Anne Catherine Kleinklaus Novels & Stories

11 ADRIAN My stomach lurched as I watched Anne sidle up to Annalisa, a sly smile playing on her lips. Annalisa, blissfully unaware, was engrossed in a conversation with Beatrice. A prickle of unease ran down my spine. There was something about Anne’s posture, the way she held the wine glass a little too close to her body, that set off my internal alarm bells.

She excitedly tells me, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing around her heart shaped face. Christine is really a lovely lady. She is short, probably barely five feet tall, and dainty. Her facial expressions are quite entertaining, her freckled nose crinkled up and it wouldn’t take an empath to tell that what she was thinking about was icky. Confused, I gawk at her. “Warrior?” I ask. “Yeah, Bobby Ray told me that Deputy Scott found your camera and there was a video of you kicking the shit out of those two guys.” She explains.

“Why are you out here alone out in this blazing heat?” I did a nervous laugh and said “I kind of forgot my keys, so I’m waiting for my parents to arrive.” “Aw hun, come and wait in our house.. God knows how long you have been waiting for them. I have a son your age maybe you guys can be great friends.. by the way I’m Kyla Andrew” “Summer..” I introduce myself, “It’s okay Mrs. Andrew I can stay here”, I can manage..” “No, I insist.”

We reached the gym area and instead of being amazed, I got annoyed at how the mysterious girl rolled her eyes at me. "Did you see that?" I asked Lilien and Claude. "See what?" Claude asked. "Yeah, I saw it. That woman with red hair just rolled her eyes at you, Kira." Lilien said. I crossed my arms around my chest. What the hell is her problem? "Do you know her?" I asked. "Yeah, she's Cleoanne Quinn, a real bitch from a pack on Finland." My brows crossed. She really looked like a real deal; a spoiled, rich kid, I supposed.

Biting my lip in concentration. "I think I'm done," I say, his face is outstanding better already. Patching itself together as though nothing happened. He doesn't move, "you're beautiful." I flush. Looking down and picking at my cracked nails. "Stop." Chris merely smiles, "You are Andrea. And I'm going to remind you every chance I get." I fumble to words, to any response. I've never considered myself beautiful. My almost platinum blonde hair was weirdly natural and my blue eyes where so light they sometimes seemed to reflect clouds. But beautiful? No.

“Inner peace? Adjust their approach? With our kids? He’ll be eaten alive.” Anne laughs. “By breakfast time.” The next candidate glides in, and she’s impossible to miss. Claudia is tall, curvy, with platinum blond hair. Her crimson dress hugs every inch of her body like it was painted on. Her stilettos click against the wooden floor, and her smile is almost as dazzling as her cleavage, both aimed squarely at me. “Mr. Brennan,” Claudia purrs, extending a perfectly manicured hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I just searched frozen. She stopped by the dresser and ran her fingers along its edge. “You’re actually beautiful. That’s going to piss off more people than you think. Trust me, there were many bidding on you looking ugly. Some even said that you look like a troll.” I finally found my voice. “And you are…? I'm sorry, but I didn't expect you to come inside my room to just tell me that I looked. Well…” “Madeline,” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Second daughter of Beta Reinhart. Technically ranked, practically ignored. I'm more of a subtle kind of woman. I choose to at least lighten the mood. I know that you might be having a hard time.”

I was going to be the one to do it one way or the other, I needed to play this game. The door opened without warning, and I quickly slipped back into character, fragile, sweet, grateful. I looked up with wide eyes as the woman I had come to destroy stepped into the room. Sienna De Luca. She didn’t speak right away. Her gaze swept over me, taking in the sight of me still in the robe the maids had given me. She looked too calm, too unreadable. I exposed my leg just enough for her to see it, to know that I was this exposed, this easily seen to him. But I knew that Damon would not be foolish. He would not tell her that he was here. I would have to be the one to do it.

And even without trying, she looked seductive to want to make her mine. “You are not useless,”I said with a straight face. She stared at me, warmth flickering in her eyes. Her fingers twitched as she pressed her lips together and blinked down on her feet. “Now go! Go change your clothes,” I cleared my throat, brushing past her as she looked down on the flour covering her apron. “I will,” she muttered. Breakfast came a little later than usual, but after I had taken breakfast, I left for work. My drive to my company was smooth. Soon, I got to my head quarters, Krull enterprises, it towered over the city skyline, almost hard to miss even if you weren't looking into details.

"What's so special about you that has everyone talking and putting such a high price on you?" "I thought I told you to mind your own business," a woman comes from behind him. My eyes are still fuzzy making it hard for me to see too far. Kane moves out of the way to reveal a lady in her late twenties. She has long mousy brown hair and is tall and thin.