“No. I prayed I would be able to get you into my bed,” I drawled.
“What if they don't fit?”
“If they don't fit, I’ve really lost my touch. I guess you’ll have to leave before breakfast to go home and get dressed. Do you like them?” I wanted to please her. I had to let her know I was not trying to buy her.
She was apprehensive, and I didn't blame her. If she accepted, this took us beyond a pity fuck and leaving it at the door. “No strings. I only wanted you to stay for breakfast.” Was she falling for the lost puppy look?
“I do love cashmere—and green.” She sighed. “No strings?”
“No strings.” I confirmed.
“I’ll shower. Go make breakfast. I’ll be out in ten.” She walked over and kissed me. “Don't make me regret this.” She was falling. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was falling. The soft pleading in her voice gave her away.
I returned her kiss. “I won't, I promise.” It was a promise I had every intention of keeping. I headed to the kitchen to start the coffee.
I whipped up a quick breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and Nova Scotia lox with fresh-squeezed orange juice.
She strolled into the kitchen and did a little twirl. I inspected her head to toe, pleased at how well she filled out the black knitted skirt and cashmere sweater. The color of emerald green. The color of her eyes.
“Wow, I’m glad to see I haven’t lost my touch. You look great.” She blushed at my compliment.
We sat and ate breakfast like any normal couple, talking about her upcoming busy day and how I was going to occupy my day with emails. I briefly talked about my own business and how I needed to keep in touch with my second-in-command.
The time flew by too fast. I wanted more of her, more of her time, more of her company.
“Good thing I leave my shoes at work. I won't have to stop home for them.” She kissed me goodbye at the door. I offered to walk her out, but she refused. “Aaron…” she said softly. “We agreed to leave it at the door.” She walked away and never looked back.
If she thought it was the last time we would be together, she was deluding herself, I thought. I would surprise her and bring her lunch. It was going to be a madhouse today, and I did not want her to skip lunch. She worried enough about her weight, but I loved every one of her curves and refused to see her starve herself.
After firing off a few emails to my second-in-command, I headed to a deli near The Boutique to pick up lunch for Katie.
I came in through The Upstairs entrance, bypassing The Boutique. She was wrapping up her first VIP appointment. I hung behind the entry waiting for her to finish. There was a lot of giggling going on. What exactly was going on inside the VIP room? Was she taking care of this guy’s needs the way she took care of mine?
I never understood the jealous rages I’d occasionally witnessed—at least until today.
“Are you still interested in learning some of those techniques?”
Who wanted to teach my little kitten ‘techniques’? The only person who would be teaching her anything was me.
“I would love that. Thank you, Mr. Waldorf.” Her voice had the soft seductive tone she had used on me during my first appointment.
Was this her game—play the shy innocent choir girl and then reel them in? No. She wasn't the shy choir girl when I first met her. She was the stick-up-the-ass future trophy wife. Where was that Katie now?
Katie and her appointment came out of the VIP room nearly knocking me over.
“Mr. Walsh.” Her expression revealed her shock at the sight of me. Of course she was shocked. I had caught her in the act—of what, I wasn't sure yet. But I was going to find out exactly what Mr. Waldorf wanted to teach her.
I watched as Katie completed Mr. Waldorf’s purchase and ushered him toward the stairs to The Boutique. I was unable to make out their conversation. When Waldorf had gone, she walked over to me.
“Mr. Walsh, I wasn't aware we had an appointment today.” The interns were watching, and she was being careful not to give away the nature of our relationship. What was the nature of our relationship?
“I think I can squeeze you in—if I skip lunch.” She gestured me to follow her to the VIP room. She closed the door behind us, a smile lit up her face. “This is a nice surprise, what are doing here?”
“I brought you lunch, knowing you would be busy today. And you were busy today, weren’t you, kitten.” I heard my own jealousy, and it annoyed me that I couldn't hide it.
“Aaron, what are you talking about?” She was cleaning up from her appointment, organizing ties and accessories that had apparently been rejected by Mr. Waldorf. Was she really going to pull the innocent choir girl routine with me?
