The Heiress's Secret Romance

by Martha Kennerson

  “And to show how good of a sport I am you can pick the restaurant. As long as there’s meat.”

  Kathleen covered her mouth and laughed. “You’re a carnivore. Why am I not surprised?”

  Morgan smirked.

  Chapter 8

  Morgan sat back and watched as his team tried to complete the task in less than two minutes. Most were successful and for the few exceptions who struggled, Kathleen walked them through the process in such a way they got it on their second try. He was impressed with her approach and her extensive knowledge of not only the equipment but the proper order and manner in which it should be used. He was rethinking his position on her interactive approach, at least for this portion of their safety training.

  He struggled to stay focused because no matter how hard Kathleen tried to downplay it, her gorgeousness was a distraction, to him anyway. Wearing little to no makeup only enhanced her natural beauty, and now he knew how soft her skin was too. The simple outfit she wore showed off how physically fit she was, and Morgan found himself wondering what she wore underneath it. Morgan had been with many women, but none of them affected him in such a way, especially at work. He knew he had to keep things professional while at the plant but staying away from Kathleen was no longer an option.

  “Great job, everyone,” Kathleen announced. “It’s nearly lunchtime, so let’s stop here. Thank you for the terrific work this morning. For those of you coming back this afternoon, I’ll see you at one thirty sharp. Those who aren’t—” her eyes jumped to Morgan “—thanks for your participation.”

  Morgan watched as his team filed out of the room one by one. “Wonderful job.”

  “Thank you.” Kathleen packed up her things.

  “Let me help with that.” Morgan reached for the box on the floor at the same time as Kathleen, and his hand covered hers.

  Kathleen released an audible gasp. Morgan dropped the box, took Kathleen’s hand and pulled her into him. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “I doubt that, but thank you,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Morgan ran his right hand slowly down the side of her face and stared into her eyes. “To me, beauty goes beyond how a person looks. It was a thing of beauty how you handled my team, especially the ones having difficulty meeting the task. It’s beautiful to see how much you know and understand, not to mention how passionate you are about our business. Yes, I understand that as a trainer, it’s your job, but your level of understanding comes from somewhere else, and I can’t wait to find out where. Your physical beauty is gravy to the meat and potatoes of who you are.”

  Kathleen lowered her eyes. “That’s very kind of you to say, considering...” She freed her hand, picked up the box and continued packing up her supplies.

  “Considering the hard time I gave you when you first arrived.”

  “Yes. Not to mention the distance you kept.”

  * * *

  Morgan helped her pack. “I had my reasons.”

  “Care to share?” The question was out of Kathleen’s mouth before she could do anything about it.

  Morgan’s phone rang. He pulled it out, read the name and sent the caller to voice mail. “Not really but I will say this. I’m done avoiding you.” He placed his hands in his pockets.

  “So it wasn’t my imagination?”

  “No.” Morgan’s phone rang again.

  Kathleen saw it was a woman’s name that appeared. “Care to take that?” Kathleen had never been the jealous or possessive type, and Morgan didn’t belong to her, so she didn’t understand why all of a sudden she felt like taking his phone and throwing it against the wall.

  “It can wait.”

  “You mean she can wait,” she replied, giving him the side-eye as she placed the last of her supplies in the box. “Look, if you’re seeing someone—”

  “If I was seeing someone, I wouldn’t have asked you out. I most certainly wouldn’t be standing here, forcing myself to keep my hands in my pockets, so I won’t keep touching you.”

  Thank goodness, and the feeling is mutual. But I have to know.

  Kathleen turned and faced Morgan, placing her right hand on her hip. “We both know you have a bit of a reputation when it comes to women.”

  “We do?”

  “Are you denying that you’re a serial dater?” Kathleen asked, using her sister’s words.

  “A serial dater. That’s an interesting analogy.”

  “Yes, but is it an accurate one?”

  Morgan removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms at his chest. He leaned against the table. “If your definition of ‘serial dater’ is a single person who dates a number of women over a certain period of time, then I guess that would be accurate. But I only date one woman at a time.”

  “I appreciate your honesty.”

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “What about me?” She scrunched up her face.

  “Are you a serial dater too?”

  Kathleen shook her head. “Hardly. Serial usually implies three or more. My two relationships wouldn’t make the cut.”

  “I find that hard to believe. So you’re more the relationship type,” Morgan worked out.

  “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

  “Not at all. I watched my brothers’ lives change for the better, thanks to their wives.”

  “But that’s not something you want for yourself.”

  “I just haven’t been so lucky when it comes to relationships,” he said, his face expressionless.

  “I’m sure there’s a story behind your lack of luck.”

  “What about your two relationships? Were they serious?”

  Kathleen’s phone rang. “One second.”

  “Saved by the bell.”

  Kathleen laughed as she moved over to the desk and picked up her cell phone. She saw that it was her father calling. “Excuse me for one moment.”

  “I’ll step out,” Morgan offered.

