Wilted (12 page)

“Wow! You look absolutely gorgeous, Kylie. As a matter of fact, maybe a bit too gorgeous. No one will ever believe that you’re just my friend at this event.” He winks and hands me a huge bouquet of flowers that he’s been holding behind his back.

“Oh, Evan, they’re beautiful. Thank you!” I exclaim as I take them from his hand. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll put these in water right quick. I’m almost ready.”

“Take your time. I know I’m a bit early.” He wanders around my living room, looking at photos on my shelf.

“So, how do you like LA?” he asks.

“Oh, it’s great. I’m still getting used to the big city, but I love my job and all. I’m really happy here.” I lie just a bit. There’s no need to get into that one, especially with him.

“That’s great. Did you hear that I’ll be taking Michael’s place?”

“Yes, I heard. Congrats. It will be good to have a familiar face here. So, have you figured out where you’ll be living yet?”

“Well, um, actually, I’m just around the corner. I didn’t want to freak you out or anything by telling you that at first. It seems that Telko owns quite a few of these condos in the neighborhood.”

“Oh, I see.” I can’t say I’m too thrilled about him living so close to me. I value my privacy a bit too much, maybe.

“Yeah, my stuff is being shipped from Austin as we speak. Initially, I wasn’t supposed to be here for a couple more weeks, but I wanted to go ahead and start work on some of the new projects Michael had begun. By the way, you do know that I’ll be needing your brilliant marketing brain to help me, so get ready for some brainstorming sessions in the near future.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind.” I laugh as I head back to my bedroom to grab my sweater. Even though it’s summer, some nights out here can get very chilly. I pick up the present I’d purchased for the party and take one final glance at myself in my bedroom mirror. Silently, I begin coaching myself.

Take a deep breath, Kylie. It’s just a fun evening. Nothing serious. Breathe.

“Oh Evan, how lovely to see you!” An attractive brunette greets us at the door.

“It’s good to see you too, Sylvie. This is my friend, Kylie Reynolds. We work at Telko together.”

Her cold, blue eyes roam over me in a way I know all too well. Women have what’s called
scanning abilities
. We can pick up on any small detail as we begin the judging process. Basically, it’s the same as guys who size each other up. We can sniff out a fake Versace dress and hair extensions in a matter of seconds. It’s just a gift we have.

“Hello, Kylie. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sylvie Cunningham.”

Judging by the approval in her eyes, I’ve passed her first dreaded test. Next comes the double cheek kiss, another way for us to get a closer inspection. This is where we check for cheap perfume, plastic surgery scars, or fake jewelry.

When she goes to kiss my second cheek, she pulls me in closer to whisper into my ear.

“He’s really talented with his tongue, isn’t he?”

As I pull away, I try not to allow her tidbit of information to unsettle me, thus passing my final test with her. If she thinks she’s going to rattle me, she has another fucking thing coming.

“Happy Anniversary,” I say, handing her the present in my hand. I didn’t know what to buy, but I’d settled on a sterling silver picture frame. Whether she likes it or not, I don’t honestly give a damn.

“Oh, why thank you. How sweet of you to think of us. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone,” she says, taking my arm. “Evan, why don’t you get us some drinks at the bar? Jeffery is over there somewhere, too. I’m sure he will be glad to see you.” Evan looks at me hesitantly, but then nods in agreement. She waits until he walks away before she speaks. “So, how long have the two of you been fucking?” She cuts to the chase.

“Um, excuse me? We’re just friends.”

“No need to pretend with me, honey. I see the way he looks at you. He’s talked Jeffery’s ear off about you for months now. Evan never talks about a woman, trust me.”

“Well, I assure you, we’re just friends. We’ve worked together for a while now, but that’s it.”

“Ah, we have a modest one. Well, see those ladies over there? We’ve all been different flavors of the month for Evan over the years. Rarely does he stay with the same one, so he must like what he’s tasting.”

“Look, I didn’t come here to be ridiculed. Evan asked me here because he was worried someone would try to play matchmaker with him. I only came as a favor to him.”

“Matchmaker?” She laughs. “Trust me, sweetheart, Evan doesn’t need matchmaking. That man has fucked about every woman in this room at least once, well, that is except for you. Or so you say. I, for one, remain unconvinced of that.”

Well, isn’t someone trying to be the queen bitch? The thing is, I come from the South and I own that title. If she thinks her Botox, nipped and tucked, silicone, anorexic ass is going to out bitch me, she has another thing coming.
Bring it, Malibu Barbie.

Introducing me to the other Beach Patrol Barbies doesn’t impress me at all. For over thirty minutes, I hear about all the ways Evan has fucked them. When I finally have all I can take, I turn and throw my hands up. There’s only so much of this I can handle.

“You know, it’s really so sad. Look at you all. You’re his leftovers. Trust me, I’ve lost count of the ways he’s made me come. He likes the flavor of my pussy quite a lot, so if I were you, I wouldn’t get my hopes up of getting another round with him.” The harsh comment comes out of my mouth before I can think or stop myself. The look on their Botox faces is completely priceless. If their muscles weren’t frozen, their horrified expressions would be epic.

