He walked over to the window and leaned against the wall, staring out into the bright afternoon. For several minutes he watched the playground across the street as the elementary school children had their morning recess. It was one of his favorite times of the day. It always made him feel better to watch them. Their carefree smiling faces always did that for him, but not today. He looked over his shoulder to see Marty working at her computer.
This wasn’t going to work. He could not work with her in the same station for the rest of his life. Even knowing they’d only be sharing an office for a few weeks was killing him. Years ago he’d accepted the fact that she’d move on and marry someone else one day, but did he really want to be around to see it? No. He didn’t want to see her with another man, didn’t want to see her stomach round with another man’s child. It would be too much even for a cold bastard like him to handle.
He cleared his throat. “I think maybe we should find you a desk in the pit,” he said, knowing even that wouldn’t be enough to make him stay. It might be enough to keep him sane until he got a transfer and was able to sell his house.
She didn’t even look up when she answered. “No.”
“What do you mean by ‘no’?”
She shook her head slightly, never taking her eyes away from the computer screen. “This is my office.”
“No, this is my office.”
At that she finally looked up. “No, this is our office. It will remain our office even after I officially start my new job.”
“Says who?” Tristan asked, feeling his temper flaring. This could not be happening.
“My father. Half of this office was meant for my position. I thought you knew that,” she said, looking back at her screen.
For a moment he couldn’t talk, couldn’t move. Then finally after what seemed like an eternity he was able to manage a coherent sentence, “Oh, f**k no.”
*-*-*-*
“Well, this is fun,” Shayne said wryly from his position on the couch. He laid his head back, sighing and then looked back up again to glance at Marty and Tristan, who were still glaring at each other over their desks.
“Ye’d think after two weeks that this would get old,” he shook his head, “but it hasn’t.” Tristan ignored him as he usually did during their daily standoffs.
After another scowl in his direction, Marty returned her attention back to her work. He took advantage of the moment by looking her over. His lips twitched into an appreciative grin as he took in her conservative, but sexy black blouse that showed a hint of cle**age and hugged her br**sts the way that his hands itched to. He groaned inwardly when he thought about the short black skirt and heels that she wore today. Was she trying to kill him?
“Tell me something,” he said, clearing his throat, “how exactly are you supposed to catch me today if you’re wearing heels?”
Her glare shot right back at him as she opened her bottom desk drawer and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes. Tristan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Do you really think that you’ll be able to change your shoes fast enough to catch me today?”
For the past two weeks he’d greatly enjoyed messing with her. It was so much fun to watch her get pissed. Her cute eyebrows would draw up together, her eyes would narrow on him while her lips pursed up and she made a little sound of frustration. It might be sick to purposely piss her off for his own enjoyment but….what the hell.
He really couldn’t remember having more fun at work. There was last year when he ran off the previous occupant of that desk, but that was completely different. He hadn’t enjoyed f**king with him, well, yeah he had, but his reasons had been simple then. He’d just wanted the little whiner out of his office. With Marty though, he was really enjoying the challenge.
“Are you going to send me to a strip club to pick up your lunch again?” she bit back.
He chuckled deeply at the memory. Since she was supposed to be his assistant, thanks to Hank, Tristan decided to see how far he could push her. He heard the Fluffy Bunny had good ribs, not that he’d ever go to one of those places much to Shayne’s dismay, but he thought it would be funny to send Marty there to pick up his lunch.
She came back an hour later glaring at him through slits. Without a word, she dropped a huge paper bag in front of him and stormed off. The ribs were dry as hell and tasted like leather, but he’d sat there smiling while he ate them.
“Or are you going to trick me into getting out of the car again and then ditch me on the side of the road, leaving me to hike back to the office?”
“I came back for you!” he said, laughing harder.
*-*-*-*
Marty watched him laugh, forcing herself not to smile. She really loved it when he smiled or laughed. It reminded her of the time they used to spend together when they were closer than any two people could be without having sex. If his little pranks made him happy, then she’d let him have them. They really didn’t bother her that much since it made him smile and of course she always got back at him.
Like with the ribs.
The girls in the kitchen did her a favor by giving her three-day-old ribs and fries that she may have poured salt on, and soured coleslaw, but he ate it all up just to rub it in her face. He paid for it later, she mused with an inner smile, remembering the two bottles of antacid that he’d drank.
“You snuck through the woods and scared the hell out of me! I thought you were a bear, you jerk!” She still couldn’t believe that he’d been able to sneak up on her like that. He had his arms around her waist and growled in her ear before she knew what was happening. She may have screamed…a little.
*-*-*-*
“Ah, good times,” he mused with a chuckle. He really loved working with her, which he really shouldn’t. She couldn’t stay, but until she left he didn’t see why he couldn’t have a little fun. There was no harm in that.
Someone knocked at the door, making Tristan sigh. It was time to get back to work. Of course that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t consider the next trick he’d play on her. There was always the interrogation room. He chuckled at the memory of her pacing the room while glaring daggers at the one-way mirror where she knew that he was watching her.
Granted, she hadn’t known that he had half the force in there with him drinking soda, eating chips and pizza while they watched her rant and rave about what an ass**le he was and what she was going to do to him when she got out. It really was better than watching a game, the guys agreed. Hell, even Hank pulled up a seat and a slice as he watched the show.