  “No!” Their eyes collided, and Kathleen only hoped she didn’t look as desperate as she sounded. “I mean, you don’t have to leave.”

  Morgan stood, poker-faced, and nodded.

  Kathleen turned her back to Morgan and answered the call in French. “Hello, Dad, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, can’t a father just call and check on his children?”

  “Of course you can, but I’m working, and you know that, so if everything’s okay, you must have a reason for calling me in the middle of the afternoon.”

  “Well, I was hoping you’d come home for the weekend. I’ll send your plane for you. It’s just sitting in the hangar.”

  Kathleen would have loved to spend the weekend in New Orleans but she had a date with Morgan, and she wanted that just a little more. “I’d love to, Dad, but I have plans in Houston this weekend. I’ll come home soon—I promise.” Kathleen ended the call and turned to face Morgan. She was expecting to get hit with some questions regarding her bilingual status, only to her surprise he smiled and said, “So where’s home?”

  Kathleen blinked. “You speak French?”

  “Only a few words here and there. I understand it more.”

  “Did you take a class in high school or college?” she questioned, smiling.

  “Not exactly,” he replied, offering her a knowing look and scratching his chin with his right thumb.

  “Oh, an old girlfriend taught you.”

  “Something like that,” he admitted, clenching his jaw.

  Kathleen shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I sense there’s a story there.”

  “One for another time. So where’s home? I gathered your dad wants to see you,” he asked.

  “New Orleans.”

  “So—”

  The door opened. “Oh, sorry if I�
��m interrupting,” Adrian announced as he entered the room.

  Kathleen checked her watch. “Oh goodness, I lost track of time. You’re not... I mean—”

  “I’ll get out of your way,” Morgan said.

  “No, I can come back?” Adrian offered.

  “It’s cool,” he replied before turning his attention back to Kathleen. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”

  “I look forward to it.” As Kathleen stood and watched Morgan walk out the door, for some reason she felt like all the air left the room with him.

  “Are you all right?” Adrian asked with a concerned look on his face. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

  Kathleen walked over to her desk, picked up an unopened bottle of water and cracked the seal. She took several unladylike gulps, trying to extinguish the thirst brought on by Morgan’s mere presence.

  “I’m fine. Let’s get started. What did you need help with again?” Kathleen was embarrassed about her lack of professionalism. She’d forgotten about her meeting with Adrian, and now she didn’t recall why he was there.

  “You wanted to see me, remember?” He frowned, looking at her like he was about ready to call for help. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Kathleen’s mind had been filled with thoughts of Morgan, and she completely forgot her plan: she’d decided she needed to find out once and for all if her initial instincts about Morgan and the Kingsleys were wrong, or had her judgment been clouded by desire? What better way than to try to gain additional insight about the family than from someone who knew them well? Someone who might feel comfortable enough to tell her the truth, no matter what that truth might be, since he’d come to see her as just another fellow employee.

  “Yes, of course. Forgive me, my mind was elsewhere. Please have a seat.” Kathleen directed Adrian to a chair in front of her desk.

  “What’s up?”

  “You’ve worked for the Kingsleys for a while now, correct?” Kathleen sat in the chair next to him.

  “That’s right.”

  “From what I’ve heard and seen, this seems to be a pretty great place to work.”

  “It is,” he said and offered a laid-back smile.

  “I was just wondering why, after all the bad publicity and bogus charges brought against them were dropped, they would make such major management changes now?”

  Adrian shrugged. “I guess Ms. Victoria decided the time had come to step aside and let Alexander take over. She’d been training him for the role for years.”

  “Morgan’s cousin...what’s her name?”

  “Kristen Kingsley.”

  “Yes, she stepped into Alexander’s former role. I know she was VP of Operations but we’re talking about a high profile COO position. No offense but she’s a bit of a party girl according to social media. I would have thought others with less of a media presence would be more qualified for the role although Morgan would have been the next and best logical choice in my opinion.” Kathleen only hoped Adrian thought she was advocating for Morgan versus investigating the choice.

  The lazy smile he gifted her with told Kathleen he was going down the path she led him to. “You don’t need to worry about Morgan. He loves the role he plays. As for Kristen, yeah, she likes to party, but she too was trained for her role. Like her aunt Victoria, Kristen is smart and tough as nails. That’s one bad bitch. Excuse my French. I mean that in a good way.”

  I hate that saying. That’s not French. “It’s fine.”

  “One thing about the Kingsleys—birthright only gets you the option of being first. You have to earn roles just like everyone else.”

  “Really? Most wealthy families with businesses expect their kids to be part of said business.” Mine most certainly did and Dad and my siblings remind me of that fact all the time.

  “True, and the Kingsleys are no different. However no one’s forced to join the company and Victoria would never let nepotism ruin her bottom line,” he said, laughing.

  “I believe that.” Kathleen was coming to realize she’d been wrong about the Kingsleys.

