Page 27 of Worth Every Penny
Our interaction has well and truly wiped out my appetite, and I’m not going to sit alone in the restaurant now that Kate has gone.
I stalk out of the hotel, my mind a blur. I get in my car and speed back to the office. Thank God my subconscious can drivebecause all I can think about is Kate. The Ice Queen. Not even a sauna and a massage could soften her up.
I don’t know why I bothered.
When I arrive at the office, I have almost no recollection of how I got there. I pace across reception in a fog of frustration, only to be waved down by Seb.
“Lunch didn’t go well, then?” He smirks, making me regret telling him I was taking Kate for lunch. Thank fuck I didn’t admit I’d booked her into the spa at the Elite.
I flip my middle finger at him as I pass. I wouldn’t normally brush him off like that, but if I stop to explain, he’ll only gloat, and I don’t have time for his bullshit.
I stride towards the reception desk without another look in his direction, Kate’s angry words rattling around in my mind like some bastardized form of torture.You think you can buy me? That you can get your wallet out and I’ll do exactly what you want?
Was that what I thought? Was that why I did it? I don’t fucking know anymore, because the moment those words sprang from her pink lips, the only thing I wanted to do was yellYes, please.
I cannot focus around this woman at all.
I press my palms to my temples like I can force her out of my head.
Suddenly, I think of Charlie, and guilt hits hard. I’ve been so preoccupied with Kate that I haven’t checked to see if he’s okay on his first day. Maybe he’ll be more amenable to lunch than Kate was.
I take a deep breath, grip the knot of my tie, and force a smile to my face as I approach the reception desk. The receptionist grins up at me. “How can I help, Mr. Hawkston?”
“Can you tell me where my nephew Charlie is sitting?”
I wait as she checks, observing the steady slowing of my pulse rate. I’ll be all right in a moment.
“He’s on the sixth floor. Matt put him with the Lansen team. In fact, he’s opposite Kate Lansen.”
The universe must be messing with me right now. Of all the desks in the office, Matt had to put his son next to her.
Maybe she won’t be there. She said she had plans.
“Thanks,” I say, and head to take the lift to the sixth floor.
When I approach Charlie’s bank of desks, I see Kate immediately. She’s standing at her desk holding a Tupperware box and a set of cutlery.
This is her lunch plan? What the actual fuck? She’d rather eat out of a plastic box at her desk than sit with me?
Fury rises like a tidal wave, and I quicken my pace, noticing that people are stealing glances and hunkering down, pretending to be busier than they are.
Half of them are probably worried I’ll fire them on the spot. But I’m not a yeller. That’s more Matt’s style of management, not mine. Although right now I’m feeling pretty damn close to letting loose.
I ignore the flickering glances of other employees. Kate’s the only one that holds my attention.
As I get closer to her desk, she puts her lunch down and leans over to pick something up, presenting me with a view of her arse. It’s pert and perfect, and the skirt is tight, revealing the outline of her underwear beneath. I’m torn between wanting to fuck it or spank it for insubordination.
A shock of heat rushes to my cock.
Shit.
I did not come up here for this, but I keep moving towards her, unable to look away. With each step, my body temperature ratchets up a notch.
A choked gurgle of laughter distracts me. Charlie grins, his eyebrows arched like aMcDonald’slogo. He bites his bottom lip and nods at Kate, where she’s still bent over, then looks at me like I’m a horny teenager who shares his amusement.
I glare at him, and the venom behind it is enough to wipe his expression clean. I’ll address his lack of office decorum over lunch. That’s something we have to stamp out.
“Lunch?” I question.