I knew what I heard.
I walked up and pressed myself against her backside. “What did Mr. Waldorf want to teach you, kitten?”
She spun around and faced me. “How dare you?! I’m at work. You have no right stalking in here and listening in on a private conversation. Anything discussed between Mr. Waldorf and myself is just that—between Mr. Waldorf and me.”
She teetered on her heels as she stepped away from me. I held her arms tightly to keep her from falling on her ass.
“You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend, and you have no right. You need to leave, Aaron.” She turned her back on me and pulled away.
I wrapped her in my arms once more and pressed my pelvis against her back, thrusting my cock against her ass. “You’re slouching, Katie. Maybe you need something to replace that stick up your ass.”
“Aaron,” she whimpered. “You need to leave.”
Suddenly I dropped her arms as if she were on fire. What was I doing? Who was this out of control man? She had played with me, and now she was done, moved on to the next mark. I would have to suck it up and deal with it.
“Enjoy your lunch,” I growled into her ear and left her to clean up the mess. I would have given her everything—wanted to give her everything. She was not going to get away with conning me. Leona needed to know exactly what her protégé was up to—luring in unsuspecting clients with her hard-to-get routine. That was not good for business. We did not need someone like her working for us.
Seething with anger, I headed down to The Boutique. I would see to it that Miss Steele found herself either back at the design studio with a bunch of starving artists or out on her sweet ass altogether.
I reached the bottom of the stairs and found Mr. Waldorf with Leona. “Aaron, come join us,” she requested.
This was going to be good. I would derail my little kitten’s plan to fleece her next mark.
“Aaron, this is Mr. Waldorf. He is our scarf supplier. He offered to come in and give us some tips on some of the new trends.”
“I offered to have my wife come in and work with Miss Steele on some of the techniques the French are doing. She suggested I see Leona about running a seminar for all the interns.”
“Aaron is looking at taking over for Richard. When he makes the final decision, I’m sure he would love to come over and see the factory, wouldn’t you, Aaron?”
“Yes, of course. Nice to meet you, Mr. Waldorf.” I shook Waldorf’s hand and then made a hasty exit. A scarf salesman? Fuck!
I left The Boutique shell shocked. I had been blinded by jealousy—jealousy that, as Katie pointed out, was out of line. I was not her boyfriend. I was not her anything. But… she was my everything. And I had almost cost her the one thing she valued most—her career.
I needed to go home. I needed to sit and think about how to fix this. I had to fix this. Not today, though. She would be far too upset today and wouldn’t listen to reason. But what reason could I give her that was not going to make me sound like a jealous stalker boyfriend?
Chapter 18
Katie
I couldn't wait to get home and take off the clothes I had accepted from Aaron that morning. No strings, my ass! Was he suggesting what I thought he was? No. He was trying to make a point—a very uncalled fo
r, jealousy-induced point. He might be older than me, but today he had behaved no better than a lovesick horny teenager.
Tomorrow, I would take the clothes to the dry cleaners and then return them. He wouldn’t be able to get a refund from wherever he had purchased them, but he could always donate them to Goodwill. Hell, he could give them to one of his call girls, for all I cared.
I showered and changed into one of my comfortable sweater dresses. I was either going to have to lose weight or buy new clothes. I was great in thrift stores. That was what I would do tomorrow after I returned the clothes Aaron had picked out for me. I would check out my favorite thrift store to find a few new things that fit my new curves.
I silently groaned at the sight of the beautiful cashmere sweater and the knit pencil skirt that fit me in all the right places. He knew every line of my body, and he had been able to translate that knowledge into clothing that fit me perfectly.
He had not lost his touch—a touch that curled my toes and made my insides melt… A touch that would be nothing more than a memory.
I pull on my boots and coat and grabbed the clothing. There was a one-hour Martinizing place not far away. It was early enough for me to take the clothes now and still return them to Aaron tonight. I would go for coffee and kill the hour.