Grabbing a glass of champagne off the server’s tray, I leave them and head for the open patio door.
Wow, this night air is chilly!
Stupidly, I’d left my sweater in Evan’s car, but I will be damned if I go back inside. I’d rather stand out here and freeze to death than to face those fucking bitches. Looking out across the ocean, I throw back my head and down the expensive liquid in one large gulp. Yeah, I know you’re supposed to sip it to enjoy the flavor, but fuck that! I’ve never been a ritzy girl. Just give me the cheap shit and I’m happy. Hell, buy me a beer and I’m good.

I don’t hear anyone come up behind me, but a suit jacket startles me as it’s placed over my arms. The familiar spicy smell hits my nose and brings tears to my eyes. Of all places, someone here has to smell like him.

Great! Just fucking great!

“No, thanks.” As I turn to hand the jacket back to whomever it belongs to, my eyes lock with the one man I am not prepared to see. The man who still owns me. Nikolas Thorne.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap at him.

“I’m in LA on business. Jeffery’s an old friend of mine. I just stopped by to say congrats to him and Sylvie. I saw you standing out here and I wanted to say hi.”

“Hi. Bye. There, now you can leave,” I say, turning my back to him.

Damn him! Damn the tears that won’t stop!

“Kylie. Please.” His hand touches my bare arms, sending electricity coursing through me. Oh, how I’ve missed his touch.

“Please, what?” I jerk away. “Just leave me alone, Nik.”

“Kylie. I’ve been absolutely miserable without you. You have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for any of this.” Stunned by his words, I stare into his chocolate brown eyes, convinced I will see the truth. The thing is, all I see is hope in those eyes. I won’t lie. All I want to do is run into his arms and forget everything. As he stands there pleading with his eyes, I take a step towards him and place my hand on his chest. Happiness warms my soul. This is the moment I’ve been hoping and praying for. A shadow casts over us just as I’m about to confess everything. That shadow would change everything about our special moment.

“Nik?” A tall, gorgeous woman steps out onto the patio. I recognize her as the new Calvin Klein underwear model. Her face is on every fucking billboard and bus in LA. Every word he just said to me, whether he meant it or not, no longer matters. This fucking playboy will not have me ever again.

“Miserable, huh? Well, it seems you and I have two very different definitions of miserable.” Storming away from him, I don’t even watch where I’m going. I run straight into Evan’s broad chest.

“Hey, are you alright, Kylie?” he says as he rubs my arms to warm me. “You’re freezing. Here.” Placing his jacket around me, he pulls me in close.

“Can we please leave?” I beg as I try to hide my panic. I’ve got to get out of here. I won’t let them see me cry.

“It will be my pleasure. I want to get the hell out of here myself.”

Evan guides me through the front and out to the car. As he opens my door to let me in, I glance up to see Nik staring down at me from the patio. Calvin Klein girl is no longer with him. He’s all alone. Even from all the way down here, his heated eyes make my knees buckle. Amazing how he has the power to do that to me when no one else ever has.

Evil thoughts swirl dangerously in my head. I want him to feel the pain he’s caused me. I want to prove to him that he doesn’t affect me. Swinging around, I surprise Evan by placing a gentle kiss on his lips. In return, he grabs my waist and pulls me in to deepen the kiss. I know I’m misleading Evan, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure Nik gets a show. Evan smiles at me when we break for air, but my eyes divert upwards to see if he’s still there. He’s gone. For all I know, he’s been only a figment of my imagination.

Evan doesn’t say a lot on the drive back home, which relieves me. I should never have kissed him at the party. Living so close to him is awkward enough without encouraging him to think I have feelings that I don’t. We’re going to have to talk about this. There’s no doubt about that.

When Evan pulls into our complex, I begin squirming. He shuts the engine off, gets out, and comes to open my door. Reaching for the handle, I beat him to it. The smile on his face fades as my actions confuse him.
Fuck, why did I kiss him?

“I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time, Kylie. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy spending time with you.”

I’ve got to do damage control! Now!

“Look, Evan, I shouldn’t have kissed you back there. I was upset over seeing Nik, and I just wasn’t thinking.”

“I know you’re still into Nik, but that doesn’t mean we can’t explore this. I’m not asking for anything serious, Kylie.” He comes closer and tucks my hair behind my ear.

SHIT!
“Evan, I’m not-”

I’m cut off by him slamming his lips to mine. Even though part of me is screaming for me to pull him up to my room and have my way with him, the other part of me knows this isn’t right.

Pushing him back with my hand, I step away. “Evan, I can’t. We work together, and I just am not ready for this. I’m sorry if I mislead you with that kiss earlier, but this can’t happen again.”

“One day, you’ll be ready. Once that loser gets out of your head, that is.” His words are true, but they still piss me off. Maybe Nik isn’t my favorite person, but I didn’t like the way Evan called him a loser.

“Thank you for bringing me home, Evan.”

“No, wait! I’ll walk you up.”

“I’m good, but thanks. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

Conflicted, he runs his hands through his hair and turns towards his place. Digging out my keys, I rush to my apartment and close the door behind me, throwing my head against the wood in frustration.