Page 8 of As the World Falls

“Yes.”

“I thought you were told your brother isn’t here.”

“Yes, well, I thought if he had an office or if there was a waiting room or something, I could just wait for him to return.”

I scoff in annoyance. “This isn’t a doctor’s office. We don’t have waiting rooms.”

She scowled at my remarks, her gaze burning through me. “So, you’re saying I can’t wait for my brother? What kind of Fort Knox place is this?”

“It’s a place of work, not personal family affairs. I suggest you leave a message for your brother and be on your way.” She looked out of place here, and something told me she knew little about her brother's work life, especially if this was the first time I had ever heard about her or seen her here.

“Who are you? Head of security or something? Are you going to throw me out if I don’t leave?” She challenges.

I chuckle because I find her defiance slightly endearing, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s way in over her head, and I would do just as she says and throw her out on her ass. Hell, I’d make her stand in the cold rain and wait for her brother for all I cared.

“I’m not head of security, babe, but I will throw you out should you keep defying me,” I respond. I take pleasure in how she blinks for a moment, faltering at my bluntness, but she stands a little straighter again, that scowl fixing her mouth once more before one of my security guards finally speaks.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kingston. We’ll escort her from the building.”

Her eyes widen now, snapping from him to me. “You’re James Kingston?” she sputters. “You don’t look…you’re not what I expected.” She honestly looked displeased, and I couldn’t remember the last time a woman was displeased at the sight of me. The idea felt ridiculous to me only because it felt foreign. It made her more irritating.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, please leave the premises, or I’ll have you escorted out. This isn’t the place for your hysterics.”

She doesn’t move, and one of the guards grabs her forearm. She struggles against him but never takes her gaze off me. “Wait, so you’re the one that promoted my brother to be your chief of operations?”

Even more frustration bubbles inside me because I didn’t discuss private business matters so openly, especially in the lobby. “Leave us,” I snap to the guards, who promptly let go of her and both stalk away to their posts. I step towards her, looking down at her wild blue eyes that are peering straight back at me with so much defiance that I could actually admire it if I weren’t so annoyed. “I’m going to offer a bit of nicety, just this once, since your brother does happen to be a close confidant of mine. This is my place of business. You don’t walk in here with the manners of a bloody zoo animal and think you can call the shots. It gets you nowhere and, possibly, may even get you hurt. I don’t know who you are or what your brother has told you, but he does work for me, and that’s all you need to know on the matter. Now leave before I make you myself, and I’m not as gentle as my security.”

I don’t miss how her breaths are coming in faster now, but I can’t decipher if it’s out of fear or anger, and the puzzle she presents has me slightly intrigued.

“What do you mean I may even get hurt?” she asks, surprising me with her question and blatant disregard for everything I’ve said. “What exactly goes on here? I want to know what my brother does for you.”

I bite my lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to keep my annoyance, which was quickly turning to anger, in control. “What did you say your name was?” I ask her curiously.

“I didn’t,” she responds.

“Indulge me, babe.”

“Will you stop calling me that sickening term of endearment if I do?”

“Yes, although you’re mistaken if you think it’s a term of endearment.”

“Then what is it?”

I step closer, crowding her so she’s forced to stumble back towards the exit, where I wish she’d turn around and leave. “It’s my term for spoiled little girls that try and cross me. It’s an insult, babe. You’ll never find endearment from me.”

She swallows, and I hear that breathy noise quickly escaping her chest once more, and I finally get my answer to my earlier thought. It’s anger, not fear. For some reason, I’m happy that’s what it is.

“So, what is it?” I ask again.

“What?”

“Your name,” I remind her.

“Cecilia,” she says, unsure if she wanted to tell me.

Cecilia. I don’t think I’d ever met a woman by that name before, and I found that fact oddly nice.

I tilt my head, letting my gaze roam her face before locking onto hers again. “Leave, Cecilia.”

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