Kelly's Quest (NYC LOVE Book 2) (15 page)

“This is where the magic happens,” he tells me, dropping my hand. He pulls out a black leather chair facing a black desk with a glass top. “Have a seat.”

As Theo settles in the chair behind the desk, I take in the phenomenal view of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I swear I can see all of Manhattan in its glory. It’s the kind of set up you’d see in the movies, not in real life. It’s laughable how out of my element I’ve become.

“What’s so funny?” Theo asks.

I bring my focus back to him, hiding my smile behind my hand. He’s leaning back in the chair with his hands resting at his sides, smirking. Although I’m totally out of
my
element, he’s completely in
his
. He owns
the room with confidence, making him even hotter. Letting him take me right here, right now, with such a killer view beside us would be off the hook.

“It’s just a bit...surreal. I knew you were a big Kahuna, but I never thought I’d find myself hanging with someone like you in a place with a killer view like this.” I sit taller, suddenly nervous. “I’m starting to think you’re out of my league.”

“Nah, I’m just a kid from the Bronx who served our country. Guys as young as me don’t usually get this lucky without at least going to college. I fell into this job because of my father.” His mouth turns up with the sexiest of smiles. “I’m in no different of a league than you, Cavenaugh.”

My heart races. I love it when he calls me by my last name. No guy before him has done it. It also makes me feel like less of a sex object, and more like an actual person he’s genuinely interested in getting to know.

“Who’s your father?”

“Kurt Roberts. The name probably won’t mean anything to you, but he’s well-known in the industry. People in this line of work tend to bend over backwards for him.”

“Still, this is all pretty impressive.”

“Just wait until our date,” he teases, winking.

I pat the arms of the chair as I look around the room. “So. Did you bring me here just so you could show off?” I meet his gaze again. “Seeing you sitting in front of a view like that is making it very difficult to keep my hands to myself. It’s...impressive.”

He chuckles, though the look in his eye is quite serious, as if he doesn’t want to keep his hands to himself either. “I brought you here because I found you a potential job.” There’s a knock on the door. “Come on in!” he calls out, reaching for his wallet from his jacket pocket.

A tall kid enters, as willowy as a new tree, his neck and face peppered in acne. He sets a brown paper bag on the desk. “Hey, Theo.”

“Josiah, my man!” Theo rises to slap the kid’s hand, giving him a sincere smile. “I figured you’d be back in school by now. Did you find yourself a girlfriend this summer?”

“Not yet. School doesn’t start for another week.” Josiah’s bulging eyes flip between me and Theo. He leans in to whisper, “Should I know her?”

Theo laughs brightly, cupping the kid on the shoulder. “Not yet, but maybe one day. She’s someone I’m courting.”

I snort under my breath at Theo’s outdated term. “I’m Kelly.”

Josiah throws me an awkward wave. “Hey, Kelly.
Really
nice to meet you.”

Theo claps the kid on the shoulder before passing him a $100 bill. “Yeah, yeah. Keep the change and go find yourself a girl to treat nice before the summer’s over. Maybe take her out to the movies, or buy her dinner.”

“Whoa, I can’t take this much money, Theo!”

“Consider it a bonus for all the times I’ve made you come all the way across the city.”

“Wow, thanks!” Josiah chirps, taking the money with a bright smile. “You two have a great day!”

“Bye, Josiah,” I call after him. “It was nice meeting you too!”

Theo digs into the bag, releasing the fragrant aroma of pasta. My stomach growls in anticipation. “Are you ready for the best pasta in the city? I ordered manicotti for both of us. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you kidding me?” I rub my hands together when he sets one of the containers in front of me. The gooey mess of noodles and cheeses looks divine. “Manicotti’s my
favorite.
”

Theo grins proudly. “I know. I asked Jewels.”

I pull in a small breath, surprised by the sweet gesture.

He moves over to a small refrigerator underneath the wall of awards. “Soda or water?”

“Water.” I wait for him to return with two bottles of water before digging in along with him. The variety of cheeses and herbs explode inside my mouth. I let out a long, throaty moan.

