1

"FAITH. Over here." Trinity Green waved frantically from the other side of the ballroom, her voice falling into a sudden hush as the dance number ended.

Faith cringed as she suddenly felt every eye on her, the partygoers around her stepping back slightly so that she was in a little circle all her own. The indisputable center of attention.

Trinity would never understand why any woman in her right mind wouldn't want to be the center of attention.

Faith, obviously not in her right mind, loathed it. Her friend was now skirting the dance floor, a dark-haired man in tow. Faith smiled. Men loved being towed by Trinity. In addition to her blond hair, Aphrodite looks, and flawless body, she was quite a lovable person.

They'd been best friends since the seventh grade when Trinity had rescued Faith from a spiteful group of girls. Middle school girls could be terrors on anyone different. Though their fathers had known each other for years up to that point, Trinity hadn't seemed to notice Faith existed. Yet Trinity stood by her that day, and Faith would forever love her for it.

"Sweetie, there's someone I'm dying for you to meet." Trinity grabbed Faith's hand, then seized her companion's, and forced their handshake. "This is my best friend in all the world, Faith Castle. And Faith, this is Connor Kingston. He's working with Lance at Daddy's company." Lance was Trinity's brother and heir to the Green company throne.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Castle."

Out of force of habit due to her short stature, Faith tended to look at hands instead of faces during introductions. But something in Connor Kingston's voice, the husky quality of it, like a rhythm guitar strumming a deep chord, made her look up. And up. She was five foot four in the heels she wore tonight, five foot two without them. Connor was over six.

He had the blackest hair she'd ever seen, so black the chandelier lighting gleamed off it. Charcoal eyes gazed down at her—though charcoal seemed such a boring color. His were the shade of a moonlit midnight.

He and Trinity made a perfect couple.

"And it's nice to meet you, Mr. Kingston."

Trinity snorted. "Give me a break. It's Faith and Connor, okay? No more of that Mr. Kingston and Miss Castle stuff."

Faith almost laughed hearing the names said so closely together. His king to her castle. Like a chess move. Or a statement on male to female relations.

Introductions done, Trinity stroked his black tuxedo-clad arm. "Connor, would you get us some champagne? I'm parched." Not that Trinity would drink the whole glass. Too many calories.

Connor smiled. A wolf, tamed for the moment, grinning at a cute little bunny. "Of course." He turned the smile on Faith, something flickered in his eyes, then his mouth crooked a little higher on one side.

If she didn't know better, she'd have thought she'd made the wolf comment aloud.

"Isn't he divine?" Trinity whispered as they watched him until he was swallowed up by the crowd at the bar.

"Absolutely."

Then Trinity sighed. "It's too bad he doesn't have a cent to his name other than what Daddy's paying him."

"At least he has a job."

Copyright © 2007 by Jennifer Skullestad.