Free Annihilate Me (Vol. 1) (The Annihilate Me Series) by Christina Ross Page B

her
friendship with Bernie, who was a genius as well as an artist.
    But
I was nervous.
    After
pressing the button for the forty-seventh floor, I felt the car sink right
along with my gut.   What would he
think?   Would he be pleased with
what he saw?   Would I pass
inspection?   I couldn’t afford to
lose this job— especially this job.   Even if I only lasted a week with him,
that one paycheck would hold me over for a month.   And then there were the jewels.
    I’m an object , I said to myself.   That’s all I am.   But I’m still charming.   Still sweet.   Still Jennifer.   To the public, we were made for each
other, even if that isn’t the case.   That’s what I need to sell.
    And
that’s what I intended to sell.
    When
the elevator slowed and the doors started to part, my heart thrummed in my
ears.   Alex was standing just beyond
the elevator when the doors slid open.   As promised, he was in black tie.   He had a grin on his face, and his hands were in his pockets.   He looked dashing, and I felt my heart
skip a beat.
    “Jennifer?”
he asked.
    “One
order to go.”
    “Very
funny.   You look beautiful.   Step out for a moment.   Let me see.”
    I
moved out of the elevator and because I was damned if I wasn’t going to be
myself, I twirled in front of him.   “This is like an out-of-body experience for me,” I said.   “I never look like this.”
    “To
me, it looks like an in-body experience.   This is all you.   I don’t
know what to say.   I knew you’d
be—”   He stopped himself
short.   “I mean, there was no
question....”   He shook his
head.   “Never mind.   Thank you for going to such
trouble.   I couldn’t have asked for
more.   I’m going to have the
prettiest woman on my arm this evening.   I can’t tell you what that means to me.”
    “You’ll
be able to get business done,” I said.
    He
paused for a moment, and then nodded.   “Right.”
    “That’s
what this is all about.   We’ll keep
the wolves at bay.   Do you like the
dress?”
    I
watched his eyes soak me in.   I
don’t think he was aware of it, but when he spoke, it came out as a low
growl.   It sounded like, “Very much,”
though I couldn’t be sure.
    “Ms.
Blackwell and a clerk chose it for me.”
    “They
may have chosen it, but you’re the one wearing it.”
    “Ms.
Blackwell insisted that I wear my hair up.   Do you like it this way?”
    “I
actually like it when you wear it down, but Blackwell is right.   At this sort of event, you’d wear it
up.   The better to see your graceful
neck, not to mention the necklace.   Maybe later, when I bring you home, you can take it down.”
    It
was an odd request from a man who only saw me as an object, but maybe that
object also served as a fantasy figure for him.   Not that he needed it.   For whatever reason, Alex said he wasn’t
looking for a relationship, but there still was a raw air of sexuality about
him, and he had the look of a man who was enjoying his share of women on the
side.   Right then, looking him in
the eye, there was something almost predatory about him.   I wondered what his type was.   I wondered how many women he slept with
during a given week.   No man who
looked like him and who had his kind of money wasn’t getting his share of it
when he wanted it.   I was certain of
that.
    This would be so much easier if I
wasn’t attracted to him.
    “Should
we go?” I asked.
    “First,
tell me how we met.”
    “Oh,
that was two weeks ago.   We met at
MoMA.   Both of us were admiring our
favorites—the Impressionists.   We struck up a conversation.   You suggested lunch.   Lunch
turned into dinner.   We’ve been
inseparable since.”
    “Sounds
romantic,” he said.
    “It
does.”
    “But
I like our story better.   You
looking back at me when you left the building.   Me standing at the door looking at
you.   The connection we made, and
then your collision with the fat man.”
    Why is he talking