When the clothing was ready, I presented my ticket and took the plastic-encased bundle from the clerk. I pinned a note to the dry-cleaning bag that said, “Please donate to Goodwill.” That message should be clear enough for him to understand. I left the bag at the security desk and asked the guard to make sure that Mr. Walsh received his dry cleaning.
The doorman held the door for me. I flashed him a sincere smile and left the building. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe his jealousy was a good thing. Maybe I had dodged a bullet with him. Regardless, I had laundry that needed doing. That would occupy my evening.
I got in my car and heard the familiar ringtone of my cell. He was calling. It had to be him. The timing was too perfect. I looked down at my phone. Not Aaron.
“Hello, Haley?”
“Girl alert, big breakup. Meet us at Andy’s now.”
Haley’s voice was panicked. Big breakup? Had Richard changed his mind about wanting to settle down? I had to go for Mackenzie’s sake. What if, God forbid, it was Aleksander? I would not allow myself to believe such a thing. They had all looked so happy at Thanksgiving dinner.
“I’ll be there in ten.” I stowed away my cell and headed to Andy’s.
When I arrived, I saw three women sitting in a corner booth. I slid into the seat next to Leona. “Shouldn't someone be crying?”
Anne brought me my usual non-alcoholic beer and said, “I hear we have us a pity party over here.” She unloaded a tray full of shooters. “The blue ones are Jolly Rogers. They’re the real deal. The pink ones are called virgins.” She winked at Haley.
“Pity party?” Leona protested. “I just lost two hundred pounds of ugly fat. This is a freaking celebration.”
I was shocked. “Leona, no!” I had met Leona's boyfriend once. I remembered he was in the Navy and was away a lot.
“You look shocked, Katie,” Haley interjected. “Who did you think I was talking about?”
“I didn't know what to think. I was hoping it wasn't either of you,” I quickly added, “but I never imagined you.” I lay my head on Leona's shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Thank you, Katie. I’m fine, really. I knew this day would come eventually.” Leona picked up a blue shooter and downed it. “I’m a career girl, and I have enough responsibilities without adding a husband and kids to the mix.”
“Wait, I don't understand. Who dumped who?” I was completely confused.
“His contract is up for renewal, and he decided he wants to leave the Navy and settle down and start a family.” Leona downed another shooter. “That was never part of the deal, but it wasn’t fair for me to deny him that.”
“Why do men think we're nothing more than human Pez dispensers?” I gulped down a blue shooter and slammed the empty glass on the table.
“Katie—human Pez dispenser, really?!” Haley rubbed her belly.
“Haley, I’m sorry.” I was mortified at my sudden outburst.
Haley laughed. “It's okay. I’ve just never seen you this worked up before.”
“You get it, Leona, right?” I was looking for backup. “Men believe it's their God-given right to spread their seed all over creation.”
“Katie, don't you want children?” Mackenzie looked concerned.
“Someday… maybe. On my terms. On my timeline.” I didn't mean for it to sound as sad as it did. “I’m sorry if I offended anyone, especially you, Haley.” I sighed softly. “I’m not very good at the girlfriend thing. It’s complicated.”
Haley brought one of the virgin shooters to her lips and just before she tossed it back, she looked at me.
”I forgive you…” she paused, “kitten,” she said with a smirk.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“I didn't know you had a nickname, Katie,” Mackenzie gushed.
I gave Haley an evil glare. “I. Don’t,” I answered through gritted teeth.
Haley was persistent. “Sure you do. Tell us about your nickname, kitten.”
“We are not here to talk about me. We are here for Leona, so let's drop it, Haley, shall we?” I used my soft sing-song voice as I ran my conversation with Aaron over in my head. I thought he’d called me kitten. I also thought it had been my overactive imagination. Even if Haley had heard, I could deny it, tell her she heard wrong.
Before I could recover, I got hit with another bombshell.
“Don't be embarrassed, Katie,” Haley’s voice was low and apologetic. “It’s every woman's right of passage to be fingered in public.”
