had bedroom voice, low and husky.

I cleared my throat because I didn't trust my voice. "Hey." Great. Five minutes staring at her like a loon and that's what I could come up with.

"Hey." She smiled, amused.

It took me a while to realize Blondie was gone.

I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, "Did you know that guy? "

She laughed, "No. He was slimy as hell. And laying it on too thick, his lines were crazy. "

I raised a brow, leaning next to the stool she sat on.

"I almost expected him to say he put the STD in stud and all he needed was U. "

I chuckled, the sound surprising me. "I take it you've been hit on by extremely unsophisticated men. "

She just shrugged.

Just then, the music started. People immediately began pairing in twos on the dance floor.

I gave her my hand, "Dance with me."

She raised a brow, "That wasn't a question."

"No. " I said, my hand still extended to her.

She grinned then took my hand, her face lighting up the whole room.

We waltzed onto the dance floor, dancing slowly, one hand at her back and the other entwined with hers. She had her left arm on my shoulder. Every other person faded into the background. All I could see and breathe was her. It was intense and so fucking insane.

"Talk to me. " she said, her gaze over my shoulder.

"What do you want to hear? " I asked

"Anything." she shrugged.

"You're beautiful. "

She blushed, the red moving up her cheeks to the tip of her ears. It was adorable.

"Thank you." She whispered, her voice drifting like smoke into my ears.

She dragged her eyes to mine and I stared, not fucking able to look away to save my life.

The song ended but we were still on the dance floor, wrapped around each other.

"What's your name? " I needed more than wanted to know.

"Kate Rossi. " She murmured, her face inching closer to mine.

I shook my head, trying to clear my foggy brain.

"Come again? "

"My name... It's Kate Rossi. "

I blanched. I took a step back and she frowned, her hand slipping from my shoulder.

"The fuck? " I could hear my heart beat in my ears. Jesus. Please let this be a coincidence .

"Is something wrong? " She took a step toward me, her hand about to reach for me and her eyes wide with alarm.

"Daughter to Hugh Rossi? " I croaked, heart in my throat. Her eyes widened and that was all the confirmation I needed. Fuck.

She frowned, "You knew him? "

Knew him? I fucking killed him!. I wanted to yell and break something but I couldn't risk drawing attention. People were already studying us with curiosity as it was, no doubt awaiting drama the press would be eager to publish tomorrow.

"Stay the hell away from me. " I said, my eyes anywhere but on her.

"I don't – " but I didn't let her finish. I got the hell out of there .

Kate.

Everyone stared as he made his way through the crowd. I wanted to go after him but he"d asked me to stay away. Something had obviously freaked him out but I didn"t know what it was.

I received questioning stares from people as I moved away from the dance floor –every single person was looking at me! I felt suffocated and my skin felt itchy. I needed a breather.

I came across a hallway with a staircase around the corner. I went up and found myself on a balcony.

The sky was beautiful tonight, bare, except for a single star. I took a deep breath then exhaled, resting on the railing. My thoughts drifted to the man I danced with.

Tall, exceptionally so, with jet black hair, he had the most unusual shade of green eyes I"d ever seen, framed with thick dark lashes. I"d stared into them and felt familiarity for a second. He was so gorgeous, it was almost ridiculous, with a nose that looked like it had been broken at some point and light stubble on his jaw. And the way he looked at me. God.

I was enjoying my night until he left me there on the floor like he couldn"t leave fast enough. I was so embarrassed. I sighed. What a night it turned out to be.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around.

A young man stood there. He was tall, not as tall as the guy I"d danced with, but tall nonetheless. He came closer and I saw he had brown hair and brown eyes –I was a sucker for brown eyes. And his face, I didn"t know exactly how to describe it. He was... beautiful. That was the word.

I frowned when I realized he was checking me out. Well, tough shit Rossi, you checked him out too. I wrapped my arm around my middle. His eyes snapped up.

"Not enjoying the party? " his voice was deep and smooth.

"I am."

"Then why are you here instead of there?"

"I needed fresh air."

He angled his head. "Tough evening?" he asked with a small smile on his lips.

It wasn"t his business but I didn"t tell him that since he was just trying to be nice, but he was nosy as hell. So I just shrugged.

His smile widened. He came even closer and leaned on the railing, beside me.

I stared at him warily.

"How long have you worked for RT?"

