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Tristan

“What the hell arewe doing slumming it with the commoners?” my friend, Rafe, asks as he sits down across from me.

We’re seated in a black high-top six-seater with matching full-back bar stools in the back corner of the dimly lit bar. Rumors is known for their dimly lit space and hot pink neon lights, where associates from local high rises congregate to bitch about their jobs and the executives running their companies. The name wasn’t just a fluke. It’s the place where all the gossip spreads.

“Little brother wanted to spy on his co-worker,” Alexander—or Xander, as everyone but my parents call him—says as he takes a sip of his whiskey.

“I didn’t come to spy on her.”

Rafe turns in his seat and tries to figure out what woman my brother is talking about. No doubt he spots her immediately. Her copper hair stands out amongst the bottle blondes and brunettes. And if that doesn’t give her away, the smattering of freckles across her face will surely pull you in. Kennedy is too good for the hustle and bustle of New York City. It’s not because she’s not strong enough; she’s the most headstrong woman I’ve ever come across. But it’s because herheart is too pure. New York City will chew her up and spit her out before she even realizes it.

And she has named me the bane of her existence, but she couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s nothing I love more than toying with her. Somewhere along the way, our communication went from jabs to a flirty banter filled with all kinds of sexual innuendos. We’re a human resource department’s wet dream with the amount of workplace rules we’ve no doubt broken a time or fifty.

While I love pushing her buttons, I’m waiting for the day when she throws her Midwestern politeness to the side and gives me a piece of her mind.

“Damn, the redhead?” Rafe asks, hunger deepening his voice as he turns back to face me.

I glare at him over the brim of my glass. “Don’t even think about it,” I say before taking a pull of my beer.

“It’s not like you’re going to make a move,” Xander muses and leans back in his seat, as if he’s getting comfortable for a show.

Ignoring them both, I keep my eyes focused on her. Since she’s left the office, Kennedy has relaxed. Her hair still hangs down her back, curls bouncing with every move. But she’s managed to unclasp the first few buttons on her black blouse, allowing the top of her lacy red bra to peek out. She’s stunning and completely off-limits. Especially with my recent move from the architectural team to being named design manager, a steppingstone for me as I work my way up the corporate ladder.

I tried to look away, but just as I was about to, she laughs at something funny her friends say. The sound causes a group of frat boys standing near their table to grow some courage and walk over to them.A polo-wearing guy places his arm around the back of her chair, and she leans closer to Zoe.

“Oh no, man, looks like one of those fraternity douchebags is making a move on your girl,” Rafe chides.

“First of all”—I snap my head toward Rafe—“she’s not my girl. And secondly, you were one of those douchebags at the University of Southern California.”

Xander chuckles from beside me. Like me, Xander stayed in state and chose Cornell instead of going to NYU with me.

As much as she hates me, and as much as I instigate our antics, I could never sit back and watch something bad happen to her. I watch intently as she scans the bar, and that’s when she finally sees me. Our gazes lock as her green eyes latch onto mine, and I watch her eyebrow lift with curiosity. Then something that looks a lot like relief flashes briefly across her features. I flash her a wink. Her cheeks pinken before her signature scowl she reserves only for me returns. It’s almost as if she remembered who she was playing a staring contest with. She turns her attention back to the guy who has moved even closer to her. If I hadn’t spent the last four or so years learning her tics, I would have missed the blush completely.

Standing from my chair, my feet carry me to her without a second thought. Groups of people scurry out of my way as my gaze lasers in on the girl who will turn me gray before I’m thirty.

“Firecracker. Fancy seeing you here.” My words are husky as I clear my throat while never breaking eye contact.

“What are you doing here?” Kennedy looks up, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she scowls up at me. The guy standing next to her puffs out his chest.Ha, as if this is going to be a battle.

“Please,” I scoff. “Even I deserve a break from the office. Spending all my time outdoing you is getting exhausting.”

Her jaw drops, and I can imagine the steam building in that pretty head of hers, waiting to combust. “Outdoing me?”

“Yeah, outdoing you. It doesn’t even seem to be a competition anymore with you constantly playing catch up.”

Zoe shakes her head, hiding a smile behind her drink and attempting to look anywhere but at us during this interaction. She’s been witness to our antics since Kennedy started with our company a month ago.

It was a shock to see Kennedy sitting in the conference room meeting with HR when I walked down the hall. As discreetly as I could, I paused to observe her for a few brief seconds. Kennedy was poised and flawless. Confidence oozed from her as she held her head high, shoulders back in the grueling interviews with the hiring committees.

After college, I heard she found a job at a small firm in Chelsea, and I assumed we’d never see each other again.

Fate’s a funny one.

Another girl is sitting with them tonight, and based on the pictures Kennedy has decorating her cubicle, I think I’m safe to assume she’s the roommate.

“Hey, man, the girls are with us,” one of the polo wearing guys complains to interrupt our banter.

“Nah, I think they’re here on their own,” I retort, knowing it’s the age where women don’t need to be claimed by men. “But if you’d ladies like any company, we’ve got a table in the corner.”