Page 3 of Tangled Control

Shit, shit, shit.

White teeth flash behind his sneer and a nerve under his eye is ticking. “Watch that mouth of yours.”

The low rumble of his voice electrifies the air around us. My pulse is racing. I clench my legs together as I force myself to stand still.

“Can’t you take it?” I challenge and lift my chin higher while my heart is hammering behind my ribcage.

The tip of his tongue wets his lower lip and he growls his next words. “I should teach you some manners by putting you over my knee to tan that arse of yours.”

I can’t stop my gasp. There’s a surge low in my tummy. I hate the glee in his eyes when I don’t have an immediate comeback. I swallow, and his gaze travels down to my throat. His teeth flash as if he’d like to sink them into my jugular and claim victory over his beaten opponent.

I stutter. “O-of course a neanderthal like you would have to resort to—”

There’s a knock on the door.

I clamp my lips shut. An unspoken warning flare in Rian’s gaze as he steps away and returns to his desk. I breathe out quietly and try to calm my racing heart.What the hell just happened!Our spats have never gone this far.

“Come on in,” Rian calls in the charming tone he uses for anyone but me.

“Rian, you have visitors,” Orla singsongs. With a big smile, the middle-aged office administrator holds the door open.

In walks a woman who can only be described as a breath of fresh air. Her petite frame is covered by a flowing pink knee-length dress that looks both classy and innocent. Her shiny, light brown hair is carefully windswept, and the gentle touch of her make-up highlights her striking green eyes. She is stunningly beautiful, yet there is something subtle about her appearance. I know, however, that the subtle look is carefully and purposefully crafted. This is, after all, Alexandra Harrington, heiress of Calla, one of the world’s leading event companies. Nothing – not a strand of hair or a movement of her hand – is left to chance when it comes to perfect Alexandra. She even pronounces her name the posh way, where the secondAis all nasal, sounding almost like anO.Alexsoondra.

“Alexandra, are you here to tell me you’ll be my date at the Hilton Charity Ball?” The corners of Rian’s mouth tilt up in a soft, intimate smile without a trace of the raw anger from earlier.

“Ach,Ri-ri…” she purrs teasingly, shaking her head.

He gets back up from his chair he just sat down in and says with a voice as sickening as cotton candy, “One day you’ll say yes. You know we’re meant to be together.”

She laughs quietly – intimately. “One day, Rian.”

I fight a gag as I try my best to ignore their nauseating conversation.

Alexandra tilts her head ever so slightly to the side and Rian leans down and kisses the offered cheek.

Taking a step back, he assesses her. “You look divine as always.”

His gaze shifts to me. He cocks his eyebrow. I lift my chin at the low blow. I try to stay unaffected, but there’s a pinch in my gut. It’s not the first time he’s hinted at my lack of good looks.

“Rian, have you had lunch yet?” sounds from the door, and a second person enters. A man in his late twenties, twenty-eight, to be exact – the same age as my boss. Leo Moore, Rian’s best friend, is tall and slender. The genes from his late Italian mother make him stand out as exotic next to us pasty Irish. He’s a well-known trust fund playboy, and judging by how frequently he visits this office, there can’t be a day’s work in him.

“No, I haven’t,” Rian responds and grabs his jacket and phone. “I could eat.”

Leo dips his head in my direction with his signature charming smile. “Ciao.”

“Hello,” I say as politely as I can muster.

“So, what’s your name,bella?”

I want to roll my eyes. It’s taken him six months to notice my existence. I’m just about to answer when a hand lands hard on Leo’s shoulder, steering him away from me.

“Let’s go.”

As Rian passes, he tosses me the O’Toole file with only a sideways glance. “Make sure you have this fixed by the time I’m back.”

“Oh, bossy much?” Alexandra chuckles, and then they’re gone, leaving me standing alone in his office. I slowly walk out, cursing Rian and the disgustingly perfect Alexandra, who hasn’t even acknowledged me with a single look.And why would she? I’m a nobody.

I’ve not even got to my desk before long, straight black hair blocks my way. Mona, one of the other assistants on my team.Her eyes shine in excitement. “Was that Alexandra Harrington with Rian?”