She gave me a quick hug and wrapped her arms around my neck.
I took it a step forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
She kissed me back then pulled away, giving me that look that said, “Why do you keep kissing me?”
It was hard not to. I’d already kissed her before she hired me, and since I knew how damn good that kiss was I wasn’t going to pass it up again. “Hey, baby. Hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“I never mind,” she said affectionately.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” I glanced at Joey then looked at her again.
“No, work never sleeps here,” she said with a sigh. “Joey and I were just going over shipments to Italy.”
“Sounds important,” I said.
“It’s pretty routine.”
“I guess that means you’re too busy for lunch?” I asked.
She looked at her watch. “You came all the way down here…I can spare a minute.”
“It’s really not a big deal,” I said quickly. Actually, I was deeply disappointed. I made the twenty minute drive to look at her beautiful face and spend time with her. If I was going to get her to open up, I had to give her a reason to.
“No, it’s fine,” she said immediately. “I just need to grab something for Joey. Take a seat and I’ll be right back.” She walked out of the office, her hips swaying in the tight skirt she wore. I glanced at her legs and imagined them tight around my waist. My thoughts turned dark and I shook them away.
I took a seat in the other leather chair and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. Joey stared straight ahead and out the window behind her desk. His notepad was untouched. Now that Katarina wasn’t around he wasn’t nearly as welcoming. “Amy seems nice,” I said to break the ice.
He didn’t turn my way. “Yeah, she’s a sweetheart.” His voice was cold.
I already had the impression Amy was just a component in his game, but now I was even more convinced of it. “Why are you trying to convince Katarina you’re over her? She doesn’t seem to care either way.” I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t know anything. It made my relationship with Katarina more believable anyway. Why wouldn’t she confide Joey’s attraction to her boyfriend?
That got his attention. He finally turned in my direction. “I’m not.”
Bullshit. “If you say so.”
His fingers still rested under his chin. “You know she’s only dating you so her family will stop pestering her, right?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care. She’s a beautiful woman and I get to have her.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. Like a shooting star, it passed quickly then disappeared. It happened so fast I wasn’t sure if I saw it at all. “You can’t give her what she needs. I can.”
“But you just said you weren’t trying to convince Katarina you were over her…” I caught him in his lie and I smirked without shame. “So Amy is just a ploy?”
He faced forward and didn’t say anything.
“I’ll keep your secret.” I examined Katarina’s wall and looked at her degrees.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” I didn’t rise to anything he said because it pissed him off more.
“I’m the only man who can put her back together,” he said. “You’re only encouraging her behavior and depression. And you’re okay with that?”
“She seems pretty happy with me.”
“She’s just using you and we both know it,” he said darkly.
“And you’re lying to Katarina and pretending you don’t love her anymore so she’ll marry you,” I said quietly. “Now look who’s the asshole.”
“She should marry me,” he said coldly. “It should have been me to begin with. How she doesn’t see that is beyond my understanding. Instead, she went for a cocky pretty boy and got her world ripped apart. She should have chosen me.”
That caught my attention. Joey probably knew the reason why Katarina was so closed off and emotionally unavailable. I was desperate to know her secret
I took it a step forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
She kissed me back then pulled away, giving me that look that said, “Why do you keep kissing me?”
It was hard not to. I’d already kissed her before she hired me, and since I knew how damn good that kiss was I wasn’t going to pass it up again. “Hey, baby. Hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“I never mind,” she said affectionately.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” I glanced at Joey then looked at her again.
“No, work never sleeps here,” she said with a sigh. “Joey and I were just going over shipments to Italy.”
“Sounds important,” I said.
“It’s pretty routine.”
“I guess that means you’re too busy for lunch?” I asked.
She looked at her watch. “You came all the way down here…I can spare a minute.”
“It’s really not a big deal,” I said quickly. Actually, I was deeply disappointed. I made the twenty minute drive to look at her beautiful face and spend time with her. If I was going to get her to open up, I had to give her a reason to.
“No, it’s fine,” she said immediately. “I just need to grab something for Joey. Take a seat and I’ll be right back.” She walked out of the office, her hips swaying in the tight skirt she wore. I glanced at her legs and imagined them tight around my waist. My thoughts turned dark and I shook them away.
I took a seat in the other leather chair and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. Joey stared straight ahead and out the window behind her desk. His notepad was untouched. Now that Katarina wasn’t around he wasn’t nearly as welcoming. “Amy seems nice,” I said to break the ice.
He didn’t turn my way. “Yeah, she’s a sweetheart.” His voice was cold.
I already had the impression Amy was just a component in his game, but now I was even more convinced of it. “Why are you trying to convince Katarina you’re over her? She doesn’t seem to care either way.” I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t know anything. It made my relationship with Katarina more believable anyway. Why wouldn’t she confide Joey’s attraction to her boyfriend?
That got his attention. He finally turned in my direction. “I’m not.”
Bullshit. “If you say so.”
His fingers still rested under his chin. “You know she’s only dating you so her family will stop pestering her, right?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care. She’s a beautiful woman and I get to have her.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. Like a shooting star, it passed quickly then disappeared. It happened so fast I wasn’t sure if I saw it at all. “You can’t give her what she needs. I can.”
“But you just said you weren’t trying to convince Katarina you were over her…” I caught him in his lie and I smirked without shame. “So Amy is just a ploy?”
He faced forward and didn’t say anything.
“I’ll keep your secret.” I examined Katarina’s wall and looked at her degrees.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” I didn’t rise to anything he said because it pissed him off more.
“I’m the only man who can put her back together,” he said. “You’re only encouraging her behavior and depression. And you’re okay with that?”
“She seems pretty happy with me.”
“She’s just using you and we both know it,” he said darkly.
“And you’re lying to Katarina and pretending you don’t love her anymore so she’ll marry you,” I said quietly. “Now look who’s the asshole.”
“She should marry me,” he said coldly. “It should have been me to begin with. How she doesn’t see that is beyond my understanding. Instead, she went for a cocky pretty boy and got her world ripped apart. She should have chosen me.”
That caught my attention. Joey probably knew the reason why Katarina was so closed off and emotionally unavailable. I was desperate to know her secret
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