Theo draws his eyebrows down, smirking. “How do you expect me to keep acting like a gentlemen when you make noises like that?”

“Sorry, but I just had a mouthgasm,” I say, closing my eyes and licking my lips. “I have a feeling I’m going to gain a lot of weight with all this sensational food at my disposal.”

“Now you know why I’m always running. Gotta stay in shape if I’m going to eat like this.” He takes a bite. “Jewels mentioned you’re a runner too. If you’re interested, we could meet up in Central Park sometime.”

“I’d
love
that. I haven’t ran in over a week. My legs are getting restless.”

He wipes his face with a napkin, then takes a swig of his water. “Back to why I brought you here...I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this. One of the shows I’m producing is looking for fresh talent. They need a woman to play a witty vixen in a futuristic show. You know, kind of like a dystopian thing. I thought
maybe
you’d be interested in trying out for the part.”

I shoot a mouthful of water across my lap. “Oh
god.”
My face turns red as I reach for a napkin and begin patting my leggings down. At least it wasn’t pasta I spit.

“You okay?” Theo comes around the desk, intending to help, his brow drawn in concern.

“I’m fine, I got it!” I snap, waving him away. “
Why
would you think I’d want to be an
actress
of all things? I wouldn’t know the first thing about it.”

He leans back on the desk, arms crossed. Though he’s clearly thrown by my reaction, he also seems pleased with himself. “Because you’re incredibly sexy, and I’m willing to bet you’ve got the confidence that would work for it. It wouldn’t be the first time someone without acting experience was hired. A job like that could pay the kind of money you need to set you up nicely in this city. You would be able to afford your own place.”

“Is that what all of this,” I wave my hand between us, “is about? You were looking for someone to fill a part?” A storm brews in the pit of my stomach, threatening to chuck what little manicotti I ate. “Is that why you’re trying to impress me with dates and private cars?”

“Of course not.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t even consider you for the part until today. I promise you, that’s not how I work, Cavenaugh. Where’s this coming from?”

I stand from the chair to move away from him, feeling as if I’m going to be sick. “Have you considered how that would look? The producer of the show,
courting
or whatever you want to call it, the star? That’s why you made that comment to Josiah about one day knowing me, isn’t it?”

If my family and everyone back in my hometown got wind of such a scandal, I’d never be able to show my face in Wisconsin again. It’d be the exact image they’ve created for me—someone who’s willing to sleep around to get what they want. It’d be the cherry on top of this big, fucked-up mess I created for myself.

Theo holds the palms of his hands out, as if to calm me. “I’m sorry, I never would’ve suggested it if I knew the idea would upset you like this. I just want to see that you’re taken care of.”

“I don’t need
you or anyone else
to take care of me,” I tell him, sulking for the doors. I’m suddenly pressed to find my breath.

“Wait!” He moves toward me with his brows furrowed. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset. I thought you’d be excited by the opportunity. I was taking a chance offering an unknown up to the writers of the show, but I really believe you’ve got what it takes.”

The doors to the office open before I get to them. His secretary stands in front of me, her dark eyes wide. We’re the same height with her garish red heels. I look down to see she’s wearing the shortest skirt in the history of office attire. “Everything okay in here?”

Theo catches up to me, cradling my elbow. “Raquel, it’s fine. Go back to your desk.”

“It’s fine, I’m leaving,” I insist, slinking away from his touch. As I pass Raquel, she holds her hands up by her bugged out eyes, smirking. I hear Theo quietly arguing with her behind me as I make a dash for the elevators.

In the taxi ride back to the apartment, I’m shaking the entire way. How could Theo think offering me such a position would be okay when we’ve agreed to take things slow? How could he
not
see how awful it would look to everyone else? As much as I refuse to allow myself to cry, there’s a giant ball stuck in my chest, threatening to turn me into a blubbering mess.

