Chapter 7

Cassandra let her gorgeous legs climb the stairs slowly, taking her time as she went up the elegant stairway.

She could feel the hot gaze of the men around her and she smiled.

These men were worth very little in terms of power or wealth. Cassandra was after someone bigger and better.

The opportunity that had come her way was once-in-a-lifetime and she was not going to let it slip away. Tim's hand held her left as he helped her up the stairs, his eyes lingering on her body as they usually did.

Cassandra looked up and let herself ger caught off guard.

Standing at the very top was Bruce Slader.

Her initial plan had been to seduce him.

He was the organization's top executive and the boss' right-hand man.

Tall, handsome and hard-working, he was scary to be around and when his weekly inspections came around, people scrambled to make sure their jobs would still be secure when he was done with them.

He was meticulous with checking things and had a very sharp memory. His tongue was not mellow and dealt out harsh words wherever it saw fit.

Cassandra herself had gotten a full lashing many days and all her attempts at catching his attention had failed.

A frown made it's way on her face.

She had set her sights too low, she convinced herself.

She was not going to try to win the cat's attention when a full tiger lay beyond it.

She went up two more stairs, desperately playing the words over and over in her head.

Cassandra would win the Head Kane's affection in the space of a month and lure him into her bedroom. 

After that, her life would be set and she wouldn't pay the tiny men below her a moment's mind.

She glanced up again at the many stairs ahead and sighed.

Why was the balcony so high up and the stairs so smooth?

She didn't want to break a sweat by the time she got up there.

Bruce wasn't watching them. She frowned.

What held his attention? The man was rarely caught in one place.

She turned her head to gaze at what had his focus.

It was one of the tables down below where the wealthy guests ate.

Cassandra found the table. Three young people sat there.

An attractive male with dark green hair, an unusual colour, a pretty brunette to his right and the girl beside the two of them caught Cassandra's attention. The women locked eyes and Cassandra gaped.

The woman was dressed in Tim's favourite blue and her silky blond hair fell in pretty curls over her shoulder.

The look on her face though, aghast, and absolutely heart-broken, was Cassandra's preferred look on any woman's face.

--

Bruce frowned.

Something was wrong with him.

His attention was difficult to keep in control and he wondered why.

The woman he had just met in the baby pink dress kept interrupting his thoughts.

Bruce's thoughts were rarely interrupted. He had everything under control. He was never caught off-guard. Everything in his life had been changed by him into a well-oiled machine. He checked it regularly and made adequate changes. It never caused him trouble.

Whichever new bomb Mr. Kane or his young sister threw at him, he was generally ready or had things prepared for. Spontaneous sudden ideas and thoughts annoyed him since he set a standard for himself and always ensured he achieved it.

There was no need for new ideas and notions to change what he already had in place and running.

The woman he had just met had interrupted what he said and challenged his direction.

He was annoyed, he concluded.

He had taken a glance at her as he left the table, looked over at her again when he started ascending the stair and now stood at the very top, only a few feet away from the grand table where his employer's hosted dinner, staring at the beautiful girl because he was annoyed with her.

He nodded to himself.

That made perfect sense.

Just because she was someone a man wouldn't have problems looking at for a long period of time, did not mean she could be so rude and object to his authority.

He nodded again.

That was also right.

Her eyes twinkled, he realized.

They lit up her whole face in a minute or her entire face darkened in just two more seconds.

He frowned.

How was she doing that? Was she one of those people who never fully grew up.

She was staring into a menu with the green-haired confident man. 

Was her mouth really talking? She looked like she was on fast-forward with how quickly her lips were throwing out words.

There was that smile again, in the end.

Bruce stopped the smile on his face from appearing.

He was clearly in need of a drink.

Thinking of the next month was tiring for him.

He nodded again.

He would have to add inspecting the new Event Managers to his list of never ending work and risk another dent in his sleep schedule.

They were due to meet with Ms. Clara Kane the next morning.

He would accompany her and join the discussion to ensure they were up to the task of starting such a heavy project.

He glanced at the pretty girl again who was laughing at something the green-haired male had said.

She would be there too, he guessed.

Bruce straightened his impossibly straight tie again, he did not know why.

He would have to check the time again and ensure that everything went smoothly the next day. Would they want snacks or a drink? Would they start work right away? How many Employees did her see on their intel sheet?

Did they contract anyone?

He began to step away to join the main table.

The three agents Mr. Kane had requested to act as the main security for the momth leading upto Clara's party were due to arrive and meet the boss personally.

He sent a fleeting glance to the table below before he was set to join his own when he stopped.

There was a tension in the table now.

He knew it.

The male had his arm around the blond's shoulder and she looked agitated.

Bruce frowned as he turned back and let his hand rest on the ornate railing.

The pretty woman in pretty pink looked unhappy. His eyes focused on her and he realized his heart began to pick it's pace up.

She wasn't just unhappy.

She was absolutely livid.

Her shoulders had hunched up, her lips were drawn into a very thin line and the look in her eyes could kill a man.