“Come on, I have to live vicariously through you!” Tessa whines, as though that should sway me. She’s been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Luke, for as long as I’ve known her. “When was the last time you even went on a date?”
I cringe inwardly. My social calendar is pretty barren—though in my defense, who has the time? We work all hours with the same people day in and day out, and interoffice dating is frowned upon. Where would I even meet someone? I should probably be Tinder-ing, Match-ing, Hinge-ing, and Bumble-ing like everyone else I know, but going on semiblind computer dates after a long day at work seems like an almost comical form of torture. And frankly? I just don’t care enough. I’m a happily independent woman, and the only times I wish things were different, it goes away in five to seven days.
“The last guy was the one who only ordered skinny drinks, remember? I ditched him when he asked me what kind of conditioner I used.”
“He was unfortunate,” Stephen concedes. “But all the more reason to sign up. You need a palate cleanser.”
“Why can’tyoujust join?”
“Oh, believe me, I am. But you’re doing it with me.”
“I’ll set up your profile for you!” Tessa pleads, clutching my arm.
The elevator dings behind me. “Guys, stop. I don’t need to join LeftField to find a date.”
The words have barely left my mouth when I see Stephen’s eyes go wide as he takes in something over my shoulder. I spin around—and come face-to-face with Ben Mackenzie. Only this time, he’s not alone. A tall, glossy-haired brunette hovers at his side, pressing her lips together in amusement. Ben doesn’t bother with such subtleties, donning a Cheshire Cat grin he aims right at me.
My face flushes hot with embarrassment, but I can’t show any weakness. He’s like a shark; he’ll smell blood in the water.
“Ben, howlovelyto see you again,” I say, my voice dripping with insincerity.
His eyes spark at my brinkmanship. He opens his mouth to respond but then pauses, glancing at our myriad companions, and I watch the internal struggle play out on his face. Mock me and look like a jerk, or play along?
Social propriety wins out. “Kate, howgreatto run into you,” he says, his voice equally disingenuous. I step aside so he and his brunette arm candy can exit the elevator.
“Hey, man,” Stephen pipes up, like they’re BFFs or something. I shoot him a traitorous look—what a turncoat.
The brunette eyes Ben and me with confusion, clearly sensing something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Since Ben hasn’t bothered to introduce us, I extend a hand.
“Hi, I’m Kate, and this is Stephen and Tessa. We’re on Senator Warner’s staff.”
Her expression of polite indifference shifts on a dime, her upper lip curling ever so slightly.
“I see. Corinne,” she says, grabbing and releasing my hand so swiftly you’d think I have an infectious disease.
“For what it’s worth, Kate, I agree,” Ben drawls, that cocky grin still plastered across his face. “You shouldn’t have to join a discriminatory site like that to get a date.”
“Good thing it was just a joke,” I respond, smiling through gritted teeth. I could claw his eyes out. To prevent it, I ball my hands into fists so tight my nails bite into my palms.
Corinne doesn’t look confused anymore—in fact, she’s looking at me like something smells bad. She places a hand in the crook of Ben’s arm, subtly tugging him away. “We should go. We don’t have long before we need to get back.”
“Of course. Enjoy your lunch,” I tell them, my voice syrupy sweet.I hope you choke on it.As I brush by him to enter the elevator, Ben catches my elbow.
“On the other hand, you may want to reconsider the app,” he murmurs in a voice low enough that the others won’t hear. “Where else will you find a man with a fetish for uptight ballbusters?”
My jaw drops, but by the time I process his insult, he and Corinne are already halfway across the lobby. I gape soundlessly as the elevator doors shut in my face.
Chapter 5
I think Ben’s bugged my office.
There was an envelope waiting for me on my desk this morning when I arrived. Nothing too unusual about that, since I’m averaging one piece of hate mail from Ben every other day. But when I opened it to find a snarky editorial about the Capstone Pipeline drilling project, a chill ran through me.
Only yesterday, Tessa and I had a meeting in my office about this very issue. We worked on a statement for Carol that addresses the current drilling controversy but it hasn’t been released yet. There’s no way he could know about it.
No way—unless he’s listening.
And it’s not the first time it’s happened, either. Some of his recent missives relate to specific initiatives I’m working on. At first I thought he was just guessing well, but I’ve clearly underestimated his aptitude for skullduggery.
