Turning Point||Book 2

4: Xenia.

That was my final choice, and Vera would make the story more sellable by doing what she did best. She was the editor, she certainly knew best.

The hallway looked nearly different when I stepped into the brightness, or my problems with direction made it seem so. I craned my neck to spot the elevator door, instead I noticed the dickhead pacing the stretch in front of the elevator.

My breathing ceased.

What was he doing there? Waiting? I didn't want to talk to him if he was there for me.

Restoring my confidence with a few deep breaths, I came out from hiding and started towards the elevator, which might have seemed like I was walking to him, since he stood in front of my path.

"Skylar, Skylar, do you have a minute?"

I shook my head and didn't stop walking. "I can not talk to you."

"You cannot or will not?"

Good question. I stopped a few meters from him and pondered for a second. "Come to think of it, I actually do not want to, will not, and cannot...talk to you."

Anger swirled through me again as I remembered what I'd seen in the hallway earlier. Vera looking caressed beyond reasonable doubt.

"I really don't know why you are mad at me. I have done nothing to hurt you."

My brows wrung out of line. I wanted to tug at his tie until he choked on it. "No? You didn't hurt me, you could never. You only pissed me off."

Jerry scoffed. His false front of shock only triggered the anger I barely felt. He had started to frustrate me. He had a troubled look on his face, but there was also a mysterious smile on his lips. "Because I had a staff in my office?"

Staff.

The word blasted my head and my thoughts ossified into a huge clump of doubt.

Jerry Keith wasn't on the list of founders I'd seen on the article of Bright Bird. There was a Mary and a Jones, but not a Jerry Keith. I couldn't fall for yet another fib of his.

"Arguing with you is likely more difficult than chasing my dreams. Indulging will only cost me precious time, I can't afford that."

With grim determination, I pushed past him and managed to hit the elevator button. As Jerry's hand met my shoulder to stop me, my body careened out of control. I nearly lost my balance.

"You're jealous." His smile widened to probably the irritable look on my face. "This is something." I felt soft fingers crawl down my arm and stopped at my wrist. "You're beautiful, you know that. I'm struck."

"Please, tell me you seriously do not believe in love at first sight." I wanted to vomit at the thought of a man tumbling down for me because he'd had a little conversation with me.

"I used to think it was a myth, but then I met you."

I went completely paralyzed. Only my eyeballs could move, and they were snapping
left to right to assess Jerry in his diminished glory. There was a vast difference between him and Romano, I didn't mean to notice it, the dissimilarities simply blew me away without warning.