Precious Consequences

My lips form an ‘Oh’ as we watch Kyler being mauled by a drop dead gorgeous redhead who kisses him unabashedly, giving no mind to the small audience gathering to watch their embrace. “Who’s the redhead?”

Quinn frowns and her face contorts into the expression she gets when she’s about to be a total bitch. “Jessa fucking Price.” My eyebrows shoot up at the tone of her voice.

“You know her?” I ask.

“Everybody does. She’s slept with half the people in this city. Our fathers are friends and our mothers both champion the same charities. I practically grew up with the bitch.”

Quinn pulls me towards the elevator, dragging my attention away from the beautiful couple and back to reality. I check my watch and see that I have exactly ten minutes before my meeting starts. We step into the empty elevator just as a hand stops the two doors from closing. He steps into the elevator and the air in my lungs somehow escapes without ever leaving my mouth.

“Quinn,” he greets with a smile. She knows him?

“Kyler,” she replies, not returning his friendliness. His eyes travel the length of my body, the tiny hairs on the back my neck standing up, until they lock with mine. I suck in a breath. I know those blue eyes. He brushes a piece of hair out if his face and I notice that it’s darker than what I thought. A dark, rich chocolate brown.

“Who’s your friend?” he asks. The question is directed at Quinn but our eyes never break contact.

“Cassey Emerson. Cassey, this is Kyler Knight. His father owns Knight Media.” Kyler sticks out his hand and I gingerly mimic his action. His hand is easily three times bigger than mine. It wraps around mine effortlessly, his slightly calloused fingers brushing up against my soft skin.

“Nice to meet you, Cassey.” His smile widens into a wolfish grin.

“You too,” I squeak. He holds my hand a moment longer than what would be considered appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. The elevator chimes and I drop his hand like it’s burned me. Quinn grasps my elbow and leads me out onto our floor. Kyler’s eyes stay fixed on me until the elevator doors close.

“Wipe your mouth, Cass,” she whispers harshly. “You’re drooling and I’m pretty sure Kyler noticed.”

Kyler. Why does that name sound so familiar?

Then it hits me like a freight train.

“Oh, God,” I breathe. My eyes go wide and I look at Quinn.

“What?” she asks. I swallow hard and fight the blush I can feel creeping up my neck into my cheeks.

“Quinn,” I sputter. “It’s him.”

Her eyebrows dip into a confused scowl, “It’s him who?” We step into my office and I shut the door quickly.

“It’s him, Quinn.”

“What are you talking about, Cass?”

“Kyler. He’s the one I dreamt about this morning.” I bury my face in my hands to hide my mortification. I risk a peek through my fingers and see Quinn’s shoulders shaking with her quiet laughter. “Quinn,” I whine. “It’s not funny.” I slap her on the arm.

“You’re right,” she replies between laughs. “It’s not funny. It’s hilarious.” I throw my hands up in defeat and grab my little make up bag to start applying my make-up. Quinn comes to stand next to me. “Are you sure it was him?” she asks seriously. All the laughter is gone from her face.

“Yes. I said his name and told him to-” my mouth snaps shut before I divulge any more humiliating information about my naughty dream. Quinn smirks and I bite my lip to stifle the giggle I feel crawling up my throat.

“I don’t blame you. He’s a catch and I hear he’s certainly not lacking down south,” Quinn concedes. She grabs the eye shadow from my hands and spins me so that I’m facing her.

“I didn’t know you knew him,” I say quietly while she applies some color to my eyelids.

“Not very well. I just know our parents are acquaintances. Kyler has a bit of a reputation and he’s a few years older than us so we never really hung out,” she states. My thoughts drift back to the redhead we saw pawing him earlier and my face twists into a scowl involuntarily.

“Was that his girlfriend down in the lobby?” I ask, trying to sound indifferent. I fail miserably. I open my eyes to find Quinn studying me.

“No,” she replies. “But they attend most of the social events together throughout the year. It’s no secret that they’re using each other for sex.” I don’t know why, but a sudden heaviness settles in my belly. Quinn checks her watch. “You better skedaddle. You’re going to be late,” she tells me.

“See you at lunch?” I ask on my way out. She nods and we head in opposite directions.

I walk into the boardroom a minute before our meeting starts and almost fall out of my chair when Kyler walks in behind his father. Robert Knight is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He is a tall man, although not as tall as his son, and has a slight belly. His face is warm and inviting and even on a bad day, he is always smiling. Mia, our overly enthusiastic publishing intern who’s sitting next to me, battles to suppress her excitement when she spots Kyler and giggles in her seat. That’s when I notice that most of the women, married or not, are staring open mouthed. The room goes quiet.

“Good morning everyone,” Robert greets. There’s an incoherent mumble from the men in the room while the women continue to eye fuck Kyler. “This is my son, Kyler.” Robert continues, oblivious to those of us who look like panting dogs in heat. “From today, he will be working for Knight Media.” He grins proudly at his son, who acknowledges us with a simple nod. “Right, then,” he pats Kyler on the back. “We’ll leave you kids to it.” He walks out and Kyler lingers a moment longer, locking his eyes with mine. His glare makes me shiver and I see his lip curl up in amusement. Shmuck. When he leaves, the women all sigh, chatting excitedly amongst themselves before our immediate boss, Kevin, takes charge.

I don’t hear a thing he says. Only when we’re dismissed, do I stop thinking about him. I spend the rest of my day locked up in my office, buried beneath piles of unsolicited manuscripts, in hopes of forgetting about Kyler.

No.Such.Luck.

~ Kyler ~

When my father asked me to start working for him I was hesitant, for no other reason than I like my current lifestyle. Work of any kind hasn’t been a priority, unless it’s the physical kind. With a woman. But something about my father's request has me feeling uneasy. I can’t fight the nagging in my gut that something is wrong, that what my father is really doing is preparing me to take over from him. Funny thing is, he’s about ten years away from retirement and wouldn’t be leaving unless he has to. I push the concerns aside and start organizing my office. For whatever reason, my father needs me and I’m not about to let him down. Jessa can always join me for a ‘quick lunch’ in my office, once my chaise lounge set arrives. Oddly enough, it’s not her I picture being bent over my desk. No. It’s that brunette I met in the elevator, Quinn’s friend. What was her name again? Great, asshole. You can picture bending her over your desk but you can’t remember her name? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve wanted to do ungodly things to a woman whose name I don’t remember. I have a shameless history of one night stands to prove that. Jessa is the only woman I’ve had a semi-consistent relationship with, if you consider attending social events together and having meaningless but hot sex afterward, a relationship. My mother has it in her head that Jessa Price and I will someday get married, start a family and live happily ever after. I’m fairly certain Jessa has the same idea in her head. They’re both delusional. If I ever settle down, and that’s a very small possibility, it won’t be with someone like Jessa. She’s all about status and social climbing and I have no doubt that she’ll cheat on me the minute she gets bored. No, thanks. I would rather stick to my nameless one night stands than subject myself to a lifetime of misery. It would take a special woman to tame the animal in me and she is yet to be discovered. My mind unwillingly drifts back to Quinn’s friend. Why the fuck can’t I remember her name? Dammit. Maybe I should try and see her again? Shouldn’t be too difficult now that I’ll be working with her. It could just be two colleagues getting to know each other. Have you lost your damn mind? You’ve met the woman once and now you’re conjuring up excuses to see her again? Ridiculous. It makes me grin.

“What has you smiling like a fool?”

My head snaps up and my father walks into my office. “Nothing,” I shrug my shoulders. It’s obvious he