I choked on my drink and tried to crawl under the table. I coughed, trying to catch my breath. There was no way to deny it. The look on my face would be a dead giveaway. Of that, I was sure.
“Although, would a family dinner be considered public?” Haley asked with mock curiosity.
Mackenzie gasped, and I prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me. I had defiled this woman’s home—a woman I considered a friend. I began to hyperventilate.
“Breathe, Katie, before you pass out.” Haley panicked. “If I had known you were going to have this reaction, I swear I wouldn’t have said anything.”
Leona put her arm around me. “It’s okay, kitten. Tell us all about it.” The mocking in her tone was undeniable, and everyone but me burst out laughing.
I lay my head on the table and lightly banged my forehead a couple of times. “This is not happening…” I raised my head and hid my face behind my hands. I must have been blushing twenty shades of red.
Mackenzie reached across the table and pulled my hands from her face. “Now, Katie,” she said. “Don’t be embarrassed. Haley’s right—we’ve all done it.” I looked at Mackenzie and saw she wasn’t upset about what had transpired in her home.
“I do have one question, though.” Mackenzie took my hand in hers. “Did Aaron really think my turkey was moist… really, really moist?” Everyone cracked up, including me.
“I bet something else was really, really moist.” Leona threw at me. “Fuck, Katie, I told you to get a tall glass of water, not the most potent liquor in the cabinet.”
Leona leaned in and casually asked, like it was no big thing, “How long have you been fucking Aaron?”
“I am not sleeping with Aaron,” I whispered harshly. “And keep it down. I am not discussing this.”
“Oh, we are nowhere near done with this conversation, kitten,” Hayley teased.
“Oh, God. I need another one of these.” I slammed down another Jolly Roger. “Take these away, please, before I actually do become an alcoholic.”
I took in a deep breath. I knew if I did not explain the nature of my non-relationship with Aaron, the girls were never going to let it go. Better to get it out of the way and put
it on a shelf.
“It was supposed to be a one-night stand. I had no idea that Aaron was,” I paused, “well… who he was.” I fidgeted nervously. “I was furious when that wolf in sheep’s clothing walked into The Boutique the next morning. If I’d had any idea he was the new boss, I never would have…” I trailed off.
“I ran into him at Andy’s later that day. He took me home on the back of his bike and next thing I knew….well, we umm were… fucking.” There I said it.
“He took you on the back of his bike?” Leona smiled. “I remember my first ride.” She had this far away look.
“There’s nothing sexier than a hot man on a hot bike,” I continued.
“Amen to that,” Leona praised and gave me a high five.
“And I love my bikes. My brother’s taught me to ride a bike before I could drive a car. There’s nothing like it. One day, I’ll have one of my own.”
“If it was suppose to be a one night stand, what exactly was that at Thanksgiving dinner?” Haley was not going to let it drop, and I could see they were enjoying the torture way too much.
“I made it very clear that what happened was a one-night stand. I thought he was trying to push my buttons. I honestly did not think he would… do what he did.” I was whispering across the table. I didn’t need anyone else overhearing this conversation and telling my brothers. They would have Aaron’s hide if they suspected he’d done anything with me except given me a goodnight kiss at the door. “I should have stopped him.”
“Only once?” Leona snickered. “Was it that bad?”
“Katie…” Mackenzie dragged out my name. “What are you not saying?”
“Twice, okay? Twice. Three, if you count… well you know. If you count dinner. I’m going to burn in hell, aren’t I?” I couldn't believe how well the girls were reacting to this news. Aaron was the new boss. I had slept with the new boss, and they didn't seem to care.
“Why aren't you more upset about how unprofessional I’ve been?” I looked at Leona.
“Did you have sex in the showroom?” Leona asked calmly.
“What?! Oh, God, no! Seriously, Leona?” I slapped my hand over my mouth, suddenly remembering that Haley had sex in the showroom with Aleksander before they were married. Apparently, Haley had sex with Aleksander everywhere—before and after they were married.
Bastard Heir (The Heirs Book 3) Page 12
