She had a point. Smiling in Vane’s direction, I walked over to him. “Hello, sir.”
Vane leaned back against the bench and slipped his phone into the pocket of his trench coat. His gaze slid down my body, and I couldn’t decide if he was figuring me out or checking me out—maybe both. “Who are you?”
“I’m Jax Bell, one of your interns for the year.” I sent him my most charming grin, the one that got me into beds, such as the one belonging to the professor who taught my least favorite class during my final semester of college, the one I couldn’t keep my eyes open in if I tried. Somehow I’d come out of that fiasco with an A. He stared at me and didn’t say a word for longer than I would have liked, so I quickly continued. “I thought I’d come and introduce myself, seeing as the internship has just started.”
“Tell me something, Jax Bell. Is that short for Jaxson? I think I’ll stick to Bell.” He leaned forward, the smirk back on his face as he scrutinized me with those light gray eyes of his. They reminded me of the sky just after a shower of rain. He smelled as nice as the air after a storm, too. “Do you figuratively or literally kiss ass?”
It was at this point I should have backed away, but I’d never been the kind of person to hide or run. I’d worked hard to get this internship and I wasn’t going to back down. I grinned at him. “I much prefer to getmyass kissed, sir, among other things.”
He raised his brows in surprise and slid his gaze down my body again, this time stopping at my crotch. Humming, he laid his arms along the back of the bench and spread his legs, almost like a man who was ready to be serviced. I hadn’t seen him much in city hall, but when I had, he was always an enigma and a domineering presence in the room, like a god walking into a group of humans. He had men and women scurrying around trying to please him, and I would happily get on my knees right now and please him too.
He checked the silver watch on his right wrist, which barely peeked out from under his charcoal coat, and sighed. Standing, he towered over my five-foot-nine, which had to make him much taller than six feet, and he had a body that needed to be worshiped. Even under his suit and white dress shirt it wasn’t hard to tell he had a hard stomach, although probably from years of gym time.
“I need to go back to work. I’ll see you around, Mr. Bell.” His mouth twisted in a half smirk as he strode past me. All I could do was turn and watch him go. There was something behind his eyes, a secret that told me this was the start of something new, and I was excited. If anyone could shoot me up the career ladder, it was Vane Elwood, Deputy Mayor.
I watched him go. It was a shame I couldn’t see his ass under that coat. Shaking my head, I walked toward Subway, no doubt where Elsie was waiting on an update.
Half an hourlater I was back at city hall. As soon as I walked in, I was bombarded by Kalinski and his over-styled hair and uptight attitude.
“You’re five minutes late, Bell,” he growled, his deep brown eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. He was one of those guys who was so skinny he teetered between looking like a model in a bad perfume commercial for teen girls and being gawky. Anyone would think he was my boss with the way he acted, but Max Kalinski was another intern, like me, but who’d managed to get the job because his daddy was rich with his hand in all the fun cookie jars. People like Kalinski were the reason I had to sleep my way to the top. Getting further in your career wasn’t about what grades you earned or how well you did a job, but rather how much money you had, and who you knew.
“Am I? Imagine that!” I rolled my eyes and stalked past him. His shiny shoes squeaked on the tiles, telling me that he’d turned and was probably walking right behind me, his nose up in the air and the stick firmly in his ass. Kalinski was good-looking, if you liked the kind of guys who looked like chihuahuas ready to bite—short and cute, but with a sneer permanently on his face.
“I should tell the internship coordinator,” Kalinski snarled, running to jump in my way again. I stopped and sighed, massaging my fingers into my forehead.
“You do that, Max. See where that gets you. Until then, I have to go up to Mr. Rubinson’s floor. He has a meeting, and I was told to get their coffee orders and organize lunch for them after I got back from my break.”
His pale cheeks reddened and he glared harder, tapping his foot. “This isn’t a free ride, Bell. You have to work to be here.”
“I know I do, but you don’t, Kalinski. Your mommy paid for you to be here.” I forced myself to smile and tapped him on the nose. “So how about you get out of my way before I make you. I have a job to do.”
His skin turned pale, and if he was a cartoon character, I might have seen him breathing fire, but he listened to me and shifted out of my way. I didn’t bother thanking him as I strode past and headed toward the elevators that would take me to Mr. Rubinson’s floor. I made it to the politician’s office before his secretary stopped me with a palm up from where she sat at her neatly tidied desk near the door.
“Are you the intern?”
“I am.” I pasted on my most charming smile. “Jaxson Bell.”
She made a noise and nodded. “Mr. Bell, please go downstairs and send another intern up. Our deputy mayor, Mr. Elwood, has asked to see you.”
I froze in surprise and frowned at her. “Mr. Elwood?”
She grabbed the arm of her violet wayfarer glasses between her fingers and dragged them down her nose, staring at me over the top of them. She couldn’t have been much older than me, maybe thirty, but acted as though I was a naughty child she was about to lecture. Her curly ginger hair fluttered around her face as she stood and walked around the desk to stop in front of me.
“Did I stutter, Mr. Bell? He specifically asked for you. He’s on the fifth floor, the big office across from the elevators. There are signs with directions. Impossible to miss.” She waved her long purple nails at me. “Off you go.”
I shrugged, not really sure what else to do, but as she directed, I made my way back to the first floor and met up with Kalinski again, telling him to go to Mr. Rubinson’s office to take coffee orders.
“What are you doing?” he asked, crossing his arms yet again, which seemed to be an ordinary stance for him.
“I’ve been called to Mr. Elwood’s office,” I said as I turned, making my way back to the elevators. Kalinski was right behind me, nearly tripping over the heels of my feet he was that close. When I stepped into the elevator, he was at my side, jamming the second and fifth floor buttons as though I couldn’t do it for myself.
“Why? I’ve been trying to talk to Mr. Elwood for weeks. I’m a fan of the policies he’s made with the mayor.” He stared at me with big brown eyes full of irritation, and I shrugged.
“Kalinski, I follow orders, like you.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened, and I waved out to the second floor. “That’s your stop.”
He narrowed his eyes, grunted, and strode out the doors just as they closed. I didn’t miss the look he gave me before he disappeared, though. Chuckling to myself, I glanced at the floor numbers as five lit up and the doors opened again.
Stepping out, I straightened my suit. Maybe my talk with Mr. Elwood at lunchtime had worked, or maybe I was about to be lectured. I didn’t know which one it would be, but I’d always been daring at the best of times. If I saw a hint of interest in his eyes, I’d pursue it, and the stare he’d given me in the plaza told me he was definitely intrigued.