By RT, I took it he meant Rutledge Towers.

"Almost a month."

He frowned, "A month?"

I mirrored his frown, "That"s what I said."

He blanched, "Sorry. I didn"t mean to be nosy – "

"No shit." I interrupted.

He laughed then sobbered up immediately, "How do you know that guy? "

I blinked .He tilted his head toward the party beneath us. "Your dance partner."

Oh. I shook my head, "I don"t know him. "

He sighed, "I"m not a reporter. I work for the company too. "

"And I said I don"t know him. He is exactly what you called him –my dance partner. Nothing else. " I snapped. Apparently, I was still in a shitty mood, thanks to my so called dance partner.

He drew his head back, eyes wide, "Okay. Sorry. "

I blew out a breath and stared at the sky. Wait. He said he wasn"t a reporter. Why would I care if he was one? "Who was that guy exactly? "

He studied me curiously then shrugged, "I don"t know him either. "

I stared at him with narrowed eyes but he just grinned. Ugh. He was too pretty for his own good.

He seemed to hesitate, "Do you like want to go out for coffee sometime? " he asked.

I ignored him. Don"t get me wrong, he was pretty and was asking me out. He was a great catch and a boost to my ego but I didn"t want to encourage him or something. P.S I was still in a shit mood.

When he realized I wasn"t going to answer him, he exhaled.

He took a step away from me. "See you around... ? " he trailed off, waiting for my name.

I didn"t look at him, "Yeah, see you around. "

He turned and walked away.

I couldn"t get my mind off green eyes. I"d never felt that kind of attraction to a guy and it was painful that he"d left like that. Then what about the handsome brown-eyed man who just left here? He seemed to be interested in me. Did I want to go out with him?

I massaged my temple. I was going to give myself a headache thinking too much.

I pushed away from the railing and made my way downstairs. I was going to see this party through.

Drew.

By Saturday, I knew everything there was to know about Kate Rossi -from her favorite animal to her shoe size.

While my plan to kill Hugh had been carefully drafted, it had a great flaw- I"d left out his daughter and I was going to take care of that now.

What she did was permanently stamped in my mind and was one of the reasons I hated people.

I rolled my pen between my thumb and index finger as I leaned back in my office chair. My office was on the first floor of the building and I shared the floor with three other people. My assistant, and two other guys who worked directly under me.

It was Monday. A new week. A fresh start. A new plan.

I heard a knock. I looked up and saw my assistant through the glass door. I waved her in.

She hugged her iPad to her chest, "Mr. Rutledge is here to see you. "

I raised a brow in question. Dad never visited me at work. What the hell-

She cleared her throat, "Chase Rutledge, sir. "

I frowned at her, "Be specific next time. Is that why you came in here? "

Her eyes darted around, "Yes sir. "

"Couldn"t you have done that through the intercom? "

She pressed herself against the door as if she wanted to disappear through it.

I shook my head, beyond irritated, "Don"t disturb me unnecessarily and tell Chase I don"t want to see him. "

She stammered, her face turning red, "But sir, he said- " My gaze silenced her.

"Of course, sir. " she dashed out of my office like her ass was on fire.

Three minutes later, my brother strolled in like he owned the place.

"This isn"t the exit. "

"No? Guess I missed my way. "

I sighed. "What do you want Chase? "

He frowned, clasping his chest in mock hurt, "Why? I can"t visit? "

"Cut the bullshit. What do you want? " I snapped.

Chase was very good at reading people. He was two years younger than me and other than our last names, we had nothing in common. He was fair where I was tan and outgoing while I was a loner. Seeing his brown hair made me remember Kate"s hair. How it had felt when the tips brushed against my hand as we danced.

I pushed the memory aside, glaring at my brother.

He sighed, "How"s work? "

"I know you didn"t come here to talk about business. "

He raised his palms up in surrender, "I just want to know. "

"Well I could give a fuck what you want. "

"Jesus, you"re extra asshole-y today. " he frowned, studying me. I hated when he did that. No matter how high I built the walls around myself, he"d still see right through them.

I clicked on my mouse to wake up my computer screen.

I caught movement at the corner of my eyes. Chase was fidgeting. He fidgeted whenever he had something on his mind he wanted to say but wasn"t sure how to. He wasn"t very direct, another difference between us.

