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