“I’m hurt that I didn’t get to meet you sooner,” Jarred said, giving Rachel a wounded look. “You have taken my breath away.” He heard a snort coming from behind Rachel and couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done to get on Kinsley’s bad side.
“Wow, that’s so nice of you,” Rachel smiled, fluttering her lashes. “Wasn’t that nice Kinsley?”
“Sounds like a line to me,” Kinsley replied, shooting daggers at him. The drinks arrived and Jarred grabbed his now full pint, holding it up to Rachel. “Well, let’s toast to a happy marriage for you then. He’s a lucky bloke.”
Rachel held up her drink, giving Kinsley a look before she reluctantly did the same, clinking her glass against his. “Good evening ladies,” he said, pushing away from the bar and walking back toward Turner, who had an expectant look on his face.
“Well?”
“She’s getting married,” Jarred replied, his eyes on Kinsley.
“Damn,” Turner said, echoing Jarred’s sentiments. “What about her friend? Did you ask her?”
Jarred watched as Kinsley conversed with her friend, taking in her prim blouse and slacks that left everything to the imagination. She was snobbish, apparently detested him and was in cahoots with his father. Wait a minute. “She’s my father’s assistant,” he said slowly, a plan forming in his mind. That meant she had already impressed his father and would be the absolute last person he would expect Jarred to bring.
“Oh wow,” Turner announced. “That’s it, mate. Bloody hell, she’s perfect. Your father already approves of her. Imagine the look on his face when you show up with her on your arm.”
“Yeah,” Jarred murmured absently. Only problem with Little Miss Uptight, he had to get her to agree to this. And with the way she had dressed him down tonight, it was going to be one hell of a mountain to climb. He needed leverage and he needed it quickly. How he was going to do that, he didn’t know, but good thing he was resourceful.
6
Kinsley opened the door to the flat and groaned, dropping her suitcase just inside the foyer. She hated having to sneak into this flat, but she had no other choice. Besides, her housing could be a great deal worse. The flat was in an upscale neighborhood, where she was certain that the flats were far more expensive than the one she was trying to keep. It was posh and the décor reflected the contemporary style. It looked sterile and not at all comfortable, but Kinsley knew she couldn’t be picky. It was furnished and more importantly free, two reasons she had decided to go this route.
Picking up her suitcase, Kinsley shut the door and walked into the kitchen, dropping the set of keys in the small dish that sat on the granite counter along with the small bag of food she had picked up on the way. Today she had made her decision. With the fumigation due for the morning, she had blocked off the schedule for the flat and grabbed some things to get her through the next few days before heading over here, hoping that this wasn’t going to get her in trouble.
It was a good thing that she controlled the calendar so the flat was officially hers and she planned to not even leave a trace of her visit when she left. The sun had already set as she had her meager supper and cleaned up after herself, moving onto the bedroom which boasted a bed three times the size of her own.
If her nerves weren’t so racked about being here, she might enjoy the plush carpeting under her feet or step out onto the balcony that gave an impressive view of the city. But instead she hurried through her toiletry and climbed in between the sheets, reveling in their luxuriousness. What would it be like to live like this constantly, to never worry about money? Jarred Maloney’s grin crossed her mind and she sighed, thinking of the way he’d hit on Rachel the night before.
She hated to admit to herself, but she had been jealous. Jealous that he clearly hadn’t remembered her from the lift ride, jealous that she wasn’t the first one he approached. All of her life she knew that Rachel was prettier than she was, more outgoing, and definitely popular throughout school. Kinsley, while she loved her cousin dearly, couldn’t help but wish that Rachel would hurry and marry her love so she would be taken off the market. It was selfish yes, but last night had not been the first time that she had been overlooked for Rachel. It stung knowing she’d never be the first choice.
With a groan, Kinsley punched at the pillow, staring into the darkness. Rachel being picked up by hot men was the least of her worries. She was about to lose her home and had no idea what she was going to do. The other flats in that area for rent were beyond her price range and the only place she could find that would give her a bit of money at the end of the month was a thirty-minute commute at least.
She hadn’t ever owned a car so that was out of the question. She had one other option, one that she hated to even consider. She could move back home with her aunt and uncle. Their home was close to a tube and likely would be rent free. The thought, though, made her nauseous. Go back under someone else’s roof? When her parents had died, they’d taken her in. Done their duty. But they’d never been warm. No way was she going back. Especially not as a failure. she’d rather sleep on the street. She supposed she could get a flat-mate, but one bad experience in Uni had soured her on the idea.
A thud jolted her out of her thoughts, making the pictures on the wall rattle as it happened again. “What on earth?” she asked herself, grabbing her wrap and climbing out of the bed. It sounded as if someone was trying to burst through the wall. Hurrying down the hall, Kinsley made quick work of the locks against her better judgement and opened the door as the noise sounded again. “Oh no.”
Jarred was sitting in the hallway, his back against the door next to Kinsley’s, a half empty bottle of liquor still clenched tightly in his grasp. The stench of whiskey permeated the air and Kinsley wrinkled her nose against the smell, wondering what on earth he was doing here.
“Hey,” he said, looking up at her with bleary eyes. “I know you.”
“Yes,” she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You do know me. I guess you live here?”
He reached up with his free hand and scratched his head, looking puzzled for a moment. “I do, I think.”
“Great,” Kinsley muttered. Why hadn’t she looked to see who was in the other flats before she had chosen this one? She knew Jarred was living in one temporarily, but never in her wildest thoughts would she have considered it was the one next to her. He was drunk and she should just close her door. He wasn’t her problem and old enough to know what he was getting himself into. Besides, it wasn’t like someone was going to come along and pick his pockets or anything. This was a secured building. She should just cover him up and go back to bed.
“Hey,” he said, his word slurring a bit. “You’re so lucky. My father likes you.”
She sighed, his words tugging on her conscience. She knew that their relationship wasn’t on the best of terms, but the way he’d said those words, like a wounded child, made her heart ache. “Come on, let’s get you up.”
“I don’t want to stand up,” he mumbled as she reached down to tug on his arm. “The world spins when I stand.”