I stumble from the taxi, anxious to crawl into bed and hide beneath the covers for the rest of the day. I nearly rub my eyes in disbelief with the sight of the striking brunette standing outside the apartment building, shifting her weight and frowning as she taps at her smart phone with a manicured finger. A small line of sweat glistens beneath the thick braid on her forehead that continues down off to one side of her face, stopping midway to her core. Her fashionable, short sundress in a bright print could easily be something out of my closet if it weren’t for the fact that she’s a size zero and I’m a four. The gladiator-style sandals she wears are the exact same shade of blue as the flowers on her dress, a detail that doesn’t surprise me in the least.

Between her $200 sunglasses and the designer handbag hanging from her arm that Mom and Dad gave her last Christmas, she could pass for one of the local socialites I’ve seen passing through the neighborhood. Though she’s only a year and a half older than me, my youngest of four sisters always appears at least a decade more grown up just by the way she carries herself. I guess it’s all that grooming they put her through in pageant training.

I balk at her. What in the hell is my sister doing in New York?

TEN

“Glo?” I call out, not
sure if I should run
toward
my sister or
away
.

When she looks up in my direction, her rich brown eyes soften. “Kel, thank God!”

Glori hurries toward me for a spirited hug. I take it, but don’t make any movements to return the gesture. She’s short enough that her head barely grazes my chin—a curse that she claims stopped her from taking the actual title of pageant beauty queen. I’m actually surprised she isn’t wearing 3 inch heels for once to make up for it.

I inhale with resolve, catching her signature scent of gardenias. “What the fuck are you doing here? How’d you know where to find me?”

“Such
language
.” She clicks her tongue and backs away, arms crossed. “Mom got your address from Jewels. I guess she got real emotional about it, said she didn’t want to rat you out, but she didn’t want you to make her mistakes or something like that. I don’t know. Mom didn’t tell me the whole conversation because I was in a dressing room for a fitting when she called.”

“Sounds about right,” I mumble to myself. I make a mental note to “thank” Jewels later for giving me a heads up.

A tight-lipped woman with flawless blond hair and a designer track suit walks our way with a handful of leashes, walking a gaggle of Yorkies with little pink bows on their heads. I kneel down to greet them, letting them cover my hands in kisses.

“They’re adorable!” I peer up to see the uptight woman smiling. “What are their names? Are they all yours?”

“Sorry,” Glori apologizes to the woman on my behalf, “she’s been an animal magnet her whole life.” She pulls me back up by my arm. “
Focus
, Kel. I’m here, remember?”

The woman brushes past us, throwing Glori a confused look. My sister looks up to the apartment building with a lowered gaze I’ve seen a million times before. It’s something she
wants
. And I’ve witnessed her stepping in stilettos over her “friends” to get whatever her sights are set on. “I thought maybe she gave Mom the wrong address when the cabbie dropped me here. How can you afford to stay in this neighborhood?”

“I have a roommate.” I cross my arms, then quickly uncross them when I realize I’m a mirror image of my big sister. “Seriously, Glo, why are you here?”

She rests her hand on my forearm, her eyes drawn down. “Mom and Dad have been a complete wreck since you took off. Mom goes to the confessional nearly every day. She’s worried ‘the devil has her baby in his clutches’.” She hooks her bright pink fingernails in the air as she quotes our mom.

“It’s not like I haven’t been talking to her. I
have
called her.” I don’t mention how rare or painful those calls have been.

“Yeah, well, they feel responsible for driving you out of town.”

I push her hand away, feeling the anger rise back up. “Basically, they did. You
all
did.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What happened was a big misunderstanding. You left Wisconsin on your own.”

Anger boils my blood into lava. I turn to see if our doorman is listening in, but he’s busy chatting it up with one of the Wall Street guys who lives a floor down from us.

I turn back to Glori, forcefully taking her elbow in my grip. “I’m not going to talk about this with you right here.”

“Let go of me!” Glori snaps, clawing at my hand.

I don’t back down, knowing I can take her. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I’m not going anywhere until we talk about what happened!”

“Hey!” someone calls out behind us. We both whirl around to see Erik marching our way with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, his expression hard. “What’s this about?”