I leveled him with my gaze, "Say it. "

He swallowed, "So... the party on Friday... "

Shit. I walked right into that one. I kept my face blank, "What about it? "

He looked at me now, "Why did you leave early? "

I gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Why did you leave, Drew? "

I made sure to look him in the eye, "Not that it"s any of your business but I had an appointment after. "

He regarded me skeptically, "An appointment that late? "

"What, Chase? " I wasn"t one to dance around a topic.

He changed tactics, "Who"s the girl you danced with?"

Right. It was stupid of me to have been so caught up in her like that, in front of everyone. And now that I was thinking clearly –because apparently I wasn"t– it was insane to have danced with an employee.

"She was at the party so she had to be an employee." I snapped, "Do the fucking math, Einstein. "

"Do you know her outside of work? "

"No. "

He raised a brow, "I don"t believe you."

"Tough shit, Chase. "

He glared at me "Drew. "

I sighed, exasperated. Why did I let Chase do this to me? How could he even make me cave when no one else could? We weren"t that close.

"I saw her at the party. I asked for a dance. The song ended. I left. Happy? " he was anything but. "Why do you care anyway? "

He stared at me. Silent.

He got up suddenly, "Work calls. By the way, Mom sad we"re doing dinner Thursday. Later. "

He was out before I could even blink.

What. The. Fuck.

Why was Chase interested in Kate? He"d never shown the least bit interest in any woman I was with -which is none. Right. But he never showed interest in Emily.

Kate was already a problem for me as it was, I didn"t need her causing any more. I smiled as I stared at an absent spot on my office door.

I was going to break Kate Rossi and enjoy every single fucking moment of it.

Kate.

"What can I get you? " the girl behind the counter asked.

I was at Tasty Sips, a small shop that was a walking distance from Rutledge Towers that sold well, as the name implied, drinks.

"Two vanilla lattes would do. "

She gave me my bill and I paid. "By the way, your hair is everything. " she said.

I smiled, "Thanks. "

"What hair product do you use? I mean I know I can"t get this done with just a curling iron. "

"Oh. It"s natural. " I said, fingering it. I always did that whenever people talked about my hair. She gave me a bitch please" look.

"Are you for real? "

"Yeah. "

"So what you"re saying is all this " she gestured "came naturally? "

I rolled my eyes, "If I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me that question, I wouldn"t be busting my ass off at work. Wait. What am I saying? I wouldn"t work period. "

She burst out laughing . She had a great laugh, light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was a knock out.

"I like you " she beamed, the feeling was mutual, "What"s your name? "

"Kate, you? "

"I"m Bailey " she flipped her hair over her shoulder, "so you work where exactly? "

"Rutledge Towers. It"s just around the corner. "

She stared at me like I had two heads "Uh. Everybody knows where RT is. " Great. She was using the abbreviation.

"Oh. " I muttered.

"Your boss is H-A-W-T " she spelled out hawt I shit you not.

"My boss is a woman " I frowned.

"Duh. I mean Drew Rutledge. CEO of Rutledge Towers. "she added the last part when I just blinked.

Recognition dawned on me, "Right. "

She stared at me, incredulous, "How do you get any work done around all that hotness? "

I laughed, "Well, I"ve never really met him so... "

She blinked, "Oh. "

I shrugged, "Yeah. " I pointed to the door, "Well, I should get going. "

I"d spent about fifteen minutes here already and I didn"t want to over extend my break.

She smiled, "Right. See you around. " she waved as I left and I waved back.

I dropped Sue"s –since she asked he to start calling her that– cup at her desk and took mine to my office.

I sipped as I googled my boss -the overall boss that is. Bailey had my imagination running wild. I hadn"t really cared to check for the man that wrote my paycheck until today. Was he as hot as Bailey said he was?

The page was about loading completely when my battery died.

"Shit. " I sighed. I was so exhausted last night that I forgot to plug my phone in and I didn"t even come with a charging cord to work. Oh well.

As I typed away on my computer, my mind drifted to a certain green-eyed man. God. That man invaded my thoughts. Hot as sin with those lips etched in a permanent scowl, he was the most gorgeous man id even met.

I still wondered if that dance was a dream although I knew it wasn"t . He left exactly the same way he came to me -like a flash. I also wondered what would"ve happened had he not left. Would I have taken things further?.

I wanted to see him again so bad. To feel those intense green eyes on me.

Where are you my green-eyed man?

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