  “Are you thinking about trying to come to work here full-time? I know we could use a smart trainer like you on staff. I can put in a good word for you with Morgan, if you like,” he offered, seeming excited by the idea.

  “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.”

  Adrian rose from his chair. “I’d better get back to work, unless you need something else.”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks for the information.”

  “Anytime. You really should think about my offer,” Adrian reminded before walking out the door.

  Kathleen touched her cheek where Morgan had caressed her skin. “I’m thinking about a lot of things.”

  Chapter 9

  The next few days came and went with little interaction between Morgan and Kathleen. While Morgan was no longer avoiding her, he’d make sure when they did spend time together others were around. Morgan had never wanted a woman the way he found himself wanting Kathleen. Not even the woman he’d once planned to marry. There was just something about Kathleen that both enticed him and scared the hell out of him too.

  It was Friday, and Morgan found himself watching the clock. He was excited about the fact that he’d soon have Kathleen alone and all to himself. The hours seemed to be moving slower than normal. Morgan was sitting at a table in the back of the cafeteria, watching his team members interact with each other when Kathleen approached him holding a tray with one of Ms. Monica’s famous chef’s salads and a bottle of water on it.

  “May I join you?” Kathleen asked, smiling down at him.

  Morgan stood, and his heart sped up. “Please.”

  Kathleen took a seat. “Thank you. You’re not eating?”

  Morgan sat down. “I had something earlier. How’s your day going?” His cell phone rang and he sent the caller to his voice mail.

  “Good. In fact, I’m done with my last class, so I thought I’d cut out early, if that’s okay with you. My older sister has a few things she needs my help with this weekend.”

  Morgan puckered his brow. “Sure... No problem.” There goes our date. They hadn’t talked about it since Monday, so Morgan assumed Kathleen had either forgotten about it or changed her mind. Either way, he felt like a fool and had a sense of disappointment unlike anything he’d ever known.

  Suddenly, he was drowning in it and had to get away from Kathleen before he said or did something that would embarrass them both. Morgan picked up his ringing phone. “Excuse me. I should take this. Have a good weekend, Kathleen.” Morgan stood and made his way to the nearest exit. He had to use every bit of pride he had not to turn around and demand an explanation and try to change Kathleen’s mind.

  * * *

  Kathleen watched Morgan disappear through the door before she could find out what the hell had just happened. She thought they’d reached a turning point. He was no longer avoiding her, and he’d sat in on several of her classes. He told her he was just auditing her work, but she knew there was more to it than that, and she loved it. She even caught him staring at her from across the room a few times. Now this... He just blew off their date. Kathleen was no longer hungry, but before she could dispose of her tray, she saw Ms. Monica and her assistant heading right for her table. They’d never officially met, but she certainly knew who she was.

  “How’s the salad, baby girl?” Ms. Monica asked.

  “It’s great,” Kathleen replied, forcing a smile.

  “Really? How would you know since you haven’t touched it?”

  “I mean, I’m sure it’s great. It’s just my stomach is a little upset all of a sudden,” Kathleen explained, hoping it would appease the woman. It didn’t.

  “Roughage is what you need, then. It’ll get things moving. Excuse my manners. I’m Monica, and this is my sous chef, Lori.”

 
“Pleased to meet you,” Lori replied, offering her hand, which Kathleen shook.

  “I’ve been cutting onions so I won’t shake your hand, but I will bump your elbow,” said Monica. “You can call us Ms. Monica and Ms. Lori. Yes, I went to culinary school, but I never liked being called chef.”

  “Me either,” Lori agreed.

  “The titles go along with these fancy new uniforms.” Ms. Monica looked down at the black pants and double-breasted black coat and pointed out the personalized embroidery. “They even got our names and titles on them. Rich people, I swear.”

  Lori laughed. “You should try putting something in your stomach. It might make you feel better.”

  Kathleen appreciated the concern and suggestion but she knew only one thing could make her feel better and he’d just left. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”

  Ms. Monica placed her right hand on her hip. “A little stomachache isn’t all that’s wrong with you.”

  Kathleen could feel her emotions rising. Soon her face would flush, and she’d be fighting back tears. She had to bring herself back under control, and she needed a distraction. She picked up her fork and took several bites of her food. “This is good,” she complimented through bites.

  “I’m glad you like it, but I know something’s up.” Ms. Monica and Lori took seats across from Kathleen. “Care to talk about it?”

  At times like these, even after seven years, she missed her mother very much. Irene Winston had been very easy to talk to, and Kathleen knew she’d know just how to make her feel better. Although Irene would never tell her what to do, she always informed Kathleen and her siblings that people were the sum of their decisions and while others might offer advice, ultimately, it was up to the individual to make the right choices for himself or herself.

  “I’m fine... Really.”

  “Mm-hmm. Lori, you believe this child?”

  Lori folded her arms across her ample breast. “Not at all.”

  “I bet Morgan said something he shouldn’t have,” Ms. Monica guessed.

  Kathleen could feel her expression close up. “Not at all. Everything’s—”